General advice about exotic pet shows

[Tortuga]

Hello all,

In two weeks I will be going to an exotic pet expo with a list of wants. I've never been to one of these events before and was wondering if some of the veterans out there could throw some tips my way. I'm assuming, since people are involved, there is some risk of being ripped off, i.e. getting sold a 'female' T that molts into a MM down the road, overpricing etc...

*and I assume transactions are typically cash?

 

[EtienneN]

Hello all,

In two weeks I will be going to an exotic pet expo with a list of wants. I've never been to one of these events before and was wondering if some of the veterans out there could throw some tips my way. I'm assuming, since people are involved, there is some risk of being ripped off, i.e. getting sold a 'female' T that molts into a MM down the road, overpricing etc...

*and I assume transactions are typically cash?

I've bought about six tarantulas at reptile expos. I live in Southwest Ohio and actually have a pretty decently run and reputable turnout. Most people will have the special Square devices that allow for credit card transactions. If it's cash only, they'll have ATMS, but I would be really surprised if it was cash only. I've been to reptile shows in PA too and they also had credit card capabilities.

Anyways, most decent vendors will have printed Sales Lists to show people. Always ask for a price/availability list if you don't see people in front of you already looking at them. If they don't have a sales list, the prices should be clearly marked on the actual T containers or in the bins that the T containers are displayed in on the table.

Most people are decent. This is how they make their vacation money or whatever. They want to do repeat business. I would say that most people are NOT going to try to pawn a penultimate male off as a female. But I guess people at different places can vary. One thing I think sets the good apart from the bad besides the aforementioned stuff above, is that reputable people will label things with scientific names only.

Usually, if you buy multiple spiders, they'll even give you a 10-15% discount.

 

[Liquifin]

First timers at reptile expos is the best first experience ever. Nothing beats any other expo/show than my first time experience. Almost all vendors will accept both cash and cards, but some will accept only one of two (but that's almost never). Getting discounts for me is much easier than most people, because the dealers in my area are the ones I sell wholesale too since it's basically the only way I can sell locally. I will be selling online here soon maybe. But discounts are easier to come buy when you know the dealer or work with them a couple times or know what you're talking about (that way you can talk dealers into cheaper prices).

there is some risk of being ripped off, i.e. getting sold a 'female' T that molts into a MM down the road

This is only true for dealers who are greedy or clueless, this is why I get to know dealers first before purchasing. Does this happen? Yes it does, but not for me. This is why I would be cautious about buying things, because during my first time at a expo I literally wanted to buy almost everything.

overpricing etc...

Still see this very often sadly. While the dealers I work with do give me discounts. I can still say that their prices are overpriced for some species (forgive me for saying that). I still see some overpriced T.'s at shows/expos, such as GBB slings for $60 or B. albo slings for $20. I hope some more species drop in prices because of reputable dealer inflation in this hobby.

My best tip of all is to establish bonds with dealers. You won't believe how many discounts you can get and how much other dealers can help connect you to other dealers. I've had good discounts and great times working with others and it does pay off in the end.

 

[Tortuga]

Thanks @EtienneN for the info. I don't feel so blind now.

 

[Tortuga]

oh wow, thanks @Liquifin. I've been pretty excited about going and I'm sure I will want to buy everything on impulse lol

 

[Demonclaws]

Buy from reputable vendors that sells mostly tarantulas to avoid getting scammed. You will see a lot of vendors just selling wild caught A. seemanni, A. chalcodes, and T. stirmi. These people have no idea how to sex tarantulas, so sometimes you can get a good deal by ventral sexing or educated guess. Some sells A. avicularia, B. albopilosum, or other common species slings that they purchased from breeders wholesale and they are usually cheap (~$10 - $20). Some vendors sell overpriced Ts. These vendors targets new hobbyists that wants the "staple of tarantula hobby". Do not fall for them. For example I have seen unsexed juvenile B. hamorii and P. metallica go for $250, sexed female OBT for $200, AF G. pulchra for $600. Before you go, have a general idea of the pricing of Ts, but most importantly always negotiate the price, never hurts to try.

For me, I usually pick up corkbarks and some acrylic enclosures at expos. These items are a lot more expensive in local pet stores or amazon/ebay.

I've been pretty excited about going and I'm sure I will want to buy everything on impulse lol

That's the only thing you DON'T want to do in an expo.

 

[Tortuga]

Buy from reputable vendors that sells mostly tarantulas to avoid getting scammed. You will see a lot of vendors just selling wild caught A. seemanni, A. chalcodes, and T. stirmi. These people have no idea how to sex tarantulas, so sometimes you can get a good deal by ventral sexing or educated guess. Some sells A. avicularia, B. albopilosum, or other common species slings that they purchased from breeders wholesale and they are usually cheap (~$10 - $20). Some vendors sell overpriced Ts. These vendors targets new hobbyists that wants the "staple of tarantula hobby". Do not fall for them. For example I have seen unsexed juvenile B. hamorii and P. metallica go for $250, sexed female OBT for $200, AF G. pulchra for $600. Before you go, have a general idea of the pricing of Ts, but most importantly always negotiate the price, never hurts to try.

For me, I usually pick up corkbarks and some acrylic enclosures at expos. These items are a lot more expensive in local pet stores or amazon/ebay.


That's the only thing you DON'T want to do in an expo.

right! I didn't mention I have a list and have looked up most prices on line for comparison. I have a fair amount of self control... except for when it comes bacon lol

 

[chanda]

If you are looking for anything rare, exotic, or unusual, go early! Get there right when it opens on the first day, if at all possible. Otherwise, all the really cool and unusual things will be snatched up - frequently by the other vendors!

On the other hand, if you are looking for fairly common species - and hoping to get a good deal - go on the last day, toward the end of the day. Some of the dealers may be a little more willing to negotiate on price if the alternative is packing it up and taking it home again. (Not that they'll be practically giving the things away, or accepting ridiculously low offers - but if you have a general idea of what a given spider is worth and make a reasonable offer, they may be more willing to accept less than the asking price later in the show.)

Prioritize your wish list. Which spiders are your "must haves" - and which are you only interested in if the price is right? Come in with at least a rough idea of what you want, how much it is worth, how common it is - and how much you are willing to pay for it. If you want a given species badly enough - and it's one that hard to come by in your area (or at least hard to come by in the size that you want) - then it may be worth it to you to pay a little more than the "going rate" for that spider. But it's best to go into it knowing what that going rate is so you can make an informed decision about how much you are willing to pay. That way, you don't end up feeling cheated later on when you see somebody online selling the same species you just bought for half the price! Also keep in mind that online purchases that seem cheap really aren't once you factor in shipping costs, so paying a bit more at the expo may be worth it to save on shipping costs and avoid the stress of having a spider in transit, and the risk of shipping mishaps.

Decide ahead of time how much you are willing to spend - and how much "wiggle room" you're willing to give yourself for impulse buys or things that cost more than you anticipated - so you don't go over budget. If that one "must have" spider costs more than you expected, maybe the "kinda nice to have" spider will have to go on hold for another time. This is where prioritizing your wish list comes in handy. If you can't afford to buy all the spiders at once, don't blow all your money on the ones that are pretty far down the list. Get your top picks first! Then, if you have the funds left over, you can check off a few more boxes from your list.

Shop around. All sales at expos are final, so if you snatch up the first spider from your list that you see, you may later regret it when you see a bigger, prettier, healthier-looking (or cheaper!) version of the same thing a few tables over. If you are looking for a relatively common species, then it's likely that multiple vendors will be selling the same thing - and they are unlikely to run out. On the other hand, if you're after some "unicorn" species that is highly desirable but hard to find, and you see one sitting on a table, you might want to grab it before someone else does!

Finally, have fun - and get to know the people! If it is not super busy, take the time to talk to some of the vendors. They're generally really terrific people and you can learn a lot from them! Also, once you get to know them, they may be more willing to negotiate trade with you and might notify you if they get something unusual that might be of interest to you. (Of course, if the booth is packed, they won't have time to chit-chat, so don't take it personally! Remember that they are working - and if you want to just talk, wait a bit and come back when it is less crowded.)

 

[Tortuga]

Good tactics, thanks you @chanda

 

[Dman]

In my experience dealers in the hobby are proud and for the most part knowledgeable and will not purposely cheat you with an incorrectly sexed T.

I do find that pricing is not always that big of a difference between the online pricing and an expo. You do save in shipping cost however, but by the time you pay for tickets and parking at the expo you are there in price anyway.

I have had good luck finding the vendor list for the upcoming expo and before the expo I reach out to the vendor and pick what I want and then pick up from them at the expo. This gives me a chance to work out pricing and questions beforehand. Expos can be busy and the vendors do not have time to spend with individuals.

 

[viper69]

I’ve posted a lot about this.

 

[Tortuga]

I’ve posted a lot about this.

I did read one of your posts but it didn’t sufficiently answer my questions.

The helpful comments others have made on this thread are greatly appretiated.

 

[Vanessa]

If you are concerned about being sold the incorrect species/sex, then it would be best to stick to the tarantula dealers and avoid the reptile ones. Although there are exceptions, reptile dealers generally know less about tarantulas and the customer suffers for it. Tarantulas are not their bread and butter and they are generally far less knowledgeable about them.
As already mentioned, stick to people using the scientific names only. If you are dealing with a well known, well respected, dealer, then even if they made a mistake on sex, they should make good on it. Sometimes mistakes happen, and stock can get mixed up or mislabeled, but a reputable dealer always makes good on any mistakes.
You've gotten some really awesome tips and it sounds as if you are well prepared ahead of time (something I have never done). I think you are going to have loads of fun and you'll need to update us when you get back home.

 

[cold blood]

Here's a fact, the only people that will or could possibly get ripped off are uneducated buyers.

There's absolutely no excuse for going to one of these Expos as an uneducated buyer. Reading as many dealer price lists as possible and perusing the classifieds here can easily, and for free, show anybody on the planet what the going rate is for any T they're interested in.

The best advice one can give a first-timer going to an expo, is to do your homework prior to going to said Expo.

 

[chanda]

I do find that pricing is not always that big of a difference between the online pricing and an expo. You do save in shipping cost however, but by the time you pay for tickets and parking at the expo you are there in price anyway.

It all depends on how you look at it. For me, the cost of gas and parking and admission to the expo is paying for entertainment - just like if I was going to a museum or zoo or theme park. I enjoy going to the expos, talking to the dealers - and of course, seeing all the cool reptiles and inverts! I go to the expos whenever I can, even if I don't intend to buy a thing. (Not that I ever walk out of one completely empty-handed!)

I don't really consider the costs of going to the expo as part of the cost of any spiders I might purchase there. Whether I intend to buy anything or not, I've already decided that it's worth the price of admission just to go and look. At that point, if I do decide to buy something, the only additional outlay is just the cost of that spider (or scorpion or centipede or whatever). So if I buy a $35 spider at an expo, as far as I'm concerned, it's a $35 spider.

Shipping costs, on the other hand, are directly related to the purchase of a specific spider, because I would not be paying them if I was not buying that spider. If I buy a $35 spider online - but pay an additional $35 dollars for shipping costs - then what I've really got is a $70 spider.

 

[viper69]

I did read one of your posts but it didn’t sufficiently answer my questions.

The helpful comments others have made on this thread are greatly appretiated.

Excellent!!

 

[Tortuga]

Just got back from my first expo and I had a blast. Met some cool folks, picked up some cork bark, coated tongs and a few slings that I've been researching for what seems like forever. I picked up B. vagans and C. cyaneopeubescens slings (6-8mm) as my first tarantulas from Simply Spiders out of St. Louis. Those guys were all very cool and very professional. I hope all the kids that were grabbing at their slings wont keep them from coming back to Kansas City, I'll do business with them again.

I can barely see B. Vagans booty but it looks HUGE. It has walled off its burrow so I'm wondering if its in pre-molt. I feel like there's too much moisture in the GBB cup, condensation is forming at and under the substrate line, doesn't show in image. There was also no holes in the lid, which I've now added. Would you swap out the moss with a piece of cork bark or leave it alone? I can relate to others now that get there first tarantula. I thought I covered all my basic questions, but the lack of experience makes me question what I think I know.

 

[cold blood]

I feel like there's too much moisture in the GBB cup, condensation is forming at and under the substrate line

No worries, this is simply caused by a temp difference. Once its equated to the current temps it should subside.

Would you swap out the moss with a piece of cork bark or leave it alone?

I would leave it...A GBB should web that all up in due time.

 

[StampFan]

Hello all,

In two weeks I will be going to an exotic pet expo with a list of wants. I've never been to one of these events before and was wondering if some of the veterans out there could throw some tips my way. I'm assuming, since people are involved, there is some risk of being ripped off, i.e. getting sold a 'female' T that molts into a MM down the road, overpricing etc...

*and I assume transactions are typically cash?

I typically look at who is vending and research prior, and if there's anything I really want, I pre-order/purchase and pick up at the show. Especially from far-away vendors where I would normally have to pay shipping and can just pick up for free at the show. Then I leave a bit of $ in the budget for any real deals that I might find.

Some stuff can be *really* overpriced at some expos, and others are good deals, like any other area of life.

 

[Tortuga]

thanks for the tip @cold blood. My local home depot carries the same top soil that you use, I will be picking up a bag eventually when I need to rehouse.

@StampFan, I checked out the vendor list before hand but they either didn't have a web site or their site was working. There was contact information so I could have been more proactive about inquiring, but just didn't. I had my list, did my reading and threw cation to the wind and had an adventure . I found paying cash was the way to go because no one seemed to have any $1's so they rounded down lol.