Exporting Ball Pythons From South Africa | DJ van Wyk, Reptiles for Centuries (Herpenomics #4)

Exporting ball pythons from South Africa: DJ van Wyk of Reptiles for Centuries did his first export at 15, and this year RFC is already on 10 exports. He breaks down what it really costs: by his math, the first four to five thousand dollars of a US shipment goes on just getting the animals there, and his side covers almost 60 to 70% of the export and domestic shipping. Herpenomics #4. In this episode: long-term projects over hyped ones (2:08), where RFC exports and why almost 90% of what goes to Asia is clown (7:45), turning strangers overseas into buyers (12:10), how an overseas order works and who pays for what (15:56), why he splits the shipping 50/50 with Asian buyers (20:22), an import that took almost two years and cost him three or four thousand dollars (24:00), why you finish a project after its price drops, and the €11,000 Stranger male he moved on too early (27:04), paint at $200 vs banana at $3,500 (31:30), what a new breeder should buy (36:28), his first hire 11 years ago (47:19), why only three in 10 MorphMarket inquiries become a sale (55:05), the rule from his costliest mistake (57:05), then Show Me Your Projects: Mandarin Hypo Clowns, NG13, Confusion Blackhead combos, and why his first Axanthic Desert Ghost male cost $10,000 when they sell for two or three thousand now (1:01:36). 🎟️ Code RFC15 = 15% off your next purchase from Reptiles for Centuries. Message DJ with the code. His next US export leaves in about three weeks, and a Philippines shipment follows around the end of November or early December. 🐍 HERPENOMICS is live every Thursday at 11 PM ET, right here on this channel. Instagram:   / herpenomics   🎙️ MATT — Eternal Morphs ❤️ Patreon:   / eternalmorphs   (every dollar becomes store credit toward an animal) Facebook:   / eternalmorphs   Instagram:   / eternalmorphs   🎙️ TRAVIS — Python Suzy YouTube:    / @pythonsuzy   Instagram:   / pythonsuzy   🐍 DJ VAN WYK — Reptiles for Centuries, South Africa MorphMarket: https://www.morphmarket.com/stores/re... Instagram:   / reptilesforcenturies   YouTube:    / @reptilesforcenturies8043   Patreon:   / rfc_innovatingtomorrow   Facebook:   / reptilesforcenturies   🦎 HUSBANDRY.PRO — feeding, weights, pairings, clutches, genetics and sales in one place instead of six spreadsheets. Code ETERNAL60 gets you 60 days free. https://husbandry.pro This episode covers: exporting ball pythons, ball python breeding business, ball pythons in South Africa, shipping ball pythons internationally, selling ball pythons to Asia, clown ball python combos, ball python holdbacks, selling on MorphMarket. Chapters 0:00 Welcome to Herpenomics #4 1:11 DJ van Wyk of Reptiles for Centuries, live from South Africa 2:08 The mission for RFC: long-term projects over hype 6:23 A versatile collection: options in every pairing 7:45 10 exports this year, and where they go 9:52 Can China's breeders change the market? 12:10 His first export at 15, and finding the first buyer 14:13 Build trust by posting the journey 15:56 How an overseas order works, step by step 18:22 What a US shipment costs before you make anything 20:22 Asian shipments: splitting the shipping 50/50 21:33 The value chain: why resellers need a discount 22:53 South Africa's advantage, and its biggest drawback 24:00 The import that took almost two years 25:34 Why he can't bring in wild-caught blood 27:04 When a project's price collapses: finish the project 28:35 The €11,000 Stranger male he moved on too early 31:30 Ball pythons are fashion: paint vs banana 32:24 Chat: Burmballs in South Africa? 33:28 From a Burmese at eight to RFC in 2013 34:56 The first big season, and scraping through to 2021 36:28 What a new breeder should buy with five grand 38:26 How he picks holdbacks from one clutch 42:07 Chat: an incubator for your first clutch 44:48 Backup power before another snake 47:19 His first hire, 11 years ago 55:05 What puts buyers in his inbox 57:05 The rule from his costliest mistake 1:01:36 Show Me Your Projects 1:02:39 Code RFC15: 15% off 1:03:51 Mandarin Hypo Clown 1:05:22 Spot Nose Mandarin Hypo Clown: why one is for sale 1:08:56 Chocolate Vanilla Sugar Hypo double het Desert Ghost Paint 1:13:00 NG13, a new gene from South Africa 1:21:11 Stranger Blackhead Confusion Clown: Confusion, "the best gene that I ever bought" 1:23:20 Blackhead Confusion Yellow Belly Clown 1:27:57 GHI Hypo Axanthic het Desert Ghost: a price that held 1:30:20 Cypress Nyala Yellow Belly Clown het Desert Ghost 1:33:33 Fire Yellow Belly Genetic Stripe Clown het Ultramel 1:38:00 Hypo Desert Ghost het Zebra 1:42:49 Wrap-up: hybrids for the win #herpenomics #ballpythonbreeding #reptilesforcenturies #ballpython #reptilebusiness