Is the $400 price when they are sold for meat or hair? Or perhaps as just raw material for a camel training pipeline.
Presumably a camel that anyone wants to ride has been raised and trained properly. That camel is ever going to be ridden, then putting down $400 for a warm body is only the beginning of the investment.
I assume it's mostly meat but have read elsewhere Australia camels are often used for breeding vigour.
On the training. I know more about horses. Where I live in Australia a typical untrained horse will go for about $2-4k and trained it will go from $3k to $10k. Obviously add zeros for special breeds or quality genetics. I cant see camels being too different in ratio of untrained to trained value, even a lower ratio given cheaper labour costs in ME.
The horse market is like the piano market. Exceptional specimens are exceedingly expensive but at the low end you can probably just find one for free that no one wants anymore.
Average price is $400. Australia sells camels (I'm assuming wild herds captured) for $1-1.5k per head.
https://www.mla.com.au/research-and-development/search-rd-re...