Reptile conventions.

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
Wow.. i need to check these out!
If you are smart you will find vendor list of the show, contact vendor in advance, learn what they have, and s/he will bring stuff. They don't bring everything at times, so if you want species X ask, never assume they will bring.
 

moricollins

Arachno search engine
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 15, 2003
Messages
3,687
Man. Why do I have to live in the middle of nowhere. :mad:
Bad luck?

If you are smart you will find vendor list of the show, contact vendor in advance, learn what they have, and s/he will bring stuff. They don't bring everything at times, so if you want species X ask, never assume they will bring.
. This is great advice. I always pre-order if there's anything I really want to get
 

jaw6053

Arachnobaron
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
469
I've been to 2 this year and i was hoping the prices were going to be cheaper than online but they were not. They were all around the same price as online. You will find dealers with a lot of slings of a certain species on hand and the prices will be marked down on them compared to online. The other plus is you don't have to pay for shipping and wait for a package to come.
 

rusted180

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Messages
119
If you are smart you will find vendor list of the show, contact vendor in advance, learn what they have, and s/he will bring stuff. They don't bring everything at times, so if you want species X ask, never assume they will bring.
Niiiice! Good advice good advice! Im gonna do just that! Didnt think to do this since vendors at coral shows have literally everything.. if one vendor sells out.. just walk a booth or two away and bam! Its there..im gonna do this uuup!! Thanks again viper! I want a phromitopus species or psalm irminia!
 

moricollins

Arachno search engine
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 15, 2003
Messages
3,687
Niiiice! Good advice good advice! Im gonna do just that! Didnt think to do this since vendors at coral shows have literally everything.. if one vendor sells out.. just walk a booth or two away and bam! Its there..im gonna do this uuup!! Thanks again viper! I want a phromitopus species or psalm irminia!
P. irminia is a species you're likely to find commonly at shows (at least in my experience), but Phormictopus species are unlikely to be commonly found
 

Chebe6886

Arachnobaron
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
522
Man. Why do I have to live in the middle of nowhere. :mad:
I’ve been to several conventions and the only thing worth it that I got was a versi once. Someone did have a P. Metallica sling once and was asking 250$.
You aren’t missing too much. I imagine there are a few really big ones in major cities that are worth it though
 

spideyspinneret78

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jul 19, 2019
Messages
1,253
The ones I've been too have been full of good deals. Sometimes slightly cheaper than online, but mostly about the same price. There have been a lot of tarantula vendors, mainly because I live in a large city so the shows are big. There's always a lot to see and a lot to choose from.
 

Transrights

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 29, 2019
Messages
56
Expos are not generally cheaper than other places but the huge upside (IMO) is you can check a lot of seller's stands quickly and pinpoint deals, or you can get lucky and negotiate a price. Biggest steal I saw was one guy getting a subadult female P. Metallica for 70$. Also there are people selling offspring they have in big quantities relatively cheap.

Another part of them though, which is quite often overlooked, is the social aspect (you get to mingle with a lot of people in the hobby, share experiences, find new sellers) and the fact that you get to look at a lot of other really cool animals like skinks, snakes, geckos, frogs, mantises etc.
 

ColeopteraC

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 8, 2020
Messages
425
Someone or some organization needs to do this!!
No invert specialist shows in the U.S? Wow, didn’t expect that. We have loads of regular ones here in Europe (He He :troll:)

They usually are better, no shipping cost and you can choose the specific T on the table. Sometimes helps with sexing...
 

rusted180

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Messages
119
Well.. viper did say we have em. But im sure its not as big as ones in europe! I saw a dark den vid where he goes to a show in Budapest.. it looks really good.
 

fried rice

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
286
I’ve been to several conventions and the only thing worth it that I got was a versi once. Someone did have a P. Metallica sling once and was asking 250$.
You aren’t missing too much. I imagine there are a few really big ones in major cities that are worth it though
The prices are really weird, at one show/expo I got a d diamantinensis sling for 45$, and there was a different person selling 3.5” female b hamoriis for 350$.
 

Chebe6886

Arachnobaron
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
522
The prices are really weird, at one show/expo I got a d diamantinensis sling for 45$, and there was a different person selling 3.5” female b hamoriis for 350$.
Unfortunately all the ones down here usually have one table with common slings and one table with a lot of rose hairs and other pet rocks that look wild caught. Looking to get a rainbow boa or green tree python so definitely going to the next one regardless.
Your new avatar is mesmerizing.
 

SonsofArachne

Arachnoangel
Joined
Dec 10, 2017
Messages
961
Someone did have a P. Metallica sling once and was asking 250$.
Wow, hope this was many years ago, even then that price would be outrageous. I got my female at 4 inches 2 years ago for $199 (she was missing a leg, to be fair).
 

Chebe6886

Arachnobaron
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
522
Wow, hope this was many years ago, even then that price would be outrageous. I got my female at 4 inches 2 years ago for $199 (she was missing a leg, to be fair).
Yeh it was a few years ago. Prices for all Pokies are going up again though. Demand is higher and supply is lower thanks to regulations IMO. Unless you get a sling directly from a breeder, then you can still get decent prices.
I would expect to pay 250-300 for a grown female, if you can find one
 

SonsofArachne

Arachnoangel
Joined
Dec 10, 2017
Messages
961
Yeh it was a few years ago. Prices for all Pokies are going up again though. Demand is higher and supply is lower thanks to regulations IMO. Unless you get a sling directly from a breeder, then you can still get decent prices.
I would expect to pay 250-300 for a grown female, if you can find one
This thread is interesting to me as I have never bought a T at a show (doubtful I ever will), but have thought about selling off some my extras at shows. the main thing that stops me is having not seen the actual store, I wouldn't know what conditions they were going to be kept in.
 

jcmbibb311

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 17, 2020
Messages
24
I enjoy purchasing my reptiles/inverts from expos simply for the fact that I get to save on shipping. HOWEVER, as many have said, smaller expos will usually have few species to choose from which can be disappointing if you are going with the intent of purchasing a specific T. If you do have the chance to go to a relatively large or well known expo though, i'd say go for it. It's a good way to get to know the seller, actually see the size of the animal you are purchasing, save on shipping costs, and possibly even negotiate the price a little bit as well.
 

Olan

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 23, 2002
Messages
857
I saw Phormictopus auratus slings and a large female Phormic. sp Purple at the Pomona reptile show (a few years ago). Bought one of the auratus slings.
 
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