- Joined
- Aug 30, 2012
- Messages
- 65
dmmj said:
That's how it works!!!!
Haggling at a Reptile Show?
- Thread starter Mgridgaway
- Start date
- Status
That's how it works!!!!
I tried haggling the guy that was selling Hermann's for 350 down to 300. Not a chance. And I over heard him raise the cherry-head tortoise from 380 (when I was there) to 400 when all the Hermann's were gone.
Once again though, We are Canadian.
Once again though, We are Canadian.
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2010
- Messages
- 8,803
JeffG said:
Best statement yet!
dmmj said:
Thats for sure a bonus .....it works too!
Good call Dj " .....
dmmj said:
Hahahahahaha wow . LOL . Sometimes. Just too much . Haha. Wheeeeewyyy
As a Vendor, I usually shoot down any potential haggling offers right off the bat - Even at 3pm on a Sunday.......
At a small show, I have to put in around $500 just to go and setup, with no guarantee I will ever make that back. Big shows can be $800+, not to mention the cost of finding or producing animals to bring to the shows. People still seem to think Imports are still 50 cents a piece, animals are easy to produce, and that you are marking things up 400% just because you can - All of which are VERY wrong.........
I invite anyone who thinks vending is easy to switch positions and see how fed up you get.......It is not easy to make money at a show unless you have brought gold with you. The stupid questions ( yes there are stupid questions in this world ), theft, irresponsible parents, uneducated buyers ( yes, I have turned down many sales because of it ), stress, standing all day, and did I mention general stupidity? Are all part of what a vendor has to go through on any given show. Atleast you can still crack a smile at a good show. A bad show you literally want to strangle the next person that lifts a container off the table, or the kid that keeps banging on all your enclosures because its parents could care less and have no respect for anyone elses property. Not to mention potential losses, travel time/expenses, vehicle wear and tear, leaving your collection for 3-4 days at a time, and a general sense of mental anguish because of all this. Did I mention having to leave your family for those 3-4 days? Did I also mention that EVERYTHING WILL GO WRONG WHEN YOU ARE AWAY? You can only fix so much over the phone, especially when it comes to a large collection........
Case in point - The FIRE show - I left 3 hours late, didn't finish setting up Friday, my Truck is stolen Friday by a 17 year old kid and more than likely totaled because he thought he was going to impress his girlfriend by doing so, I'm not informed untill Saturday morning AT THE SHOW, I have to go back and take care of the situation Saturday night, just to come back to my Hotel room at 3am Sunday morning because I still have a show to do.........
This was a decent show. Definately not the best FIRE show, but decent. I do this at least two weekends every month. Some months I have a show every weekend. I have two kids to feed, a collection of rare animals, some of which have no commercial value thanks to the ESA, and a business to run all by myself........
So next time you think about haggling someone, think about why they are there and how they feel about not getting what they think a product is worth.......We aren't car salesman like most people think - We don't have large corporations or large sums of money backing us in what we do. Most do it because they took something that they love and turned it into a business so they don't have to go to work every day and be a office drone. I only go to "work" when I have paperwork or other "business" related things to do. Working with the animals isn't work. The day I consider it work is the day I sell this business off.........
Moral of the story - I may consider a small discount if you are going to take a few things off the table. Haggle me over one thing, and I will more than likely tell you what I think about your offer, tactfully of course.........
At a small show, I have to put in around $500 just to go and setup, with no guarantee I will ever make that back. Big shows can be $800+, not to mention the cost of finding or producing animals to bring to the shows. People still seem to think Imports are still 50 cents a piece, animals are easy to produce, and that you are marking things up 400% just because you can - All of which are VERY wrong.........
I invite anyone who thinks vending is easy to switch positions and see how fed up you get.......It is not easy to make money at a show unless you have brought gold with you. The stupid questions ( yes there are stupid questions in this world ), theft, irresponsible parents, uneducated buyers ( yes, I have turned down many sales because of it ), stress, standing all day, and did I mention general stupidity? Are all part of what a vendor has to go through on any given show. Atleast you can still crack a smile at a good show. A bad show you literally want to strangle the next person that lifts a container off the table, or the kid that keeps banging on all your enclosures because its parents could care less and have no respect for anyone elses property. Not to mention potential losses, travel time/expenses, vehicle wear and tear, leaving your collection for 3-4 days at a time, and a general sense of mental anguish because of all this. Did I mention having to leave your family for those 3-4 days? Did I also mention that EVERYTHING WILL GO WRONG WHEN YOU ARE AWAY? You can only fix so much over the phone, especially when it comes to a large collection........
Case in point - The FIRE show - I left 3 hours late, didn't finish setting up Friday, my Truck is stolen Friday by a 17 year old kid and more than likely totaled because he thought he was going to impress his girlfriend by doing so, I'm not informed untill Saturday morning AT THE SHOW, I have to go back and take care of the situation Saturday night, just to come back to my Hotel room at 3am Sunday morning because I still have a show to do.........
This was a decent show. Definately not the best FIRE show, but decent. I do this at least two weekends every month. Some months I have a show every weekend. I have two kids to feed, a collection of rare animals, some of which have no commercial value thanks to the ESA, and a business to run all by myself........
So next time you think about haggling someone, think about why they are there and how they feel about not getting what they think a product is worth.......We aren't car salesman like most people think - We don't have large corporations or large sums of money backing us in what we do. Most do it because they took something that they love and turned it into a business so they don't have to go to work every day and be a office drone. I only go to "work" when I have paperwork or other "business" related things to do. Working with the animals isn't work. The day I consider it work is the day I sell this business off.........
Moral of the story - I may consider a small discount if you are going to take a few things off the table. Haggle me over one thing, and I will more than likely tell you what I think about your offer, tactfully of course.........
Thanks for some feedback from the vendor's perspective, Eric!
As long as you're polite in your haggling, why not?
The worst they can say is "no".
The worst they can say is "no".
Wow Eric you must really love what you do. You have enough passion to overcome the days you are ripping your hair out so you don't have to be an office drone. I think you just need an equally passionate assistant to make it a bit easier for you
dmmj said:Terry Allan Hall said:
I guess that answers that question.
Batman slaps like a girl...come to think of it, Robin seems a bit light in the super-hero sneakers, himself...
Eric does sell online. I see his ads all the time.
I have to say I understand where vendors are coming from. I don't breed or sell reptiles, but I do raise another kind of pet. If I get an e-mail from someone and the question is will you go down in price?, the answer is always no. I set what I think is a fair price and don't need to haggle. Sometimes a person will say that is to expensive, I can't afford that. So, if they can't afford the pet can they afford to go to a vet down the road if something is up with the pet
- Status
