Torch coral prices

[polyppal]

Coral prices are a lot like what is happening to the video game industry. People by a ps5 or rtx 3070 then mark it up. But in that industry Sony and Nvidia recognize the problem and are trying new ways to stop the gouging. It isn’t about what people are willing to pay now. That’s short sighted, instead Sony and Nvidia realize they need to add people to the market. If you have a limited number of people in the hobby instead of making it accessible, the hobby won’t be able to last.
Having been in the hobby since the 90’s I think it is hilarious that most designer corals need to be viewed at 20+k to even tell they are designer. At 10k most corals look brownish pink anyway.

well its like if you bought a ps5, and after a year, it made 4 or 5 baby ps5s... and the you tried to sell them for as much/more as your original ps5

 

[bruno3047]

Tiger Torches are an even bigger scam than Holy Grail Torches. They are both regular green torches with a little bit of gold. You’ll keep seeing these ridiculous names with ridiculously high prices pop up for the same ordinary corals as long as people are willing to pay for them. On Wall Street we used to call it the “greater fool theory”.

 

[damsels are not mean]

cause 90% of the hobby is in and out in a year so they don't know better and pay for these colorful collectible rocks for clout

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

The hobby is starting to suck from a financial perspective. I would recommend fresh water at this point. It's approaching $10k for a nice 120g if you want the cool stuff like Radions, MPs, and a Reef Octopus skimmer. 10 desirable corals can be well over $1k. It's like every entity selling anything is hellbent on pricing the hobby out of existence.

This. Im a cheap *******, so Im avoiding it as much as I can. Single most expensive item in my tank are a pair of nero 5's.

Im all about the journey, so I don't buy colonies of anything, small frags and let it grow out.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

cause 90% of the hobby is in and out in a year so they don't know better and pay for these colorful collectible rocks for clout

This.

 

[ninjamyst]

Easy fix. Stop buying expensive corals. Blast the vendors and sponsors of R2R on social media and word of mouth. Let your voice be hard.

I sell corals for dirt cheap locally to drive prices down. Let the vendors suffer. We are way over saturated with new vendors all the time.

A lot of sponsors on R2R sell overpriced corals. Do something.

 

[fishguy242]

Theoretically, it would just take about 45 hours for a Boeing 747 passenger aircraft to fly around the earth's circumference.

pre indo/jakarta shut down 5/4/18

close to current, before shipping.
and shipping ain't cheap rt now.
just sayin,
we wanted indo open, they want a piece of the pie...
this is a direct to importer list.

 

[David Groos]

The hobby is starting to suck from a financial perspective. I would recommend fresh water at this point. It's approaching $10k for a nice 120g if you want the cool stuff like Radions, MPs, and a Reef Octopus skimmer. 10 desirable corals can be well over $1k. It's like every entity selling anything is hellbent on pricing the hobby out of

The hobby is starting to suck from a financial perspective. I would recommend fresh water at this point. It's approaching $10k for a nice 120g if you want the cool stuff like Radions, MPs, and a Reef Octopus skimmer. 10 desirable corals can be well over $1k. It's like every entity selling anything is hellbent on pricing the hobby out of existence.

Can’t complain about the Radions. In the 90’s you ran multiple 250 or 400w MH and a chiller plus maybe some pc or VHO supplemental lights. The supplemental bulbs last 6 months before par and spectrum shift, and maybe a year for the MH. So lighting was a lot more expensive. Not the initial outlay, but the maintenance. It was like buying a new Radion every year and the electricity you burned was a lot higher as well.

 

[reefer_87]

My wife brought up a great point one day that has given me a different perspective of the tank. Color over brand and name makes your tank pop. Neon greens and toxic greens, greenish yellow hues for the blue light and have a bit of red, pink, blue and yellow for the day light. That’s all we need. And contrast in polyps make them pop. Having said that some vendors are still reasonable during their sales and even offer 20$ frags that are nicely encrusted. I would highlight Cherry corals here for they haven’t raised the common name coral prices. Had reasonably good experience with Tck as well.

 

[polyppal]

Easy fix. Stop buying expensive corals. Blast the vendors and sponsors of R2R on social media and word of mouth. Let your voice be hard.

I sell corals for dirt cheap locally to drive prices down. Let the vendors suffer. We are way over saturated with new vendors all the time.

A lot of sponsors on R2R sell overpriced corals. Do something.

 

[Wasabiroot]

How is it some vendors have a single head torch for $1,200, name along the lines of “tiger” where on the import sheet, they are less than $100? You wonder why exporters raised their prices, they saw the robbery occurring state side .

You saw their import sheet? Coral orders are enormously expensive. Watching a Youtube channel like Fragbox - they detail their expenses. Same with Tidal Gardens. Shipping can be 6-7k for a large order since it's all water. Plus the difficulty of acquiring the specimen, etc etc. shipping delays, holding the coral until freight is available, all that.
The latest fad coral always commands a high price until it's propagated heavily. Supply and demand. That being said, I'd never pay 1200 for one head of torch.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

My wife brought up a great point one day that has given me a different perspective of the tank. Color over brand and name makes your tank pop. Neon greens and toxic greens, greenish yellow hues for the blue light and have a bit of red, pink, blue and yellow for the day light. That’s all we need. And contrast in polyps make them pop. Having said that some vendors are still reasonable during their sales and even offer 20$ frags that are nicely encrusted. I would highlight Cherry corals here for they haven’t raised the common name coral prices. Had reasonably good experience with Tck as well.

CC and TCK are quality vendors and are welcome corals in my tank

 

[BanjoBandito]

Tiger Torches are an even bigger scam than Holy Grail Torches. They are both regular green torches with a little bit of gold. You’ll keep seeing these ridiculous names with ridiculously high prices pop up for the same ordinary corals as long as people are willing to pay for them. On Wall Street we used to call it the “greater fool theory”.

I have a nice purple w/ green tips torch I got for like 45 bucks, and I giggle every time I see one with some stupid name.

 

[rtparty]

I don't normally give out business advice for free but here goes...

Instead of complaining on here, why don't you import that "tiger" coral and sell it for half of everyone else? Your demand would be absolutely ridiculous to the point you couldn't keep up. It would also force the other vendors to drop their prices. Win win in your book. You make some money and you bring prices down for the rest of the hobby. We could then all praise you for being "the one" that saved us all.

If you still feel generous at the end with your massive profits, you can pay me whatever you feel my advice was worth. I just set you on the path to financial freedom and immortal glory among reefers.

 

[REEFTIDE]

Welp, have you tried importing that torch? lol Freight is killlerrrrrrr and you cant just take one torch.
If someone is risking 10-15k they're not in the business of breaking even. Just food for thought

 

[bruno3047]

I don't normally give out business advice for free but here goes...

Instead of complaining on here, why don't you import that "tiger" coral and sell it for half of everyone else? Your demand would be absolutely ridiculous to the point you couldn't keep up. It would also force the other vendors to drop their prices. Win win in your book. You make some money and you bring prices down for the rest of the hobby. We could then all praise you for being "the one" that saved us all.

If you still feel generous at the end with your massive profits, you can pay me whatever you feel my advice was worth. I just set you on the path to financial freedom and immortal glory among reefers

Thanks for the laughs

 

[Steven Garland]

If you’re fine with a coral, marked 12 times up, after being in the country for a mere two days, then that’s why these sellers exist.

Want to grow stuff out and say it’s used to captivity and took time, chance and effort? Ok. Want to spend 1400 on a “tiger torch”, frag, when the colony is on Jakartas coral page for $300, which is then hacked up into 10 pieces and sold two days later? The used to be called chop shops, people knew and you paid accordingly. Not it’s hack and gouge . Hobby has really gone down hill since the 90s. An open brain cost you $60 then, now you spend $350 on same thing, oh and don’t forget to upgrade those lights to a g19 when they roll them out every 3 years . Ditch the names and give me a light isn’t sold like an iPhone

Listen,I do not agree one bit with what they do. I despise it 125% .

But,there are people willing to pay that price that half of us aren't. Hence why they do it.

These smaller stores or not so popular stores don't want to take the 6-8-12 months to grow a few heads,frag them,heal them and then sell them. It takes up to much time and effort. Doing so would drive the prices down a few notches and they would lose money.

In their eyes,they get a small coloney 4-5 heads,acclimate thr coral,make 4-5 frags,maybe 2 make it BOOM you sell those 2 frags for $1000-$1200 a pop and it only took you a few days vs almost a year.

This is where I kinda give props to TSA,LRO,WWC because they might as a mortage payment for a single head but they also aquaculture pieces vs just chopping wild mini-colonies.

Now,you pay for the hardiness of that frag because it waa fragged more than likey off a aquacultured piece that has a higher chance of surviving in your tank.

A lot of smaller stores don't have full blown farms like WWC,LRO and TSA. They have 15-20 people working almost all day long helping people,people running the farm,10-20k gallons of water and $20-$40k in Radions,skimmer,pumps,doser,controller,all of that has to be paid for. Can't really do that off of selling a single NY Knicks torch for $40-$50 .

Plus,the terrible past 2 years has driven everything up 110%. Look at groceries,gas,clothes,fast food,building materials,reef tank goods,tires,rent,utilities.