Kitty pricing!

[Guenevere Amaranth]

Hey guys!!

This is a really complicated issue with a lot of well-thought-out responses, and I don't know if I have anything to add that hasn't been said...but here's my personal experience.

When I was new to KittyCatS and considering breeding (which was only about 4 months ago; I know you guys have been around for many years, some of you!), I was lucky enough to make friends with a breeder leaving the business, and she sold me a few 8T and 9T pairs of middle-aged cats for 200L each, far less than they were worth. I also got to know some very lovely people who gave me a discount when I set about buying 9T cats. I decided early on I wanted to breed a certain type of cat, and not just the latest and greatest thing..but I wanted them to not only be worth something, but something that would make people HAPPY.

Months later and a lot of hours spent learning about KittyCatS and genetics and such, those original cats have 9T great-great-great grandchildren producing lines. I never could have done that if someone hadn't seen selling their KittyCatS to me when I was new. And if I hadn't cared or bothered to learn about the cats and just set out making random boxes, it wouldn't have worked out.

I now have a main store, some satellites, and a "pop-up clearance outlet". The clearance outlet does sell highly traited kittens I won't ever use and are not auction quality (just because you have 8 or 9 traits doesn't make them GOOD traits.) and the market says are not worth much now. I sell them extremely low, and many of my buyers are newbies who think they might want to breed but aren't sure they know what they're doing. Everyone has to start somewhere, and many contact us for breeding help, give gifts and kitties, and donate to the tip jar to keep it going. (Recently, I had to discontinue selling anything under 50L, because I refuse to sell kitties for the menagerie, and not everyone is so nice. Some of the people who bought these kitties have perma-pets now, or have become breeders. They're not selling MY cats, but it was an affordable basis for learning.

I look at it as good karma! People were so nice to me, so I want to pass that on...and when I see people abusing the system, it disappoints me. I think there is a different crowd at the pop-up outlet and main store, though. As my regulars get more into KittyCats, they are happy to pay $599 or 1K for a kitten in the main store, as opposed to snagging 100L cats all the time. Some people want the $29 wine that isn't as good, and some people want to spend a few hundred on a rare bottle. But even with all the money in the world, if you don't understand wine, that rare bottle isn't something you can appreciate. Better to enjoy the $29 wine while you learn!

The KittyCatS market is in a recession, along with most of the breedables. People are selling and buying at auction for very low prices, breeders say their store visits are down. Here's what I've noticed: People aren't buying more from the pop-up store because it's cheap, at least not anymore than from the regular store. A lot of people are leaving the hobby because KittyCatS can be expensive to feed, breed, selll....but the people who want the expensive wine aren't suddenly settling for the $29 stuff because it's there.

Of course, if someone is selling a cat worth 4K for 200L, and you want at least 2K, yes, theyre pricing you out of the market. But you can see people do this in RL business during recessions, and they eventually can't afford the losses and go out of business. People tend to think short term, and that's why there are so many "going out of business" sales with 50L cats.

I really love KittyCatS,..the cats, the people, the way that it's a bit like art, making things. Not all your projects turn out to be the Mona Lisa, though. I'm rather sure DaVinci had some "Ehhh" attempts that he sold to someone who knew nothing about art to buy better paint for the next try. There's a market for everything, but it's not always the same market.

Of course, just how I see it.

*Hugs*,
*~ Guen

P.S. Okselhandro (and forgive me if I killed the spelling of your name), breeding "couture kitties" is a thing, where the emphasis is more on the artistry than sheer trait value. Really talented breeders, and I've met a few, do both....and you'd need to sell an SL kidney to buy them!