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Is there a market for flipping slings?

Underclock

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3 Year Member
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44
That is to say, if I were to buy a few slings, raise them for a few months to a year, and resell them, is there a market for that?

Mostly, I think, what I'm asking is would the breeders I bought from take offense to that?

I'd love to be able to have experience with tons of different species, and I'd like to gain some reputation as a reliable T provider, because I'd like to get into breeding eventually. Currently though, its not possible for me to breed or to have an exceptionally large collection until i stop living the apartment life, so the best way I've thought of to hit my experience and reputation goals is to flip slings.

I realise there's not really going to be money in that, but who really gets into this hobby for the money? What do you guys think?
 

VanessaS

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3 Year Member
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540
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Ontario, Canada
I think that if it were a viable option, and one that is not more hassle than it is worth, then there would be a lot more people doing it already.
People are already doing what you outline to a certain extent - people thin out their collections or get out of the hobby and advertise online. Kijiji is full of those ads and that is where I have gotten a number of my tarantulas.
The thing is - most juveniles and adults are way too expensive for people and they would rather go for a spiderling and save the money.
So, how successful you are at it would depend on how much you are willing to charge for them.
 

Kymura

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I think if the prices are extremely reasonable and your doing it for the experience rather then as a money making proposition it could work out. Depends entirely on demand.

@VanessaS what is kijiji? Swap meet type site?
 

VanessaS

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Ontario, Canada
@VanessaS what is kijiji? Swap meet type site?

Yes, it is like Craigslist, only a lot better. I didn't realize, until you asked just now, that it is only available in Canada. I talk about it all the time thinking that it is international and it isn't. Sorry about that!
I use it all the time to buy and sell things. I love it. I have purchased a lot of my camera equipment on there too.
 

Underclock

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3 Year Member
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44
So the general consensus is that it's not ideal, but doable so long as I'm super flexible with the price?

If that's the case, I can manage that. It is genuinely mostly because I'd like to experience the variety of the hobby
 

Tomoran

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800
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Many folks will buy multiple slings of the same species to increase their chances of getting females. When the slings are old enough to sex, they can then keep a female and sell the rest to recoup their costs. As far as purposely buying a bunch of sling with the hopes of selling them later, the trick is finding people who want them. In that case, you would probably have better luck with some of the more popular, surefire species that there are likely to be a market for. You'd have to be prepared to be stuck with some stock for a while I would imagine.

I buy multiples, but I become too attached to the extras to sell them off. :)
 

VanessaS

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Ontario, Canada
I've done both - spent the money on older, guaranteed females, and I'm now doing the multiple spiderling thing.
I can see the pros and cons for going both routes. I don't think I could give them up when I have raised them from a spiderling, personally. Like @Tomoran, I get too attached. Plus, there are too many people out there who lie regarding their sex/age and you can't trust people.
There are a lot of females on Kijiji for sale and they are just not selling. I understand why people are asking the prices that they are, but there is just not that many of us in the hobby in the GTA and there is no demand for a 3" female G. pulchra for $300 when the 3.5" female a few ads down for $225 isn't selling either. Personally, I don't think that $225 is unreasonable for a 3.5" female G. pulchra, but the demand is just not there.
 

Underclock

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3 Year Member
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44
I think it would be easier to sell ones you've raised if you started out with the mindset that you're going to sell them later.

As for stagnating pricing, honestly I'd be fine making my money back with minimal profit. Males might still be trouble, but I figure people will jump at a year old sexed specimen if it's priced competitively against slings. I guess that's easy to say while I don't have the stock to take a loss on, but that's the intention at least
 

Thistles

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Virginia
As others have said, it depends on the price and the species. I've done some similar stuff, but mostly it happens when I buy a package deal and don't want some of the package! A lot of the juvies I've got listed for sale now are from a group I got in the fall. There were some among the package that I needed, and I kept the rest long enough to sex them and get to good shipping weather, and now I'm selling the ones I don't need or want. Adults and slings are the easiest to sell, but there are people who will jump on a good deal for a juvenile if the opportunity presents itself.

I actually seem to have an easier time selling the more unusual species than the mainstream ones. In the past I've sold things like Psednocnemis brachyramosa and some different Pamphos really fast because they're more uncommon and breeders with the opposite sex snatched them up for future projects. That's not to say that something like Avicularia versicolor won't sell in 2 seconds if you post a good price. I'd pounce.

I don't think any breeders would take offense. People change their interests or need to finance car repairs or move or decide they prefer arboreals to terrestrials all the time. This hobby is pretty dynamic and big on reselling. The person who sold you the babies might not even remember you by the time you're ready to sell.
 

Scoolman

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I do it all the time. I buy in large groups, raise them to a size I can gender ID, pick out the few I want and sell or trade the rest. This way I can guarantee the make male female ratios I want.
 

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