POLL: What Concerns Do You Have When Ordering Coral Online?

[ReefStable Verified Sponsor]

Full Disclosure, I am an online vendor. Let's just get that out of the way.

I find that people are often hesitant to order coral online, especially from newer or smaller vendors.
I am just trying to get an idea from the group here, why is that?

Let me know in the poll / comments what you think.

 

[Areseebee]

I don't see the option I would pick. I'm just worried what they actually look like. Since my cornea isn't made of bright orange plastic, I don't really care what corals look like photographed through a bright orange filter.

 

[braaap]

I don't see the option I would pick. I'm just worried what they actually look like. Since my cornea isn't made of bright orange plastic, I don't really care what corals look like photographed through a bright orange filter.

This. I want to see the coral in a strictly white photo and a blue photo.

My main concern is customer service.

 

[jkcoral]

1. Accuracy of photos. So much editing done nowadays.

2. Overly fresh chops. I know vendors can’t hang on to coral forever, but giving them some time to heal helps everyone involved.

 

[Not_Erick]

I don't see the option I would pick. I'm just worried what they actually look like. Since my cornea isn't made of bright orange plastic, I don't really care what corals look like photographed through a bright orange filter.

I think everyone would like to see not heavily edited pic, especially since the way it looks in someone’s tank will most likely look different in someone else’s tank

 

[CRABDADDY]

One of my concerns is whether or not I'm buying from a chop shop. Chop shop corals usually don't do well in my tank. In my experience their customer service sucks too.

If I know the vendor to be solid, I have no issue paying a bit of a premium, but some of these big name shops are still too expensive.

I'm also much more likely to reorder from a vendor if their communication is prompt. Of course the corals have to come in healthy or at least offer a reasonable, easy to use DOA policy.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Colors being what there were advertised, at least on arrival. I know colors can change over time in your tank but to see at least see some of the colors you thought you were getting on arrival.

Not fresh cuts. Healing and some encrusting. Goes a long way. I've lost every fresh cut I've bought, only the encrusted ones have survived, even from major sellers.

And the thought of getting ghosted after a purchase, it hasn't happened to me, but I read so many that it makes me think a minute if I should order from a no namer or small/new business.

 

[Not_Erick]

One of my concerns is whether or not I'm buying from a chop shop. Chop shop corals usually don't do well in my tank. In my experience their customer service sucks too.

If I know the vendor to be solid, I have no issue paying a bit of a premium, but some of these big name shops are still too expensive.

I'm also much more likely to reorder from a vendor if their communication is prompt. Of course the corals have to come in healthy or at least offer a reasonable, easy to use DOA policy.

Would local reefer be considered chop shops? I’m fortunate to live in Northern California with a active reefing community, so it’s cheaper to get them from locals rather online

 

[Troylee]

Manipulated photos! WYSIWYG should come with a money back guarantee…

 

[CRABDADDY]

Would local reefer be considered chop shops? I’m fortunate to live in Northern California with a active reefing community, so it’s cheaper to get them from locals rather online

I suppose they could be, but in my experience some of my best corals are from local reefers. @ReefStable is actually local to me and I've got some nice corals from him.

To me a chop shop is someone that's ordering maricultured, wild, or even tank grown corals, hacking them up and shipping them off. I much prefer to get a coral that I know someone grew themselves. Or at least they have had the corals long enough that they aren't passing the buck on potential unknown issues. Pests, poor health, ect.

 

[Not_Erick]

I suppose they could be, but in my experience some of my best corals are from local reefers. @ReefStable is actually local to me and I've got some nice corals from him.

To me a chop shop is someone that's ordering maricultured, wild, or even tank grown corals, hacking them up and shipping them off. I much prefer to get a coral that I know someone grew themselves. Or at least they have had the corals long enough that they aren't passing the buck on potential unknown issues. Pests, poor health, ect.

Oh yea, we got those guys too. People who order wild coral and frag them and sell them for a premium smh

 

[CBonito]

The last time I ordered some stuff online, those morons at fedex delayed my delivery.
The fish I received were all in 69-70 degree water and looked near death and pale.

And the thing is, if we pay for next day air to be delivered before 10am or whatever, then what the heck?

It's not the vendors I have ever had a problem with. It's the couriers. They are untrustworthy and unreliable.
And if they don't deliver when you pay for something to be delivered. You are basically being ripped off...that's the vendor AND the customer being ripped off.

 

[CBonito]

Oh yea, we got those guys too. People who order wild coral and frag them and sell them for a premium smh

The act like they invented it. LOL

 

[d2mini]

WYSI NOT WYG

Most pics don't accurately represent what is going to arrive as far as color goes. I never order coral online unless i have a gift card or something.

There are some exceptions. @Battlecorals does a pretty good job at accurately representing color.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

my main concern is courier reliability and/or the ability to select the courier of my choice.

 

[UGASealDawg]

My biggest concern is what else is coming along for the ride. I got whatever bacteria causes brow jelly disease. Despite QT and dipping, it takes a while to develop and spread. By the time I had identified the issue it was too late. Tried everything, including cipro dosing.

Second is what does the coral actually look like under normal white/blue Aquarium lights. Size also…most times there is no point of reference to accurately judge size.

 

[KrisReef]

Full Disclosure, I am an online vendor. Let's just get that out of the way.

I find that people are often hesitant to order coral online, especially from newer or smaller vendors.
I am just trying to get an idea from the group here, why is that?

Let me know in the poll / comments what you think.

Full Disclosure, I am an NOT online vendor. Let's just get that out of the way.

Trust issues come from not knowing where & who A vendor really is when shopping on screen. Buying from an unknown website is like throwing money into a black box (or a dark, stinky hole) and then hoping that from out of the darkness a package will arrive in the mail with a coral in it. New sites have to convince me that they are real and that they want to provide a live product at a fair price. Same deal for any LFS except if I can walk in and see the goods and service folks I can gauge the depth of the hole and smell the air in the store before I open my wallet.

I know you are a vendor on here (full disclosure ) and to encourage sales and trust that helps me trust you alot, as I presume R2R has vetted vendors?

On a website, I like to see a street address (even if it is your moms house or garage) a phone number where people can at least leave a message (that you will respond to) and likewise a live chat and email for questions (that again you reply from 'quickly' or routinely) are things a vendor might do to develop a customer service presence that builds trust that you really want to do more than take my money, once.

The poll isn't going to get you this kind of answer, imo. Ask people better question will help improve the answers you will get. I am one (older) person and the market is filled with other people who may have more important answers that can help you succeed in this effort. HTH.

Oh, and reefers love free bees, lots of cheap low balling hustlers Jonesing for the next hobby fix. You have to forgive us our many poor habits.

 

[UGASealDawg]

Full Disclosure, I am an NOT online vendor. Let's just get that out of the way.

Trust issues come from not knowing where & who A vendor really is when shopping on screen. Buying from an unknown website is like throwing money into a black box (or a dark, stinky hole) and then hoping that from out of the darkness a package will arrive in the mail with a coral in it. New sites have to convince me that they are real and that they want to provide a live product at a fair price. Same deal for any LFS except if I can walk in and see the goods and service folks I can gauge the depth of the hole and smell the air in the store before I open my wallet.

I know you are a vendor on here (full disclosure ) and to encourage sales and trust that helps me trust you alot, as I presume R2R has vetted vendors?

On a website, I like to see a street address (even if it is your moms house or garage) a phone number where people can at least leave a message (that you will respond to) and likewise a live chat and email for questions (that again you reply from 'quickly' or routinely) are things a vendor might do to develop a customer service presence that builds trust that you really want to do more than take my money, once.

The poll isn't going to get you this kind of answer, imo. Ask people better question will help improve the answers you will get. I am one (older) person and the market is filled with other people who may have more important answers that can help you succeed in this effort. HTH.

Oh, and reefers love free bees, lots of cheap low balling hustlers Jonesing for the next hobby fix. You have to forgive us our many poor habits.

Absolutely, trust is a big deal, however, on lower value coral, maybe not as big of deal. And there is always credit card purchase protection + paypal protection that helps a lot. But there is no guarantee for hitchhikes/diseased coral spreading. You have to have trust that you are going to get a relatively clean coral and then dip and QT.

I am a former business owner and as such, if I was looking at this and trying to ramp up, I would keep my facility spotless and share pics and videos of the corals frequently. If you are attempting to build a brand, then frequent contact is paramount. Build an e-mail distribution list and a great facebook and instagram page. Post daily at minimum. Be transparent with your model. Determine your niche and become the expert. Interacting on reef2reef is great also if you are doing it under your business/store name. Set aside an hour or two a day for social media posting, answering questions, and providing advice. Get known. Admit mistakes immediately and remedy them to 100% customer satisfaction even if you lose money. One bad review undoes 50-100 positive reviews.

Just my two cents.

 

[CBonito]

Full Disclosure, I am an online vendor. Let's just get that out of the way.

I find that people are often hesitant to order coral online, especially from newer or smaller vendors.
I am just trying to get an idea from the group here, why is that?

Let me know in the poll / comments what you think.

I think I just placed an order! Do me proud!

 

[majority_rules]

I've learned the hard way to Google what the coral looks like in other people's tank before I buy. What I ended up getting didn't even compare in color and size to the picture on the site.