Hobby costs are soaring?

[Reefer Matt]

Supply and Demand.

Stop paying extortionate prices and prices drop.
Unfortunately, there is always someone who will pay the price so everyone gets gouged.

Yeah, another problem is the wild supply gets interrupted every few years and causes an increase. Reefing is still mostly wild caught specimens. But some people like the high prices because it gives them a sense of self worth to be able to afford it. Not me though.

 

[Jasonak]

I agree prices are higher but its also driving the tech. Company's don't want to dump money into R/D if there's not profit. So the upside is that were getting cooler stuff tech wise and in some cases livestock wise. Im really surprised that coral prices have stayed so high though. As there is so many vendors out there now. Its also awesome to see livestock vendors going the way of QT.

 

[Jasonak]

I think part of it is that we are getting older. For example,1990 wasn’t 20 years ago, it was 34 years ago. $20 in 1990 is equal to about $50 today.

Oh man gut punch!!! LOL But soooo true
Im old as hell now LOL

 

[Jasonak]

You can get a cheap ato for half that price or an expensive one for double, seems pretty mid range to me

PVC Mini Float Valve with Adjustable Arm - 1/4

PVC MINI FLOAT VALVE is just what you need to keep water supplied to your project. This is well designed and ruggedly built with tough PVC. You'll get great service from this float valve for a long time. From Cz Garden Supply. JUST RIGHT FOR PONDS, AQUARIUMS, CHICKENS, or REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM...

czgarden.com

ATO for 10.00

 

[elysics]

Which ATO is 400$?

Royal exclusiv

 

[BeanAnimal]

Royal exclusive

Decent products for sure, but have always been priced as if they were made of gold and imported from Braavos with parts hand made in Quarth. Klaus takes $25 items, touches them and they become literal $250 items like magic. He can’t actually explain why, but everyone who swears by them can. Sometimes you do t even have to ask, they will just tell you.

 

[Jasonak]

Decent products for sure, but have always been priced as if they were made of gold and imported from Braavos with parts hand made in Quarth. Klaus takes $25 items, touches them and they become literal $250 items like magic. He can’t actually explain why, but everyone who swears by them can. Sometimes you do t even have to ask, they will just tell you.

Maybe its the Michelob logo ?

Sorry my bad its was Lowenbrau logo

 

[blecki]

Coral prices are high because we are willing to pay it. Stop buying yellow torches for exorbitant prices and they'll plummet....

Anyway I grew up with the mindset that a 6 figure income made you rich. Now I make 6 figures and I'm barely middle class.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Maybe its the Michelob logo ?

Sorry my bad its was Lowenbrau logo

Don’t laugh too fast… it would appear the logo and font and colors are pulled from 3 different companies called royal exclusive…. I will let you sort out which parts…. It font, crown, cat, colors, Sewing machines, clothes, toiletries. Not willing to sort out who came first, but I would guess it was not the aquarium company. RE has always presented things as theirs that are sourced from somebody else and “spruced up a bit” before being presented as the finest in the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I own RD3 pumps and RE skimmers are great products. They are just not alien tech that is light years better than the competition, even if the price and marketing give that impression. Smoke and mirrors, always was, always will be.

 

[areefer01]

Don’t get me wrong, I own RD3 pumps and RE skimmers are great products.

RD3's are nice pumps - too bad they do not make them anymore and the new one or replacement choice look odd.

They are just not alien tech that is light years better than the competition, even if the price and marketing give that impression. Smoke and mirrors, always was, always will be.

This could be said about a lot of things used in this hobby. A lot of market speak with little data to support the claim. Dedicated countless hours to research, or engineered for, or enhances color, etc.

 

[BeanAnimal]

RD3's are nice pumps - too bad they do not make them anymore and the new one or replacement choice look odd.

They are literally (both the x and eco 5) just rebadged imports with RE pricing, ordered with matching colors and maybe titanium screws instead of stainless…. They can be sourced for a fraction of the cost on Alibaba. To that end, I honestly wonder about the status/health of RE, they are almost 100% unresponsive to contact.

 

[VintageReefer]

Some things did get better

I got these for 100 and 150 within the last year. These would not have been 100-150 lookin back 10-15 years

(Arrival pics)

 

[Jasonak]

Some things did get better

I got these for 100 and 150 within the last year. These would not have been 100-150 lookin back 10-15 years

(Arrival pics)

I got one also awhile back first and only torch ive ever bought. Not huge softie fan, but just loved the color on them.

 

[KrisReef]

Coral prices are high because we are willing to pay it. Stop buying yellow torches for exorbitant prices and they'll plummet....

Anyway I grew up with the mindset that a 6 figure income made you rich. Now I make 6 figures and I'm barely middle class.

You are rich if you don't work and have a 6 figure income from your Billions in the bank. Going up?
Interest rates on money have gone into the dumper for bank deposits, while credit card rates have been all over the map.

The day of rest and the end of the world are here.

 

[GARRIGA]

If consumers keep paying $100 for an inch frag then prices keep rising to test how high consumers will go. Consumers have no one to blame but themselves for lacking self control. It's why inflation soars out of control and why only recessions tend to bring prices back in check because lack of disposable income only way to curtail some of it but lack of money how to fix it.

Stop buying and prices will drop.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

This is still going?

 

[SanFernandoValleyAIOReef]

You can get a cheap ato for half that price or an expensive one for double, seems pretty mid range to me

Royal exclusiv

Lol those don’t even pop up on google Amazon or BRS when I look up ATO, or at any lfs haha nobody going out they way to find that but good job being right

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

My first yellow tang in 2017 was $42, it was about (4 inches). So just compare that today's price..

Yeah Im just getting back into the hobby and I remember them around the 40 dollar mark, I just saw them on liveaquaria for 250 my jaw about hit the floor.

 

[AetherealKnight]

Yeah Im just getting back into the hobby and I remember them around the 40 dollar mark, I just saw them on liveaquaria for 250 my jaw about hit the floor.

Yeah, everything skyrocketed the past few years. Though you can still get things pretty cheap at petco. There was a blue tang there for $49, and a cleaner shrimp for $20

 

[Reefering1]

Yeah, everything skyrocketed the past few years. Though you can still get things pretty cheap at petco. There was a blue tang there for $49, and a cleaner shrimp for $20

Right next to a $10 20g tank?