Appropriate Pricing

I know, I know, you're all like... you constantly talk about this!  Yes, because people constantly amaze me, and this was one that is a little different that I don't think I've touched on...and it's more on the topic of what constitutes appropriate pricing.

Had someone the other day who wanted me to send them some pics of some chins.  One chin was a fur chewer, and the other had been beaten up by siblings, so he's got a tattered ear and some scarring on his body (noticeable by white hairs where there should be black).  So I send pictures, and they ask how much, and I tell them, either one is $200 (both dark ebonies).  Now, if you pay attention to pricing on my site, most babies of a certain color are the same price... the exception being if it's a chin I've shown or it has some other unusual characteristic.  But in general, you can expect, for baby chins:

Standard grey -- $135
Hetero beige -- $150
Medium ebony / medium tan -- $175
Dark tan / mosaic / pink white / dark ebony / homo beige / black velvet -- $200
Brown velvet -- $225
Violet / sapphire -- $250
Blue diamond -- $350-400
Curly / lockens & carriers --  $350-600

None of this should look surprising to anyone -- these are my standard prices for babies of those colors, and if you check out the website, you know that 99.5% of babies that I sell are in line with this pricing.

Anyway, back to the story.  So, this person sees the pics, and asks, "don't I think that's a lot for those chins?," (and I love this part!) "...especially since they're going to have problems later on."  Now, chins that fur chew and chins with slightly mangled ears and some scarring on their body are not going to have problems later on.  But that's a discussion for another day.

What I want to focus on today, was this person asking, "don't I think that's a lot for those chins?"

The answer... is "no."  If I thought that was too much... I would ask less.  I mean, right?   Logically, if I thought the chin was worth $100, then no, I'm not going to ask $200.  I don't have time to play games and hope that people pay more for the chins than they're worth, and negotiate down to a fair price.  Come on, I have all these chins to care for, the webstore to run, supplies to keep in stock, toys / houses to make.  No time for that sort of thing.  I ask what I feel is fair for the chins.

But here's the thing -- anyone selling anything is free to set whatever prices we'd like.  No one has to pay these prices.  If I wanted to price a standard grey chin at $50, I can.  Likewise, I can price it at $300, if I'd like.  Now, I'll sell considerably more at $50 than at $300, but it's my right to price it however I like, whether that price is $50, $300, or somewhere in between.

But if I do price it at $300... you'll likely look elsewhere...but often, not before telling me that you think it's too high.  But... let me ask you something...

Ever go to the store and see something you like, and would possibly purchase, and then see the price, and go, oh hell no?  I'm sure we all have.  If it's an item we think we'll find cheaper, I'm sure you go to another store to get it cheaper.  Little known fact -- I have corn snakes upstairs, and the smallest eats frozen/thawed pinkies.  I could get them at the pet store, where they're either $1.99 for one, or $4.99 for three... or I can to to the reptile expo in Illinois, and pick up a bag of 100 of them for $35.  Let's see, 35 cents per pinkie, versus $1.67 per pinkie at the pet store... I think I'll take the trip out to the reptile expo every now and then.  Wouldn't you?  Now, apply that to this chinchilla situation.  You wouldn't go to the pet store, and say, "don't you think $4.99 for 3 is a lot?  I can get 100 for $35 at the expo!"... no, you'd just not go to the pet store, and go to the expo instead.... at least, that's what I would do,

By all means, if you think my prices are too high, check out craigslist.  Check out some backyard breeder that won't give you a health guarantee or any food / munchies / care packet / handouts with your new furball.  You're free to shop around, no one has to get a chin from me.  But there are benefits to getting one from a breeder (see above), and the prices usually aren't all that bad.  Compare my chins to a pet store, where you don't even know how old the chin is, and it's typically standard grey, for $149.99 plus tax (in Indiana, that comes out to $160-ish after tax), and for that price, you could get a beige... add another $40 and you could get a mosaic / tan / pink white / dark ebony / black velvet!

I'm not saying my prices are super.  I think they're fine, personally.  It's just that they are what they are, and I feel like prices reflect something.  Find a chin for sale too cheap, and you wonder why it's that cheap.  Find a chin for sale for (what you consider) expensive, maybe there's a reason for it.