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

[Reeftransport]

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?

View attachment 2952181

 

[bigbugoutfitters]

I suppose i can only complain to a point, the fact that i can even have corals in my living room while it is 10 below out in landlocked montana is pretty cool. If corals were cheap to get here i would have to assume i was living in a fever dream.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

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

The other illegal thing that is very rampant on this site for live sales is the ‘no purchase necessary’ for give aways. I try to point this out quietly, but every live sale usually indicates a purchase is required to be entered.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

I agree. While lots of these expensive corals are nice, they are still fundamentally the same thing as the cheap green ones. While a piece that has only been in the hobby for a few months is pretty rare and could fairly be priced higher, corals that have been available for a while and mass produced have no business costing so much. Take, as an example, the basic "OG Bounce Mushroom". These have been circulating for a decade. Almost every coral vendor has multiples of these available at any given time, and yet they are still over 400$. Same thing with all the gold and "holy grail" torches. Many of the rare pieces are also photographed super close up. Sure, that acan has 5 different colors when you look really close, but it looks a lot more like 2 when you aren't talking about a zoomed in and bright blue picture taken at 1/2" distance with a 500$ camera. When you consider the cost it took to acquire or grow these corals, it's even worse. While a frag system might cost a whole lot, given how many little pieces can be taken out of it, the cost will be low per coral. Many of the LPS we see are also broken up wild colonies. If you look at the prices on a wholesaler's list, you see 4" chalices for 80$. Now break that into 15 pieces at 60$ per, and you can see how much the prices are artificially raised. This is even worse when you consider that the divers, the people who actually endanger their lives to get these out of the ocean, are paid only a few dollars per piece. Don't get me wrong, I love the bright colors and the massive selections of frags available from dozens of vendors online. I love how easy it is to get large orders of diverse and beautiful corals. However, please consider that these frags are not always fairly priced, and that it is very possible to find better deals at most brick and mortar stores. I visited my NSLFS a week or so ago, and I saw fist-sized favias at 50$ each, leather corals the size of footballs for 120$, and a huge rock of "Eagle Eye" zoas bigger than my head at 200$. Even if your local store has high prices, one only an hour away may be practically giving corals away. Sorry for the rant, but I feel like too much of our hobby is expensive because we allow vendors to raise prices. Please be aware of the issues with the modern reefing hobby, and support local businesses before multi-million dollar chop shops. Thank you!

 

[workhz]

The other illegal thing that is very rampant on this site for live sales is the ‘no purchase necessary’ for give aways. I try to point this out quietly, but every live sale usually indicates a purchase is required to be entered.

Don't get me started on this.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

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?

View attachment 2952181

The question I have for you: Are you upset because there are corals you really want and think it costs too much or are you trying to be a voice for others? Trying to understand the purpose of this posting

 

[Reeftransport]

I agree. While lots of these expensive corals are nice, they are still fundamentally the same thing as the cheap green ones. While a piece that has only been in the hobby for a few months is pretty rare and could fairly be priced higher, corals that have been available for a while and mass produced have no business costing so much. Take, as an example, the basic "OG Bounce Mushroom". These have been circulating for a decade. Almost every coral vendor has multiples of these available at any given time, and yet they are still over 400$. Same thing with all the gold and "holy grail" torches. Many of the rare pieces are also photographed super close up. Sure, that acan has 5 different colors when you look really close, but it looks a lot more like 2 when you aren't talking about a zoomed in and bright blue picture taken at 1/2" distance with a 500$ camera. When you consider the cost it took to acquire or grow these corals, it's even worse. While a frag system might cost a whole lot, given how many little pieces can be taken out of it, the cost will be low per coral. Many of the LPS we see are also broken up wild colonies. If you look at the prices on a wholesaler's list, you see 4" chalices for 80$. Now break that into 15 pieces at 60$ per, and you can see how much the prices are artificially raised. This is even worse when you consider that the divers, the people who actually endanger their lives to get these out of the ocean, are paid only a few dollars per piece. Don't get me wrong, I love the bright colors and the massive selections of frags available from dozens of vendors online. I love how easy it is to get large orders of diverse and beautiful corals. However, please consider that these frags are not always fairly priced, and that it is very possible to find better deals at most brick and mortar stores. I visited my NSLFS a week or so ago, and I saw fist-sized favias at 50$ each, leather corals the size of footballs for 120$, and a huge rock of "Eagle Eye" zoas bigger than my head at 200$. Even if your local store has high prices, one only an hour away may be practically giving corals away. Sorry for the rant, but I feel like too much of our hobby is expensive because we allow vendors to raise prices. Please be aware of the issues with the modern reefing hobby, and support local businesses before multi-million dollar chop shops. Thank you!

It's not only this hobby it pretty much with everything now a days. Sad but true. If you or I don't pay someone else will so comes down to how bad do you want it

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

It's not only this hobby it pretty much with everything now a days. Sad but true. If you or I don't pay someone else will so comes down to how bad do you want it

They have a name for this: the bigger idiot theory. As in there is always a bigger idiot who will pay more.

 

[Sean Clark]

I tune all of that
Another dimension, new galaxy
Intergalactic, planetary
stuff right out. (Your welcome for getting that stuck in your head)

If I like it, I buy it. Nobody is getting me with fancy names and high prices.

 

[Semisonyx]

I agree with OP. It’s nothing new, but the thing that has really irked me recently like never before is also the intentional/unintentional misuse of trade names. How many “ORA Pearlberry” “ORA Red Planet” “PC Rainbow” etc are there floating around? Too many imposters when all I want is the OG I remember in tanks past. Or, vendors taking a coral like PC rainbow, dosing it with aminos and high blue light and then reselling it as something new for 5x the price. I’ve bought named corals from top vendors that support this site that have ended up being obvious imposters when grown out. My favorite acros have ended up being no name $10-$20 ebay frags that grow from ugly ducklings into swans.

 

[Reeftransport]

I have this super rate snail taking bids he doesn't do sand so your sand bed is safe

 

[spsick]

“You aren’t buying a coral you’re buying a picture of a coral” - Jake Adams

Do I like that there’s dozens of online vendors that buy imported wild colonies of rainbow Tenuis, chop them up, and sell single branches? No but there’s obviously enough demand to warrant it so ‍

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Yes things have become expensive but so has life and the cost of living in general. If u like it buy it. Enjoy it. That’s what I do. I have a mixed reef with a mixed lot of corals from OG to the so called “designer”. But it’s a business industry. Do your due diligence as a
Consumer. There are certain vendors I will not support. Others I commend in their business models and approach to the community. There are always values to b had and deals to b made. Shop smart. You do have a choice.

 

[ninjamyst]

There are plenty of vendors that sell $10 corals. Encrusters usually go for cheap. Green corals usually go for cheap. I used to think coral prices are ridiculous. Then I remember 20 years ago, people paid $50 for brown palys or yellow polyps. Your argument only holds true if ALL corals are expensive. Supply and demand dictates pricing. If there are not enough people paying $400 for a tiger torch, vendors won't sell it at that price. If you can't afford it, don't buy it.

This hobby is as expensive as you want it to be!

 

[DIYreefer]

I am currently trying to use this problem to my advantage. I figure if I can sell 3 frags of my rainbow splice, I can pay for all the other corals I have. I could honestly care less about the rainbow splice, this is the only reason I bought one.

This is me, except with jawbreaker mushrooms. I seem to have an uncanny ability to grow them insanely fast and get good coloring relatively early (a lot of mine grow in with a ton of red from the start). I started with 12 (I think) a little over a year ago and have well over 150 now. They're cool and all, but I'm an sps guy at heart. The jawbreakers are just to help offset the expense of my addiction to this hobby. I keep telling myself that I will start selling some soon, and hope to actually do so next month or so.

 

[F i s h y]

People do chose to pay those prices. A green slimer, red digi, garf bonsia, red dragon, monti caps, pc rainbow, and ora red planet could all be had for 150$ and would make an incredible tank. Honestly a tank that would look way better than a tank full of home wreckers, vivid insanities, and rainbow splices under all but the most blue lighting.

Agree with this 100%

 

[F i s h y]

Actually, we do need some of them. What we need less of is hobbyists that do nothing to control pests. I don't know of a single hobbyist I would willingly buy coral from. Okay, there might be one and they left this forum already.

That's a condition of laziness not economics. Some people just don't have the same passion. It's also not a condition of the name game. I'm specifically referencing the fact that vendor name stuff to make more money.

 

[F i s h y]

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.

I didn't say that I dont. And if you were to ask anyone that buys from me they would tell you they walk away with way more quantity and quality than any super named vendor garbage... @Nate Chalk

 

[F i s h y]

The question I have for you: Are you upset because there are corals you really want and think it costs too much or are you trying to be a voice for others? Trying to understand the purpose of this posting

Truly trying to reset the thinking behind a hobby I am so passionate about. It has gotten out of hand and the greed I see is unconscionable.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Truly trying to reset the thinking behind a hobby I am so passionate about. It has gotten out of hand and the greed I see is unconscionable.

Tilting at windmills my friend. It works which is why it happens.