Is it just me, or is the arachnid hobby in a state of decline? I know that there are more species avaliable than ever, but it seems as if many of the veteran keepers are giving up the hobby and many of the invert dealers are closing up shop. Has anyone else thought about this?
Is our hobby dieing?
- Thread starter Exo
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I was just thinking of this last night.. I am still quite new in the hobby.. But I am here because of the enthusiasm some of the older hobbist show in their collection.. I sure hope we dont lose everyone!
P.S. Im not going no where for a long LONG time!!
P.S. Im not going no where for a long LONG time!!
Neither am I, it just seems like a bunch of people have left at once.P.S. Im not going no where for a long LONG time!!
True, but you'd think that there would be someone who'd stay in the hobby for life, right?
I am also fairly new, just started with my first T in September 09 (I now have 8).
I don't see myself going anywhere for many years
I am also trying to educate more people and I hope more people join us taking care of these beautiful creatures.
I don't see myself going anywhere for many years
I am also trying to educate more people and I hope more people join us taking care of these beautiful creatures.
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I think several have left due to financial hard times. Sell a spider, pay a bill... unfortunate, but reality. Hopefully those who have left for this reason will return to the hobby when their situations improve. (If the entire global monetary system collapses, well... that's an entirely different post.)
I'm gonna try to be one male that never pulls out! lol (Sorry if that was off-color, must be the rum!)
Jon
I'm gonna try to be one male that never pulls out! lol (Sorry if that was off-color, must be the rum!)
Jon
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I haven't noticed too many people selling off collections, but it's that way with any hobby. People get into it hardcore, and then begin to lose interest. I know I have a crapload of baseball cards sitting in my closet that I don't really have any interest in anymore. If those baseball cards needed food and water, I'd be selling them as we speak.
When it comes to dealers closing shop, that's a simple one. It's extremely difficult to make money selling inverts. There's just such little demand, such small profit margin, and such high number of offspring that it's difficult to make a worthwhile profit from them. Hobbyists generally sell their slings at prices so low that they may be taking a loss or barely cutting it even. That further cuts into the amount of money a dealer can make. It's unfortunate, but I think unless you're importing rarer species there's very little money in the invert trade.
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I just started a month ago, so I haven't noticed anybody leaving.
It's too bad that people get bored with things so fast nowadays, Ts are so easy to care for and require so little time, that on of the main reasons I got into the hobby.
I have the feeling that in the end, it will be the level of dedication of the hobbiests that either keeps the hobby alive, or allows it to die.
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Mark as mentioned "out with he old, in with the new"
lets see we have kelly swift(i bet he never closes shop)
but we have lost a good importer recently. Mr. James Tuttle. though i bet he comes back(i hope!)
i dont think we need to worry about your everyday "dealer" going away. because as said theres always more and more everyday popping up.
but i will say, that loosing importers/exporters could be bad. that could lead to the select few who do import jack prices up due to demand for new sp. or hard to get sp. or just because they can.....
that could only be counter acted if the new dealers actually take the time to get an export/import license.
but i think were fairly safe unless the shipping issue isnt resolved quickly. which gets me thinking. maybe patitioning the USPS is doing more bad than good. because that is only allerting them more to the hobby than need be. if nothing else, seems we are going to have to use some specialized service.
at any rate, i dont see the hobby doing anything that growing.
lets see we have kelly swift(i bet he never closes shop)
but we have lost a good importer recently. Mr. James Tuttle. though i bet he comes back(i hope!)
i dont think we need to worry about your everyday "dealer" going away. because as said theres always more and more everyday popping up.
but i will say, that loosing importers/exporters could be bad. that could lead to the select few who do import jack prices up due to demand for new sp. or hard to get sp. or just because they can.....
that could only be counter acted if the new dealers actually take the time to get an export/import license.
but i think were fairly safe unless the shipping issue isnt resolved quickly. which gets me thinking. maybe patitioning the USPS is doing more bad than good. because that is only allerting them more to the hobby than need be. if nothing else, seems we are going to have to use some specialized service.
at any rate, i dont see the hobby doing anything that growing.
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If you mean "petshop" dealers, well, they surely aren't popping up around here. Plus, 90% of the tarantulas in the hobby are usually only avaliable from online dealers. I only know of one place a few counties over that carries Ts, and they only have B.smithi, G.rosea, and GBBs.
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I just don't agree with the statement about not being able to ship with any carrier. It's been like that for years and that hasn't stopped but a few from doing so. If it wasn't for someone ratting out a major dealer we wouldn't even be discussing this right now. If you or I ship via any carrier nothing is going to happen to either of us. I'm going to order here within a month or so. How will I be getting these T's? In the mail with no problems attached other than $5 more for shipping than before.I'd start my own invert buisness, but I would need my own place and a large one at that. Also, it doesn't help that you can't ship arachnids with any carrier....that alone could kill the hobby.
I'm just saying people are overreacting over the carrier issues. If they actually become proactive in preventing us from ordering or trading then yes that will be very troublesome to all in the hobby. For now though it's not as bad as a few make it out to be.
That's what happened to me. Life changes and we have to deal with grown-folks business. When I left the hobby, it was because I went through a divorce and a move. It just wasn't possible to keep spiders for that time. My ex kept all the spiders so I didn't have to worry about them. It's good to be back and to do it all my way now. I do think it's in the blood.
I believe we call those "fathers." lol
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I will never go another day without a tarantula. I am a lifer. I am actually looking to be a arachno-dealer within the near future. Some times it is not that a dealer looses his love of the hobby, they just didnt do to business school lol. And some keepers run into unforseen problems, and may have to loose some of there collection. We are just in a resession, it will pick back up. Is our Hobby dieing? I like to think were are just taking a break, to enjoy are current collection before we blow our tax returns on a few dozen more
If you look at the rules for any of the carriers, it says that they will not ship spiders. UPS and fed ex can ban you from service and the USPS can charge you with a felony. I am not overeacting by any means, these are facts.