insects(specimen) business as your main job?

[timoinsects]

since my graduation this summer,June,i knew it was difficult for me to find a job here(China) as my studying majour is pure art-----oil painting.
and the ture was yes it was hard.
after a lot of failure that i had interviews with the companies,very low salary or they refused me.

then i took my decision-----doing insects specimen business at home! this is of great freedom. in summer i can go any places i want,to collect.so if this way,i will have to have my own ebay shop,and in the meaningwhile to establish my own website to sell insects specimen (mainly from china,our domestic insects),and i like and i am able to make some art works,pencil works,oil painting,water colour,and perhaps some kits made from insects specimen etc. thouse are also available on sale.
will you consider to have some paintings/drawings of insects?

i would like to know any of you here are also in this job? not free-time job but the main job? and how long time have you been in this filed? always happy? freedom? ;D

[nomihoudai]

In 2010 all the ebay sellers of butterflies from China got busted... have fun with that...

[bluemoth]

Well I have not found a job yet so I am breeding rare forms of the Common Buckeye butterfly, Junonia coenia to sell to collectors. Although at this point I just am making a little pocket change I expect I may be doing a little better by end of next year in way of profit. I now have two different forms with an extra eye spot ( Triples ) which hope fully I will have some in spring 2012 to sell. I have Big Eyes, Blue Eyes, and new forms that I am breeding for - green and blue Buckeyes. I am using Buckeyes because the genes are so changeable and weird things can happen such as the ones with extra eye spots that are wanted by collectors. Do not have a web sight yet.

In these hard times we must be clever and think of legal things ( not drugs - do not want to be put in jail ) to make money. I am also an artist. But as it is often said there are many starving artist out there including me. Art is not selling very well in the low economy. What is really popular right now and selling well in the USA is the feather earrings I make. So some times you have to step out of your comfort zone and try some thing new to make money. I am always willing to try new things just to make a buck while I keep looking for work. The trend here in the US by companies is to hire young folks just out of collage. But older folks have a lot more working experience.

Life these days is very tuff but if we use our heads we can survive.

[timoinsects]

i know little about 2010 chinese ebay butterfly sellers got busted,i just observed their ebayshop were withdrawn. but you can see at this time there're still chinese ebay sellers put their butterflies again? on the one hand i sell domestic insects out here,on the other hand get some exotic insects for meeting the chinese market. 2 ways,so i will have two ways of incomes.that's what goes on my mind.


Bulemoth,hi but didn't you ever thought to deal beetle specimen? there're collectors too. legal things is a must. actually comparing with the insects whole species,the portected sp. are almost zero. just ignore them. i have no interests on thouse trouble things.

[lucanidae25]

I don't know how you are going to make money when you are a collector yourself, if you want to become a dealer, you will have put selling 1st before yourself as a collector. I know most of the major dealers in Asian aren't collectors themselves, they are only interested in making money. They don't even own a single beetle, what they collect is what they sell.

[hypanartia]

Do not take it in the wrong way, but If you like to sell to Spanish speakers I recommend you to change the name "timoinsects", it literally means "swindle insects". No the best image to put in the mind of a costumer.
Regards
Jesus

[timoinsects]

beetlesofchina.com my name

[bluemoth]

Hay Timo you are right. Beetles are very popular. Right now I trade beetles with two people for moths and butterflies. I get Rain Beetles in November. Those are super popular indeed. I am willing to collect any insect group for any one if they want to pay me a little money.

[bandrow]

Bluemoth,

I sent you a P.M. -

Cheers!
Bandrow

[wingedwishes]

Many of the people selling from China in 2010 are still selling today on ebay. You can make a living from it. I do. Tropical Butterflies of America does also.

[wingedwishes]

I also saw that you sell feather jewelry. Laminated wings which are then made into jewelry are popular on ebay. I now of only one supplier who produces big lots of them for re sellers and he is always out.

[nomihoudai]

Yes some of the sellers came back in 2011 but you don't know what happened to the ones hat didn't get back. My post was not about that there is no sellers on ebay now but rather that you can never know what will happen to you in a government like China.

[wingedwishes]

Ah - thanks for making it more clear for me. Really though, it seems (true or not) the Chinese don't have much in the way of real regulations for the trade of insects. If the Chinese govt did the cracking down then I am impressed that they did so.

[lordpandarus]

I'd never have the patience to sell insects myself

[jackblack]

Re Lordpandarus`s comment , yes it takes a lot of patienc and work selling insects .
Wei/timoininsects re your question , I have been selling dry specimens over 15 years now , mostly to dealers but now I sell most of my own material so a little more profit , but its not enough to get by on , so you need another income , art ?I don`t know , maybe when you are dead and reach the Picasso stage , your rello`s can benefit !
But some artists make it big time while still alive .Wish you the best with that.I`d love the time to do art work.
Anyway I work with insects as you know in many ways , filming , specimen supplies , guiding collectors naturalists ect , but you have to keep diversifying to keep ahead and make a buck , so wether you work for yourself or someone else for a wage it`s always hard work , I find working for myself is 7 days a week job but more satisfying than working for someone else 9 to 5 for a weekly wage , but my dad doesnt think so and always says you should be driving a truck and making a weekly regular wage , I`m 53 now and I don`t think I can ever agree with him.