What's going on with BRS

[myclang]

Why is it odd for them to not sell and promote a competitor?

Back in the day BRS had additives and that was it. Selling a lot of brands was smart and they didn’t really have any competitors with DIY 2 part early on. Now the parent company owns companies who produce products. Why carry competitor stuff and take up valuable shelf space with it?

Because with the parent company buying up other retailers, liquidating them and then shutting them down it's becoming harder to find these products, especially since I'm local to BRS. honestly it would be a very poor move if they did. Kinda deligitimizes any of their previous hard work if they're only going to make videos schilling their own products going forward. It also really doesn't help that some of the companies they bought (Neptune) are doing even worse than before. Looking at the new Trident I didn't think anything could get worse than the original launch but here we are I guess.

 

[rtparty]

Because with the parent company buying up other retailers, liquidating them and then shutting them down it's becoming harder to find these products, especially since I'm local to BRS. honestly it would be a very poor move if they did. Kinda deligitimizes any of their previous hard work if they're only going to make videos schilling their own products going forward. It also really doesn't help that some of the companies they bought (Neptune) are doing even worse than before. Looking at the new Trident I didn't think anything could get worse than the original launch but here we are I guess.

The BRS we all knew is gone. It’s been gone for years. The team that built it is long gone.

I still find anything I need from them and have found them to be excellent still even though it is different.

They won’t be carrying and pushing competitors’ products though. That’s clear.

 

[myclang]

The BRS we all knew is gone. It’s been gone for years. The team that built it is long gone.

I still find anything I need from them and have found them to be excellent still even though it is different.

They won’t be carrying and pushing competitors’ products though. That’s clear.

Yep that's definitely true. This week has been the first time I've really seen so many things being clearanced or labeled discontinued by bulk reef. I'm bummed because I bought my geissman aurora from them. I can't source any replacement parts through them or even geissman t5 bulbs. My only option now is to pay an absolute fortune to ship their parts from Germany. I guess here's to hoping they don't strip too much more down.

 

[ninjamyst]

There are too much competing products to begin with. I like that they are trimming duplicate items. Let the best product win. I really don't need to choose between 20 kinds of amino acids.

 

[Jamie814]

There are too much competing products to begin with.

This contributes to keeping prices down for consumers.

I like that they are trimming duplicate items. Let the best product win.

Most hobbyists have a preferred brand, and if BRS no longer carries it, they simply switch to another vendor that does.

I really don't need to choose between 20 kinds of amino acids.

So, you're suggesting that we should allow them to choose the products for us based on their sales agenda? They prioritize items that yield the highest profit, not necessarily those that are most effective for the task at hand.

 

[Troylee]

#bringmarinedepotback

 

[laverda]

I heard from a reliable source that BRS was substancially behind on payments to CoralVue. Also they were selling CoralVue products they did not have in stock or even had placed orders for.

 

[rtparty]

So, you're suggesting that we should allow them to choose the products for us based on their sales agenda? They prioritize items that yield the highest profit, not necessarily those that are most effective for the task at hand.

You mean like every other business in existence?

 

[rtparty]

I heard from a reliable source that BRS was substancially behind on payments to CoralVue. Also they were selling CoralVue products they did not have in stock or even had placed orders for.

I heard from a reliable source that’s all rumor

 

[rtparty]

#bringmarinedepotback

Talk about a company that was dead in the water

 

[myclang]

There are too much competing products to begin with. I like that they are trimming duplicate items. Let the best product win. I really don't need to choose between 20 kinds of amino acids.

It's not that they're trimming down to the best products, they're trimming down to product lines they solely own maxspect, aqua illumination, Neptune, etc etc all of those products have issues, some more than others. Offering no alternatives except your own really doesn't profit you in the long run, when you already control how much your competition can charge for your products to begin with.

 

[ryshark]

Talk about a company that was dead in the water

Yeah MD service went to trash. So far I’ve only had good experiences with BRS.

 

[rtparty]

It's not that they're trimming down to the best products, they're trimming down to product lines they solely own maxspect, aqua illumination, Neptune, etc etc all of those products have issues, some more than others. Offering no alternatives except your own really doesn't profit you in the long run, when you already control how much your competition can charge for your products to begin with.

They don’t own Maxspect. They are the US distributor for Maxspect.

Loads of products have issues in this hobby. No way any company can only sell top notch stuff with no issues.

The drama between companies in this industry is unbelievable and trust me, it takes two to tango

 

[rtparty]

Yeah MD service went to trash. So far I’ve only had good experiences with BRS.

When every other company is doubling and tripling their revenue, you can’t be the one company standing still and stick around

 

[ninjamyst]

This contributes to keeping prices down for consumers.

Most hobbyists have a preferred brand, and if BRS no longer carries it, they simply switch to another vendor that does.

So, you're suggesting that we should allow them to choose the products for us based on their sales agenda? They prioritize items that yield the highest profit, not necessarily those that are most effective for the task at hand.

We listened to them all those years telling us Radions are the best, even before they owned Radions. If the product they are pushing are not good, don't buy them and they will stop selling them.

Basic supply and demand. If other companies can make products better than they do, consumer will buy them over theirs.

Lots of other places people can shop for goods. People choose BRS cuz they are usually better in terms of shipping, pricing, and ease of website navigation.

 

[ninjamyst]

It's not that they're trimming down to the best products, they're trimming down to product lines they solely own maxspect, aqua illumination, Neptune, etc etc all of those products have issues, some more than others. Offering no alternatives except your own really doesn't profit you in the long run, when you already control how much your competition can charge for your products to begin with.

I don't think they are at the point where they are ONLY selling their own brand. They still carry lots of other brands.

Business is business. They will carry what people want to buy because that's how business makes money. If they are not gonna carry a certain brand, that's probably because no one is buying them. It's no different than a grocery store inventory practice. Most grocery store will push their own in house brand and also carry the most popular brands.

 

[myclang]

I don't think they are at the point where they are ONLY selling their own brand. They still carry lots of other brands.

Business is business. They will carry what people want to buy because that's how business makes money. If they are not gonna carry a certain brand, that's probably because no one is buying them. It's no different than a grocery store inventory practice. Most grocery store will push their own in house brand and also carry the most popular bra

I don't think they are at the point where they are ONLY selling their own brand. They still carry lots of other brands.

Business is business. They will carry what people want to buy because that's how business makes money. If they are not gonna carry a certain brand, that's probably because no one is buying them. It's no different than a grocery store invento

I hear ya. It's just wild to currently look at the site and see how much is going away.

 

[polyppal]

The BRS we all knew is gone. It’s been gone for years. The team that built it is long gone.

I still find anything I need from them and have found them to be excellent still even though it is different.

100%

BRS used to be about supplying fellow reefers with everyday reefing items - like 2 part ingredients/carbon/GFO/RODI filter. They weren't reinventing the wheel, you could buy carbon from MarineDepot or an RODI filter from Amazon - But I'd purchase from BRS because I knew that beyond profit they cared about this fledgling, niche hobby and seeing it grow and improve. The customer service was stellar and I learned a ton from Ryan's videos and their various experiments back in the day...

Even now, I dont hate them, and occasionally still purchase there, but the BRS of today is a Walmart. Soul-less. And the venture capital approach to consolidating the industry has certainly done its damage. Id say more than half of the products/equipment these conglomerates (including coralvue) pump out now is just cheaply built crap...

Oh well, that's capitalism for you

 

[laverda]

BRS used to be me second choice when ordering. Now they are my last choice.
To be honest I can not think of reason I would order from them again!

 

[Bulk Reef Supply]

Ever since BRS started we have had our product catalog constantly evolving with new items coming on and other items being discontinued. The decisions on what to keep, what to bring on, and what we no longer carry are impacted by many factors. Our current goals are to ensure we have room to carry the products that our customers want and need for their aquariums. As much as we wish we could carry every product, space is limited and we do have to make these tough decisions to ensure our product catalog is up-to-date with the hobby.