Back at it

[J.huff23]

I'm attempting to reenter the hobby after being out for about 7 years or so. Aside from the obvious reclassifications I've noticed price increases on slings that use to be dirt cheap. P.murinus use to be like 5 to 10 bucks a sling. I've seen slings going for 35 bucks. This is crazy to me. Just wondering if I missed something major? I've been reading some threads and google searching for answers but I don't really know what I'm looking for. Hoping somebody can shed some light before I make a huge purchase.

I also noticed that once major sellers have a very limited availability of species.

Thanks!

 

[Wolfram1]

thats because back then smuggling was a common occurance.

Im not sure what laws/regulations/practices changed but its for the best that there are less tarantulas taken from the wild.

since breeding of some species is harder/takes longer/produces less offspring there is a supply and demand in play.

and of course it depends on were u live.

in europe the prices are quite reasonable if you dont buy from petstores and especially if you personally know breeders

 

[Aarantula]

Welcome back. I’m also recently back after a 5 year break and everything you mentioned was the first thing I noticed as well. The prices of slings have skyrocketed for sure.

 

[Liquifin]

I'm attempting to reenter the hobby after being out for about 7 years or so. Aside from the obvious reclassifications I've noticed price increases on slings that use to be dirt cheap. P.murinus use to be like 5 to 10 bucks a sling. I've seen slings going for 35 bucks. This is crazy to me. Just wondering if I missed something major? I've been reading some threads and google searching for answers but I don't really know what I'm looking for. Hoping somebody can shed some light before I make a huge purchase.

I also noticed that once major sellers have a very limited availability of species.

Thanks!

What happened was that the hobby became more popular, which caused an increased demand causing prices to sky rocket. Another thing is that reputable dealers/sellers became more popular and reputable to the point where they can inflate the prices as high as they want and people will pay 150% more just because they're reputable. Better to avoid those "reputable" sellers and buy from a local breeder here on the boards for those legendary lost prices, which are now considered a myth.

That 1$ cheap LP sling is now a gold mine worth of $25-$32 (Call out ), despite the 1000+ slings they can have from one sac

Welcome back to the hobby.

 

[Aarantula]

What happened was that the hobby became more popular, which caused an increased demand causing prices to sky rocket. Another thing is that reputable dealers/sellers became more popular and reputable to the point where they can inflate the prices as high as they want and people will pay 150% more just because they're reputable. Better to avoid those "reputable" sellers and buy from a local breeder here on the boards for those legendary lost prices, which are now considered a myth.

That 1$ cheap LP sling is now a gold mine worth of $25-$32 (Call out ), despite the 1000+ slings they can have from one sac

Welcome back to the hobby.

On that note, the A. Chalcodes I got off you a few weeks ago are all doing well! (No molts yet). You’re DEF a great affordable breeder/ dealer!

 

[Liquifin]

On that note, the A. Chalcodes I got off you a few weeks ago are all doing well! (No molts yet). You’re DEF a great affordable breeder/ dealer!

I hate high prices for tarantulas. The reason why I set myself so low is because I know what being very poor is like. I can't afford "High" quality shipping like Fedex nor is there any around where I live. But at least I can make it right for people on buying T.'s by making it 25%-75% cheaper than those big sellers online. Those big-known-reputable sellers are way to greedy for me at this point, which is why I lean towards shows and vendors for good prices and also this forums (most times). I could make a list of what a T. species would retail for and what I would've retail that species of T. for. But this discussion isn't about that, so another time. But it's good to hear they're doing well.

 

[J.huff23]

What happened was that the hobby became more popular, which caused an increased demand causing prices to sky rocket. Another thing is that reputable dealers/sellers became more popular and reputable to the point where they can inflate the prices as high as they want and people will pay 150% more just because they're reputable. Better to avoid those "reputable" sellers and buy from a local breeder here on the boards for those legendary lost prices, which are now considered a myth.

That 1$ cheap LP sling is now a gold mine worth of $25-$32 (Call out ), despite the 1000+ slings they can have from one sac

Welcome back to the hobby.

Just curious and did not want to start a new thread for this. If the hobby is more popular, how are their far fewer people selling than before? There are also fewer people on the forums in general. It seems like there is hardly any users breeding and selling anymore.

Makes me wonder if I start breeding, how long will I be sitting on the slings waiting to trade them? I dont even breed for profit. Mainly for trades and for fun.

 

[Liquifin]

Just curious and did not want to start a new thread for this. If the hobby is more popular, how are their far fewer people selling than before? There are also fewer people on the forums in general. It seems like there is hardly any users breeding and selling anymore.

Makes me wonder if I start breeding, how long will I be sitting on the slings waiting to trade them? I dont even breed for profit. Mainly for trades and for fun.

That's an easy question to answer. They're fewer people selling now because those reputable sellers are getting a majority of the customers. Many of the local breeders or small breeders in general are having trouble selling because they're not a name brand seller. Even if a small or local breeder offer cheap prices, the customers would prefer those sellers/dealers that are known as reliable. A reason why this forums may seem less now is because the social media is expansive now, they're reddits, facebook pages, and other social media platforms for T. hobbyists now which the facebook page is dominating. Forum pages are almost like a thing of the past now, especially for the new generation of hobbyist. If you breed for fun or for trades, it's going to be a challenge for sure. Your real enemy is time, since this hobby isn't like it was 5-10 years ago. As for how long you'll be stuck with slings is highly reliant on what species it is. The more rare a species, the quicker it'll go. But it's expansive in this hobby for sure now, but reputable businesses are taking away customers and are the reason why this hobby is so inflated in terms of pricing.

 

[J.huff23]

Well that sucks. I guess luckily since I will be a casual breeder like i use to be (maybe 1-2 clutches here and there) I won't be as greatly impacted, but it still sucks.

I suppose it may also be advantageous to look to breed species that are not readily and consistently offered by large dealers.

Thanks. And ps, let me know if you ever have anything for sale because I'm mostly in this for personal collecting too.