All show quality rabbits are showable. But not all showable rabbits are show quality.
What do I mean by that?
If a rabbit is showable, that means it can be shown and won't be disqualified in competition. A rabbit that is just showable and not quality isn't going to place well (depending on the other rabbits on the table. There may be a showable, lesser quality rabbit than yours). But a show quality rabbit is showable, meaning it can be shown without getting DQ'ed, but it will also do well, depending on the other rabbits being shown. It may get 1st place, BOB or BIS.
Just because a rabbit CAN be shown, doesn't necessarily mean that it SHOULD be. A rabbit that is a proper representation of its breed should be shown. A rabbit that doesn't represent its breed well, and has major, to severe, faults, shouldn't be shown. There's no point, other than adding a rabbit to the competition, which is helpful sometimes if there isn't enough rabbits to earn a leg.
Some breeders will sell a rabbit that they know wouldn't place well at a show as show quality, when at best they would only be showable. These breeders breeders should be avoided. Of course, some newer breeders don't know the difference, and don't know any better. Others do it knowingly, just to slap a pedigree on the rabbit and raise its price.
If a rabbit for sale isn't show quality, there's really no point on advertising it as showable or having no DQs, because if a buyer is specifically looking for a rabbit to show, they want one that could win, or at least have a chance at winning. And if a showable, lesser quality rabbit wins, the owner might have a misrepresentation of what the breed is supposed to look like and start their rabbitry all wrong.
As breeders (old or new), it's our job to truthfully inform new breeders and exhibitors purchasing stock from us about the rabbit. No matter how small the fault, it doesn't deserve to be hidden. This applies to posing and posting pictures of our rabbits as well. Some pictures can hide faults, while others can accentuate them. It's far better to accentuate a fault than to hide one. However, some breeders, if given the choice, would choose to be deceiving.
I know we have to keep our best stock to show for ourselves, and I'm not saying to sell your best rabbits to the newest breeder so they can have a good start. I'm just saying that you need to be truthful. Don't sell anyone what they didn't want, telling them it's exactly what they asked for.
This post kind of got off track from my original point. But I think it turned out good. This is all general; I don't have a bad breeder in mind as a write these words. I just think it's very important to realize that lying easy to do to make a quick sale, but it may hurt you in the long run. If you knew that the breeder you had purchased stock from has lied to you about that rabbit you purchased, you wouldn't buy again from that breeder, now would you? Of course not.
Have a great, rabbit-filled day!
~Holly