IX
MARKETING HAMSTER PRODUCTION
55. Finding Your Markets
For many readers, this section may appear to be the most important part of the book. Why? Because no steady markets come to knock at your door unless you let them know you have a hamstery door at which they may knock. Furthermore, 24 productive females may wean from 1,000 to 1,250 young per year. Suppose you desire to sell 500 to 750 to laboratory use, 100 trios and 100 pairs for breeding stock and pets. That sells the 1,000 to 1,250. But, beginners who rush into that volume of production without looking to their markets, who expand without experience and business sense, play a losing game. Remember, that a large share of the current laboratory animal market is currently monopolized by the large commercials most anxious to sell you breeding stock. They are not creating markets for beginners. Each year thousands buy breeding stock with a short-lived hope of making a living, or at least of saving a nice sum. Most of these fail to recover their investments. But, they that have not spent enough to hurt have a lot of fun, and many of them continue the pleasurable hobby of raising these fascinating creatures. Many with good business judgment, patience, and willingness to use such advice as given in this book, are content with a hobby or small commercial hamstery for a side-line income and make a good year around profit selling breeding stock and pets, with or without laboratory sales.
Commercial hamsteries ship direct to users. Most hobbyists sell too large a per cent as breeders and pets to permit regular shipments of any considerable numbers to laboratory animal brokers. For these reasons, few brokers handle hamsters. Thus, the hamster breeder gets and serves his own markets, usually making the entire handling profit except when selling to or through pet stores, etc.
56. Hamster Advertising and Literature
Before advertising or sending out circulars to institutions, one should decide whether he desires to enlist the help of a nearby producer to fill large orders. One needs 6 or more females in production to sell 6 laboratory animals weekly, 24 females to sell 24 weekly, etc. Such production should permit large enough weanings to select some breeding stock and pets before making laboratory deliveries. Some doctors use as few as one-half dozen per week. According to the business volume of each laboratory, animal usage runs from one dozen to many dozen weekly.
Where may one best advertise to bring in the hamster sales? One may begin with two classes of magazines: (1) A classified advertisement in a pet or small stock magazine. (2) A classified advertisement in one of the outdoor magazines. Outdoor magazines’ classified rates are higher, but readers include hunters, trappers, fishermen, doctors, school heads, pet shops, laboratory men, hobbyists, and others in general among the best prospects for buying hamsters. Any outdoor magazine that has carried a hamster display (picture) advertisement for more than 6 months is considered a good business getter for the advertiser. An advertisement, giving price per pair, placed in its classified section, should pull sales. You get the benefit of the
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