Price suggestions, cuz lord knows facebook was a bust

[golden rabbitry]

So I sell pedigreed purebred holland lops and a few people have said I should raise my prices. I sell each for $60. It's illegal for petstores to sell rabbits and since I used to sell to them, I got my name established and am pretty well rooted in our area. A few people sell pets for up to $300, which is ridiculous yet possible. I was thinking $75? Some say $100 but I don't know if that's to much especially because I've never shown any of my rabbits. What yall think? I asked my facebook breeders group and war broke out between the people because Lord forbid I sell pedigreed rabbits but don't show yet. :|

 

[SixGun]

I don't think we'll jump into a war here because I think we're a bit more civil here, but you are asking a loaded question.

Some breeders list a price because thats what they can get for their rabbits. Other place a price based on the worth of the rabbit. I routinely sell rabbits from anywhere between $225 - $35. My breeding stock is pedigreed show quality rabbits, but not every rabbit produced is necessarily show quality. I also take into account 4H or FFA, youth, adult, wants, needs and what the future may bring for me with that buyer. IMO there is no such thing as a all-encompassing price.

What you will find is that show people know that a pedigree is nothing more than a piece of paper and is worth very little. A pet person might think its cute and look at it when they get it, but thats it. Some pet people feel they are getting a better quality rabbit because there is a pedigree, but that is in no way true.

Show people will not buy a pedigreed rabbit sight unseen if that rabbit or at the least their parents are not shown. Quality can only be achieved in purebred rabbits by showing. There is simply no other verifier of quality, with perhaps one caveat. Meat and commercial rabbits are quality as producers, their own weight gain and the weight gain of their offspring. They could look ugly as heck but still be good producers, but even then, well shaped rabbits produce better weight gain and feed to meat ratios.

Holland Lops are so often sold as pets you can probably ask quite a bit. That's value based on the market around you, not the quality of your rabbits. If you can get more than what you are currently charging, that is the free enterprise system and you can take advantage of it, but not everyone will condone it or feel the same way.

 

[Zass]

It's really up to you to decide what you want to sell your rabbits for, and it really isn't anyone else's business.

If you want pedigrees to be worth more, definitely study show traits and learn to pose your rabbits. Most of the shows are closed due to covid this year, but that doesn't mean you can't start working towards your breed's standard of perfection. The more you know, and the better you breed for show traits, the more your pedigrees will be worth to show breeders.

Some more points to consider..
I do make a point to avoid undercutting any of my closest friend's prices, but lets be honest.. It's always just a matter of time before someone else buys the same or similar stock, and then pumps out cheaper kits.
There is always *always* someone who wants to sell quantity instead of quality, and it quickly taps out local markets, often with subpar rabbits.

That's why quality show traits become so important to breeders.

As a counter point. I bought my first harlequins from one of the best breeders in the region for $20 each. My current ones were $45 each from for a girl who's only ever been to one show. (Same lines though.) The reason I paid more? I didn't have to drive 5 hours each way to get them! :lol: There are a lot of factors that go into pricing.

 

[golden rabbitry]

That's the thing, one of my friends and her mom are outstanding breeders and normally win everything along with her mother judging. So I've gotten to see a judges opinion of my rabbits and know exactly where I need to improve. My plan is to take advantage of no shows and use this time to really improve my rabbits. And maybe once I can drive and have thoroughly improved my stock I could take a swing as showing. It's just hard cuz I'm still in school.

 

[SixGun]

If you've gotten your stock from someone that shows and wins with Holland Lops, you can be reasonably sure that you have started with better than average stock, but remember, they have not sold you their best. They have kept the best for themselves and sold you what is good, but not good enough to keep. That being said it only takes one generation to deviate wildly from show quality.
In my own experience I sold a trio of rabbits to a youth. They were promising rabbits but were not what I wanted. I did however try and set up a trio that could offset each others deficiencies and would produce quality offspring if bred wisely. I made this known when I walked through them with the youth. Fast forward 6 months. The youth has bred and had a litter with both does. A couple of the offspring were indeed better than their parents. I was pleased with how they turned out. The other offspring were much the same as their parents and one buck had definitely taken on the worst of the traits from his parents. I gave my advice on who I would keep and who I would breed. The youth decided to keep that terrible buck, because they chose by personality. With that choice they have completely ruined their stock. Two generations later it is really bad. You would never guess their rabbits share the same lineage as BIS rabbits just two generations out.
What I'm trying to say is that it only takes one or two poor breeding decisions to create non-show quality.
I always point back to dogs as thats where I spent my time before rabbits. There are a number of backyard breeders out there with a champion parent or grandparent on a pedigree and not one of those offspring would ever be competitive in the show ring.

 

[hotzcatz]

Since you have pedigreed stock, try selling them for $75 to $125, depending on whatever reasons - color, loppedness of ears, fuzziness or whichever. If the seller is with 4H, buys more than one, etc., then you can give them a discount.

We have pedigreed stock and zero rabbit shows. But the pedigrees are important to keep them from being inbred.