What would you do???

[Ace027]

Someone asked me...What would you do if the shrimps you bought few months ago are losing value... specially if you are keeping them because of rarity and value of them??

I myself has no answer but anyone can share their opinion :)

[JonX]

I think the challange now in keeping rare shrimp is to try and selectivly breed them to perfection now that they are more readily affordable.

Shrimpkeeping should be for a hobby because you enjoy the shrimp not becsuse you can make a quick buck out of them. Sales of shrimp is a bonus to subsidise how much $$$ has been spent with the investment.

[Squiggle]

I would say they're keeping them for the wrong reason :encouragement: It's just the nature of things like that to be rare & expensive one minute, only to loose value when other people start keeping & breeding them too, flooding the market creates price competition & therefore lower prices :victorious:

[torface]

In the short 6 months or so ive been on this forum, ive noticed significant price drops in the shrimps. But for me, and 99.9% of people here, it's more about the hobby than anything else.

Sure it's s$$t to see a ship you bought 2 months ago now be half the price, but that's the nature of the game. Personally i don't care, because I want a shrimp cos i like it, not because of it's rarity or value.

If someone does care about their rarity and value for selling purposes, then i'd suggest anyone like that to sell up now and go breed something else, because shrimps are only going to get cheaper! And that can only be a good thing for australian shrimp keeping in my opinion!

[ineke]

Have to agree with all of the above , it is nice if a hobby can pay its way but its great that the better type are getting more accessible to everyone. To me it's a love of my shrimp with no intention of making money and really even if you pay big $ for one shrimp 1 brood of shrimplets has paid its cost anyway so I don't see that you are losing.

[wayne6442]

I learnt a number of years ago that there is really no money to be made out of shrimp keeping, that said yes I occasionally sell of some of my shrimp, though what I recover has never made up for the initial outlay. I am proud to be a grass route breeder, working with cherries, my main aim is to improve what is already out there at the same time keeping their heritage as clean as possible, a lot of work for shrimp that are at the lower end of the cost bracket. Still Cherries are amazing ,and never stop delivering surprise after surprise with their versatility.

Wayne

[Robert]

You win some you lose some, tell your mate to build a bridge and get over it. If he wanted something that would appreciate in value then tell him/her to leave it in a term deposit or something.

Ive fortunately came out on par in regards to my shrimp but i was happy to expense every dollar when you consider the time and joy the hobby can bring you. Quid Pro Quo.

[mr_c265]

I have to agree with all of the above.

There are a lot of people in it for the money, and i personally avoid them, i do not like them.

It is a hobby for enjoyment, if you are keeping shrimp for moneys sake, then i wish you well, but you are missing out on the important things.

I might not have the shrimp that you guys have, but i've spent thousands on plants, sometimes i sell my cuttings so i can buy more plants. Wouldn't even have made back 1/5th of what i spent. I also keep and breed some rarer fish, but i don't sell them, i give them away or trade them, i want them to be readily available in Australia.

Something else that ticks me off is illegal importation for monetary gain. I know a lot of you like Bucephalandra, but i've seen strong evidence of someone importing them illegally and selling them for exorbitant amounts of money. They're not even propagating them, they're simply reselling them. I disagree with smuggling, but in some cases, i guess it could be said to be a necessary evil, especially considering the archaic DAFF rules and the ICON list. But when they are selling fresh illegal imported plants (not even growing them on) for $500 a pop, in my eyes, that it is as bad as drug smuggling. I have personally helped write one import application for something, and it's not that hard, plus it is incredibly satisfying.

Back to the original question though, when they have come down in price and are no longer rare and expensive, look back at what you have done, think to yourself, yup i'm part of the reason everyone can enjoy these and then move on to another species.

[Ace027]

Thanks for your reply guys, I dont think he is in it for the money, he is one of those that like to keep rare and expensive things so he can appreciate them more, more like an art collector.

[KiwiBigD]

I'm perfectly fine with them dropping in price, means I can buy a few more without going broke. Its a hobby, a great one in my opinion, just enjoy it. Much better I think that blowing money at the pubs or races, relaxing and fun sharing with friends and family.

There are those in it purely for the money, but its pretty easy to work out dedication and interest as opposed to making a quick buck or three. In most cases though those in for the quick buck tend to move on to the next latest and greatest without any investment on their behalf.

Personally I hope to being still keeping and breeding shrimp in 5 years, 10 years, however long as long as its enjoyable and I can afford to do so without majorly impacting my family, they're my first priority each and every time, fish keeping/shrimp keeping is my hobby and something I can enjoy