...too much to ask

So, apparently it'd be too much to ask to END the day on a good note.

Just got an email from someone about our trio of females, saying "Don't you think, you, should drop your prices you been trying to get.rid of em for awhile"

No, I don't.  $160 for three females, food, and fleece items is more than reasonable.  Chins are $150 each at the pet store.  Someone wanting to buy three would be at $450 for three, and they wouldn't come with any food or anything!  Not to mention, these chins have only been available for maybe a week or two, which is nothing.  Most chins are here at least that long.  I emailed them back (nicely) and told them that the right person will think that $160 is a deal for the three chins and supplies, and that part of the reason they're still here is likely that they need to be adopted out together.  A lot of people want to add a chinchilla to their life - not everyone wants to add three.  It's as simple as that.  We have a much easier time adopting out single chins than we do pairs+.  I don't think it even has anything to do with the cost, it's simply that many people want one, not several, chinchillas (at least to start with).  Granted, there are some people who do realize, right off the bat, that they want a chinchilla and they want that chinchilla to have a buddy, but the majority of people will get one chin, and then maybe some time later, decide they want another.  That's considerably more common.

Oh well.  I'm sure I won't hear back, but I nicely responded to that person.  I'm sure she's one of those who thinks that I need them gone by a certain date, and if they're not gone by then, I'll drop their price to like $30 for the three (cause we have had people tell us things like that).  Sorry, not happening.  If the price goes too cheap, you get people trying to re-sell the animals.  Now, our adoption application would make that a little more difficult - it's not like someone can just walk in, put down $160 and leave with the three chins, but think about if we didn't have that adoption application - $160 for three chins -- someone could look at that and think ca-ching!  Split up, they could easily sell for $75 each, and that's more than $160 right there.  But, their previous home wants them adopted out together, so they will be.  And screw the people who think that if the right home can't be found in x-amount of days, then we should lower the price.  That's not how it goes. 

The only reason we're even having a multi-chin sale right now is cause we have so many multiples and sales often attract attention.  But for the good homes, getting $20 off a pair or $40 off a trio usually isn't something that brings chins from non-affordable to affordable.  If $20 is your cutoff point, you probably don't have enough money to own a chin, cause heaven forbid it get sick!  The only (or almost only) people who care so much about money are the ones that think all rescue chins should be $20 and that the chin rescues should run themselves into the ground paying for vet bills and adopting out the chins for pennies.  Sorry, won't happen.  I'm not making money, by any means, on adopting out chins.  If we didn't have our supply sales to make up the difference between what we pay in expenses and what we bring in from chin adoptions, we wouldn't still be open. 

Just as a case in point - the family we have coming from Auburn - they told me, they could drive 2.5 hours each way and adopt Nike from us for $85, which includes, food, goodie bag, care booklet, and hammock, or they could go locally to a pet store and purchase a chin for $150.  They're likely going to spend more in gas getting here and back than would make up the difference between the $85 and $150.  But to them, it's important to get a chin from a rescue, as they already have many adopted animals, and to them, the $85 for the chin wasn't even something to discuss.  It was the adoption fee, they liked the chin, assuming they get here and everything goes well, they're going to pay the adoption fee and adopt the chin.  They're not going to nickel and dime me or tell me I should lower the price because he's been available for awhile.  And neither will the people who eventually adopt Willow and her girls.

...now I'm going to bed before I get any more aggravating emails.