When selling to private pet owners:

Usually, any group size 2+ of girls can work for lifetime bonding.

Boys going for lifetime bonding can do well in groups of 2, or groups that have many individuals and are housed in large pens (which most private pet owners are not doing). Boys going out for lifetime as 3, 4, and so, tend to develop competition and one of them gets bullied. Occasionally, pairs of boys will not work out, with the 2 starting to have fights.

There's more opportunity to sell specialty guinea pigs to private owners than pet stores.

When selling to pet stores:

Pet stores prefer same-sex groups of 2, 4, or more.

Groups of 3 are difficult for pet stores to deal with because a buyer who wants to take 2 would leave the pet store with a lone guinea pig (which is an unwanted situation).

Pet store preferred colors:

Pet stores seem to like getting a number of tri-colors in the batch, as the 3-color patterns add uniqueness to the individuals. The white patching on tri-colors provides contrast as compared with guinea pigs with no white patching. Other interesting color patterns like brindle and similar can be good, but tricolors can be a backbone for sales, since they frequently sidestep the issue of guinea pigs that look too alike including in the same-litter. Dark-eyed whites are also desirable. Varieties in red intensities is good (red/cream), as that can transform same-looking animals into not-same. Some boring-colored guinea pigs in the sale group isn't bad as long as they mostly look unique when compared with others in the batch. Agoutis can be another point of variety (as long as its not the whole batch).

Pet stores usually do not prefer guinea pigs with red eyes, or pink-eyed whites. Himalayans might get sold, but they do have the non-unique problem in addition to red eyes. I would ask the pet store first if I was considering making himalayans to offer for sale.

Pet store preferred coat types:

Pet stores need a majority of low-maintenance coats on sale animals, such as regular, abyssinian, teddy, rex, and similar. If you want to sell any long-haired babies, you would certainly want to first ask the pet store what they think, and show pictures. I would not expect pet stores to have sales possibilities for hairless guinea pigs, if only due to the extra care requirements (temperature).

Other type considerations:

Teddies develop a waxy overgrowth/scaling inside their ears. It is possible for a pet owner to see this, and run the guinea pig to the vet, and an unknowing vet might unnecessarily test a culture from the ear wax and incorrectly say that there is a problem. If you are selling teddies, and getting any kind of paperwork to the owner, it's best to mention this fact about their ears. The color of the overgrowth will be the same color as the skin, and flaky.

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