coral prices

KJAG · Dec 20, 2012

k2parkstar said:
I agree. This post pops up every month or two. It's always the same rant, people want the nicest stuff but don't want to pay for it. There's a lot factored on that price for the vendor to make money. And that's what they are in business to do, make money. Plus remember this is a hobby, every hobby has to be what you can afford after you buy your necessities. Some people can afford $5 some can afford $500. Such is life.

Agreed! I'm involved in a couple other hobbies, and people actually buy stuff for less and sell for much more. Example:Yesterday Obey Giant just released a limited # of Led Zeppelin posters( I wasn't quick enough) for 50 bucks, and now they're up to 200+, and will keep going up. At least in the reef hobby you can wait out the price drops once a few people grow out some frags. The solution to the predicament of coral prices is simple: Dont buy it.Plenty of cheap coral at the LFS. Problem solved.

ingtar_shinowa · Dec 20, 2012

Maybe the waambulence will bring you free coral.

Good looking corals are always wanted, and until they become saturated in the hobble (Eagle Eye Zoas) they will stay expensive. Yeah a guy who got a purple hornet paid 100 bucks for his polyp, not he has hundreds... the next watched his be the only zoa in his tank that melted. There is a good bit of risk in this hobby, and with SPS even more.

You lose corals the price goes up. If you don't like the price don't pay it. I know I don't. Often... well TOO often.

Isoprene · Dec 20, 2012

I think of it this way.....this hobby is like underwater gardening. It really is, except with animals. It's just that a HOBBY, not everyone is into it and not everyone can do it. It takes skill, commitment, being able to do research and sift through the BS that's out there.

For these reasons alone, the brighter it looks, the slower it grows, the harder it is to keep, the more rare the colony = price being JACKED up. This is true for any hobby.

If everyone could do it, everyone would.....in this case everyone can't...therefore a price tag comes with it.

I personally can NOT afford any of the higher end stuff yet I have managed through this site (thank you R2R) to find locals and people that are passionate about the hobby who want to see newcomers succeed and those people sell corals that should be high priced at reasonable prices. I have not bought 1 piece of coral online....not 1 and I have a tank full of named acros and beautiful sps, lps, and zoas. Find people like that, trust me there are tons out there and you'll end up with some pretty cool stuff, even some of the higher end stuff.

I don't think its the prices that make me angry its this ANYONE can name ANYTHING they want WHATEVER they want. I understand stores wanting rights to a specific type of coral by naming it but what does that even accomplish? There is no way to ever tell who started with what, when. Lineage? give me a break. If it looks cool I want it, thats my motto, I could care less about naming crap...half the time by the time I get the thing into my tank I have already forgot what the LFS guy called it.

I think we should avoid these 1500$ a spec on a frag corals and focus on helping one another. 5 years from now if I meet someone just getting into keep corals it I would have no problem chopping a piece off of any of my colonies and just giving it to them to try it out. With that said...would I sell a frag pack online for 500$ and make some serious money, yes, and so would you. If people are willing to pay for it and have the money, why not? For the rest of us "normal people" its bargain hunting, and i love me a good deal from someone just like me a "normal person".

WesF · Dec 20, 2012

I hope i dont offend anyone here But i'll just say it. I've noticed that stuff tends to get more hyped up and subsequently priced higher on reef2reef than other places. I guess it is because people on here pay it. I rarely buy any frags from sellers on reef2reef because I can usually find it locally or on other boards for much less.

sportzfish · Dec 20, 2012

Where?

WesF said:
I hope i dont offend anyone here But i'll just say it. I've noticed that stuff tends to get more hyped up and subsequently priced higher on reef2reef than other places. I guess it is because people on here pay it. I rarely buy any frags from sellers on reef2reef because I can usually find it locally or on other boards for much less.

swayd · Dec 20, 2012

IMO
This is a hobby!
I am always out and about looking for cheap prices, DIY projects and local people that frag up all their stuff for good prices. My advice is to make friends, frequently visit LFS, or join a club. I know that after a year of going to my LFS and making friends with everyone there I get good discounts, freebies and the best part is they dont put those highend names on coral.
People still complain about prices but $60 for a acro colony thats $150 somwhere else, because it has a fancy name, is a great deal. They also have a $5 $10 $15 $20 sections that they usually have some decent stuff in.
Just keep looking my friends eventually you will find the good stuff!

Isoprene · Dec 20, 2012

swayd said:
imo
this is a hobby!
I am always out and about looking for cheap prices, diy projects and local people that frag up all their stuff for good prices. My advice is to make friends, frequently visit lfs, or join a club. I know that after a year of going to my lfs and making friends with everyone there i get good discounts, freebies and the best part is they dont put those highend names on coral.
People still complain about prices but $60 for a acro colony thats $150 somwhere else, because it has a fancy name, is a great deal. They also have a $5 $10 $15 $20 sections that they usually have some decent stuff in.
Just keep looking my friends eventually you will find the good stuff!

exactly!

returnofsid · Dec 20, 2012

The prices are what the market is willing to bare. Consumers control the market, not retailers. If consumers are willing to pay the prices, retailers are going to charge the prices. If consumers are not willing to pay the prices, retailers will drop prices, if able.

returnofsid · Dec 20, 2012

jgonzz said:
What happened to my post lol ??

You haven't had any posts deleted or edited, from this thread. Maybe you forgot to click Post...lol

ReeferBean · Dec 20, 2012

WesF said:
I hope i dont offend anyone here But i'll just say it. I've noticed that stuff tends to get more hyped up and subsequently priced higher on reef2reef than other places. I guess it is because people on here pay it. I rarely buy any frags from sellers on reef2reef because I can usually find it locally or on other boards for much less.

I agree. For many coral the prices are like double here compared to other sites or local hobbyists. But I think the key is in So Cal we have tons of shops and hobbyists, where as say in the midwest or other locations the selection isn't that great so those are forced to pay high online prices for the nice stuff.

coralstuan · Dec 20, 2012

Isoprene said:
I think of it this way.....this hobby is like underwater gardening. It really is, except with animals. It's just that a HOBBY, not everyone is into it and not everyone can do it. It takes skill, commitment, being able to do research and sift through the BS that's out there.

For these reasons alone, the brighter it looks, the slower it grows, the harder it is to keep, the more rare the colony = price being JACKED up. This is true for any hobby.

If everyone could do it, everyone would.....in this case everyone can't...therefore a price tag comes with it.

I personally can NOT afford any of the higher end stuff yet I have managed through this site (thank you R2R) to find locals and people that are passionate about the hobby who want to see newcomers succeed and those people sell corals that should be high priced at reasonable prices. I have not bought 1 piece of coral online....not 1 and I have a tank full of named acros and beautiful sps, lps, and zoas. Find people like that, trust me there are tons out there and you'll end up with some pretty cool stuff, even some of the higher end stuff.

I don't think its the prices that make me angry its this ANYONE can name ANYTHING they want WHATEVER they want. I understand stores wanting rights to a specific type of coral by naming it but what does that even accomplish? There is no way to ever tell who started with what, when. Lineage? give me a break. If it looks cool I want it, thats my motto, I could care less about naming crap...half the time by the time I get the thing into my tank I have already forgot what the LFS guy called it.

I think we should avoid these 1500$ a spec on a frag corals and focus on helping one another. 5 years from now if I meet someone just getting into keep corals it I would have no problem chopping a piece off of any of my colonies and just giving it to them to try it out. With that said...would I sell a frag pack online for 500$ and make some serious money, yes, and so would you. If people are willing to pay for it and have the money, why not? For the rest of us "normal people" its bargain hunting, and i love me a good deal from someone just like me a "normal person".