Seeking some advice on price

[Kate Arbon]

Hi all.

I have a juvenile male GBB who I am really keen on breeding when he gets older. Just recently I found a pet shop with a nice selection of T's including a sub-adult sexed female GBB, for £80.

I am tempted, but that is a lot of money! I've been looking around for places that sell GBBs to see how this price compares, but even though I consider them a fairly common T it seems not many online stores have them in stock. Those that do seem to only sell unsexed slings and juvies, and they are on average fairly expensive, relative to other species of similar growing speed.

So I was wondering if anyone in the know could tell me how good or bad of a price £80 is for a guaranteed female GBB, about 4 inches?

Thanks very much.

[Peter Lacey]

seems a lot.
I'm a regular visitor to a Pet Shop that I'm organising a visit to - see Essex Meet thread.
He often gives me a discount and recently offered me an adult female for £40. Shame you're not closer as I could have secured this and you could have attended the Meet.

[Kate Arbon]

Well I've decided to get it. I know it's expensive, but I figure this is my hobby - my only hobby - so if I don't buy this spider I will eventually end up spending £80 on other spiders or equipment. A female GBB is a spider I've wanted for quite a while and I don't know when I'll next find one.

Also I only found this shop yesterday and am really impressed with it. Compared to a lot of other pet shops that stock tarantulas, this place has them all in really nice setups and they look really healthy. They pretty much only sell captive bred, and everything except the spiderlings is a guaranteed female as they don't sell males. I was pretty impessed with it, and spent ages talking to the guy in charge of the spiders who had set them all up, and he was really keen to hear my opinion on what they should order in and stuff, and seemed really enthusiastic about learning about them. It's not often I find a shop that actually cares about the spiders it sells instead of just sticking them in a tank and waiting for someone to buy them. I think it would be good to support them, so this way we both benefit. I get my GBB girl and they get rewarded for doing it right

[Yvonne Woolley]

Hello Kate, If it is want you want and your happy go for it, and it seems that your pet shop is really trying hard and i know that the GBBs i have seen advertised have been expensive, But i am a newbie too. I am waiting untill the B.T.S. Event in May also the Bug Fayre in April to add to my collection now at 11 plus Trog my tiny Flat Rock Scorpion

[SylviRigden]

Hi Kate, if you decide not to buy the local GBB, I'm going to the Essex meet up, you can do the deal and I can bring it back for you.

Where is the shop? Is it one I have missed?

[Peter Lacey]

ooh Sylvi, that's not a bad idea. I'll try to find out if he still has it, if so I'll tell him to put it aside.

BTW: This week is the last chance to get orders in from HAMM

[Kate Arbon]

Peter, that would be great if you could ask him. I actually went into the shop yesterday with the intention of buying the GBB, but one of the staff had gone home with the keys to the spider tanks so they couldn't get it out. I put a deposit down and reserved it, was supposed to go get it today. But if you can find out if that other GBB is still available that would be really good, and I can go get my deposit back.

Sylvi, the shop is the one you told me about in Drayton. We decided to check it out as it's closer than Waterlooville, and it's a really nice shop. Just wish all their spiders weren't so expensive!

Thanks for the offer of picking up that GBB for me. If it turns out to still be available I will get the money to you some time before the meet

[SylviRigden]

Yes it's a very nice shop but the T's are expensive. If you start to circulate around the shows you won't buy them there. They have just had alot of new T's arrive, but the GBB, one of the B smithis and the 'curly hair' have been there some time. Julie and I are going up to the Essex meet up. so whatever you want I can drop to Portsmouth, or you can pop over here and get it


oooorrrr, you can drive over here, and come to the Essex meet up too.

[Peter Lacey]

Unfortunately the GBB has been sold, not surprisingly tbh as it was a nice sized T.
He's off to HAMM on Wednesday and is promising to return with loads of tarantula \o/ hopefully he doesnt sell too many before we get there.
If you wish I could put an order in for the GBB, plz let me know by Monday evening/Tue afternoon and specify what size and age you'd prefer.

[Nicola Dolby]

Hi Kate,
sorry to hear about you missing out on the GBB. If I may give a bit of advice, please try to make it to the BTS show in May. I went a couple of years ago and you will not find lower prices anywhere. I think the most expensive spider I bought was a juvenile E. murinus and she cost £12! If you can't make it ask someone to pick up a female GBB for you. Alternatively you could get a few spiderlings, you're bound to get at least one female if you buy 10. Though if you intend to breed your male you want either an adult female now or to send him out on breeding loan once he matures. It is safe through this site and you probably will know the individual you'll be sending him to anyway! All the best

[Kate Arbon]

Peter, that's a shame, but thankyou anyway for asking.
I would like to come along to the Essex meet but unfortunately it falls on the same weekend as a reunion I'm having with my old uni housemates, so I will probably be at Thorpe Park acting like a kid while you are all having a bug day. I hope it goes well for you all

Nicola, I am definitely coming to the BTS show I've wanted to go for as long as I've had spiders but couldn't be bothered to drive that far on my own. Now my housemate has spiders as well so we're planning to both go together. I am really looking forward to it.

As for the GBB, I went and got her today. She cost a lot, but I remember someone once saying a spider is only worth what someone's willing to pay for it, so I don't mind spending a lot for a T I really wanted.

She seems REALLY calm. Trying to get her to move from the tub she came in into her tank took a while, because she refused to walk away from the paintbrush I was trying to shepherd her with. She just kind of huddled up in a "if I ignore you, you'll go away!" kind of style.

So here are some pics of by far the most expensive spider I've ever bought. I've named her Fry.

[James Box]

very nice spider well that's definitely expensive...you'll probably see cheaper ones at the BTS. but that being said...you have her now as opposed to having to wait til May!
enjoy

[Nicola Dolby]

What a beautiful spider! Well done Kate, and yes you're right. If you want the tarantula then they are worth the price. I hope she gives you years of joy and lots of egg sacs!!

[James Box]

i suppose the only negative is it teaches that shop that it's ok to charge extortionate prices...

[Nicola Dolby]

I know James, but when I first started in the hobby I paid £90 for a P. metallica sling. They had just appeared and were gold dust at the time, so it was a fair price (probably quite cheap for the time actually). Now look at how much they cost! I have never regretted paying the money and I had a lovely spider, I think what I'm saying is that as a species becomes more well known the price will fall and as we get more involved withinn the tarantula keeping community we get to know more people and whereto buy things cheaper. I can't wait until Kate turns up at the BTS show, her eyes will be like saucers!