how was your first time selling geckos

[geckoman14]

hi im starting to breed cresteds for the first time and i have no website and i was just wondering how did your first sales go and how did you do it just to keep me prepared for babies

[samanthajane13]

It weren't easy!!   

My first sales were at a local herp show.  I was a noob and not a known name with the crowd there.  I sold 3 out of 11 geckos.

BUT-my area is more into snakes than lizards.

[geckoman14]

haha yea for me it looks pretty awkward going to reptile shows and being a small booth while other people have more options and of course are a bigger booth cuz my plan is pennysaver/facebook/family lol but if i do sell in other states i got no idea how to ship lol im just a young 14 year old kid haha

[architeuthis]

You might want to try taking a look at www.shipyourreptiles.com. They have kits and helpful stuff.

[samanthajane13]

There's a very good thread on Pangea you HAVE to read...BEFORE you breed!!

Seriously-it talks about breeding, selling, etc!!!

It's quite long, but WELL WORTH the time!!

Kind of a "look before you leap" thread!

http://www.pangeareptile.com/forums/...=supply+demand

[geckoman14]

thanks guys i have been doing research for over a year now lol and we are a animal family with bugs/bettas/rodents lol and they all have been breeding im just the reptile man haha and thanks for the shipping website it makes things a whole lot easier=)

[architeuthis]

Hey Donna,
I was hoping you would chime in with that breeding thread here. I wanted to reference that in another post and couldn't find it.

[samanthajane13]

LOL-no problem!!

I've referred it so often I keep it in my bookmarks.

[architeuthis]

The link seems to be broken!

[Terradas]

I actually had a lot of luck when I first started breeding.  There were a few local shops that bought them for $30/gecko which is fine for overflow, but if you have some nice geckos you're losing on that deal.

At my first show I was pricing them too low $70-40 and ended up selling 9 of 14.

The next year when I shared a table with Donna I sold 5 of 6 and at last year's show I sold all but 7 of 10.

Oddly enough, my most expensive ones seem to go first.

I do have a couple of tips if you plan to sell at a show:
-Have a nice display of pictures and provide care information.
-Be friendly, engaging and SMILE.
-Be knowledgeable and don't be afraid to lose a sale by answering a question honestly.
-If you're selling cresteds/rhacs, play to their strengths (tame, no UV light, no heaters, modest space requirements, no live food necessary).

Many breeders don't like children to hold their geckos, but I prefer to let them as long as mom and dad are close by and they stay at the table.  That really helps sell the gecko and make the child fall in love.  Other than that, be a good source of info for mom and dad and put their minds at ease.  Adults browsing your selection will probably already know something about cresteds and will know fast whether or not they're actually interested.

That's all I got.  My production has been low so I hope to get it up this year.  Just make sure you have a plan for what you don't sell.  Find a local shop, sell online or be prepared to hold onto them until the next show you go to.

[samanthajane13]

The link seems to be broken!

Try this one!!


http://www.pangeareptile.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32241&highlight=supply+demand

[geckoman14]

thanks guys this was really helpful=)

[crazytanak]

A lot of the advice given on that thread were things we had thought of before reading  We have talked to a local pet store that may be willing to sell our young cresties when we hatch them. (no one is of breeding weight yet, so no eggs for quite some time over here). Im glad that the general "newbie" breeder price per gecko suggested was actually about the range we were thinking too. (or give a few away to friends for free or very cheap).

[samanthajane13]

Another thing to remember and think about is your age.

Not a lot of people are going to be willing to buy from a kid.