How do you determine a dragon's worth?

[Timatae]

Well, I'm sure you can get a good idea by going through what people are offering and wanting, but say you don't have that CB black, or a descendant of a prize dragon. How do you determine your dragon's worth, and, if it is worth trading for something of supposed better or equal value?

 

I started thinking on this when I bred my first ever gold a few days ago, I made sure I kept the lineage neat, it ended up being 6th generation from an only blacks x gold lineage. But that means nothing to the people who want golds for a reason. "They'll only take them up to 3rd gen, and they HAVE to be staircased or even gen."

 

So then I thought about maybe gifting it, but I hesitated due to it still being a 'rare' dragon, surely worth SOMETHING?

 

In the end, I'm keeping it, due to its funny code and the fact its my first ever bred gold.

 

But.. what would you have offered? What do you think its worth?

 

Now think, how do you value your 'uncommon- slightly rare's? go with whats given to you? Are you really that desperate to get rid of them? or do you try and pawn them off on other people's offers?

 

Discuss, my friends.

[Sinsdaemn]

O.o? All my dragons are equally important to me.

 

Admittedly I like clean lineages but I'm not altogether too picky, depending.

[Trinity.]

I have a hard time with this too, especially since I've been raising my own dragons since 08 but I'm really new to the whole trading thing. Usually if they want something I can't give them, like a cb silver or the offspring of a prize dragon, or if they just say "offers" then I won't reply at all because I don't want to offer the wrong thing.

[bbik]

If I'm not sure what something's worth, or if I don't have any "NEEDNEEDNEED" dragons, I typically post asking for two hatchlings, preferably CB, "or offer" and wait to see what I get.

 

That way, I can get a feel for the value based on the offers I get, and if it's a rarer dragon, newbies still have a chance, since I'm not asking for the rares that they still don't have (and which I don't usually need more of, at this point). More people used to do that back when I started, and it's the only way I got my first rares, so I've continued it. And besides, most of what I want/need now is CB gap-fillers, so if I can cut some growing time off in exchange for giving someone else what they need, all the better!

[kadoatie]

I've spent a lot of time trading, so I think I have experience on what I can get for a certain piece of trade fodder (my AP/cave hunting skills are nonexistent, so it's pretty much the only way I get any new dragons).

Generally I trade for whatever I feel is the "most" I can fairly get for my egg/hatchling on my want list :3 The gradations of how I value dragons would be an endless discussion, ha.

[Jennabob]

I think the easiest way to 'price' a dragon is based on how hard they are to get. For example, if I have to sit for an hour refreshing at the cave to get a certain egg, I'd be okay trading that for one it would take me a similar commitment to get. Or sometimes I'll offer several slightly uncommon or desirable eggs for that hour's wait egg.

 

When it comes to bred eggs, things get a little more flexible. As far as I'm concerned, metallics are metallics, and no matter the lineage someone would be thrilled to have them. I still think an orderly lineage demands a higher price than a randomly bred dragon, if only for the amount of thought and effort that went into it.

 

Similarly, I think more common breeds with BSAs are worth more. They're pretty useful sometimes.

 

Overall, it's pretty fluid and depends on what people are in the market for.

 

/.02 cents

[Trinity.]

I started thinking on this when I bred my first ever gold a few days ago, I made sure I kept the lineage neat, it ended up being 6th generation from an only blacks x gold lineage. But that means nothing to the people who want golds for a reason. "They'll only take them up to 3rd gen, and they HAVE to be staircased or even gen."

Btw, I took a look at your gold hatchie and I think its lovely. I'll give you a hug for it? J/k

[Itouch]

Rarity of anything cannot be determined and set at a standard price. We must remember that this is not anything relating to money, more or less it deals with the thoughts of a human being. So to answer your question there is no way to determine rarity at all. For example I prize my 2nd Gen PB Alt vine, but another may consider it worthless.

 

Rarity and value depends on the owner.

[-platinum-draco-]

I gift .

[undertow]

It's all subjective, really, depending on who wants what in a dragon. Sometimes more people want one thing than another thing, but demand changes often. If you need somewhere to start, ask for offers, and if you don't get something you want, then either keep the egg, gift, or release it to the AP.

 

I release all of my eggs, for now. When Teleport is implemented, though, I may trade and gift.

[purpledragonclaw]

I agree with Sinsdaemn, all of my dragons are equally important to me. I don't breed them often, except to try for a Gold or Silver. Lineages don't mean much to me, although I chuckle at the AP eggs I've taken that have Dorkface lineages.

[SnowSherry]

Some people say bright pinks were hated before they were discontinued, is this true?

 

Somehow stuff are more cherished once they are gone forever.

 

 

[XDLugia]

As several people have said, it depends on the person.

A member who has been on for a long time and have a lot of rares will look differently to an offer than a member who has little to no rares. The same is true for "good" lineages.

 

As for the bright pink question, bright pinks often stayed in the main cave for a long time. Because no eggs were moving, people quickly became frustrated with them. The reason why pinks were not taken is usually because people were looking for rarer things.

[HeatherMarie]

Honestly, from what I've seen when gifting/trading rares, lineage-picky users are the minority. Sure, they are there, but there are also a lot of people who would be grateful for *any* rare, no matter the lineage.

 

And then there are those, like me, who "value" inbred rares most of all. Worth/value is very subjective, and you are very likely to find someone who wants what you are offering, no matter what it is.

[Cinnamin Draconna]

It's all a matter of opinion, and I'm an admitted Lineage Snob. I don't trade that much tho, so what I consider valuable might not meet 'your' standards.

 

Recently, I've been trading for stripes, stripes and more stripes. Since the release of the spitfires, I've not found a single caveborn stripe.. so I've given up hunting for cb stripes until the new biomes are activated. So I've been trading my bred golds and silvers for stripe eggs and hatchlings.. usually at a 3:1 or 2:1 exchange rate.

 

I also believe that one of anything is worth another of itself. So if I offer a 2nd gen gold from gold x black parents, I might ask for another 2nd gen gold from gold x black parents, that is unrelated to my dragons. I'm a breeder above all and always on the lookout for new bloodlines.

 

Right now, my biggest concern is what it's going to take to get 2nd gen Prize dragon eggs of each version.

[Siliskor]

If I breed something that I feel is nice, & I'm looking for something in particular, I'll put my egg up for trade & hope for the best; best for me usually ends up being a straight-up even trade. But as already stated, one person's view of nice isn't the same as another's. I also don't trade very often; often I breed to drop in the AP & hopefully surprise someone with 2nd gen. Geodes, Blunas, Stripes, Splits & Shallow Waters. Since my few metallics are long-lineaged and/or inbred, I am less likely to offer them for trade, although I'd have no problem trading if someone did want one.

[lizardtail]

i love my lineages up and down. ill turn down a messy, long lined holly if offered for one of my nice lineaged eggs.

 

i keep only what ill breed. which is why i stay away from splits and pygmies, and i greatly prefer evens gens over stair cases. if its not even gen, i probably wont take it. if its inbred, i probably wont take it either, even if only one dragon's inbred and its a 6th gen even gen thuwed/dusk/dork/whatever, solely because i wont breed it. i like useful dragons that make pwetty lines.

 

so it depends on the person. i try to keep a scroll line with the name "lizard". all my second gen dragons have the name "lzrd", and all even gens 3rd gen and beyond are named with "lizard". if its not even gen non inbred, its not a "lizard", and its nothing but a pretty sprite on my scroll.

 

even with "rares", im pretty strict on the lines. i dont name them with lizard, but i breed them every so often to see if they'll give me a shiny.

[Stunningfire]

I don't trade much, but IMO the worth of dragons often changes (look at the splits, for example) so the trade you're making at the moment may seem bad after a few months. I accept gifts, of course, but never really trade because I prefer to just breed them or catch them if I'm lucky. Most of my rares are gifted, anyway.

 

So yeah. I think it just depends on the person.

[jreid9001]

Rarity firstly.

Lineage is next in consideration - inbred or messy reduces it. A short lineage, even gen, purebred or just a few breed types in the lineage, staircase, etc all improve it. A funny or interesting code or oen that makes a word is also considered by many to increase it, as are specific lineages (e.g. dorkface and/or thuwed).

[upchuck802]

Yep im a pawner *guilty* Like i sometimes pawn hatchies on my scroll that i dont even have lol And your gold is 6th gen stairstep which actually is pretty good. Its not very big of i lineage but neither is it low lineaged. I would probably offer u a low gen silver or multiple un-breedables in return..

[thomasgold19]

it is based on what someone wants that gold u bred id want but others might not

[WraithZephyr]

Well, I'm sure you can get a good idea by going through what people are offering and wanting, but say you don't have that CB black, or a descendant of a prize dragon. How do you determine your dragon's worth, and, if it is worth trading for something of supposed better or equal value?

Value is in the eye of the beholder. A gold/silver/rare dragon you would consider valuable may be utterly worthless to someone else. Some people prefer short clean lines while others like long messy lines or inbred lines. A person craving a CB black may think it's worth trading their multiple metallic eggs and the person who does have a CB black may think they are getting the deal of the century by getting 2 or so gold eggs for their "mere cb black" It was not all that long ago silvers were practically worthless to a lot of people. lol.

[TyAnimalLover]

Some people say bright pinks were hated before they were discontinued, is this true?

 

Somehow stuff are more cherished once they are gone forever.

That's pretty accurate. A few years ago, old pinks and blacks were pretty common.

[EeveeSkitty]

I'm kind of picky. I used to not care, but that seems to change over time, the more dragons you get.

 

I don't like dragons with messy lineages, that aren't even-gen or staircase (or anything else that looks good). I keep some, of course, like golds and such, but mostly, messy lineage is a big no for me. Inbreds is the same(I don't even keep inbred metallic).

 

So for me, it's rarity first, then lineage (and whether or not it's inbred), then coolness factor, as in, how the dragon looks and such. Even if I REALLY like a dragon's sprite, I still will only accept one with a decent lineage.

[xoSeasonal]

Some people say bright pinks were hated before they were discontinued, is this true?

 

Somehow stuff are more cherished once they are gone forever.

Yup, that's actually very true. When I was a new member, I wanted one because I was an 11-year-old girl, and all 11-year-old girls love pink. Then, I noticed how common they were and wanted to build up my collection, so I settled with three - an adult, a S1 hatchling, and a S2 hatchling. Eventually I decided to become an anti-freezer and replaced the hatchling with adults. When I heard that they weren't going to be around, I was bummed, so I grabbed two extra during the mad dash to get one. I will admit that it's a very pretty sprite and I wish that I would have collected more of them, but they were so extremely common back then and when there were no "Save the Commons!" projects (le GASP), it wasn't worth locking your scroll with commons when you could lock yourself with three Papers, a Silver and a Chicken.