The value of a tarantula?

[l4nsky]

Oh boy, time to put some things into perspective.......

However, today takes the cake. There's someone out there selling a T for 10,000$, that's ridiculous to me.They claim it's captive bred too, and there are only 20 in the USA supposedly.

Just like with high end ball pythons with 6+ recessive genes, for that animal, your typical or even advanced hobbyist or collector isn't the target market. That animal is being advertised specifically to other breeders who can possibly line up a male and want to bet on themselves and their skillsets. That species has sling's retailing between $400 and $500 each.

Hypothetically, If I bought her, knew where a male was, hit a 100 count eggsack, and then have the patience to nickle and dime them out at even just $250 ea, I can make 2.5x my investment (even more if I can get a double clutch) and drop the prices for everyone.

If she died in my care though, I'd be out ten grand plain and simple.

No exports were authorized because Brazil doesn't allow exports of their wildlife.

They don't? I suppose the entire government sanctioned and quota controlled ornamental fish trade being run out of Manaus is entirely a black market then . BR picks and chooses what is illegal and what isn't..... which is worse IMHO.

you got to see that too. Which puts Value in perspective. Remember hyacinth macaws? What they world sold for? Today its 50k minimum.

They've always been expensive because of their mandatory diet of brazil nuts and boy can they pack them away being the largest macaw species. Food for a breeding colony of even 2.2 is several hundred a week. The breeder's expenses alone account for much of the high retail price.

 

[LilithArachne]

Not sure, probably condition matters and if it comes with a setup and can buy me a martini.
My most expensive was $600, but that included a huge tank, dirt, some hides, basically a whole setup ready for them. The two Ts themselves were $350, for two m. balfouri

 

[ladyratri]

average people cannot afford a multi thousand dollar spider. More likely they will spend it on a dog or a cat though. So they technically can afford it but won’t pay that much.

This.

I spend more every month buying cat food than I spent on the initial purchase of my single most expensive T -- the mature female P. irminia purchased from a local exotics store. One yearly vet visit for the two cats probably costs more than all my sling purchases combined.

I think I spend about $3 a month on crickets. The lesser mealworms took over the feeder bin for free.

The 8 tarantulas are definitely NOT the expensive animals in my household. I will easily spend $10,000 on each of the cats over their lifetime. But that's not how most people do the math... The cats were "free"

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

Over here various rare Asian arboreals and fossorials get cheap very quickly, but Brachys are outright nonexistent and only around from private sales.

 

[kingshockey]

This.

I spend more every month buying cat food than I spent on the initial purchase of my single most expensive T -- the mature female P. irminia purchased from a local exotics store. One yearly vet visit for the two cats probably costs more than all my sling purchases combined.

I think I spend about $3 a month on crickets. The lesser mealworms took over the feeder bin for free.

The 8 tarantulas are definitely NOT the expensive animals in my household. I will easily spend $10,000 on each of the cats over their lifetime. But that's not how most people do the math... The cats were "free"

i spend more each month on good food for my cat than i have buying slings

 

[Tentacle Toast]

MSRP on some cars now is north of a million out the gate. Is easy to rack up a $20k tab at hundreds of restaurants across the country, & you've probably got AT LEAST one watch in the drawer that's a few grand (& how much were your suits? LoL). Not everything is for everybody, but there's something for just about everyone, yes?
If you're going to expel energy being upset about something, direct it at the forces/individuals responsible for the utter devaluation of your currency over the last 91 years, paying special attention to those that have driven it into the ground over the last decade in particular...

why can’t some things just be to have a conversation? A place for debate?

it beats the age old is my tarantula in pre-molt thread

LoL, the brusque nature of my retort was just throwing barbs at the resident curmudgeon here, & completely out of jest, I assure you...

To your argument, though... perhaps MORE tarantulas should cost $10k; it'd certainly cut down on the repetitive nature of some of the threads, yes?

 

[jrh3]

Why is $10k too much? Because it's more than you'd spend?

10k is pure greed. This is a single tarantula. Not a snake that has been selective bred to produce certain traits that takes years to create.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

10k is pure greed. This is a single tarantula. Not a snake that has been selective bred to produce certain traits that takes years to create.

So then do whatever he did to get his, sell them for $50 each, or $500, & make the world a better place. If you can't/don't/won't, then it's a fair price ..yes? Especially if no one else can/will ..

 

[TheraMygale]

Just like with high end ball pythons with 6+ recessive genes, for that animal, your typical or even advanced hobbyist or collector isn't the target market. That animal is being advertised specifically to other breeders who can possibly line up a male and want to bet on themselves and their skillsets. That species has sling's retailing between $400 and $500 each.

Hypothetically, If I bought her, knew where a male was, hit a 100 count eggsack, and then have the patience to nickle and dime them out at even just $250 ea, I can make 2.5x my investment (even more if I can get a double clutch) and drop the prices for everyone.

yeah, i definitely imagined that but i dont think i managed to explain it that well. Its like those amazing Roping horses. Millions of dollars for a stud. But that studs seed is sold for thousands of dollars, and it wins competitions because its just that performing of a beast. With some patience, it gets paid very fast. Problem is, not every has that much cashflow going around

id pay millions of dollars for a roping horse. But not a tarantula. The horse is a safer bet in terms of lifespan and risk

 

[viper69]

Oh boy, time to put some things into perspective.......


Just like with high end ball pythons with 6+ recessive genes, for that animal, your typical or even advanced hobbyist or collector isn't the target market. That animal is being advertised specifically to other breeders who can possibly line up a male and want to bet on themselves and their skillsets. That species has sling's retailing between $400 and $500 each.

Hypothetically, If I bought her, knew where a male was, hit a 100 count eggsack, and then have the patience to nickle and dime them out at even just $250 ea, I can make 2.5x my investment (even more if I can get a double clutch) and drop the prices for everyone.

If she died in my care though, I'd be out ten grand plain and simple.


They don't? I suppose the entire government sanctioned and quota controlled ornamental fish trade being run out of Manaus is entirely a black market then . BR picks and chooses what is illegal and what isn't..... which is worse IMHO.


They've always been expensive because of their mandatory diet of brazil nuts and boy can they pack them away being the largest macaw species. Food for a breeding colony of even 2.2 is several hundred a week. The breeder's expenses alone account for much of the high retail price.

There’s no perspective - 10K is 10k

 

[jrh3]

So then do whatever he did to get his, sell them for $50 each, or $500, & make the world a better place. If you can't/don't/won't, then it's a fair price ..yes? Especially if no one else can/will ..

My assumption is He purchased them from a US vendor that had them, thinks he has a golden egg and jacked the price up. That species is listed on a website as out of stock so someone had them before he acquired them. Again, 10k for a spider is highway robbery. Even if I had millions of dollars, 10k for a spider is still greed. Its not the lone survivor of this species or anything, its just something new to the hobby.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

yeah, i definitely imagined that but i dont think i managed to explain it that well. Its like those amazing Roping horses. Millions of dollars for a stud. But that studs seed is sold for thousands of dollars, and it wins competitions because its just that performing of a beast. With some patience, it gets paid very fast. Problem is, not every has that much cashflow going around

id pay millions of dollars for a roping horse. But not a tarantula. The horse is a safer bet in terms of lifespan and risk

Race horses are so valuable because they make the owner filthy rich , can’t say the same for making YouTube videos I couldn’t even get 1000 videos I gave up on that trash site . Horse worth 3mil makes 15 mil, is huge profit .
Imagine tarantula races …

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Oh boy, time to put some things into perspective.......


Just like with high end ball pythons with 6+ recessive genes, for that animal, your typical or even advanced hobbyist or collector isn't the target market. That animal is being advertised specifically to other breeders who can possibly line up a male and want to bet on themselves and their skillsets. That species has sling's retailing between $400 and $500 each.

Hypothetically, If I bought her, knew where a male was, hit a 100 count eggsack, and then have the patience to nickle and dime them out at even just $250 ea, I can make 2.5x my investment (even more if I can get a double clutch) and drop the prices for everyone.

If she died in my care though, I'd be out ten grand plain and simple.


They don't? I suppose the entire government sanctioned and quota controlled ornamental fish trade being run out of Manaus is entirely a black market then . BR picks and chooses what is illegal and what isn't..... which is worse IMHO.


They've always been expensive because of their mandatory diet of brazil nuts and boy can they pack them away being the largest macaw species. Food for a breeding colony of even 2.2 is several hundred a week. The breeder's expenses alone account for much of the high retail price.

I have a hard time believing any tarantula breeder would actually have 10 grand to put into a breeding project. I would be surprised if any tarantula seller or breeder has a spare 10 grand to risk a DOA or some other mishap. The herp guys I would believe, but tarantulas no way.

I don't know who is selling what for that kind of cash, but when I see a tarantula (or anything really) priced so high above the norm it is ridiculous, I immediately assume that is the price for selling something someone doesn't really want to sell.

 

[Tarantuland]

I won’t spend over 100 on a sling or 300 on an adult. Some of my pricier slings, H chrysogaster, T seladonia, Birupes died after a period of time, tho I had them all 6+ months-2 years. Too fragile. Spiders are fun to me, not big money. 10k is a down payment on a house.

watch what happened to Vietnam silvers, went from $400 to $200 to $60 in a year. Insane

 

[Liquifin]

Hey, @viper69
It's been a log while since I've posted here. I do post on on Youtube here and there as I start my LLC, and I guess that's why people think I've become a "stupid-tuber". But in reality, I've been the same as always just being busy trying to start my business and help a little bit with this pricing problem.

I have to say, I understand price frustration and even I don't agree with the majority of the pricing market even though it's subjective to some people. But everyone should always consider modern inflation, because I can for sure tell you that everything was cheaper back then, not just tarantulas, but everything from gas, food, housing, etc. So prices going up is to be expected in some way, even with the over-saturated or hobby staples. But again, I have my own price in my head and so does everyone else.

It's crazy to hear that, but I have never seen anyone put 10k on spider. But that is just crazy as I cannot imagine anyone doing that. It's probably a hype to drive a species into the hobby spotlight, but I don't think anyone would buy that, not even the hobby OG's or Businesses. Maybe a big reptile exporter business, but definitely not a tarantula breeder or tarantula business. The real question is who is the individual with this price offering?

watch what happened to Vietnam silvers, went from $400 to $200 to $60 in a year. Insane

Almost every and all asian species will drop in pricing the quickest as they grow out quite quickly and are exported/imported more affordably than other country exports/imports. Meaning, it was rather quick for them to be established in the hobby driving down their price. I feel bad for the people who invested in them on the lower or latter end because they did lose out on profiting for those smaller end businesses.

 

[Tarantuland]

Hey, @viper69
It's been a log while since I've posted here. I do post on on Youtube here and there as I start my LLC, and I guess that's why people think I've become a "stupid-tuber". But in reality, I've been the same as always just being busy trying to start my business and help a little bit with this pricing problem.

I have to say, I understand price frustration and even I don't agree with the majority of the pricing market even though it's subjective to some people. But everyone should always considered modern inflation, because I can for sure tell you that everything was cheaper back then, not just tarantulas, but everything from gas, food, housing, etc. So prices going up is to be expected in some way, even with the over-saturated or hobby staples. But again, I have my own price in my head and so does everyone else.

It's crazy to hear that, but I have never seen anyone put 10k on spider. But that is just crazy as I cannot imagine anyone doing that. It's probably a hype to drive a species into the hobby spotlight, but I don't think anyone would buy that, not even the hobby OG's or Businesses. Maybe a big reptile exporter business, but definitely not a tarantula breeder or tarantula business. The real question is who is the individual with this price offering?


Almost every and all asian species will drop in pricing the quickest as they grow out quite quickly and are exported/imported more affordably than other country exports/imports. Meaning, it was rather quick for them to be established in the hobby driving down their price. I feel bad for the people who invested in them on the lower or latter end because they did lose out on profiting for those smaller end businesses.

Yeah I heard something like 15 eggsacks got brought over. I still need to get a few for myself

 

[viper69]

Hey, @viper69
It's been a log while since I've posted here. I do post on on Youtube here and there as I start my LLC, and I guess that's why people think I've become a "stupid-tuber". But in reality, I've been the same as always just being busy trying to start my business and help a little bit with this pricing problem.

I have to say, I understand price frustration and even I don't agree with the majority of the pricing market even though it's subjective to some people. But everyone should always considered modern inflation, because I can for sure tell you that everything was cheaper back then, not just tarantulas, but everything from gas, food, housing, etc. So prices going up is to be expected in some way, even with the over-saturated or hobby staples. But again, I have my own price in my head and so does everyone else.

It's crazy to hear that, but I have never seen anyone put 10k on spider. But that is just crazy as I cannot imagine anyone doing that. It's probably a hype to drive a species into the hobby spotlight, but I don't think anyone would buy that, not even the hobby OG's or Businesses. Maybe a big reptile exporter business, but definitely not a tarantula breeder or tarantula business. The real question is who is the individual with this price offering?


Almost every and all asian species will drop in pricing the quickest as they grow out quite quickly and are exported/imported more affordably than other country exports/imports. Meaning, it was rather quick for them to be established in the hobby driving down their price. I feel bad for the people who invested in them on the lower or latter end because they did lose out on profiting for those smaller end businesses.

I was hoping you'd reply. I understand inflation, it's expected.However, some of the pricing I think is not right. I'm glad I was in when I was, and not now.

Check inbox.

its just something new to the hobby.

That was my point with I mira. I remember HUGE prices for them. Rare in the hobby- has no influence on me in purchasing

 

[Arachnophobphile]

$10K for any tarantula = human greed

I will never even pay $5K for any dog breed that I really want let alone any invertebrate.

I'm not here to debate anyone who breeds T's and their cost and time. I just will never pay high prices. The most I've paid was $100 for two slings I really wanted. Those prices were a discount price too. I don't like it and I'm sure no one else does either.

$300 - $500 for an uncommon or rare adult T I'm still not going to buy. A person interested in an adult female T for breeding I'm sure will have no problem making that purchase. I'm not a breeder or have a large collection.

I have a fondness for common as well as rare T's. The price I'm willing to pay will always be within reason for me.

$10K though?????? That's a junkie trying to feed their addiction.

 

[The Spider House]

Very interesting thread.
Bottom line, something is worth what someone else is willing to pay. That applies to everything, it's called a choice and we all make them.

You pays your money you takes your choice (or not).

 

[Matt Man]

people will pay what people will pay and if they have the dough...... I watched Nick Cage drop $9 grand on 3 monitors, but most of us are regular schlubs, we don't have that kind of play money. Then you have guys dropping $50 million on a Ferrari 250 GTO (if I had the money I would too) so it's just what level makes you say "no way".
Yes, dealers do bulk buys to ease that (which helps us all). Typically you hear the discussions around the major shows. "Trying to arrange a shipment from the Middle East, anyone in?" type of thing, Typically, more than a single dealer can afford but 3 or 4 of them and it's good. So what makes that good for us? A) they get the species here for sale B) because of the bulk buys the pricing is cheaper. C) multiple dealers have them so there will be some price battling