Retail Pecking Order

[Piero]

We all know there's a pecking order with regard to livestock access. In a thread on RC discussing the absurdity of coral demand/supply fluctuations and pricing, one person stated the following:

"Only a few stores in the country get the majority of these (thecaptivereef, darklordcoral, jendub, etc.) and they have to pay a lot for them."

what seems odd is that these smaller online retailers are obtaining the more desirable species, when I'd expect them to turn up at the businesses that do major volume, like Dr. Fosters, reefermadness, or Dr. Mac. How are the small newcomers obtaining the high-demand livestock instead of the big boys?

I would guess that typically vendors have to order a large amount of boxes weekly in order to expect any decent pieces because priority goes to the customers that spend the most money and have retail store fronts. So how are these small newcomers cherry picking the high-demand imports?
_________________
Braising Forum

 

[Anonymous]

By paying far more then others will. Dollars talk!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Some people know some people and get to hand pic their pieces from wholesalers. Or at least that's what I've heard.

 

[Anonymous]

And those people pay FAR more for the pieces, then others It's not just who you know, but how big your wallet is as well.

 

[Anonymous]

Yep I used to think it was loyalty too. But it's not. It's cherry pickers. I suppose you have a better chance getting lucky if you tranship as well since half the time those people have no idea what they're sending.

 

[Anonymous]

what seems odd is that these smaller online retailers are obtaining the more desirable species, when I'd expect them to turn up at the businesses that do major volume, like Dr. Fosters, reefermadness, or Dr. Mac. How are the small newcomers obtaining the high-demand livestock instead of the big boys?

I think the 'boutique' e-retailers also make the demand by giving things glittery names and taking time to take really cool pictures under actinic lights. They also take the time to 'push' particular corals more than businesses that rely on volume. I know several stores that have big colonies of stuff that boutique sellers are selling for an arm and a leg, but they don't know what it really is and they don't really have the traffic to get them sold.

 

[Kalkbreath]

Take a one inch acan frag ,

take your DSLR with a 180 macro lens

capture an image,

photo shop it,

display it on your LCD display AT FULL SCREEN.



........and what you have in the minds of the online shopper,


is a very colorfull 19 inch acan frag .


The Online "Cinema" like experience simpy cant be duplicated in real life.

Tom Cruz is Kinda like an acan frag...he is treally small , like three foot tall and all his teeth have been Photo shopped( see his early predental movies),
yet in front of the big screen their both super heros........

 

[Anonymous]

I think the 'boutique' e-retailers also make the demand by giving things glittery names...

You're absolutely right, but it's a practice I thoroughly despise.

Additionally, there are exceptionally few "full service" online livestock dealers these days. Calling the majority out there 'boutiques' accurately represents the exceedingly limited selection most of them offer. These days if you don't want acanthastrea, echinophyllia, ricordia, zoanthids, SPS frags or a handful of other things you have precious few options, online dealer wise.

 

[clarionreef]

This stuff is coveted?

"...acanthastrea, echinophyllia, ricordia, zoanthids, SPS frags or a handful of other things"

Wow...I guess it depends which pond you play in.
I have watched these very corals languish for several weeks without moving.
Retailers....send a P.M. to me and I will set you free!
Steve

 

[PeterIMA]

Steve, I think he said "If you don't want... then you have precious little to choose from". I assume that means that the selection beyond the list given is limited?

Peter

 

[Anonymous]

Precisely, Peter. For an example of what I mean, see:

http://www.diamondsinthereef.com/
http://www.ultimatefrags.com/
http://www.fragfarmer.com/home.php
http://www.atlantisaquarium.net/

...and take a look at their selections. Acanthastrea, echinophyllia, ricordia, zoanthids, SPS frags... and a small handful of other things.

Site after site, online dealer after online dealer, this is mostly what you see. Want a blue acropora tortuosa? You've got a couple dozen vendors who all carry it to pick from. Want a colt coral? Your choices online become only Drs F&S, Saltwaterfish.com and (maybe) Jeff's Exotic and Marine Depot Live. Hell, these days it can be harder to find an elegance coral or a moon bubble coral online than a 1/2" piece of micromussa someone's asking $500 for.

 

[clarionreef]

What do you get when you cross the American merchant culture w/ the reef trade?

SPECIAL one of a kind cherries...

..........."limit 3 per customer."

Steve

 

[PeterIMA]

What about the selection from retailers? We have already discussed other downsides to etailing. Can retailers supply the species that are in demand?

Peter

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, let's not paint all of them with the same brush.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry JP - you know I'm pro-etailer I'm just annoyed at the limited edition mentality displayed by so many these days.

Peter:

What about the selection from retailers? We have already discussed other downsides to etailing. Can retailers supply the species that are in demand?

I think that brings us back to Piero's point. Can/does the typical retailer get access to these items anymore? Now, for some of this, I know they do. I bet half the LFS in Los Angeles have some acanthastrea in their tanks for sale right now. I also bet most of'em are labelled "Brain Coral, assorted" and not saddled with a nom de plume like "Limited Edition War and Peace Acan". The only difference between the two is the one sporting the ridiculous name will fetch many times the price of the other.

 

[Kalkbreath]

I have ten red acans,
250 blue maxima,
500 plus acro colonies( all maricultured) forty blue torts
14 types of live rock,
Twenty colt,
thirty red brains,
true roses,
Blue carpets,
Thirty blastos,
Blue zoos,
Crosshatch triggers,
Hodded wrasses,
Joculators,
Blah Blah Bah
Local customers dont give a rats butt about high end stuff.
I sell five times more basic crap each week then High end stuff,

Some seem to forget that the back bone of the trade is basic fish and corals.

I actually sell more $ in clean up crew stuff like blue legs, each week then Ultra blue maximas.
Heck I sell more RO water then clams each week.

The online crowd is more about comorodery then husbandry.

Hobbyists whom frequent online forums make a game out of buying stuff over the web.
They try to out do the next guy and then post pictures showing their purchases.
Its a sport of sort. Whats a hobbyists to do ? Its hardly fun when there is no one else to share it with!
Your wife doesnt care about your hobby , the friends and neibors in your subdivision dont even know about your reef tanks(except for the odd blue light glowing out your bed room window) .
Its hard for a hobbyist to find comorodery on a local level, other hobbyists to share the hobby with.
Thats all too easy over the web.
Online forums are instant acceptance!
Post a picture thats different (like a new color morph ) and instantly you have got fifty interested buddies praising your new addintion to the tank.

Its just not the same when a guy posts a photo of his new colt coral.
Colt corals dont seem to yeild the same bang for the buck or spawn the same attention.

Thats what drives the online rare coral market,
No matter who you are anywhere in the world...

Post a picture of a blue Squamosa or even better a blue acan.....and your instantly a very popular guy or girl.

Walk out the door of a brick and mortar with the same blue coral and thats likely the last time anyone will see you and it together again.(publicly)
That is unless you hold it out the window driving down the express way.

 

[Anonymous]

Your wife doesnt care about your hobby , the friends and neibors in your subdivision dont even know about your reef tanks(except for the odd blue light glowing out your bed room window) .
Its hard for a hobbyist to find comorodery on a local level, other hobbyists to share the hobby with.

Maybe that is true in your lonely life, but out here I have TONS of people to share my hobby with. I have 5 - 6 friends within 10 minutes of me with tanks, and ten times that within aq 80 minute drive. My parents and sister love my tank, and love to see new corals when I get them. I have friends that call me excited about their latest purchase at a LFS. Not to mention all the other 100+ active club members innmy club We do share online experiences, but we also get together every other month. For me it's a time thing, not a lack of people to share my hobby with :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, and several of my LFS make a good chunk on rare coral. Yup, some sell online, but they also stock it for locals

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry JP - you know I'm pro-etailer I'm just annoyed at the limited edition mentality displayed by so many these days.


I think that brings us back to Piero's point. Can/does the typical retailer get access to these items anymore? Now, for some of this, I know they do. I bet half the LFS in Los Angeles have some acanthastrea in their tanks for sale right now. I also bet most of'em are labelled "Brain Coral, assorted" and not saddled with a nom de plume like "Limited Edition War and Peace Acan". The only difference between the two is the one sporting the ridiculous name will fetch many times the price of the other.

I can't stand it either but unfortunately it doesn't look like it will change anytime soon.

I once has a purple acanthastrea for MONTHS. All I was asking for it was what I needed, something like $40 for it. Wasn't sold to me as anything special so I didn't pay anything special and it was huge. Almost softball size. When I changed my site, I put it back up for $105 and slapped a name on it. Sold the very next day.

I recently had an sps that had the same color scheme as what is now dubbed "pokerstar" (wtf do these people come up with the names). The only way people could identify with it was by saying it looked like a pokerstar. Light blue base with purple and bright lime green polyps just drew a blank on everyone.

I notice wholesalers are getting in on it too lately.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, and several of my LFS make a good chunk on rare coral. Yup, some sell online, but they also stock it for locals

LOL you're out west. Definitely at an advantage being so close to the industry hub. I was just talking with some folks out here the other day about this. Unless you have horses, you're at the mercy of those you buy from out west. Those out here aren't seeing anywhere near the number of "coveted" corals or quality those in CA are seeing if they are simply buying from a weekly stock broadcast. For every awesome piece there are surely dozens of average pieces. Someone has to get them. Might as well be those too far away to do anything about it.