Why do people typically charge so much for leatherbacks?

[Pravius]

I am just curious. I was browsing over on the kingsnake and fauna boards and noticed that people had leatherbacks for like $700 +. This is nuts to me and I cannot understand why. I realize that they maybe a little more rare but once you have one I was reading the leatherback trait is co-dominant and when you breed there is like a 50% chance to get a leatherback baby.. so it seems that they are not really THAT rare ... so am I missing something? Besides they seem to be genetically mutated past the point of return...

Also while I am on the subject I see some dragons that look like they have good color averaging about $75-150 while some others (not hypo's, trans, ect) are in the $200 range...what makes the price fluctuate so much?

Thanks for any info.

 

[jargonchipmunk]

it's a hobby market. Prices have nothing to do with any actual "value" and all to do with what people will pay. Generally, with a live animal and "morphs" or color strains, etc. if someone likes it, or perceives that a lot of OTHER people will like it, they'll pay the premium to get it and breed it. Most of the time, this translates into that particular breed being too common by the time THEY get babies so they can't sell them for what they bought theirs for, but generally more than the "common" beardies. Some sellers simply don't have the space to house all those babies so they price theirs to move.