Wuhan young man sells spiders, centipedes and scorpions online, with monthly sales reaching tens of thousands of yuan
In the past, reptiles and similar creatures such as spiders, centipedes and scorpions were always regarded as dangerous venomous pests, but now they have transformed into fashionable new pets. Some enthusiasts, seeing the business opportunity in this, began investing to test the waters in this alternative industry. Because competition in the market is not yet fierce, some merchants who acted earlier have already made money.
Non-venomous red spiders, red dragon centipedes, green iguanas... Yesterday, in a small warehouse near Yingwuzhou, a reporter saw a large number of hair-raising "pets." Wuhan local Xiao Gao said sales are currently quite good, with a sales network already covering many cities across the country and monthly sales of 50,000-60,000 yuan.
Xiao Gao told the reporter that non-venomous tarantulas are currently the most popular, selling 40-50 per month, with prices ranging from 100 yuan to 300 yuan. In early 2009, Xiao Gao's online sales had stabilized at around 30,000 yuan, so he rented a 30 sq m small warehouse near Yingwuzhou for 600 yuan/month as a "base" to focus on online transactions.
Xiao Gao said these pets mainly eat small insects such as crickets and barley worms, and he also sells this "food" himself. His customers are mainly some "reptile fans," a group mostly made up of young people with a more "homebody" personality. Some "enthusiasts" may even buy more than a dozen such "pets" each.
In addition, these reptile pets have very high requirements for temperature and humidity, and their living habits differ greatly. For example, spiders tolerate thirst while centipedes do not. If merchants want to breed them themselves, they must study in advance, otherwise the chance of failure is very high, so it is better to order directly from other places.
The Wuhan industry and commerce department reminds that there are currently some fraudulent franchise companies for centipede and scorpion farming under the names of agriculture and biotechnology that exaggerate "earning thousands per day, tens of thousands per month," making franchisees feel they have found a way to make money. In addition, once out-of-town franchisees discover they have been cheated, defending their rights is also rather troublesome, so first-time entrepreneurs should be on guard.
Store opening costs
Investment 100,000 yuan-150,000 yuan
Stock preparation 50,000 yuan-100,000 yuan
Preliminary inspection and construction 50,000 yuan