what made P. metallica pricey?

alfredneuman

Arachnopeon
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Jul 20, 2010
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4
just asking....what made the P.metallica pricey? Is it because of its colors which makes it one of the best display t's?
 

Najakeeper

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Dec 10, 2010
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Supply demand issue. It is listed as a critically endengared animal, is in IUCN Red List, import is limited. On top of that it is an absolutely breathtaking tarantula.

On the other hand the prices in US are inflated and they will come down soon.It is already down to less than half of the US price in Europe. People are succesfully breeding it and when the supply increases, demand won`t match it and the price will be normalised. So for the people in the States, my humble advise is patience.
 

gmrpnk21

Arachnobaron
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Nov 1, 2010
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That's advice worth taking. The price is a bit crazy at the moment, so I am holding off for at least a year. Stunning tarantula though...
 

Scolopeon

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What prices have you guys encountered these at?

I have never seen one offered here in the UK and until more are captive bred and populate the hobby so to speak the prices will always be very high.

Goliath Birdeaters have doubled in price here since I owned one back in 2005.
 

BrettG

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That's advice worth taking. The price is a bit crazy at the moment, so I am holding off for at least a year. Stunning tarantula though...
You will be holding off way longer than that if you are waiting for prices to drop...As hard as they are to get a sack from,prices will stay high for quite a while.
 
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gmrpnk21

Arachnobaron
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You will be holding of way longer than that if you are waiting for prices to drop...As hard as they are to get a sack from,prices will stay high for quite a while.
:'( that makes me sad....
 

billopelma

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I think P. metallica has become the 'gold standard' of hobby T's, somehow they've beaten the trend toward achieving the tipping point to critical mass and still remain the most consistently, universally coveted species. While there have been brief lapses in availability, they've been solidly in the hobby for a lot of years now, I can't think of any other popular species that has stayed at more than half the value they were from five years prior.

Many hobbyists presently place more value on a number of different species, I'm sure, but it's spread out so that no particular one is the clear favorite. And in a year or two they'll stay popular and lot's will have/breed them or they'll fall into obscurity and not so many will want them/have them/breed them, either way the price goes down.

People have been for years unsuccessfully predicting the big price drop for P. metallica that always seems to happen with other 'high end' species as the 'exclusivity factor' goes down and supply goes up. These predictions have merit too, as most high end stuff does indeed follow a predictable pattern.

Look at M. balfouri and A. diversipes, they're half or less the price from a year or two ago. No one seems to take any notice of Hapalopus triseriatus these days, in fact the whole market for dwarf species seems to be in a slump.
There is of course an ebb and flow in pricing with many species due to factors of variable availability and demand. T. blondi is going through that at the moment but due to very specific circumstances and prices will likely drop off again at some point, as they have in the past.

But P. metallica marches on in popularity in spite of (IMHO) the very high mortality rate, much diminished exclusivity and premium pricing. Actually, I believe it's the mortality rate that keeps their numbers down in the hobby, as opposed to difficulty in breeding. Though there have been relatively few successful breeding's compared to other popular species, there should still be many hundreds or even thousands of adults out there by now...Where are they? I doubt there are many who can claim to have raised these from slings all the way up to a successful breeding...

Bill
 
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burmish101

Arachnobaron
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Sep 13, 2008
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I remember when they were first imported, had the price tag of $400 a pop, ill still wait till they drop even more than they are now to get one.
 

Hobo

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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I'm surprised no one has come in here yet with "Hurr, they are overrated and overpriced!"
 

Motorkar

Arachnobaron
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Aug 16, 2009
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What prices have you guys encountered these at?

I have never seen one offered here in the UK and until more are captive bred and populate the hobby so to speak the prices will always be very high.

Goliath Birdeaters have doubled in price here since I owned one back in 2005.
I just saw some on terraristik.com for 58 euros for unsexed slings. Prices are about 50+ euros and I think about 500 euros for adult female.
 

BigJ999

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Sep 1, 2010
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188
I like the fact they are pricy :D gives me something to look forward to and that is worth th money :D
 

RyTheTGuy

Arachnoknight
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Mar 2, 2011
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They are Overrated and Overpriced but they are also a VERY GORGEOUS T.
The reason they are so much is because of supply and demand.
 

syndicate

Arachnoemperor
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Aug 26, 2005
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I doubt the price will be dropping to much here in the USA any time soon!If you look at the past 3+ years they really haven't dropped to much in price.
-Chris
 

RoseT

Arachnosquire
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Sep 20, 2010
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87
Im sure they are a hard sp to breed as well, thus them being in the rare category. Im definitely getting one, soon..too soon, to be exact..Just gotta come up with a good excuse for the Girlfriend.
 
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