Jerry Tresser said: Now let me just say this, as I indicated in previous threads, and its my own opinion and nothing else. This industry is faultering, much of which is due to the inability of knowing who is who any longer. Personally, I think that the business end of the herp world is diminishing in sales, imports, and breeding. The attraction to losers, thiefs and con artists is increasing. Their will be a melting point one day, and although I believe it will be related to health issues, it will strangle the legitimate dealer because of a lack of credibility that this industry had at one time but no longer seems to consider a factor that exists in almost every industry that starts overseas and ends up to an individual.
Like you, I had the same concerns about the potential for the industry pricing structure to implode as long ago as 1997 when I went to MARS and was able to purchase Amel. Burmese pythons for 60$ each. I figured they'd be selling for 30$ by the next year, but wanted to have a pair anyway. To my amazement, I see them listed or nearly 200$ these days, and the price seems to be pretty stable.
I believe the "trouble" came more in the form of individuals who were "dumping" animals on the market, than it has ever some from wholesalers who selectively sell to individuals or who have a tier pricing structure to enable them to sell to a multi-level customer base.
When I first read your response (and yeah, this is directed at Mr. Tresser) it had that "sky is falling" sound to it, to me, and I didn't understand what in the world you were talking about.... here we are 9 pages later, and I think I get it... I know I'm slow....
If memory serves me correctly, there are a lot of companies engaged in this very practice. There are exporters in countries of origin that will GLADLY sell to ANYONE with the money to make freight and it happens all the time. I have been approached by half a dozen of these exporters over the past decade, and I've NEVER been a wholesaler.... asking me if I wanted to buy all manner of "rare" animals. Many of the offers have been tempting, but I do not have to facilities nor the financial ability to make something like importation of herpfauna a reality for me. If I WERE able to do it, I wouldn't. I've come to the point in my life where I believe it is BAD business for us to continue to import on the scale that we used to. I believe the animal populations in the countries of origin cannot sustain our desire for cheap imports for very much longer. I could be, and I hope I am wrong, BUT it is also my belief that we are almost to the point that a person with a "need" for an animal can buy a captive bred animal, and that we as a community should be driving THAT home as our mantra... buy captive bred.... buy captive bred.... buy captive bred.... as the FIRST choice when looking for an animal.... anyone who has ever had to watch an import die, in spite of every effort to save it, knows how sickening it is to lose an animal that probably should have never been put in that air-cargo box to begin with..... we have to convince buyers that is may look like they're saving money when they buy imported pets, but that buying on the cheap is often a false economy... Vet bills, the anxiety of having to deal with a sick animal, replacement costs... etc.... all make it GENERALLY less expensive and a much higher quality experience to buy right, captive bred, the first time.
I know I'm beating a dead horse, but that's what I believe is wrong with the industry.... its the "Walmart" mentality of "falling prices" that has us in trouble, not the importer who structures his prices to enable people on all levels to buy from him (or her). "Always the best price" may work for Walmart, but it doesn't work when we're talking about living, breathing, and feeling animals who deserve better than to be snatched out of the wild, imprisoned without food or water (in many cases) and then sent to America where they have a survival rate as low as 10% in some cases.... No, I'm not a PETA member. I'm an animal lover, and I hate to see animals treated that way, especially when it really isn't necessary to bring in the quantities we bring in every year....
I could rant on, but I just wanted to go on record as having said that you, Jerry, confused me by your first few posts on this subject. I don't know you, and you don't know me, but I believe it when you talk about being in this business a long time. You're one of the guys that could clean things up a bit if you'd get your old buddies to breed instead of import. If we slow down the influx of cheap imports, the price goes up (supply and demand anyone?) on all captive bred making it worthwhile to put the time into the breeding..... I don't see this happening in my lifetime. In fact, I don't see it happeneing until the rumors of them "closing Indo" become reality... and that, my friend, may come at a time when it's too late for many of the species to recover from the overharvesting that I believe is taking place every day.
