Tessera market

There was an auction here for an Amel Tessera. Three people bid. I ended up getting him for $285 shipped. I expected to be quickly outbid in the last few minutes; it didn't happen. I'm not sure what that means.

In June I was seeing Amels Tesseras advertised for $1000 shipped. Then $850 shipped. I feel really lucky to have gotten him.

Originally Posted by Chip

Need more back story then?

He took possession of 14 tesseras on August 18th so it hasn't even been 2 months, forget 6. And sure, you can sell your animals for whatever you darn well please but you do so behind the scenes. And that is damaging enough. But he crashed the morph and he knew he was doing it.

If it is the ad I saw (I can't remember) I read the guarentee at their site and skipped buying from them. I also did a BOI search and decided I wouldn't risk it. I was sorely tempted though.

Originally Posted by Chip

And sure, you can sell your animals for whatever you darn well please

Then why be upset? Continue to sell your animals for what you want. But in the free market economy, don't be ticked at someone who undersells you. If Brian set out to crash the market for no other reason than it was Wednesday, isn't that his prerogative?

This is like all those "unwritten rules" in baseball. You WANT to be ticked because of what was done, but you really don't have a concrete basis upon which to actually BE mad.

I don't have stake in BHB, or any other reptile breeder / distributor. I am simply a consumer. As a consumer, it isn't a bad thing to see prices drop.

I do understand the frustration of a breeder who invested a couple thousand dollars in a Tessera breeding project 2 years ago. I totally get that.

It's the way of buying and selling.

Originally Posted by Pugsley

There was an auction here for an Amel Tessera. Three people bid. I ended up getting him for $285 shipped. I expected to be quickly outbid in the last few minutes; it didn't happen. I'm not sure what that means.

In June I was seeing Amels Tesseras advertised for $1000 shipped. Then $850 shipped. I feel really lucky to have gotten him.

I stayed up late here in TN watching that auction. Not because I was going to buy, but to see what the snake went for. When no one was bidding, I knew right then that the market was in trouble.

There are still Tesseras for sale here in the $400 - $$600 range. And there hasn't been interest in them for a few weeks, either.

I find it difficult to believe that one clutch priced low could tank a market. Not impossible! I'm sure some very good arguments could be made for it. If BHB had sold out immediately and kept pumping out tesseras at that price, sure, but you're saying that he's only had the 14 and still hasn't sold them all. If people are questioning his prices and passing up his $150s for tesseras marked higher, than he hasn't tanked the market. If BHB can't even sell them at $150, it's a bigger problem.

Anyway, moot point, fruitless debate. My point was, it was always only a matter of time before tesseras were wicked common, and if we're seeing that a year or two earlier than might have been ideal, well....too little, too late? Keep it in mind, breed more responsibly next time. It's good to see the palmetto being handled so well.

I have to agree with Knox. I can easily understand the frustration of someone who's invested heavily in the tessera project, but pointing fingers isn't going to bring prices back. Anyone who's in corns for the money is, in my humble opinion, incredible optimistic.

Originally Posted by knox

There are still Tesseras for sale here in the $400 - $$600 range. And there hasn't been interest in them for a few weeks, either.

I bought one of them, even knowing about the BHB snakes.

Originally Posted by Nanci

I bought one of them, even knowing about the BHB snakes.

And if you are happy with your purchase, that's all that matters.

That snake that you bought had the perceived value of what you paid for it. If 100 other people believed it was worth $100 and passed it up, yet you bought it for asking price, then to you it was worth the investment.

It isn't wrong that the other 100 people only placed a $100 value on the snake. The owner could have lowered the price without any bites, or held on for the right buyer - and indeed, you came along.

Originally Posted by knox

And if you are happy with your purchase, that's all that matters.

I've paid more too. There's tessera's, and then there's Tesseras, I have some of both.

Originally Posted by knox

Then why be upset?

I do understand the frustration of a breeder who invested a couple thousand dollars in a Tessera breeding project 2 years ago. I totally get that.

You answered your own question. That doesn't describe my own situation, as dollars and timeline go, but you get the point. And the fact he did it with animals that I traded him makes me take it a little personally. Hell, I would have bought them back at a hundred and fifty bucks each! My bet is, they are long gone. It doesn't change my breeding plans, and I still think the same stuff will look awesome in tessera. But I deliberately under-produced, and raised them as long as it took to sell them, to protect the market. The market for people who bought them from me, especially. Frankly I think tessera normals were overdue another price drop. Just not one so drastic as 25% of its former value.

Originally Posted by Chip

You answered your own question. That doesn't describe my own situation, as dollars and timeline go, but you get the point. And the fact he did it with animals that I traded him makes me take it a little personally. Hell, I would have bought them back at a hundred and fifty bucks each! My bet is, they are long gone. It doesn't change my breeding plans, and I still think the same stuff will look awesome in tessera. But I deliberately under-produced, and raised them as long as it took to sell them, to protect the market. The market for people who bought them from me, especially. Frankly I think tessera normals were overdue another price drop. Just not one so drastic as 25% of its former value.

I liken it to this. If I sell something to someone (car, snake, piece of art, doesn't matter) they are free to do with it what they will. They can sell it for a profit, or sell it for a loss. Heck, they can give it away. It is theirs, not mine anymore.

It does stink for those left "holding the bag" in terms of their Tesseras. But all you can do is say "I wish it didn't happen".

There is nothing wrong with selling what is yours for $1 or $1,000. We live in a wonderful country where this is an option.

When Tesseras first came on the market, the original morph was priced according to what the owner WANTED it to be valued at. Turns out, there were buyers. Same for the Palmetto. However, if no one was buying, then the first morphs would have had to be lowered in price.

Starting prices with new morphs are arbitrary. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's a crap shoot based on what other people perceive. I could discover a new morph and price it at $200, while all along someone would have paid $2,000. And vice versa. Again, this is more a discussion on economics rather than the snake itself.

(Rabbit trail - I still don't see why people pay $800 - $1000 for Yorkshire Terriers. But that is another discussion...)