Re: Frag Swaps

[brick-brothers]

Re: Frag Swaps

I know a fight or 2 might breakout over this but this was on my mind. lol Ok I was talking to my cousin husband who lives in Atlanta, GA yesterday and I was telling him about different corals i would like in my tanks. I also told him that NY have frag swaps where you can buy frags ranging from $10 to $100+ for high end corals. He scream at me over the phone and said that was ridiculous! lol He said down in GA that they frag swaps are different. Meaning they dont exchange money for corals, only corals for corals no matter how up the chain it is. Well atleast where he's at. So it got me thinking if there were swaps like that in NYC? And if not how come?

So I guess the real question is, if we did have swaps like that all over. Would it bring down the prices on the high in corals? And how hard of an inpact would it have on divers and other ppl?

 

[Wes]

It's not as good as it sounds and typically the "high end" frags cannot be found.

I havnt been to the one in GA but I can tell you that you are very lucky. I seriously doubt it even comes close to the MR swaps.

MR swaps are as good as it gets.

You have high end vendors for buying and you can trade with other hobbyist. The best of both.

My local swap is free and while it's nice to go and trade a few frags I feel like the MR swaps have spoiled me to the point that I'm always underwhelmed.

 

[Og Drogon]

SWAPS= $$MONEY$$
at least in NEW YORK it does :-/

 

[Og Drogon]

It's not as good as it sounds and typically the "high end" frags cannot be found.

I havnt been to the one in GA but I can tell you that you are very lucky. I seriously doubt it even comes close to the MR swaps.

MR swaps are as good as it gets.

You have high end vendors for buying and you can trade with other hobbyist. The best of both.

My local swap is free and while it's nice to go and trade a few frags I feel like the MR swaps have spoiled me to the point that I'm always underwhelmed.

Good point but if they are being sold I think it should be called a "FRAG SALE" or "Frag deal" lolz
If I sale drugs it does not make me a sales man it makes me a dealer.

I'm just saying

 

[prattreef]

There really is no comparison between what most local clubs call "frag swaps" and what MR calls their "Frag Swaps." In the MR context, it is a legacy name that no longer really reflects the event particularly well, but is understood by the vast majority of our members. MR "swaps" are really one day conferences with speakers, workshops and a very active vendor dominated showroom floor. Swapping between members is encouraged and certainly goes on more than most people realize, and IMO needs to be further developed, but it is not the major attraction or intention of the event(s).

And to answer your question(s) I think there would be minimal to no effect on prices or livelihoods.

 

[NL146]

Unless I am mistaken you can always swap corals with other hobbyists at the swap. Maybe your relative in Atlanta didn't understand that you don't have to buy from vendors, and you were talking about vendor prices. Plus, with the vendors you have the opportunity to purchase livestock at prices sometimes well below regular rates, without the inconvenience or wait for shipping.

 

[NL146]

it's not as good as it sounds and typically the "high end" frags cannot be found.

I havnt been to the one in ga but i can tell you that you are very lucky. I seriously doubt it even comes close to the mr swaps.

Mr swaps are as good as it gets.

You have high end vendors for buying and you can trade with other hobbyist. The best of both.

My local swap is free and while it's nice to go and trade a few frags i feel like the mr swaps have spoiled me to the point that i'm always underwhelmed.

+1

 

[brick-brothers]

I wasnt comparing MR swaps to atl swaps. I was talking about ny swaps where money is exchange and down south swaps where no money is exchange. To be honest I've been to CT swaps and there were vendors and I believe regular members selling frags. But I was just saying that would it be nice for all reefers to have a beautiful tanks without costing you a arm and a leg and maybe a your wife? (My wife dont like all the money going towards my tanks, lol)

 

[Wes]

"Expo" is probably a more accurate word.

 

[prattreef]

"Expo" is probably a more accurate word.

Yes that is a good word

 

[Og Drogon]

"SWAP"= A swap generally refers to the bartering of one thing for another.
"EXPO" Expo (short for "exposition"), are names given to various large public exhibitions ..Or showing... Not swapping

 

[NYreefNoob]

i am pretty generous when i sell stuff or trading stuff, but i am sorry if i bought a $60 sps frag and have grown it i am not tradin down for corals i dont want just so others who dont want to spend the money can get it. alot of trading goes on as well at the swaps or put a post up corals for trade only and watch all the brown zoa's get offered for trades for your upper colored corals.

 

[125reefer]

the manhattan frag expo.has a great ring to it .makes it sound like an extravaganza
or the manhattan reef galla.oooo classy

 

[brick-brothers]

I see your point being how sps usually cost more than lps and softies. I actually have sps and zoas in my tank but dont know if they are highend or not. I would love for someone to come over and take pix of my corals. Getting back to the topic, Expo doesnt sound like a bad idea. I plan on buying a house in atl for investment. I'm going to go to the swaps they have to actually see first hand of what they are trading.

i am pretty generous when i sell stuff or trading stuff, but i am sorry if i bought a $60 sps frag and have grown it i am not tradin down for corals i dont want just so others who dont want to spend the money can get it. alot of trading goes on as well at the swaps or put a post up corals for trade only and watch all the brown zoa's get offered for trades for your upper colored corals.

 

[jrobbins]

Fragapalooza?

 

[ming]

Anybody is free to do frag trades during a frag swap. The reason why most people are selling is because they are either a vendor, or because there isn't many corals they are interested in from other people, so its easier to put a monetary amount attached to the coral. Then you can use the money and buy the coral you want, even if the guy selling it doesn't want anything from you.

If you bought a $100 coral, would you trade it for brown ugly zoa's from a newbie because he wanted your coral? Probably not, but the $100 price tag gives him the chance to get that coral without having anything good to trade back.

I also been to other frag swaps, the MR frag swap is by far the best. Other swaps barely have anything to sell/trade/buy except a few very low end or even browned out corals which aren't even attractive cause you don't know what you're getting if it can color up or even has a color besides brown. The other swaps usually have no speakers which can help guide and educate a lot of users. I wouldn't trade the MR swap for anything

btw, you also don't need to buy $100 corals to make your tank look nice. Some $10 or so corals when fully grown into a colony looks pretty good too!

 

[richardhmc]

The idea of a free swap meaning that corals are traded for corals sounds all nice and all. But my concern would be the things being swapped would be of low quality. If a member had a tank full of the rarest, and most prized corals, I doubt he would want to trade for a xenia frag.

 

[brick-brothers]

So its seems to me that alot reefers that go to NY swaps dont really have high end corals. And there are a select few that does and mostly it will be a vendor. Btw, i understand yall bigging up MR but I want it to be known that this thread is not against MR or and other reefing community. I was just asking why swaps in NY is money for corals and what would be the inpact if members sold their $40 to $60 highend frags for $15 to $20. Thats all.

 

[ming]

So its seems to me that alot reefers that go to NY swaps dont really have high end corals. And there are a select few that does and mostly it will be a vendor. Btw, i understand yall bigging up MR but I want it to be known that this thread is not against MR or and other reefing community. I was just asking why swaps in NY is money for corals and what would be the inpact if members sold their $40 to $60 highend frags for $15 to $20. Thats all.

The impact would probably result the seller saying "sold out" really quick, and then if a newbie SPS reefer bought that coral, he would might say "I can test growing SPS with this coral since its only $15-20, and if it dies, I'm not set back by $100 so no big deal"

 

[brick-brothers]

Thats true, but than again everybody was in that ( i can test this coral out ) stage when they was a newbie. I know i was. Now im more experience I know better. But even still I feel like I will always be a newbie because theirs always new stuff coming about. :wink1: But I see where you coming from ming.