Calling out all vendors... Ultra Rare Super Toxic Holy Garbage...

[rtparty]

I'm not disagreeing with the basic premise of the names, sales and the marketing being the stupidest thing ever. I've said that before. Since the OP mentioned revenue I just wanted to point out that without knowing anything else it's impossible to know whether they are making money hand over fist, barely scraping by or will go bankrupt in a year.

I have said it before and will say it again, if it is so easy to start a coral farm and become a millionaire, go do it. All a hobbyist has to do is undercut these evil vendors by a few bucks and they take the entire market. They clearly have a few dollars extra in their margins so they won't have any issues being lower priced. The real idiots are those of us on here debating it all....LOL

 

[bigbugoutfitters]

I agree wholeheartedly. It’s definitely been a bummer to see how much has changed now that i am back in the hobby. I remember even just 10 years ago how much more affordable corals were and seeing tue same corals woth silly labels for 10 times the price.
Being in a very rural area and having one of maybe 10 reef tanks within 150 miles getting other corals from hobbyists locally is near impossible so i have to order nearly everything online and vendor prices are just so dang high. Thankfully a few months ago a member was selling a bunch of corals in the 5-25 dollar range, none of it having a fancy name. unfortunately most of the member marketplace corals are dang expensive as well.
I get that the hobby is expensive, which is a bit of a theme within my hobbies (flyfishing, waterfowling) however it just seems to be all about making a buck rather than spreading the love. Thats my rant from a backwoods reefer.

(to be fair the advice from everyone here has been excellent and the people friendly as any hobby i take part in)

 

[MoshJosh]

I tend to enjoy the live sales. . . but maybe it's cause I am usually scraping the bottom of the barrel and getting the really cheap stuff haha

I have gotten many corals not available at my 3 local fish stores, and for much cheaper (even if you include shipping)

 

[11f150]

I agree with all of this but the part where "we don't need vendors, we can buy from other hobbyists". If you go take quick glance, there is no screaming deals from hobbyists. They are maybe just a little less than vendors....not much. So heres my thinking, do I save a few % from buying from a hobbyist or just get it from a reputable vendor? To change any of this, hobbyists need to start helping each other out with prices. Most "hobbyists" that sell out of their garage dont have to pay taxes and they look at it as a supplementary income due to high prices. Nothing wrong with that, but change starts there.

 

[rtparty]

@rtparty

There was a good thread on ridding yourself of forumites over in the hitchhikers forum a while back. Unfortunately, the dip only works on Super Ultra Forumites, so we're safe.

Good thing I’m not one of those! The ultra forumites are the worst

 

[workhz]

and for a lot of people, they may as well just make origami corals out of dollars bills and watch them melt away anyway

 

[Kathy Floyd]

Have you seen the price of Apex, Lights, etc... lately? Have you seen the price of inflation versus the cost of living.
Going back under my rock now.

 

[BirdFish5000]

The tactic that bugs me the most is when corals are listed with an original price and a 'sale' price, but you never actually see it posted at the 'original' price. "Oh this must be a good deal, it's $200 off even though it's never actually $200 more!"

 

[workhz]

Have you seen the price of Apex, Lights, etc... lately? Have you seen the price of inflation versus the cost of living.
Going back under my rock now.

I see you can still afford a rock, such flaunting of wealth is uncalled for.

 

[JoJosReef]

I agree with all of this but the part where "we don't need vendors, we can buy from other hobbyists". If you go take quick glance, there is no screaming deals from hobbyists. They are maybe just a little less than vendors....not much. So heres my thinking, do I save a few % from buying from a hobbyist or just get it from a reputable vendor? To change any of this, hobbyists need to start helping each other out with prices. Most "hobbyists" that sell out of their garage dont have to pay taxes and they look at it as a supplementary income due to high prices. Nothing wrong with that, but change starts there.

I've observed a range of hobbyist offerings in my local forum. There's the "my tank is overgrown. Take these frags of bubblegum digi off my hands for $10". And there's the "See #s below... #27 Bubblegum digi $50... #33 OG Bounce $350".

I don't mind paying locals a bit for extra frags they've got. I give mine away. Would like to see more of that. That said, I've really been drawn to neptune bounces lately, and those don't tend to be "extra frags"...

 

[Jack Ravensbergen]

Well spoken , and with those names the matching colours that are manipulated .

 

[rtparty]

The tactic that bugs me the most is when corals are listed with an original price and a 'sale' price, but you never actually see it posted at the 'original' price. "Oh this must be a good deal, it's $200 off even though it's never actually $200 more!"

This is a problem and actually illegal. Multiple big companies have been sued and caught for this in other industries. It can’t be a sale price when it never changes from that price lol. That’s the retail price

 

[rtparty]

I see you can still afford a rock, such flaunting of wealth is uncalled for.

But is it an Ultra Rainbow rock?

 

[BirdFish5000]

This is a problem and actually illegal. Multiple big companies have been sued and caught for this in other industries. It can’t be a sale price when it never changes from that price lol. That’s the retail price

Yeah, I'm not going to name names, but there quite a number of bigger name vendors on here that are guilty of this.

 

[A Young reefer]

But is it an Ultra Rainbow rock?

Nope it’s a holy grail grafted rock sine it has some purple on it (coraline*)

 

[tautog83]

I had this long speech typed out but then i deleted it. I do that a lot in these kinds of threads lol anybody else?

 

[workhz]

This is a problem and actually illegal. Multiple big companies have been sued and caught for this in other industries. It can’t be a sale price when it never changes from that price lol. That’s the retail price

Do they have some cover since a coral or a fish isn’t exactly like a pair of shoes with a sku? I do agree, seems like quite a few vendors play fast and loose with this.

 

[reefiniteasy]

Removed post, deciding not to engage.

 

[fish farmer]

All vendors? Seems a little harsh, I know a few that have reasonably priced non wysiwyg frags without supercalifragilisticexpialidocious names, but I remember a time you could buy a zoa rock for $20, you got pretty zoa's AND a fist sized live rock...win win.

 

[alindell]

Dear Vendors,

Your use of the words Super, Ultra, Rare, Holy, OG, Rainbow, Unique, ETC is absurd. I am seeing labels placed on coral that is nothing short of blah and mundane. But I guess those words don't command high dollar amounts. For all those that insist on selling Zoanthids at such high prices PER POLYP, for the vendors that are selling coral at hundreds and thousands of dollars based on a name. You are pricing people out of the hobby.

I understand capitalism. I understand that there are some instances when it costs more to import and grow a coral, cultivate it. But I refuse to believe that the greed that i see in this hobby today is anything short of just that GREED...

Wake up hobbyists... Live sale, flash sale, they aren't really sales. and these are the same vendors selling 1500 coral at an average price of 50 a coral every 2 weeks during these "sales". Not to mention the product they sell in between. For those of you that math is hard, that is $112,500 for each flash sale at that price. Even if they only do one a month or one for every holiday or other event like "back to school sale".... They are still doing 12 to 20 of these sales a year. They are robbing us blind as hobbyists.

There is so much more that can be said... but until hobbyists are no longer willing to pay these prices and go back to the trade them if you have them mentality, eventually this will end up being a hobby for the ULTR SUPER RARE HOLY OG RICH people....


Anyone want to buy a super ultra rare og Tiger torch?

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Bro, just buy stuff from local people and don't pay absurd prices. There is always going to be someone that will pay that absurd price and that perfectly okay, as that is their prerogative. The same coral from top shelf can be found in your local area for like half the price.