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Ball Python Inquries

W

Winston

Axios2418
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Hey guys I just want to know if it is true that Gourmet Rodent purchased 30,000 ball python and has cornered the market?

Just  wondering nothing agianst anyone.

any reply would be appreciated

Thanx

Winston <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>
 
Winston,

What do you mean by "cornered the market"? I don't believe no one in his right mind would invest $90,000 in normal ball python babies ($3 a piece?). Besides take a look at kingsnake.com. People have complained becuase of the number of adds offering ball pythons for sale.

Best regards, <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>
 
Man, that's a LOT of ball pythons!

Let's look at some math here.

Just to maintain all of them in a week's time would take:

$6,000 feed bill, figuring 20 cents per mouse.

500 hours to clean and feed them, figuring on 1 minute per animal.  So we're talking about 2 full time employees just to maintain the ball pythons.  Let's figure on a weekly wage of $200 per person.

30,000 cages.  I can't imagine anyone having an extra 30,000 cages just laying around, so how are these things going to be housed?  Individually?  I doubt it.

Bill is losing $6,400 a week unless he moves them out immediately.  So he HAS to sell them quickly.
 
Is it true?  

Alavaro, why not invest in balls?  Name a snake that sells better nation wide.  30,000 is a drop (albeit a big one) in the bucket for the ball market between now and Christmas.

 Cages? How about paper bags.  I've heard its been done before.  

Turn around, not a problem either.  I know plenty of people willing to pay $5 plus for them right now.  And most of those people would take at least 100, many would take several thousand.

So you turn your $90,000 into $150,000. $60,000 thousand gross profit minus the three weeks worth of expenses it takes to move them.  Another thing is, Rich you're assuming he's going to feed them.  He may just house and sell whatever he can quickly, then feed only whats left.  That's what most large importers do.  I think realistically he could take care of them for about $4000-5000 grand a week w/o feeding.  So $60,000 minus $15,000 = $45,000

Lets say he loses another 10% of gross due to deaths and shipping cost and blahbidy blah so $45,000 minus $15,000 =$30,000 for three weeks work.  That's more than I make teaching high school for a year!

Those that have money make more. <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>

We"ve also got to assume that there will be some special ball pythons in all those balls.  Pastels, stripes, blackbacks, ringers whatever. Those could be sold for much more than $5.  My argument also assumes he plans on wholesaling everything.  He could just sit on them and wait until everyone else is out, then he could charge $10-20 and get it no problem.

If this is true, we might also consider that maybe he got word of some CITES news, like maybe an upcoming restriction?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>?  If that happened, his 90k investment would easily quadruple overnight.

Man I'd love to know if this is true.  Winston you're closest, drive out there and find out!
<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>
 
Winston,

You don't have to worry about anyone cornering the market on Balls.  There will alwyas be a buyer for them no matter if it is true that dealer x bought 30,000 or 100,000 there still are plenty available on the C.I.T.E.S. quota to keep everyone happy. if you would like to see all of the quotas for Python Regis as well as every other reptile exported from each country you can check on the c.i.t.e.s. web site @ http://www.cites.org
 
whoa!  i just checked out the quotas for boas from surinam and guyana.  guyana = 0, surinam = 1025
i think something is not quite right here...  i don't know what, but it's something.

oh, and the export quota for balls from togo is 1500 WC and 52000 ranched.  ghana had 7000 WC and 38000 ranched so if gourmet rodent WAS trying to corner the market, they may be off to a good start.  if they took 30000, that's about 30% of the total market which leaves another 70000 out there for everyone else, but if they can get theirs to live, then they will end up with about, what? half of all imported balls this year that live b/c a lot will go to death houses like petco.  (dunno, just a guesstimate).

anyway, interesting reading on that site rob, thanks!
 
Brian,

Your figures make sense! Want to be "business associates"?  <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

Daniel
 
Daniel, sounds good!  You buy the balls, I'll buy the paper bags.  I am working off a teacher's salary ya know <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>
 
So just steal the paper bags from your students lunches and sell them to your new partner for 10 cents each.  30,000 bags x .10 = 3000

Thats 3000 pure cash profit off the backs of kids getting a lesson in economics.   <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

What a great lesson plan.  Not to mention @ 8% raise for the Teacher based on average wages.  

Not a bad idea.  But I want a cut for sparking the idea of the bags.  Say a 10% cut off every snake sold.  <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>
 
Tim,

Snakes? What snakes? I was already filling Brian's bags with pebbles.... <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>
 
John,

I am glad you enjoyed the site.  The 2 countries you posted for ball python quotas are just that 2 of them.  If you look there are quite a few more Countries that export Ball pythons. Benin, Ethiopia, and a lot more.  So if they truly did get 30,000 of them it is a small percentage and not as high as you thought.   But you also have to realize, this late in the season there have already been over 20,000+ ball pythons brought in by other importers in the US.  I doubt very seriously that there is any truth to that dealer bringing in 30,000 of them to "corner the market"
 
Sorry, this thread is not appropriate material in the BOI.
 
why not buy them and sell them for profit?

You buy 100
a percentage will " whoopsy it died"
a percentage won't even look at a mouse becasuse they are to stressed.
a percentage is sick.
then you figure you need the following
probably a classified account...unless you go to free classifieds.
you will need mice
you will need housing for the many balls
you will need to buy boxes for shipping
you will need to buy heat packs or cooling gels

then buy the time you add everything... You will need to sell them for $25 a piece.  plus shipping... That would equal $50.
then you realize that everyone has themn selling for much cheaper.  Then you realize you need to copmete with everyone and their uncle who has ball pythons.  Then you realize the longer they stay the more you get eaten out of your house.  then you realize you need to get rid of them right now.  Then you sell them for a loss.

Even if you give away a ball python.  I would still have to pay $25 to $35 for shipping.  For that price I can probably go to the corner store or something
 
Ritche, if thats the case, why are there some many people BEGGING to import ball pythons?  Where do you think the corner store get them from?

- I accounted for deaths

- Out of the 35 fresh from the farm balls I already purchased this year, 24 ate within 24 hours of coming home.  Another 6 ate within a week, and 5 haven't fed.  Those 5 are fat and healthy and will probably eat as soon as they are done absorbing their yolks and shedding (and as soon as I can find a mouse breeder who can keep up w/ demand #$@*&##@).

- sick?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>  from what? OK throw those in w/ the deaths

- Free or $60 for the busiest internet reptile site in the world BFD.  Besides, we're talking about Gourmet Rodent he already has the customers.

- mice?  Well again we're assuming you feed them before you ship them.  At $5 buck a piece they'll be gone in 2 weeks, most will still be absorbing yolk at that point.  But, even if you do keep them, what's 20 cents a week per snake?  They only get more valuable w/ each passing week and each meal they eat, pass the cost on to the customer.  Also, remember we're talking about one of the largest rodent breeders in the world.

- discussed, paperbags.  Sounds weird but I know a guy that does it every year.  Remember we're talking about snakes you spend most of their time curled up in termite mounds waiting for something to walk by.

- correct you buy them and charge the customers for them, just like everyone else does.

Even if he only ended up clearing $15000, making 17% on an investment is considered outstanding even if it takes a year.  He could do this in just a couple of weeks or months.

Brian
 
Rich sorry didn't realise you moved it here. Well wow thanx for the reply. I've just been hearing from word of mouth that Gourmet Rodent bought the remaning shipment out of Africa that is all and just wanted to confirm it. As making money form it. if he has the rest of the shipments from Africa then we are kindda at his mecry for whatever he charges on the ball python, if he is the only one to get form for wholesale, but lucky I purchased mine beofre the "rumor"

Hey Brian I'll buy the mice if you buy the paper bags <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

Thanx

Winston
 
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