Some years back, a Silver Fox listing on Craiglist became a topic of discussion. I remember it listing young Silver Foxes that would not have yet developed their silvering at prices that many show breeders might sell a Grand Champion. There were the cutest pictures of young bunnies in Christmas boxes, Easter baskets, teacups, or other things. Yes, this same listing was repeated throughout the seasons for a few years. Every advertisement made a point that the Silver Fox was a RARE BREED. The persons involved in our discussion about it were highly critical of the "business practices" of this unknown person because they felt whoever posted the ad was trying to profit from it being a "rare breed" and not on the quality of each rabbit, which was too young to assess. I just stayed quiet for a time.
You see, this was an attitude that I found concerning and I still hear it now and then. While I am absolutely in favor of protecting and improving the breed, I am concerned when people take it upon themselves to be the police of the breed. For one, Silver Fox is still a rare breed and everyone has the opportunity to research it through the Internet for themselves. As to pricing, what people are willing to pay is usually what sets the price. So, if there are no other Silver Foxes being offered in a general area, then the price can be higher. If the person selling them is focused on getting more people to have them, then the price might be lower. A meat breeder can sell at "show" prices and a multi-legged rabbit may be sold at a meat rabbit price. Regardless, the sale is based on whatever the seller is willing to take and the buyer is willing to pay, and there can be many factors taken into consideration for each deal. One of the key factors for such a consideration was missed by the persons being critical of this ad...
So, I asked these people if they had ever contacted the seller themselves and there was a pause with "no" following.
Months before, I had contacted the seller by email because the listing stated that Silver Foxes came in black, blue, and lilac, without mentioning chocolate. I suggested that the listing add chocolate, explaining in a gentle and educational tone that even though they may not have any chocolates, it would take the chocolate recessive gene in both parents to create a lilac. The poster and I had a pleasant conversation exchange by email in which I offered to help or be contacted at any time.
She thanked me and introduced herself: she was a twelve-year-old girl!
Later her mother explained that they have a homestead and their children are homeschooled. Each of the children as they came of age had a project on the homestead that was theirs alone, although the parents would oversee the communications. The Silver Foxes were her daughter's project and the goal was for her to learn a bit about marketing and make it so they paid for their keep at least, but making some money was ideal. Some she sold as pets and some to homesteaders. Was she making fraudulent deals? No. She was straightforward not promising anything but a healthy bunny. I remember thinking who is going to fault anyone buying a Silver Fox bunny for over $100 from a child if that was an acceptable deal with the buyer?
When I presented this information to the individuals in the conversation, it was humbling and the tone changed considerably...and it is a good lesson for us all even if the seller is an adult. As disappointing as they are, we all learn from bad deals, and no one has the authority to oversee rabbit deals to determine what is right or wrong as to the pricing-quality connection. The deal is between the seller and the buyer. If a seller states Silver Fox is a rare breed, it is not false advertising. If the rabbit is overpriced by your standards, you can try to deal it down or just not buy it. If you are not the seller or the buyer, you are not in the deal so...just leave it alone.
