When is enough enough?
- Thread starter beerfish
- Start date
sharkbait69
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Monmouth County NJ
I may come off a little abrasive when it comes to coral and designer names. I?m very passionate about this hobby and the corruption certain sellers have installed. I have been around and watch this hobby grow to a great and easy hobby then wilt to a disgusting hobby.
I, my self am as guilty as the next for purchasing coral at a higher mark up since the advent of names in front.
I can understand and fully agree with names. Its easier to catalog each coral.
Sure, why not make it easier to say a name and everyone knows what coral a person is talking about.
When we use the excuse of ? you get what you pay for?. Really? I got what I paid for? I got a fragmentation of a coral. I have air hankyed snot after a working house fire bigger then some of the so called frags some dirty sellers are offering for big money.
Or the ?they grow slow? excuse. Really? I was told red planet and blue tip stags grow slow as sh*t. My RP and blue tip stag are growing pretty dame fast. Not to mention my bird of paradise, hawkins and pearl berry.
They seem to grow rather fast. All from frags of a frag glued to plugs.
I have some chalice that I bought from seller on here and from internet sites. Drop some money on these and they grow rather fast.
This is not me bragging, by no means. it?s the point that certain scumbag sellers seem to think everyone?s dumb.
If anyone thinks for a minute that a coral is going to grow well in a vat with floor salt as the mix, needs to read a little more about salt mix.
I don?t do anything special with my tank, nothing. Quality salt, good clean ro/di water T5 lights Mh lights and power house for skimming and my coral grow nice.
For what ever reason, certain sellers act as if they are the only ones getting coral for RT66,UWW, SDC, NMW, ORA, PAF, TM or gold ina.
It drives me nuts, like oooh they have a log in code and get to see some pics. I understand when you pay 62 bucks for a scolly you need your mark up but damn cause its got some splatters of color you tack on a name and charge another 50 percent on top, come on. Even the nicest acans pretty much break down to about 10 -15 per polyp, and that?s the crazy colors. Most, retailers buy colonies and cut It up and make a killing. Sure they are in business to make money, absolutely. But to rape someone for a name, get over it. You?re a scumbag and you know it, we all now it.
Again no one can come up with an excuse that counts. Break it down into simple terms. Some islander slave got pushes off a boat, who makes pennies for every coral collected. He collects coral and puts them in a bucket. They drive back to the dock bring it to the holding vats take pictures. Fax sales to wholesalers. Wholesalers jump online and log in quick ?cause all the crazy colors will go quick?. retailer orders drives to the air port picks up boxes drives back to the store to unload his spoils.
Now the only difference is the wholesalers are getting in on the act instead of just off loading coral, now the crazy color coral are getting slapped with a higher price. it?s a vicious circle.
as long as anyone of us is willing to pay big money for a frag, its never going to end.
thats why in my head, i like to think that by growing and selling a frag bigger and cheaper then what i paid for it, maybe just maybe i can put a dent in 'x' coral. Granted i sell them to people i know that wont turn around and flip a frag for more then what they paid for it.
i live in a glass house and i don't throw stones, i shot double zero at the side of the house.
I don?t care how you try and spin it, no suck thing as picking up a turd by the clean end.
I, my self am as guilty as the next for purchasing coral at a higher mark up since the advent of names in front.
I can understand and fully agree with names. Its easier to catalog each coral.
Sure, why not make it easier to say a name and everyone knows what coral a person is talking about.
When we use the excuse of ? you get what you pay for?. Really? I got what I paid for? I got a fragmentation of a coral. I have air hankyed snot after a working house fire bigger then some of the so called frags some dirty sellers are offering for big money.
Or the ?they grow slow? excuse. Really? I was told red planet and blue tip stags grow slow as sh*t. My RP and blue tip stag are growing pretty dame fast. Not to mention my bird of paradise, hawkins and pearl berry.
They seem to grow rather fast. All from frags of a frag glued to plugs.
I have some chalice that I bought from seller on here and from internet sites. Drop some money on these and they grow rather fast.
This is not me bragging, by no means. it?s the point that certain scumbag sellers seem to think everyone?s dumb.
If anyone thinks for a minute that a coral is going to grow well in a vat with floor salt as the mix, needs to read a little more about salt mix.
I don?t do anything special with my tank, nothing. Quality salt, good clean ro/di water T5 lights Mh lights and power house for skimming and my coral grow nice.
For what ever reason, certain sellers act as if they are the only ones getting coral for RT66,UWW, SDC, NMW, ORA, PAF, TM or gold ina.
It drives me nuts, like oooh they have a log in code and get to see some pics. I understand when you pay 62 bucks for a scolly you need your mark up but damn cause its got some splatters of color you tack on a name and charge another 50 percent on top, come on. Even the nicest acans pretty much break down to about 10 -15 per polyp, and that?s the crazy colors. Most, retailers buy colonies and cut It up and make a killing. Sure they are in business to make money, absolutely. But to rape someone for a name, get over it. You?re a scumbag and you know it, we all now it.
Again no one can come up with an excuse that counts. Break it down into simple terms. Some islander slave got pushes off a boat, who makes pennies for every coral collected. He collects coral and puts them in a bucket. They drive back to the dock bring it to the holding vats take pictures. Fax sales to wholesalers. Wholesalers jump online and log in quick ?cause all the crazy colors will go quick?. retailer orders drives to the air port picks up boxes drives back to the store to unload his spoils.
Now the only difference is the wholesalers are getting in on the act instead of just off loading coral, now the crazy color coral are getting slapped with a higher price. it?s a vicious circle.
as long as anyone of us is willing to pay big money for a frag, its never going to end.
thats why in my head, i like to think that by growing and selling a frag bigger and cheaper then what i paid for it, maybe just maybe i can put a dent in 'x' coral. Granted i sell them to people i know that wont turn around and flip a frag for more then what they paid for it.
i live in a glass house and i don't throw stones, i shot double zero at the side of the house.
I don?t care how you try and spin it, no suck thing as picking up a turd by the clean end.
- Location
- Bay Ridge, BK
Nothing abrasive about that.... okay maybe a little abrasive but I agree. Without repeating what you said it is up to us in the hobby who are not doing this for profit to lower the prices of the outrageous stuff. If we are going to complain about coral prices from vendors and then turn around and turn big profits off of names ourselves.... what does that make us?
I have been brewing an idea in my little brain and I think I am going to post it in the general discussion right about now. Check it...
I have been brewing an idea in my little brain and I think I am going to post it in the general discussion right about now. Check it...
Meh, usually, I stick to things < $50. I have gone up to $120 for some rainbow acan frags, but that was a one-time event. I also trade frags in for credit a lot, and will generally do that instead of spending cash for an expensive frag.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
lol whats ur best price u could do?
The whole chalice craze makes me sick. Most of them look like some sort of major STD. I will never understand the desire and the willingness to pay STUPID prices for them.
Same goes for 1 polyp frag of zoos. "Real purple hornets" give me a break.
Not going to name names
but when someone is selling a single polyp of a zoo for $50 and make it sound like a great deal, something is very wrong.
Same goes for 1 polyp frag of zoos. "Real purple hornets" give me a break.
Not going to name names
but when someone is selling a single polyp of a zoo for $50 and make it sound like a great deal, something is very wrong.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
me if i like it i buy it, but ive learned one thing in life its not what u know its who u know, some times u have a rare coral and ur friend has one u like and u trade then when it grows u want to make the money back so u sell a piece of iit, then some one that knows the guy that just bought it off of u, and he sees the opportunity to sell it for a little more eventually it turns intoa high price piece cuz every one increases it to make a little profit. but sometimes u have a friend who trades with u or u give him something and then he returns the favor, the stuff i have has been thanks to all the people in mahattanreefs, mostly trades and buying. i occasionally buy some coral, and do pay a ridiculous price but nothing like 400 or 800. the most i payed was 280 for a frag cuz i liked it. usually people in this hobby are always looking for something different, i know im always looking to add something different into my tank.
- Location
- BROOKLYN/PARK SLOPE
- Location
- Pennsylvania
this is true too. look at the people that pay insane prices for juvenile and teenage angels
Anthonyjiz
New Reefer
- Location
- Fairview, NJ
As much as people BS about how the Ocean organisms are going extinct, I still NEVER saw a point in making ANY single livestock more then like $100.. There's always enough to sustain population, and if there's not, then why do we all have Saltwater tanks? We love to watch our items grow! There's no point on charging like $80 for a pair of clowns if those clowns can make about 20-30pairs in a night?! I just hate the fact that people get greedy.. As for your pricing question I'll never go past like $20-30 for something amazing.. Most expense i did was buy the "little rock of reef" for $40 at the swap and got zoa's and xenia on a palm size rock.. Half the zoas don't open! But as always.. life goes on.. there's nothing we can really do about prices other than by from friends and just regrow, etc.
- Location
- Jefferson City, MO
This is an interesting discussion. I personally would not pay more than $100 for any critter for my tank. And if/when I think about it, it is with a lot of thought and research. But we are forgetting about a part of the reef population and they are the problem. This 'group' is the people that pay the big $$$ so they can say that they paid the big $$$. The color of the coral, etc. is secondary, the high price is the primary. I personally think that they are over compensating for their, ah, "shortcomings" so to speak if you catch my drift.
But this is to a lesser degree on all of us. I can and have ordered boxes of corals from a trans-shipper. I can get the ultra grade stuff from Australia, Fiji, Bali, etc. I refuse to charge the obnoxiously high prices for corals. I have put a small mark up to make sure that I have the shipping charges taken care of, etc. and just maybe make enough to pay for a coral or two for myself. This is just a hobby thing for me, I do not expect to make a living out of it -takes the fun out of it and it becomes a job. But anyway, when I get corals in, I hold on to them for a few weeks at least -I do not chop and post. But when I have posted corals for sale, people have told me that my corals must not be healthy, not as colorful, etc. Well folks, I know that my supplier sells to some of the big guys on line. The cost of the shipping from the Pacific, to LA, then to St. Louis is often as much as the corals themselves. It is a perceived value for people. If they can get coral X for $25 from one place, and the same coral for $100 from another place, then the $100 coral must be a better coral. So, now I just order corals for me and my friends. I save the stress for work, lol.
But this is to a lesser degree on all of us. I can and have ordered boxes of corals from a trans-shipper. I can get the ultra grade stuff from Australia, Fiji, Bali, etc. I refuse to charge the obnoxiously high prices for corals. I have put a small mark up to make sure that I have the shipping charges taken care of, etc. and just maybe make enough to pay for a coral or two for myself. This is just a hobby thing for me, I do not expect to make a living out of it -takes the fun out of it and it becomes a job. But anyway, when I get corals in, I hold on to them for a few weeks at least -I do not chop and post. But when I have posted corals for sale, people have told me that my corals must not be healthy, not as colorful, etc. Well folks, I know that my supplier sells to some of the big guys on line. The cost of the shipping from the Pacific, to LA, then to St. Louis is often as much as the corals themselves. It is a perceived value for people. If they can get coral X for $25 from one place, and the same coral for $100 from another place, then the $100 coral must be a better coral. So, now I just order corals for me and my friends. I save the stress for work, lol.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
this is basically depending on the person. i would spend money on something i like but at the same time im not rich so im always looking for a deal
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