Sales forum has gotten out of hand

[Asagi]

Independent sellers with zero overhead, possibly no company structure (LLC formation, etc) and no storefront (digital or otherwise) are charging at or above market for livestock.

I hope everyone understands that the heart of this hobby are in person frag swaps and below market peer to peer sales in a digital setting. LFS visits and online retailer shopping is also fun, BUT not what makes the community.

All of you are ruining the market. Importers and retailers will up their prices to follow this trend.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Hopefully, I've been itching to sell my WWC OG bounce mushroom for a profit
(Jokes)

 

[brandon429]

I was thinking about this post at lunch sitting here in Austin TX.

It makes me wonder how do frag swaps compete, brick and mortar stores etc

If I wanted a neon yellow sps coral with blue polyps there isn't a store I can just run to and get that, even in a city this size. A frag swap doesn't help me, that's a monthslong procurement goal but I would like to have the coral now. My tank is super old and full, there's no future coral stocking options it was pretty much this once since I had a vacated space to try something new.

Online in a forum or website is the only place I'd shop to fill that need, I'd pay what it costs depending on how bad I want the rare strain. If Austin had shops that had single nubs of yellow sps with blue polyps, I'd be shopping in person, but they don't.

 

[Dburr1014]

Independent sellers with zero overhead, possibly no company structure (LLC formation, etc) and no storefront (digital or otherwise) are charging at or above market for livestock.

I hope everyone understands that the heart of this hobby are in person frag swaps and below market peer to peer sales in a digital setting. LFS visits and online retailer shopping is also fun, BUT not what makes the community.

All of you are ruining the market. Importers and retailers will up their prices to follow this trend.

Thanks, duly noted.
This is why I love to give away frags free to newbies at club meetings.

 

[USCfan]

I been reefing for 15 years and this is nothing new.

Best thing is to find local clubs and swap with local friends. It can also serve of a back up if you have a tank crash too.

 

[Asagi]

I was thinking about this post at lunch sitting here in Austin TX.

It makes me wonder how do frag swaps compete, brick and mortar stores etc

If I wanted a neon yellow sps coral with blue polyps there isn't a store I can just run to and get that, even in a city this size. A frag swap doesn't help me, that's a monthslong procurement goal but I would like to have the coral now. My tank is super old and full, there's no future coral stocking options it was pretty much this once since I had a vacated space to try something new.

Online in a forum or website is the only place I'd shop to fill that need, I'd pay what it costs depending on how bad I want the rare strain. If Austin had shops that had single nubs of yellow sps with blue polyps, I'd be shopping in person, but they don't.

Id say if you want that specific "high end" acro you need to buy from an online store who is offering it at their price.

SoCalReefer69420 (i hope his isnt a real username LOL) is just buying the coral from them, growing it out, hacking it up and selling it back into the market at the newly established market rate. That independent seller has taken zero risk other than capital he put down to buy the initial frag.

These online retailers are taking a lot of risk. They are also a direct link to the importation business, which we all heavily rely on to get our livestock. We need to support them. OR make a buddy who owns a local fish shop to purchase the thing wholesale form the same online retailer. Maybe he'll sell it to you at cost.

I'm all for buying and selling corals on this forum, just not at the same price as retail. This moves the dial in teh wrong direction.

 

[Asagi]

I been reefing for 15 years and this is nothing new.

Best thing is to find local clubs and swap with local friends. It can also serve of a back up if you have a tank crash too.

what's different from 15 years ago is the perception we have of a high end named LED morphed coral.

We (including me, i need to be reprogammed) treat these animals like jewels. We never allow them to grow out, instantly cutting and reselling. It's a shame.

How amazing is it to see a setup with huge established colonies?

Used to be the more normal than it is now.

 

[brandon429]

hey I see you mean seek out the store vs just take this quick forum source for a potentially increased price even above the online sources, I missed that in the descrip. we're paying for a collation convenience then it seems. still valid to some, agreed for me I'd seek out the online options or sales

 

[edd59]

most claim to be hobbiests, but majorityt are profiteers. just looking to turn a big profit. if you pay a $100 for a frag when it grows sell a frag for $20 not $100. thats what people are doing.
before i got back in i used to give frags away often. gave a few to guy on another forum and 6 hours later he had them for sale on the same forum.

 

[Asagi]

hey I see you mean seek out the store vs just take this quick forum source for a potentially increased price even above the online sources, I missed that in the descrip. we're paying for a collation convenience then it seems. still valid to some, agreed for me I'd seek out the online options or sales

Honestly I have no idea what your paying for from buying from a independent forum seller at an increased price other than the pests in their systems.

 

[Asagi]

most claim to be hobbiests, but majorityt are profiteers. just looking to turn a big profit. if you pay a $100 for a frag when it grows sell a frag for $20 not $100. thats what people are doing.
before i got back in i used to give frags away often. gave a few to guy on another forum and 6 hours later he had them for sale on the same forum.

I remember back on reef central becoming friends with several other reefers from all over the country. We would send each other frags if what we had for free, just cover shipping and box. Fun!

 

[rc8t6353]

If everyone dropped the price of torches on the livestock forum, I can almost guarantee so would stores. I went to a swap this past weekend and almost every " ask" price, the vendor went on a website to see what they were charging. This is just my example/ 2 cents.

 

[blecki]

How amazing is it to see a setup with huge established colonies?

This is so true. Where did all the tanks with a couple of giant colonys go? Now all I see are tanks with hundreds of little patches of different coral, basically frags with a few months of growth, all packed together. Sure they are pretty, but they just end up having to be endlessly cut or they kill each other.

If everyone dropped the price of torches on the livestock forum, I can almost guarantee so would stores. I went to a swap this past weekend and almost every " ask" price, the vendor went on a website to see what they were charging. This is just my example/ 2 cents.

I remember 5 or 6 years ago getting a torch for free at WAMAS. I think it was green. Now all I see are these yellow ones, and they are $100/head.

 

[Lavey29]

Thanks, duly noted.
This is why I love to give away frags free to newbies at club meetings.

I'd like to find a local reefing club

 

[19Mateo83]

I was out of the salt game for 12 years. It’s crazy how the market has changed. Frogspawns, hammers and torches used to be $20 a head… ricordia used to be $10-20 for a big one…. It’s insane what some places are charging for some of these now, but…. it seems the market does what it wants to and charges what people are willing to pay. Corals come and go in popularity just like their prices. BTW I’m still trying to lay eyes on, in person, a old school green Monti cap with the bright purple rim. Everyone says no one wants those anymore so hopefully when I do find it drags will be cheap.

 

[OrionN]

Independent sellers with zero overhead, possibly no company structure (LLC formation, etc) and no storefront (digital or otherwise) are charging at or above market for livestock.

I hope everyone understands that the heart of this hobby are in person frag swaps and below market peer to peer sales in a digital setting. LFS visits and online retailer shopping is also fun, BUT not what makes the community.

All of you are ruining the market. Importers and retailers will up their prices to follow this trend.

Many years ago, I used to sell SPS online. I can tell you that for me, this is not worth it. Having to take time off to send the package is a killer. I loose financially every time.
because of this reason I stopped.
local frag swabs were fun and gett a little money, but mainly just for fun, until everything shut down with Covid.

 

[Coach v]

I remember back on reef central becoming friends with several other reefers from all over the country. We would send each other frags if what we had for free, just cover shipping and box. Fun!

This is how I got started in 2003. Had a bunch of kids, took a break. Came back seriously this year to a completely different market.

 

[Reef.]

Independent sellers with zero overhead, possibly no company structure (LLC formation, etc) and no storefront (digital or otherwise) are charging at or above market for livestock.

I hope everyone understands that the heart of this hobby are in person frag swaps and below market peer to peer sales in a digital setting. LFS visits and online retailer shopping is also fun, BUT not what makes the community.

All of you are ruining the market. Importers and retailers will up their prices to follow this trend.

what do you think would happen to stores if hobbyists reduced their prices to a lvl that was much lower than a stores? The store would have to either reduced their prices, which is not easy to do with their added costs or go out of business.

There are hobbyists prices to be had, it’s just a smaller part of the market. If it was the only alternative to a store, then as said the store would have big issues.

 

[xabo]

I was out of the salt game for 12 years. It’s crazy how the market has changed. Frogspawns, hammers and torches used to be $20 a head… ricordia used to be $10-20 for a big one…. It’s insane what some places are charging for some of these now, but…. it seems the market does what it wants to and charges what people are willing to pay. Corals come and go in popularity just like their prices. BTW I’m still trying to lay eyes on, in person, a old school green Monti cap with the bright purple rim. Everyone says no one wants those anymore so hopefully when I do find it drags will be cheap.

Are you speaking of this guy?

Original Leng Sy Purple Rim Montipora Cap

MONTIPORA Light: MEDIUM - HIGH Water Flow: MEDIUMsize 1/2 - 3/4

jasonfoxsignaturecorals.com

 

[19Mateo83]

Are you speaking of this guy?

Original Leng Sy Purple Rim Montipora Cap

MONTIPORA Light: MEDIUM - HIGH Water Flow: MEDIUMsize 1/2 - 3/4

jasonfoxsignaturecorals.com

Yep, I am waiting to find one locally. They used to be everywhere 10 years ago