Are Live Sales Ethical

[Miller535]

I think there is a difference here in some of the retail comparisons noted above. While yes the mindset of a sale or deal generates more sales you are comparing coral prices to consumer goods. The price for coral is purely set on rarity and popularity (look at the price of torches over the last 12 months). There is no assigned cost plus M/U (Like clothes at JCP), fair value is based on what the market pays. Therefore the pricing tatics used to influence sales (increase the price of my GSP to $100 and "discount" it to $25) based on perceived value can be dangerous to some people who don't know how to value GSP (same arguments made with less known SPS and no one knows what a fair price is, making the perceived deal more lucrative). Combine that with a panic situation (first to checkout) and you have these types of business practices.

And yeah, its good on the stores of finding ways to move product they would have a harder time selling... Is it in the best interest for the hobby and fair honest business, idk....

Selling something is selling something. And companies who even sell goods often set MAP pricing so that they can reduce it for black friday and other sales. Adjusting your pricing to make money and make people think they are getting a good deal is the same regardless of the product. And anyone is free to frag and buy from reef clubs if they want. And when you buy coral from a distributor you are also paying for their gas and equipment and sometimes even their dive team. which is why it is often cheaper to buy at a frag swap. It's up to the consumer to research and see if they feel a particular vendor is selling something for a fair price or not. If not look else where.

 

[mrlavalamp]

buying any livestock that is not "what you see is what you get" is a gamble.

So really I feel the same way about buying critters online all together.

The hyped up nature of live sales is nothing new.

For example estate auctions, and used equipment/vehicle auctions have been leveraging the same tactics for years. You get to "see" the vehicles before bidding sure, but rarely do you get to do more than kick the tires and peek under the hood. You might win the bid low and get a good deal on whatever it is, or you might end up walking away with a lemon you only just barely won a bid war over.

Does the not knowing mean they should not be allowed to auction those cars that way?

I believe that if the companies want to run sales this way, it is up to us as consumers to make our own choices. I choose not to engage in them because I would rather see it in person. Fish less so, corals more so.

 

[The District Reef]

I don't mind live sales. I think we all just have to be smart consumers. You have to go into one knowing that it's mainly just a marketing/sales technique for the seller to get their name out there and to sell their coral at slightly discounted prices.

When I was just getting into the hobby, I'd see a live sale coming up and immediately start researching the business, their reputation, quality of their corals, etc. I'd also get excited at the opportunity to grab those $1, $5, and $10 corals just to fill my tank. I'm not proud of this, but I'd also buy a few random pieces that I knew nothing about (most of which I have regretted later). Since then, I've become a better shopper, and I go in with a plan.

Here are my tips:

(1) Look for specific pieces.

(2) Unless you're just starting out, don't go after the cheap coral deals (under $10 specials) because imo they're usually just throwaways. (If I do go after one for some reason, I will almost always give it away to someone just starting out.)

(3) Look back at the vendor's previous live sales to see where prices are expected to fall on the corals you're looking for.

(4) Use that info to shop around (check the prices at your lfs, ask local hobbyists if they have frags available, check other vendors' sites).

(5) Make sure what you're getting is worth the price of shipping (although sometimes it's just fun to get something delivered from a well-known vendor).

(6) You will rarely see any deals that are too good to be true. The seller knows the value of their product. If something doesn't sell right away, there's almost always an after sale where leftover frags are marked down even lower.

(7) If I have nothing else to do, sometimes I'll just join a live sale thread to see if I can win something. I've been successful a few times (free shipping module, gift cards, and a few other things).

 

[2Wheelsonly]

I’m a weirdo, I’d rather pay markup prices to avoid live sales and auctions. That whole compete to buy crap game turns me off. I have a local fish store that has amazing sps but they constantly do these auction only sales from Facebook and I have never bought from them because of that. Literally am spending more money to buy the same types of acros from online vendors while paying way more rather than buy from a place 5 mins from me. I just see auctions and immediately close the page.

 

[JPergamo]

I personally pick pieces that I intend to purchase way in advance of actually making the purchase. Watching pricing and seeing what hobbyists and vendors alike will sell them for. Like if I peruse a live sale, I may go in with the intent on seeing the pricing on some sticks I've been interested in for a while. Then try one or 2 and "lose" to faster more aggressive buyers, and sign off. The only time I may buy sticks on a whim is frag swaps or any other in-person transaction where something catches my eye.