Posted on your blog but figured I'd post here for Answers sake:

Actually, albinos are cheaper than they've ever been... When they were first discovered they were like $10,000. Just 4-5 years ago they were still in the $700 range. They've really dropped in price over the last few years. You can find a male for around $250-350 these days which is a hell of a bargain :)

The first captive bred albino ball pythons were hatched by Bob Clark in 1992, and they were worth THOUSANDS.  You never saw an albino ball 15 years ago for anything close to $200.  You are probably thinking of albino burmese pythons, which were first produced in captivity back in 1986 (again by Bob Clark).

$300 - $350 is a fair price for a male hatchling albino ball python today...and that's as cheap as they've ever been.

Sir, like you, my first snake was over 20 years ago.  Back then I have never even seem a ball in a store.  It was always retics and burmese.  I remember buying my first normal retic fo 125, and burmese for 150.  Now this is back in 1983, I don't remember seeing my first albino for sale till the late 80's.

KCB brings up a good point, you probably are remembering Albino Burms, especially if you were at Captive Bred here in Ohio. The only Ball morph I've seen go up instead of down in price over time are female Enchis. a few years ago you could get males or females for around $200-300 but now I see females going for $500-600. Good luck in your search!

To answer your questions:

1. At most reptile shows about 5 minutes prior to the end of the show.

2. They aren't.

Welcome back to the hobby but based on your post you are in for quite a shock.  I guess similar to that of someone waking up from a 15 year coma.  I think you will find a lot has changed and a lot was not the way you remembered it (like albino balls for $200).

Keep blogging.  I find it interesting how people recall and compare how things were to how they are now.  So much has progressed and I would love to read about your thoughts and perspective as you begin seeing this first hand.

Some thing none of you are taking into perspective was the import industry and how cheap stuff was if you bought lots. I have a friend who, much like Crutchfield, was in on the "underground" of the reptile import industry. He said you could buy 100 baby ball pythons cheap and if you actually went to Africa you could find "interesting" ones and hand pick your lot for a little extra. I'm sure cheap then was not a cheap now (normals wholesaling for $5) but while it may seem unreasonable to us morph collectors now, they were cheap before they got "discovered" and then consequently exploited in the pet industry.

How do you know we didn't take that into consideration?  Even in "lots", albinos were not near $200 back then.  Maybe I am misunderstanding your post.

albino pythons are a thing of beauty and a more difficult python to take care off, your absolutly right they were cheaper but when i got my python it was between the albino and green tree python. i didnt get either because the albino wasnt there and the tree python was 850 yeah .. now with all the morphs its even harder to find a good and an inexpesive snake. i would look into upcoming reptile convention.

How are albinos more difficult to care for?

Woud love to hear how they are harder to take care of. Since I have one!

I think that is a little off topic, I have albinos and obviously they are the same as my other morphs to care for, or normals for that matter. But, as far as value goes, I have watched the price on Albinos drop over the last few years- same with a lot of the recessive genes. But not just recessive, ALL morphs are dropping in price- except the new "hot" morphs like said above. The female Enchis are going up (males too in some cases), Fire females and Vanilla females too. I think it was two years ago I happened across a male "firefly" (pastel x fire) for $650, and thought it was stupid, looked like a nice pastel to me, but I was new into morphs, and did not understand the fire gene. Now a couple years later, I get it, and even this year fires are taking on strong as a popular morph. Now you can't get a firefly for under $800 (depending on certain rare deals). and enchis too- I saw male and female enchis for $300, sometimes less and I regret snapping one up had I been able to see into the future what would happen to their value. 

Anyhow, that is enough blabling- I don't even know if I made any sense there. Prices go up, and prices drop. Albinos are finally flatlining around $300-$400 give or take, I am assuming the same will happen to "normal" pieds as well, as the new craze is albino codom morphs, and pied color/patten morphs. 

bsharrah:  thank you.  It is like waking up from a coma.  However, with all the morphs, there is a greater selection than just two:  normal or albino.  Technology has made a big diffence to, all in a positive way, like flex watt, temp guns etc.  I was thinking of albino burms I'm sure.  My mistake.  I had a retic, burm, red tail boa, ball, macklotts and a few others. 

The problem then, people buy a good locking hatching that grows to ten feet in a year.  Mine were in custom wooden cages that weighed a ton.  The burm and retic were in 6 feet wide by 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide cages with big totes for water bowls.

With expensive animals comes people that are willing to pay the price which ensures the snake will be cared for, unlike someone buying a $20 regular ball and losing interest in a short time and it gets neglected.

Behindblueyes:  good information.

thank you to all that posted to this thread.  It shows support within a community of people with the same interest and passion.  Having said that, back in the day there was no social network.  It's nice to get on here, ask a question, and get feedback and different perspectives.. all of it is helpful.  I got my ball python thinking I'd enjoy her, and I do.  So much so that I want more and morphs.  I may try to breed at some point.  It is a science and there must be great joy and feeling of success to incubate and have gorgeous snakes hatch.  What a reward.  OR the opposite and they die or you lose half of the clutch.  It makes me think of farmers, living a long hard life with a hard and time consuming job.  If there crops grow, they are rewarded, if not, unfortunately it makes it hard to pay the bills.  The difference, farmers rely on many variables from the soil to the weather, bugs etc to make a LIVING.  As hobbyists, and I say that because I'm sure most of you have jobs and do this on the side or supplemental income.  So, if the unfortunate happens, a clutch is lost, you won't starve or lose assets like the farmers that lose their crops.

I look forward to keeping in touch with all of you, and others, when questions arise and sharing the same interest.

Thank you to you all.

Cheers!

also, let me add how the time gap, since I was really involved has also changed with the cage material.  I no longer have heavy wooden cages.  Instead I have the plastic style like boaphile.  SO much lighter and more practical.

I think the popularity went up too.