MR Member coral prices are CRAZY!!!

[CHEMCHEF]

I guess using the argument that a 1969 Mustang is more rare would be futile at this point. Because that generally just proves the argument about price due to rarity. LOL
At any rate. I still dont agree with a private seller charging as much,, or more than a vendor who more than likely has a greater cost of overhead Etc.
Plus the fact that it is going to keep on growing. So the seller will get mutiple sales out of a colony.
To me. It is a hobby. I enjoy giving a deal as much as getting a deal. JMO

 

[jadakiss]

We are not talking about Cars. Cars have a blu book value. Corals do not.
Giving everyone a deal is not foolish. It is good kharma IMO.

i agree!

 

[albano]

that's just foolish. hooking up your buddy with a deal is one thing. but when you put up something for sale on a public forum you are going to ask for what it's worth.

you wouldnt sell a house or a car for half of what it's worth to be nice.

+1

the blue book value is just an estimation of value based on the average price people pay for a certain car.

The coral market works the same way, if something is priced higher than it is worth, nobody will buy it. There is no official book but you can google that specific coral and find out what people are selling it for. Same thing as a used car or any used item you buy from craigslist.

+1

no it's not. It's based on what people pay for said car. I wish i could buy a 1969 Mustang for the original sticker price minus depreciation and condition.

Aquacultured corals DO have an original price of purchase. I'm sure these MR members are NOT going diving for these fancy chalices and bringing them home. They are buying them from other people and/or vendors.

Googling the price of a coral and the price of a car will tell you the average price people pay for that item. There is no difference.

+1
finally 'the voice or reason', but Wes, I think you're preaching to the choir!

 

[tenMann2]

I guess using the argument that a 1969 Mustang is more rare would be futile at this point. Because that generally just proves the argument about price due to rarity. LOL
At any rate. I still dont agree with a private seller charging as much,, or more than a vendor who more than likely has a greater cost of overhead Etc.
Plus the fact that it is going to keep on growing. So the seller will get mutiple sales out of a colony.
To me. It is a hobby. I enjoy giving a deal as much as getting a deal. JMO

Corals too have depreciation and with it the demand depletes to a point where everyone has that frag and no is willing to pay more then "x" amount for it. You can't hate the person for trying to sell it for what it is worth that that point in time but you can hate coral for being rare. If you can't afford it now, I'm sure it will be affordable down the line. That's the whole point of having exclusive hard to get pieces. I know for my self I can't afford a frag that is worth "x" amount I will not buy. Everyone has the right to ask a price they feel it is worth to them, its all about supply and demand. Its hard to justify what a coral is worth, it all depends on who finds it and the price they put on it. Otherwise all corals would be in the $10-50 range.

 

[Turbovr3six]

It's been said already, but ill repeat it: SUPPLY AND DEMAND. It's that simple. I remember when Ricordias were selling for like $30+ a pop(from locals) about 2 years ago, and now there about $5-$10 each... Corals come in "fads"... Chalice's are expensive for the "rare" ones and if people are willing to pay the ridiculous prices for them so be it. Give it time and more people will have the "rare" chalice pieces and the prices will drop... Just like Acans, Rics, Acro's, Etc.

Trust me, I'm all for cheap corals. But when you have something special, new to the aquarium trade, or hard to get, there is no need to give it away for way less than you payed for it as long as the high dollar market is there.

Just my .02

 

[kroman]

about 8 years ago i went and got all the high end tyree LE super duper overpriced sps i could get grew them out and sold them for $25 a frag with the promise that if you bought from me you would not sell it for more than $25, guess what almost everyone sold them for way more than that when they grew out.
Nowdays i dont really sell unless i have one of those moods and move things around the tank and break off frags by accident, but at this point i do sell them for a fair price not cheap but fair.
Here's the thing you guys are bitching about prices and i think that is silly, your saying this is a hobby and therefore should be free,,, really?
My other hobby used to be racing porches does that mean i should have gotten the car and parts for cheap as well?
If you want the goods you have to pay for them or have a really nice brown tank and thats fine but stop whining.
I like really pretty colored sticks and if i can afford it i buy it if i cant i wont simple as that. There is no free lunch.
I prefer to trade nowdays anyway and what irks me is when i get offed a brown digitata for a purple monster.

 

[Jzhou]

that seems the be the issue with everything now a days. When it use to be that people use to share knowledge in schools, politics, sports, or just , things were more fun and less of a competition. but everything is about money now. There are no less and less doctors who want to be doctors because of the love of people. and ter are less ad less politicians who want to hold office because of the interest to serve people.

 

[cali_reef]

about 8 years ago i went and got all the high end tyree LE super duper overpriced sps i could get grew them out and sold them for $25 a frag with the promise that if you bought from me you would not sell it for more than $25, guess what almost everyone sold them for way more than that when they grew out.
Nowdays i dont really sell unless i have one of those moods and move things around the tank and break off frags by accident, but at this point i do sell them for a fair price not cheap but fair.
Here's the thing you guys are bitching about prices and i think that is silly, your saying this is a hobby and therefore should be free,,, really?
My other hobby used to be racing porches does that mean i should have gotten the car and parts for cheap as well?
If you want the goods you have to pay for them or have a really nice brown tank and thats fine but stop whining.
I like really pretty colored sticks and if i can afford it i buy it if i cant i wont simple as that. There is no free lunch.
I prefer to trade nowdays anyway and what irks me is when i get offed a brown digitata for a purple monster.

Not true!! I sold frags of the limited edition Konrad Tyree Green Toadstool for $15 and no one wanted them .

What's up buddy, good to see you back in again. Want to help me move a 300 gal glass tank again?

 

[richardhmc]

Here's the thing you guys are bitching about prices and i think that is silly, your saying this is a hobby and therefore should be free,,, really?

+1. No point in complaining about prices. You can't do anything about it. Supply and Demand is what controls it and if you want an expensive coral, wait for it.

Hobbies, especially this one, aren't meant to be cheap. You have to invest money in it to get that "satisfaction" of the hobby back.

 

[richardhmc]

"you cant blame someone for trying to get as much as they can for something"

Yes I Can. In fact. That is what I am Doing in this thread.

People who try to make up their money and try to get as much as they can for an item aren't to be blamed. It is the smart thing to do. I'm not saying profit, but to get as much money as possible from their original investment, is smart.

 

[tentacles]

I go to college now and what you said just now is truer than ever. It's all about the money. When I go asking around my college friends why they pick medical majors, they never say "because I care about people". No. It is strictly about the money. Ironically, nobody wants to do what they have picked as a major. Same for me, for my major, I picked it because of the high salary and job opportunity it presents. There are other things I'd like to pick but I can't.

People who go into medicine for the money are going into medicine for the wrong reason (just my $.02). If you are intelligent enough to get into medical school, you are intelligent enough to know that you will not profit from medicine until YEARS after you're established in your practice. Crap, if I only wanted to make money and didn't want to help people, I'd go into finance and managing people's hedge funds.

 

[armani4o3]

so i skimed trough this. so am i wromg if i buy a $100 1 inch frag and when it grows and sell a 1 inch piece for lets say $50 bucks. does it make it wrong that my asking price is more than some ppl can afford for a 1 inch frag but fair market value.

further more should i sell to ppl that can afford it for $50 and the ppl that cant give them a high end piece for lets say 20 cause they are short on cash and cause im a nice person? umm no its the real world it like if you want a bmw and cant afford it sayin to the sales man i dont make enough to afford this car will you sell it to me as the same price as a kia so i can have one.. come on yes its a hobby and its also the real world where things cost money some more than others. do ppl that play poker give chips away for free cause there nice ppl and enjoy the same hobby? this list can go on and on lets face it stuff cost money either you want it and can afford it or you cant but dont knock the guy trying to recoop some coin in this over priced hobby

 

[rookie07]

For anyone who mentioned KELLEY BLUE BOOK.....have you ever seen them actually buy a car from a person for the price they suggest cars are worth?! Any one/company that "sets" prices for something and doesn't actually back it up wit paying that price is bullshit!!!!! It is ment to be taken as a loose guide for prices....keep in mind that NO TWO USED CARDS ARE THE SAME!

As to turning reefing into a business instead of a hobby....
As my father always said, "find a job you like and you will never work a day in your life"

 

[InfernoST]

I got into this hobby knowing it was expensive but more importantly for the mental and visual stimulation it provides. I love challenges and this in my eyes is a big one, the ability to understand, provide and maintain this ever changing eco system we chose to put in a glass cage and watching it flourish is the most fulfilling part of this hobby. I'm not looking for bargains but they are nice to come across considering how expensive the hobby is and will wait and pay what I think is reasonable for something I want. What bothers me more than the price is the condition these items whether they be dry or live that are being sold and the honesty of the seller. When my tank grows up I do plan on paying it forward with the hope of helping someone who is just starting out and isn't blessed with a good source of income that this hobby demands.

 

[Dre]

If someone buys a $30 coral frag, do you know how much energy it would take for it to double in size? If the person chooses to sell a frag of it for $60 in 3-4 months that is not considered a profitable business by far .Let's check up all the money we spend on the hobby gas etc.Omg you would probably think twice .

 

[Chraddam]

I pose this question-let's say I get a colony of True Red P.E.s. And they are HUGE. And I see people selling them for $20+. Am I stupid for selling them at 3-5 polyps for $10? And then putting the money I generate into keeping my system up and running and buying more corals, and selling those at under market value? Or did I learn from the members on here that that is the right way to do things? I guess it's a matter of opinion. I cannot get the mantra of "it's only a hobby, these things grow in the water, I sell them based on what they cost, not what other people charge for them" out of my head. I don't knock people that sell things at a higher or lower price than I do, I just accept the fact that everyone has a different motive and theory about how to approach this. And if I see something I really like, I will buy it regardless of the price. And that is my choice, there is no right or wrong.

And thanks to this approach, my tank looks great and so do the tanks of those that buy my extras and trimmings.

See that "Unlimited Edition" thing right under my post? It's there for a reason...

 

[richardhmc]

I pose this question-let's say I get a colony of True Red P.E.s. And they are HUGE.

FACT. Love those Red PE's you sold me :tongue1: they are like zoas on steroids.

 

[SnarfCat]

Has anyone noticed how similar coral is to jewelery? It's in a frag tank basically a jewelry case. Its colorful, sometimes shiny. Its graded like jewelry has a grading. Sometimes LFS rip you off like some jewelry stores. The rarer the coral the more money.....just like jewelry.

BONG BONG

 

[NYreefNoob]

you get a colony from a wholesaler for 20-35 that has 50+ polyps, do the math 3-5 polyps for $10 . now how about you went to the store and paid 60-80 for a small colony of them that was 30-40 polyps. unless you let them double in size your really not making anything.
how about i buy a $20 zoa frags that has no real color and take 6 months to color it up and grow it, am i suppose to give you it for $20 also ?

this conversation has went on on almost every fish site, and it always ends the same. oh i forgot it doesnt end. people want a colorful tank with all the nice stuff, but refuse to pay what everyone else is paying,
chem i am taking it that your a chef, can i come to where you work and get that $50 steak for $10 ? ya know it is just beef. given it only cost if buying a slab and cutting it that it boiled down to 2-3 a lb lol and dont want to hear oh it is black angus, i grew up on a farm and my uncles raised cattle

 

[Widdy]

you get a colony from a wholesaler for 20-35 that has 50+ polyps, do the math 3-5 polyps for $10 . now how about you went to the store and paid 60-80 for a small colony of them that was 30-40 polyps. unless you let them double in size your really not making anything.
how about i buy a $20 zoa frags that has no real color and take 6 months to color it up and grow it, am i suppose to give you it for $20 also ?

this conversation has went on on almost every fish site, and it always ends the same. oh i forgot it doesnt end. people want a colorful tank with all the nice stuff, but refuse to pay what everyone else is paying,
chem i am taking it that your a chef, can i come to where you work and get that $50 steak for $10 ? ya know it is just beef. given it only cost if buying a slab and cutting it that it boiled down to 2-3 a lb lol and dont want to hear oh it is black angus, i grew up on a farm and my uncles raised cattle

+1. LOL Rick, I can see you getting all crazy-eyed right now. Calm down! Go have some eggnog! :splitspin

OP sold/selling audio equipment for a decent amount of money; I won't apply a value or degree to the amount he asked/asking for as the amount impacts each person differently. So OP is fairly aware of supply/demand, TMV on new/used good... all I see is a soapbox here; and you can have it back as soon as I get off of it. :shhh:

Not to mention the stealth vendor here giving his "wag the dog" speech and pushing his hidden agenda.

More importantly, happy holidays to all and your families...