Are we been ripped off

[Cichlid Dad]

Do hobbyist need wild collected corals? If so, why? Are we collecting wild reptiles? Cats? Dogs? Birds? How do other animal related hobbies manage it?

3000.00 for a labdoodle chawwa shorthair?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

That or 'please ID my xxx coral' so that I can know how much i can charge for a frag of it..assuming it makes it past my 2 week old tank's death trap

Hey, at least that's not just complaining about something though haha

 

[Nano_Man]

What sort of explanation are you trying to find? I used to work at a shop, I was just messaging a collector in Bali 2 seconds ago, I've been in the hobby for a while...what would you like to know?

Yes ju

Sounds like someone is trying to get other people to back his/her/its perspective. Pretty obvious that OP continually bumping this thread to get attention. I chuckle..we get a few of these a month, each one whining about the expense of an expensive hobby. I hear bird watching is pretty cheap. I get ya started:

The poll says other members opinions . I would go on another thread if you have nothing valid to add go and trim your beak somewhere else

 

[areefer01]

I hear bird watching is pretty cheap. I get ya started:

Ever see the movie 'The Big Year'? A good comedy on the subject.

Anyway I'd wager as with any hobby cost depends. Bird watching, travel, camera, binoculars, etc. Good news is that one won't loose any livestock (fish or corals).

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Yes ju

The poll says other members opinions . I would go on another thread if you have nothing valid to add go and trim your beak somewhere else

What do you mean "yes"? I can explain it to you if you tell me what specifically you want to know.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Ever see the movie 'The Big Year'? A good comedy on the subject.

Anyway I'd wager as with any hobby cost depends. Bird watching, travel, camera, binoculars, etc. Good news is that one won't loose any livestock (fish or corals).

Oh i agree. Seen it. But hobbies are expensive as people make them. if it is too expensive..find a cheaper hobby or find a way of doing the hobby within your budget. Complaining about how expensive your hobby is...might as well complain about the wind instead of going inside.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Yes ju

The poll says other members opinions . I would go on another thread if you have nothing valid to add go and trim your beak somewhere else

I think you proved my point by pointing to the poll. Affirmation that you think people are being ripped off in a luxury hobby.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Reefing has come a long way. It used to only be afforded to the very wealthy. But if anyone is buying it on credit, they should reevaluate their priorities. Many reefers nowadays see reefing as a social status, and not as it truly is. Pet care. Coral are animals.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Reefing has come a long way. It used to only be afforded to the very wealthy. But if anyone is buying it on credit, they should reevaluate their priorities. Many reefers nowadays see reefing as a social status, and not as it truly is. Pet care. Coral are animals.

I highly doubt the vast majority of reefers feel the same way when an acro frag RTNs as they do when their new puppy dies...they pain most feel is in their wallet. Then they get up after deciding to go at it again a week later and buy another since there are a dozen at the shop.

 

[BangingBaking]

Ultimate choice is to migrate to bali for cheap corals.
I'm new to the hobby but after traveling around Asia's LFS, my conclusion was there's no "expensive corals" and it's just all about fancy in-house name and distance from the origin(transport paper works and survival rate) that decide the price.
indo torches that goes 3-even up to 4 digit per head in the west can usually be sourced in south east Asian country where i reside(relatively close to indo and phillipine) for less than 40usd a head. In bali? a colony for the same price. Same goes for thailand these country are paradise for reefing. Now it sounds super lucrative on paper when you can flip around with easily over 2000% markup on the "local price" and people go crazy chasing the fads of the latest addition but would i do it? No, way too complicated to open a store that keeps stock in bulk and also maintenance cost/ risk of death etc....

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Ultimate choice is to migrate to bali for cheap corals.
I'm new to the hobby but after traveling around Asia's LFS, my conclusion was there's no "expensive corals" and it's just all about fancy in-house name and distance from the origin(transport paper works and survival rate) that decide the price.
indo torches that goes 3-even up to 4 digit per head in the west can usually be sourced in south east Asian country where i reside(relatively close to indo and phillipine) for less than 40usd a head. In bali? a colony for the same price. Same goes for thailand these country are paradise for reefing. Now it sounds super lucrative on paper when you can flip around with easily over 2000% markup on the "local price" and people go crazy chasing the fads of the latest addition but would i do it? No, way too complicated to open a store that keeps stock in bulk and also maintenance cost/ risk of death etc....

Hmmm...i have no idea about Singapore but here things work slightly different

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

My bad guys, i think i got off topic. Back to it...YES! We are being taken advantage of by BIG AQUARIUM.

 

[Kfactor]

am cheap ish i do go for the no names but the only thing that gets me is you get the tinest frag for top dollar and the chances of it surviving is pretty small .

 

[Nano_Man]

Oh i agree. Seen it. But hobbies are expensive as people make them. if it is too expensive..find a cheaper hobby or find a way of doing the hobby within your budget. Complaining about how expensive your hobby is...might as well complain about the wind instead of going inside.

I think you proved my point by pointing to the poll. Affirmation that you think people are being ripped off in a luxury hobby.

Hi you are saying luxury hobby no it’s a hobby soon as you say luxury straight away money . What about the next generation of reefers . The hobby should be open for the poorest to the richest. It’s hobby everybody should be able to enjoy the hobby not how much money have you got . If any newbie came to my door and I had spare frags and he never had much money I would give him some for nothing to get him started. The problem is people are more interested in making money and as much as they can which does not help the hobby.

 

[Spare time]

If you don't like the price, don't buy them. Seems simple enough.

As if that would change the price they are selling them. Collective action is not that simple

 

[Spare time]

I think you proved my point by pointing to the poll. Affirmation that you think people are being ripped off in a luxury hobby.

Relatively speaking, its not a luxury hobby. It is only that if you buy luxury products (i.e. radions, mp40's, etc.). Once you move away from the sort of snobbery found on reef2reef, its not a luxury hobby (I refer to snobbery as the assumption that money isn't much of an object or that people only recommend $800 lights minimum. Reef2Reef threads have a problem with this).

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Hi you are saying luxury hobby no it’s a hobby soon as you say luxury straight away money . What about the next generation of reefers . The hobby should be open for the poorest to the richest. It’s hobby everybody should be able to enjoy the hobby not how much money have you got . If any newbie came to my door and I had spare frags and he never had much money I would give him some for nothing to get him started. The problem is people are more interested in making money and as much as they can which does not help the hobby.

Please take this as an honest debate with you and not trolling.

I am a free market subscriber. The prices will bear what the market allows. When people stop paying, prices will stabilize and/or come down. If people keep paying these prices, prices will go up. I would argue that the people who are interested in making money are bringing liquidity to an illiquid market and thus increasing opportunities and choices in this hobby. If people could not make money in this hobby, we would be limited to the ugly green and brown corals from the 70s for $300. Someone actually showed a 70's catalog and that in fact was the case. The fact that there is money to be made, and a good amount of it, is why we have the choices we do. Granted, I will give you that we are in an inefficient market, but we are in a market whereas we as the consumer control what we are willing to pay. If we are not willing to pay, business will go out of business (look at coral heads and reeftide...they went out of business in the last year because there wasnt ENOUGH money made).

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Relatively speaking, its not a luxury hobby. It is only that if you buy luxury products (i.e. radions, mp40's, etc.). Once you move away from the sort of snobbery found on reef2reef, its not a luxury hobby (I refer to snobbery as the assumption that money isn't much of an object or that people only recommend $800 lights minimum. Reef2Reef threads have a problem with this).

I agree 100% . The other problem is people have been so brain washed, that when they have a thread about being on a budget wanting advise, the will ignore good cost saving advise (like using T5 fixtures from Amazon) 125.00 plus 125.00 in bulbs that are plug and play, will do as good or better than any LED out there, then complain about how expensive the hobby is.

 

[Labridaedicted]

If you're buying the "in" coral, yeah, you're gonna pay a premium. No, I don't think we're getting ripped off.

Here's the deal. This industry, like all others, is supply and demand. If a piece is popular and uncommon, it's going to be expensive. If it's boring and grows like a weed, it's gonna be cheap. That's just the way of it. Sure I've payed alot for certain acros. Do I feel ripped off? No, not at all. I payed a price that was required to get the piece.

Now if the going rate for a piece is 50 bucks and someone is charging 150 for it, then yeah, they're ripping you off. As long as the prices are in line, though, its the cost of doing business. And to be fair, if a consumer is willing to pay it, they have every right to charge that price since this hobby is entirely a luxury. It's not like someone is charging 10 dollars for a dozen eggs or 50% above market for rent.

Don't like the prices, don't buy the item, but I'd be willing to bet someone else will or they wouldn't mark it at that price.

 

[areefer01]

Hi you are saying luxury hobby no it’s a hobby soon as you say luxury straight away money .

Hobby. Key word. Doesn't matter if it is planes, trains, or automobiles. It is an option. Not a requirement. No one is forced. Usually tied to discretionary income. The hobbyist income that is left for their personal spending, investments, or savings. This is after paying real life stuff like taxes, food, shelter, clothing, etc.

This money is spent on vacations, nonessential stuff, services, hobbies, and latte. Just a few examples. And if you want to splurge on a item then forgo a few of those nonessential things or give up Venti Lattes for a bit, put that money in a jar, and there is your coral money.

TL; DR - hobby. No one is forced. Optional. Discretionary income based. Be frugal. Shop around. Ball is in your court.