The three questions you bring up here Rebecca are very good ones. As a Canadian, I've been focusing more on what is going on in the Canadian market than what's going on in the U.S. market. There are very distinct differences in the two markets so I will look at it from my own observations what is going on the Canadian side of the border.
1. It is so much easier to buy and sell someone elses stock than it is to breed your own and sell it.
First, I must say, I have not produced any clutches so far. This is my first year breeding, so persoanlly, I have not put myself into this situation, but I am quite in tune with your importation and resale of hatchlings. In Canada, that idea hasn't been well recieved by some, however, there is a definate upside to that aspect of your business practice. Morphs that are not yet being offered on the market here in Canada are now available due to what you have selected to import and resell. Along with that you are adding to genetic diversity from high quality stock. I think that it is bringing the Canadian side of the hobby up to date with a lot of the "newest" morphs being produced by our American counterparts. Some here might not like that, because they claim to be on the brink of producing such morphs, but in retrospect, there isn't very much shared information from those people that would indicate that to me personally. So I think there are a number of people up here that appreciate your efforts Rebecca.
2. I can't sell my snakes for X amount of dollars, because yours are so much less!
I know this has been the topic of several very scathing threads on the Canadian side of the border, however, I think for the most part from any of the pricing I have seen on this side of the border, prices seem to pretty much be in line amongst those posting a pricelist. I know you have been accused of "undercutting", but I don't see it. Nobody has supported that claim with hard numbers. I know some morphs up here seem to be a bit over the top when you look at what they can be purchased for in the states. And nobody should ever be criticized because they chose to buy from an American breeder because they found that particular morph at a much more reasonable price. Nor should they be criticized because they purchased an imported snake at what they percieved to be fair value an of superior genetics. I did not get involved personally to supplement my income by breeding corn snakes, I simply got into this because I love the snakes. I realize for myself this is a hobby, nothing more. And like just about every other hobby, there is an expense to it. Not many hobbies offer you a return on your investment. For someone doing this as a business, then yes, of course you must be concerned with making a buck on what you produce. But over pricing stock isn't the answer to making a dollar. Pricing competively and fairly can only increase sales.
3. There are only so many people in the market for high end corns each year so we should be careful not to "overproduce" them.
In Canada, I think overall, the market for high end corns is still somewhat untapped, because we don't have breeders producing many of the available high ends that American breeders are producing. However, flooding the market with any particular morph can only drive down the price. I think diversity in what you breed keeps you competative. Offering a wide variety, from lower end to high end will only get more people's attention. Marketing I think is a huge part of any business. Even for hobbiests, marketing is what gets your name out there. I've said it before and I will say it again, keeping websites up to date, superior genetic stock and highlighting what you produce through pictures and creativity can only improve your chances of being able to sell what you produce.
As far as licensing goes, I think that is when you need to discern exactly what you are, a business or a hobbiest. I don't think I would be in favour of licensing everyone, but those who choose to make this their source of income, I think the appropriate business licensing should then apply, but not a seperate "reptile breeders" license. After all, for the majority, this is a hobby, and everyone interested should be allowed to pursue it as such. But again, hobbiests should be looking around at what those who make this as a living are pricing their hatchlings for before randomly deciding they can sell out quicker by selling their stock for way less than market value.
Great post, makes you sit down and think about this.
