Corals from Ebay/Online

[Aere]

How close to the actual pictures are the corals when they show up, some of them are quite obviously photo shopped. I am in week 4 of my cycle, all my params have leveled off, and want to slowly add corals and fishies. Ebay seems to have some good steals from time to time. But so do some websites. I am looking for named items, not the green generic corals my LFS has. My closest fishstore that would be worthwhile to buy from is about 3 hours away, And I dont have time to drive all the way there.

Anyone has experience good or bad with this? I understand the different lighting looks, and methods.

 

[Russellaqua]

It can be hit or miss. Some very reputable vendors sell on ebay and will represent things as they are. Others of course will try and rip you off. If you're unfamiliar with the person selling, try and ask people you know about their experiences, check eBay feedback, etc. There are some very good deals out there. Keep in mind that if a coral that sells for $500 normally is being sold for a ridiculously low price and you don't know the vendor, well, that coral isn't what they say it is.

 

[guichi1210]

I have experiences from several ebay sellers as well as online sellers such as some of the site sponsors and in general most ebayers are decent with a clear exception of mr. coral. He would wrongfully name zoanthids and his frags are freshly cut. Others such as cornbread, addictingcorals, austinaquafarms are pretty good. Out of the online sellers, beware of the hype specially chalice and acan sellers. Look for local clubs and private sellers in this site for fair pricing.

 

[always reefin]

Be careful :bigsmile:

 

[1fishmonger]

eBay also has a policy that prevents live corals from being claimed under their "Not as described" policy if something shows up dead. You can probably avoid eBay if you wanted to - there are plenty of reputable online vendors. I'll start by suggesting World Wide Corals.

 

[3Twinklets]

When buying from E Bay it is imperative to read the feed back. If a vendor sells a bad product, someone surely will say so!

 

[1fishmonger]

Nebret? (I forget =X) is a very good eBay seller and has premium corals.

Also, check out feedback that has been left of the forums. Don't just rely on the eBay feedback as the policies mentioned above allow sellers to fight negative feedback and have it removed.

 

[3Twinklets]

I believe that is Negret.

 

[Aere]

Awesome feedback! I appreciate the info, I will check into private sellers and clubs here on the site! I almost went crazy on ebay last night from one of the above mentioned vendors. I am glad I halted. Some are just so obviously photoshopped.

 

[fyrfytr]

Check for local clubs/forums. I found one locally and people are always fragging things or making a list for things to frag

 

[Reefing8EZ]

Awesome feedback! I appreciate the info, I will check into private sellers and clubs here on the site! I almost went crazy on ebay last night from one of the above mentioned vendors. I am glad I halted. Some are just so obviously photoshopped.

They are only a few good sellers on Ebay, Reefpets is one of the best IMO and always has some very nice stuff..
But if you hate bidding as much as I do here are a few places I have purchased from online that are highly recommended:
JoeKnowsReefs, BattleCorals, UniqueCorals, WorldWideCorals..
I plan to order in the future from:
ReefKoi, GonzoCoralFrags, RockyMountainFrags..
Stay away from:
SexyCorals, MrCoral, ReefOdyssey, AddictingCorals..