Whats with the prices....?
- Thread starter drperetz
- Start date
- Location
- Howell, NJ
its a hobby 4 us, business for them..... as long as your fellow hobbyist keep on dishing out the money for the corals and supporting them they will continue to sell at those high prices.... thats why we all need to frag our colonies and either trade or sell really cheap...
- Location
- Marine Park
Don't get too excited, it's a store for suckers. That coral is actually fairly common. In fact I've seen it in three different MR tanks this past week. There's also a few Blastos on there for $120 that I've bought and sold for around $10.
people like AA bring unseen corals in to us. once the market levels out( every junky out of one grand) price will go down . notice how many AU lords went down to $40 for a polyp. the same stuff was $100 a month ago. what is really weired is the maxima sp. labels ... very "no good"
When you say "worth", do you mean in terms of resale value or purchaser's gratification?
Reefing is a hobby for most people here. Therefore, each individual determines what that "rare" pink with green polka dots acanthastrea echinata is "worth" to them.
Reefing is a hobby for most people here. Therefore, each individual determines what that "rare" pink with green polka dots acanthastrea echinata is "worth" to them.
You need to remember that prices are market driven. They only reason they can sell peices at those prices is because there is somebody who will pay for them. People will pay steep prices for specimins that they can not get someplace else for less.
- Location
- Brooklyn, NY
regarding Aussie corals, all of the above is true, but you also have to factor in the price of doing business in a 1st world country like Australia. The divers make real $$$ and the cost of everything is not comparable to the cost of doing business in say Fiji or Indo. Still, the prices will fall somewhat when the novelty wears off providing the Aussie Gov't. continues to allow legal collection.
Not really resale value. I would feel guilty making profit on other hobbyists unless i paid for a 1" frag which grew to 10" colony and i was selling the colony. I just don't want to spend $200 on coral which is considered "rare" when its really worth $50 other places and pretty much a common species. If its truely rare then IMO i would say its worth it depending on how rare it is and if it stays rare. But then i just need to research multiple stores and figure it out on my own.:headache:
example
A bluethroat trigger is common and cost 30-50+ bucks(depending on size)
But his cousin the crosshatch is very rare and could cost 300-500+ and i know you can't get a species like that for $50 anywhere else.
example
A bluethroat trigger is common and cost 30-50+ bucks(depending on size)
But his cousin the crosshatch is very rare and could cost 300-500+ and i know you can't get a species like that for $50 anywhere else.
animalhouse
Reefer
- Location
- queens/longisland
holy, those prices are HIGH, they must me high out of their mind lol
- Location
- Marine Park
PLenty of online sites sell corals for 3x what I've paid here on MR. I guess these places mostly cater to the midwest where corals can't be had for the prices they can here.
I doubt people on the west coast pay these prices. From what I hear prices in Cali are dirt cheap for colonies, from the LFS no less!
I doubt people on the west coast pay these prices. From what I hear prices in Cali are dirt cheap for colonies, from the LFS no less!
- Location
- Huntington
Cali is cheap because it is the hub from which all livestock enters this country. They don't pay for same day shipping across the U.S. like we do. Most websites tend to jack up the price on newly listed corals so they can maximize their profits on it initially and gradually bring the price down until it sells. AA as far as I can tell blatantly messes with the colors on their photos. They have some nice looking stuff but it's hard to commit to those prices when you can just tell by looking at the pictures that he colors are off.
To each his own... I like 'em...
True, some pictures look so colorful that it may be too good to be true, but maybe it's because you don't run multiple 400watt-20,000k metal halides supplemented with even more actinics to replicate that look.
Yeah some of the pics are blurry, but maybe the business isn't at a point where they can have professional pictures taken.
Yeah, some of their pieces aren't as rare as some of their prices would indicate, but you don't have the overhead expenses that they incurr...
No, you have a personal tank of your own, with a few nice pieces of corals that you've grown with the help of others, and decide to ridicule a guy and his wife that are running a business to support their family, just because their prices have their overhead expense built into them... snap out of it and face the reality of how our economy works.
As a matter of fact, I'm sure your profit margin was just as good as theirs seeing that you sold a frag for $20 without any overhead to worry about, and they're selling a whole colony for $150 with a lot of overhead to worry about.
Dudes... stop complaining about the prices. It's a business, not a charity.
If to the buyer, the coral is nice and rare and is worth spending that kind of money, but someone else thinks the same piece is ugly... so what? That's life... or is it called art?
True, some pictures look so colorful that it may be too good to be true, but maybe it's because you don't run multiple 400watt-20,000k metal halides supplemented with even more actinics to replicate that look.
Yeah some of the pics are blurry, but maybe the business isn't at a point where they can have professional pictures taken.
Yeah, some of their pieces aren't as rare as some of their prices would indicate, but you don't have the overhead expenses that they incurr...
No, you have a personal tank of your own, with a few nice pieces of corals that you've grown with the help of others, and decide to ridicule a guy and his wife that are running a business to support their family, just because their prices have their overhead expense built into them... snap out of it and face the reality of how our economy works.
As a matter of fact, I'm sure your profit margin was just as good as theirs seeing that you sold a frag for $20 without any overhead to worry about, and they're selling a whole colony for $150 with a lot of overhead to worry about.
Dudes... stop complaining about the prices. It's a business, not a charity.
If to the buyer, the coral is nice and rare and is worth spending that kind of money, but someone else thinks the same piece is ugly... so what? That's life... or is it called art?
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chill dude, all I was saying is that even though they do have other expenses to warry about , the pieces that they sell do not worth the bucks that we usually pay at MR. Thats all I wanted to do is compare and illustrate that MR has the best prices that many reefs have met...:usa1:
chill dude, all I was saying is that even though they do have other expenses to warry about , the pieces that they sell do not worth the bucks that we usually pay at MR. Thats all I wanted to do is compare and illustrate that MR has the best prices that many reefs have met...:usa1:
- Location
- Huntington
It has nothing to do with who or what they are supporting with their business. The reasons people go into business have no bearing on whether or not others should buy their wares. It's not our responsibility as consumers to support their family in any way. If they have nice stuff than so be it, but most of the people who have been in the hobby long enough know about what prices things sell for and what is a good price and what is plain absurd and those who are on the retail side of the hobby know roughly what corals go for wholesale. If you think their overhead is so high that they are making $20 on a $150 coral than either they are paying too much or you have no clue what overhead is for their operation. Nobody said they had to give their corals away but some of their pricing is very high for, I would hazard, anyone who knows what they are looking at. I'm sure they are the nicest people on earth but some of their prices and pics are just offensive. If they were making only $20 per coral they sold, they wouldn't be in business as long as they have. The margin has to cover mortality and the stuff that doesn't sell on top of other things.
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Not saying anyone has a responsibility to support anyone's family... also not saying that their profit was $20 on that $150 piece. I didn't say the profit was the same... I said the profit margin was probably the same... Look up the definition of profit margin, and talk to me when you've actually opened a business of your own, with your own money and time... and not just managing someone else's business... it completely changes your outlook on things.
Don't want to come off sounding mean, but some people just complain too much.
drperetz, I agree, MR is an awesome place to find great deals... :smile:
Don't want to come off sounding mean, but some people just complain too much.
drperetz, I agree, MR is an awesome place to find great deals... :smile:
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