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Author Topic: Selling bees in Melbourne, is there are market?  (Read 3284 times)

Offline damienpryan

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Selling bees in Melbourne, is there are market?
« on: July 09, 2019, 02:19:28 am »
Hi All,

I'm just checking if their is much of a market for beehives.
I love catching swarms in bait boxes and raising hives.
It does mean though I've ended up with 10 hives now and if my bait boxes pick up more in Spring I'll go to 15.
It is too much honey!

Would their be a market for selling hives in Autumn/Winter/Spring ?
I use hasson plastic 10 frame boxes and plastic one piece full depth frames.
As the hasson hives are more expensive than wood I'm afraid I might price myself out of a market (if their is one).

How do you even price a hive?
Could you price it on equipment + price/frames of bees?
Add in a price for honey stored ?

With the Hasson hives I'd probably be looking at $500 to make a profit. (not on all my time though, it is a hobby).

I could just sell just the frames plastic frames + bees of 20 plastic frames for $200-250 at let people transfer into their own 8 or 10 frame hive and return my plastic hive?

One of the issues is that it is a hobby for me and I hate trying to negotiate price on hive parts (beeks are such tight arses) so I'm probably not getting cheapest prices on my hasson hives or my frames.
But if I'm selling a hives I'd have to make sure I got all the hive material at cheapest price otherwise I'll be out of pocket.

Also I'm probably not as keen to sell to complete noobs as I'll get 20 follow phone calls as to what to do next.

Cheers

Damien

 





Offline eltalia

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Re: Selling bees in Melbourne, is there are market?
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2019, 05:56:33 am »
I'd reckon you've answered all your questions Damien.
Poly whatever faces more barriers than price alone, so yes
a niche market there.
Carn't figure why experienced b'keeps would be buying
housed swarms from you when they are quite capable, so
yes.. "noobs" would be your market.
And did not youse guys just see an ambitous new player
go down the tubes, bigtime? With that news rattling around
I'd offer any new players would be keeping their hands firmly
in very deep pockets.

Nooo Damien... if it is the dollar you are chasing then hitch on
the tandem box trailer and go chase the new nut and berry
orchards coming online.

Bill

Offline Beelab

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Re: Selling bees in Melbourne, is there are market?
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2019, 09:37:04 am »
Hi All,

I'm just checking if their is much of a market for beehives.
I love catching swarms in bait boxes and raising hives.
It does mean though I've ended up with 10 hives now and if my bait boxes pick up more in Spring I'll go to 15.
It is too much honey!

Would their be a market for selling hives in Autumn/Winter/Spring ?
I use hasson plastic 10 frame boxes and plastic one piece full depth frames.
As the hasson hives are more expensive than wood I'm afraid I might price myself out of a market (if their is one).

How do you even price a hive?
Could you price it on equipment + price/frames of bees?
Add in a price for honey stored ?

With the Hasson hives I'd probably be looking at $500 to make a profit. (not on all my time though, it is a hobby).

I could just sell just the frames plastic frames + bees of 20 plastic frames for $200-250 at let people transfer into their own 8 or 10 frame hive and return my plastic hive?

One of the issues is that it is a hobby for me and I hate trying to negotiate price on hive parts (beeks are such tight arses) so I'm probably not getting cheapest prices on my hasson hives or my frames.
But if I'm selling a hives I'd have to make sure I got all the hive material at cheapest price otherwise I'll be out of pocket.

Also I'm probably not as keen to sell to complete noobs as I'll get 20 follow phone calls as to what to do next.

Cheers

Damien

I am confused. Are you trying to sell hives (hardware) or colonies of bees?
You got me when you said your hives are producing honey.
Then you want to put a price on hives, and I thought just sell it for the price of the materials and work.

If you want to sell anything, you need to get the terminology right.
Not being picky here, but if I bought a hive of you and you would deliver a colony of bees, we may have problems.

Offline eltalia

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Re: Selling bees in Melbourne, is there are market?
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2019, 08:44:15 pm »
I am confused......
Hi All,
(edit)
Quote
Beelab wrote in part;

If you want to sell anything, you need to get the terminology right.
Not being picky here, but if I bought a hive of you and you would deliver a colony of bees, we may have problems.

I'd offer you are in for quite some new horizons to cover as "terminology" varies
internationally in more ways than ever makes sense to Aussies.
0dd, as generally Aussies can comprehend thrust/meaning in many lingos/dialect
whereas the reverse is rarely true..!.. with even the Poms, those ye olde colonialists,
argueably the worst of offenders. Seems to me those lslanders remain fixated on their
own worth in the world, Brexit being a fine example.

Bill

Offline ed/La.

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Re: Selling bees in Melbourne, is there are market?
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2019, 11:45:15 pm »
Check the internet and see what they are selling for. Do you have Craigslist there?  I would use the cheapest equipment you can. All mine is home made. Not the greatest but the bees don't care.
 I can only sell early spring with the flow going strong. Most do not buy off season. If they live locally offer a free inspection if they are newbies. They have friends that want bees. In my part of the US Louisiana  a nuc is about $150 and a 8 frame deep is $200 in their box. If you can sell 20 or 30 you can make some money..  Curious  what they sell for there.