Why buy from an online store vs hobbiest?

[coralbeauties]

Why aren’t more people buying from the classified section? There are a lot of good sellers there with prices a lot cheaper than online retailers. I haven’t understood why people will buy from a web site and pay more vs buying from a hobbiest direct that has grown the corals out in his own tanks? I place ads and am lucky to sell anything yet a buddy that has a web site store sells thousands. Is it a lack of trust issue? Lack of stock variety? . Let’s hear your thoughts.
Thanks
Jeff

 

[Perry]

Agreed

 

[Kershaw]

Maybe risk, scams and no arrive alive warranty. I see allot of private sales from other reefers on local face book group.

 

[Bacon505]

Most good known sellers in classified section has DOA guaranteed. But i agree that it would be a bad investment buying from someone who doesnt guarantee DOA

 

[Bacon505]

In regards to buying from online store, i feel like its all about bragging right. Its feel much better telling people that they got “X” coral from this top coral store than from a dude next door.

 

[Mjl714]

I think it is the perceived higher risk of a bum deal with independent / individual sellers. I like / prefer buying locally when I can visit seller.

 

[uhgster1]

I promise you that if a fellow hobbiest sold me a Walt Disney or home wrecker frag for $50 I would be bragging about it on the streets. I just hope this pandemic finishes running it’s course and we can start having frag swaps again.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I can tell you and some of it is unfortunate:

Biggest is - cost of shipping. Shipping prices are way out of hand and the largest ive seen in decades !! I BELIEVE AS WITH MANY MERCHANTS WE WORK WITH WHO OFFER FREE TO LOW COST SHIP. WE SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO SAME DISCOUNTS AS MEMBERS OF R2R WHICH IS THE LARGEST REEF COMMUNITY IN THE WORLD.

Loyalty - Many entities such as BRS . .Marine depot and others offer incentives such as reward points. Ive gotten filter socks shipped for 72 cents after using my points.

Trust - Some have ruined it with others, anywhere from poor packing, no-show items and long delays

Price- While there are many great deal, there are some , when combined with shipping- You might as well buy new with free shipping offered

 

[Tamberav]

I use locals over venders and I have bought off here before too and was happy.

It is winter and I prefer not to ship anything right now.

 

[coralbeauties]

I tend to think it is the attitude today of no social interactions. Buy with a click of a button, few days later your coral arrives without dealing with a human. Most all ads state a doa policy, do your homework on a seller and you should be able to buy with confidence.
Jeff

 

[DinoMagnet]

I believe it boils down to trust not saying a store can’t burn you, it’s easier to look up a place/location rather than just a username on R2R. With that said it makes more sense to get from here as you can get additional info on the coral as to what conditions it was kept. Can anyone tag some reputable sellers on here? Thanks

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

I'm kind of a tweener so to speak. As a hobbyist turned fulltime vendor (but not on the scale of the large retailers), I will always buy from other collectors if I can trust the lineage. I once bought from a major online retailer who is a sponsor here (not gonna name names, so don't ask) and was sold a JF Homewrecker that turned out to absolutely not be a JFHW. It looks nothing like it, and I now have a large colony of it grown from a frag directly from Jason so I know what it should look like. On the other hand I purchased a frag from a hobbyist on this site sold as a JF Homewrecker, but it is clearly a Walt Disney (which I also have colonies grown from frags directly from Mike - RIP, and again not gonna name names). As a vendor of high end corals I am extremely particular about verifying where my pieces come from. They aren't always directly from the source, but they can easily be traced back to the source and verified. Because of this I sometimes pay a premium for corals, but I can guarantee that it is what it's supposed to be... So if a hobbyist keeps track of verifiable lineage (receipt, invoice, email or PM trail, etc.), then I am willing to buy from them.

 

[jsker]

WE SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO SAME DISCOUNTS AS MEMBERS OF R2R WHICH IS THE LARGEST REEF COMMUNITY IN THE WORLD.

That is a dicey. Shipping rates are based on the amount companies ship. I agree that shipping has gone sky high. There have been several offers posted from companies that ship, here on R2R for members to take advantage of.

One con of this thought, would be that some would use a discount code for their personal or business use outside of shipping items sold on the classified here on R2R. It only takes a few to spoil it for all.

If one is shipping regularly they can negotiate a rate through the shippers, but they would also have to be a commercial entity to take advantage of shipping rates, thus commercial here on R2R. That would mean that they would have to become a sponsor.

As far as buying commercial Vs private here on R2R. This risks to bringing in something more than what one bought is that same as commercial. I have not had to opportunity to buy for a hobbyist, but I will say that I have several instances of apistasia and asterrina starfish that were introduced in to my system, purchasing from commercial.

As far as DOA, I would guess that private seller cannot take advantage of shipping insurance unless the insurance price is passed on to the buyer, thus making the cost of shipping even higher.

In conclusion, I would buy private when I find the right piece, such as a Walt Disney for the right price. If the piece arrived DOA, that is the risk that one takes for a lower priced prized piece.

This is my opinion and not R2R's

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

I believe it boils down to trust not saying a store can’t burn you, it’s easier to look up a place/location rather than just a username on R2R. With that said it makes more sense to get from here as you can get additional info on the coral as to what conditions it was kept. Can anyone tag some reputable sellers on here? Thanks

Tagging —> SweetReefOH <—- as a reputable seller on R2R

 

[coralbeauties]

I have purchased from @SawCJack00, @FarmerTy , @ReefJunky @therman and others several times with only the best in service . If you question a sellers service just do some homework and check them out through their threads and posts. Any good seller will have good feedback and take an interest in r2r not just as a seller. Most good sellers will either replace a lost frag or refund your money. As for shipping I am using finiship which uses FedEx at a great discount. I recently sent a 10lb box from Ohio to California for $65. Expensive but way less then dealing direct with FedEx.

As buyers what do you prefer? Cut to order, wysiwyg. Lower prices with smaller frags or larger frags with larger prices?
Jeff

 

[JayLu]

I usually buy from online stores. My main reason is the vendor‘s reputation and their DOA policy. In my experience, it can take a few days for a coral that was damaged during shipment to die. Therefore, a “2 hour” policy is not really the best. Also, I have had many shipments delayed solely due to the carrier. I prefer to not have to eat that death cost either. With that said, I am also happy to buy from reputable people (some mentioned above) here in this Forum. I just have to understand the risks verses rewards (some also discussed above).

 

[coralbeauties]

I usually buy from online stores. My main reason is the vendor‘s reputation and their DOA policy. In my experience, it can take a few days for a coral that was damaged during shipment to die. Therefore, a “2 hour” policy is not really the best. Also, I have had many shipments delayed solely due to the carrier. I prefer to not have to eat that death cost either. With that said, I am also happy to buy from reputable people (some mentioned above) here in this Forum. I just have to understand the risks verses rewards (some also discussed above).

I think most of us that are selling coral will take care of a coral loss that happens within a couple of days. I feel that shipping stress and harsh dips are the main cause of coral loss in the first few days. My buddy @SweetReefOH has tested a lot of different dips and feels bayer is by far the most effective and gentle on corals. Ask a seller ahead of time how he would handle this situation. Shipping stress is a given and some corals are much more sensitive to it then others.
Jeff

 

[Mike1970]

agreed, I get the best deals for someones tank

 

[RJKain-777]

I’ll support the stores first, there the ones who make this hobby possible in the first place with out them, we wouldn’t have the livestock we do in most parts of the world.

also, a lot of people in this hobby have become shady and in it for the money, if I see a coral for a good deal, I’ll go inspect it in person before saying I want it, most times if it’s a good deal ( like way cheaper then retail) there’s usually something wrong with it, or it’s a totally different coral. Or other times, it’s cheaper to buy from a LFS then another reefer, since they think there stuffs worth it’s weight in gold.

so many reasons to support the stores that make the hobby great.

 

[Specific Ocean]

If we had a feedback thing going on here, I’d be more inclined to buy here than the big name fellas