Frag swap short rant

[Lonelyreef]

Is anyone else sick of going to frag swaps where vendors are selling there stuff for the same prices online acting like they are doing you a favor. I have been to a few and seen some absolutely ridiculous prices it saddens me that these people even come to frag swaps when a hobbiest could have there table and would have much better deals usually. I get that your corals are worth so much to you but the whole purpose of a frag swap is to share some corals at a fair price and meet fellow reefers not price gauge everyone you can and tell them how your flaming Mohican pink flamingo Bugatti devil zooas are the real deal and deffinetely worth 10000000000$. No one going to a frag swap is looking to drop that kinda money. I hope some of you vendors and store owners that are attending frag swaps with this mentality, and you know who you are, remember that for most of us this is a hobby where are friends are what we like to do and that we care about conservation and cool corals not about who's got the most expensive corals and the most different rainbow acan. News flash they all color shift its what acans do. I'm just sick and tired of some these guys I see with online stores or retail outlets showing up taking tables from hobbiest and making there corals seem like there cheaper than what you'd be paying online. What a joke you guys. In short stay home if your going to be asking retail prices at a frag swap and not willing to haggle with people. Leave the frag swaps for the real hobbiest that want to share there knowledge get rid of some corals meet people and not care if they get rich.

Thank you that is all.

 

[mrcoffee2]

Man be happy you even get to see those corals in person... For people like me its a dream.

 

[miamiangler]

I make my deals at the last 30min of the frag swap .I might not get the designer corals I want but do get some nice pieces

 

[SeeingGreen]

I think if you have a store, you have additional cost into your product so a swap is hard. You have travel/lodging/the entry fee (higher than hobbiest) / frag donation and possibly a raffle donation too. So you go because your customers expect you there, but how can you justify selling on the cheap, when all that does is lower the bar for your daily price. Now your $100 coral has been seen for 60 and everyone will expect 60 all the time. Otherwise another hobbiest buys it to increase their diversity, and starts undercutting because they paid 60 but once it doubles in size they sell half for 40. I think the intent of having vendors at a swap is to increase local diversity. I am more likely to buy the 100 mushroom when I see it in person and my purchase means that when it splits I can trade to you for your super flaming whatever. I don't think the intent is to have everyone being able to buy one of everything but rather everyone buys one of something then over the next year you all grow and have an excuse to visit each other and trade.

Just my thoughts, but I don't think it's bad as long as you make friends in your club, everyone should come out a winner.