Can anyone explain why............

[Sylviaanne]

The price for fertile eggs is so high on Ebay? Even for mixes, in most cases, they are expensive for just 6 eggs. I can't afford to pay those prices and only have one or two hatch. That's kind of crazy. This might not be the right forum but it is about eggs and hatching.

 

[bobbi-j]

Because there are people out there willing to pay the price. Just like the mutts that people call "designer dogs" and sell for hundreds of dollars. If enough people said, "That's crazy - I'm not going to pay that kind of money for a (you fill in the blank - mutt dog, mutt chicken, egg, whatever) then the price would go down.

 

[TattooedMama]

Some of them are indeed outrageous. I saw silver laced Orpingtons and fell in love, checked around and a set of ONLY FOUR sold for around $300. I bought Wyandottes instead

. People like the pretty/designer breeds. I have Chocolate Orpingtons which are among those that some breeders sell for $100 a chick or a few hundred for eggs. I even had one insult me here on BYC when I said I couldn't afford that and they stated if I found anything cheaper it would never be good quality and touted their horn about being the best of the best.

They like their money and it's very profitable. I agree with @bobbi-j that they will continue to charge that much so long as people are willing to pay it. Some of us like the pretty birds but draw the line at spending that much. Everyone has different needs in what they like in a bird. There's a seller out there for what each of us are looking for.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

In short - because someone will pay that price. If there's something in particular you are wanting to hatch I'd look around here/post an ISO thread and see what you can come up with.