Pricing Tips & Info for new breeders

[Ethereal Hurricane]

The best thing a new breeder can do, would be take it slow, almost glacier like. The worst thing you can do as a new breeder would jump in head first. I firmly believe that auctions are the worst place to judge the actual values of a cat, but I always tell newer breeders that I have met to just sit at as many auctions as you can. Not only do you get a general idea of what sells, you usually get a handful of knowledge here and there, as *most* auctioneers are experienced breeders themselves.

As for actual pricing, there is no real easy way to "know" what the value of a cat is, as its not about what its worth to you, but what its worth to someone else. What are they willing to pay, not what are you willing to sell it for. Again, I'll state that auctions are the worst for actually understanding the market, as I've had cats that I had opening bids on set at 5k, and went no sale, only to turn around and sell it in private sale for three times that amount. You're not guaranteed to have every potential buyer at every single auction. Auctioning is probably the easiest way to sell a cat, hassle free, and it can be really rewarding, or very discouraging. My advice on selling at auctions, just do open bids (no starting bid), and see what you get. You might be surprised.

Experience will teach you what to do to get people to your auction, spamming the various groups, posting here on the forums (probably the most undervalued resource in the kittycats community), or just IMing people that you know might be looking for a cat. When I first started, I went to almost every single auction I could make it to. I bought some cats here and there, but I mostly went there to listen and learn. I've even started to see lots of auctioneers hosting classes on breeding, I wish they had those when I started!

I guess my final thought for a new breeder, get to know people, and again, auctions help with that. Interact with the community. Make friends, heck, make enemies! Just get to know people! There are lots of great people in this community, and *most* of them are extremely helpful and knowledgeable.