Aussie Gold Torch Value Purchase Price

[Foothill Corals]

I have seen them going for $350 -450 for a single polyp lately.

I saw a sad little beat up one single polyp at my LFS over the weekend it was $375.

 

[Eddie7144]

I'm close enough to NY to take a drive. What's this stores name? I have no stores in my area that carry nice pieces.

Salgado aquatics in the bronx, they post on Manhattan reefs forum. Their coral section is small, but they have some good items. Last time I was their they had 4 gold torches , single heads for 75 buck a piece.

 

[BGrand]

I just got 3 heads for 80, but I live in aus.
What append to the days of sharing/trading frags with your group and friends

@Scotcheggs I gotta ask since you live there in Australia. In Australia are the Aussie Gold Torch just called "Gold Torch" or maybe "Here At Home Gold Torch" or maybe "Our Gold Torch"?

 

[Foothill Corals]

Salgado aquatics in the bronx, they post on Manhattan reefs forum. Their coral section is small, but they have some good items. Last time I was their they had 4 gold torches , single heads for 75 buck a piece.

Are you sure they are Ausi Golds and not the euphyllia cristata that some places are passing off as a gold torch? I have been told the Ausi Golds are over $150 wholesale now.

 

[Eddie7144]

Are you sure they are Ausi Golds and not the euphyllia cristata that some places are passing off as a gold torch? I have been told the Ausi Golds are over $150 wholesale now.

They were not euphyllia cristata, straight gold torches. When you see the shop you will understand why they are so affordable.

 

[Opus]

I've been to stores selling single aussie gold torch at 75 bucks a head. Since the indo ban , the indo price has skyrocketed , aussie stuff is everywhere so it's a buyer's market now. I got 2 1/2 aussie gold for 175. Funny b4 the ban aussie stuff was all the rage and indo was put to second class, now it's the other way around.

I guess I need to get my lfs in touch with your lfs. I'm friends with the manager and he said he can't get them for under $200 a head wholesale and he has a lot of sources.

 

[MnFish1]

I would ask your friend to research - and have him/her tell you what they want. Otherwise it gets complicated. After he/she gives you a price - you can always say - I was thinking more like xxxx. Or just pay them. Here they are $200/head.

They should though (IMO) be the one to set the initial price.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

Where are you guys looking exactly? In the US, the places that have true aussie golds are selling them between $500-800/ head.. yeesh

 

[Sailfinguy21]

My wife and I are in absolute love with the Aussie Gold Torch. Friend of ours has 4 separate heads and is willing to sell us 2. We want to know what is a fair price to spend per head on these from anybody that has purchased or seen pricing at your LFS.

Thanks,

A local fish store of mine that sells me huge coral colonies for great prices had gold torchs for i think 80$ for fairly large peices.. bout the size of your fist.

Im in northern virginia. This store im really lucky though.. i got a basket ball sized (no lie) green bubble coral for 160$. That coral is easily worth 600$. Ive also got a probly 40 head candycane coral for 60$ from em. Probly worth at least 200$ or more for that size.

It depends on your store or who the person is.

But if it were me i wouldnt pay more then 100$. Golden torch or not.. its a torch and torch corals grow fairly fast.. Mine started at 1 head and now its got 6 and thats in 4 months.

I refuse to pay high prices for corals.. i only spent the 160 on my bubble because it was a deal of a lifetime.. good luck ever finding a green bubble this large for under 200

 

[Brian Goldstein]

A local fish store of mine that sells me huge coral colonies for great prices had gold torchs for i think 80$ for fairly large peices.. bout the size of your fist

I highly doubt anyone out there sells aussie golds for $80 lol.. not anywhere close... unless you live in AUS... Be aware that many people out there call their corals aussie golds when they simply aren't. The picture below is what a true ultra aussie gold looks like.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

a few more

 

[Sailfinguy21]

Yea they had 4 of em just like that. My local store gets frags or colonies from people who bring them in for store credit. They also get corals from peoples tanks they tear down. You see this bubble.. NO one has green bubbles this size and if they do they arent 160$ like mine was they are 500-600$+. Im just lucky to have a store like i do

 

[Brian Goldstein]

sorry but I'll only believe it when I see the $80 price tag next to an actual gold torch... Too many people out there trying to make a quick buck off people who don't know any better...

 

[Brian Goldstein]

and if you live in the states and you paid $500 for that bubble.. I'm sorry but you overpaid

 

[Sailfinguy21]

and if you live in the states and you paid $500 for that bubble.. I'm sorry but you overpaid

Thats how mucj green bubbles this size go for lol.

Show me a 8 inch basketball sized green bubble thats not 500$ lol. Hell my normal purple grape ones in the pic were 60$ and those are tiny.

You also need to read better i said i paid 160.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

just like aussie gold torches go for $80... sorry, I just don't agree.. all good though.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

You paid $160 because thats a fair price.. sorry, its late here. I'll try to read better next time

 

[Reesj]

Bubbles that size or most corals that size goes for $15 -20 here in Sri Lanka if you know where to look for . If its native to water around here, those are the normal prices. maxium would be around $25 for even a 8-10 inch coral colony.

 

[Reesj]

Both those corals are way over 8 inches when spread. I got them$15 each. So it all depends on supply, demand and where you from.
Ofc value if $ is really high over here as well considering a lecturer here also gets paid like $400-500 per month.

 

[EMeyer]

Every time price complaints come up we get a bunch of people saying "thats just the free market". As if prices are some kind of wildly unpredictable thing that cant be discussed quantitatively. Its frustrating, when people insist that "the price is whatever people will pay". Its deliberately refusing to engage with the question; it's circular, defining the price as the price and refusing to think about WHY that is the price.

Lettuce doesnt sell for $20k and cars don't sell for $1.99, and I don't need to ask buyers what they'd pay in order to know that.

In a mature market the prices approach the cost of production plus a small amount of profit. This is as close to a Law of Nature as you will find in economics.

In markets that are distorted by regulation, a lack of transparency, or the actions of monopolies, the prices are much higher than that. For a while, usually early in the development of the market. During this period, the prices are *objectively* too high. Even if someone pays them, they are too high. Because what is meant by "too high" is not "no one will pay it". What is meant by "too high" is "much higher than the cost of production plus a reasonable profit".

After those distortions are removed, prices correct. You've seen it with other corals. They sell for $500 initially then after a year or two theyre selling for $50. That is a price correction. The initial price was wrong. Distorted. Too high. Over the market life of the item, most will sell for the correct price. Only during early distorted periods in the market will they sell for a high price.

As for the ethics of the situation. Like most ethical questions it is unlikely everyone will agree, and we probably shouldnt expect that.

Is it right for a vendor to take advantage of the temporarily high prices? Should they take the money while they can, out of a fear of missing out on potential profits? IMO such a perspective ignores where the money comes from; the vendor profits directly at the expense of the customer. Surely it is ethically better to charge your customer a reasonable profit rather than the maximum possible profit.

I suggest an ethical goal here should be this: if the buyer and seller both had full information about what the item cost the seller (wholesale + fair overhead), they'd agree the selling price was fair.

On the other hand, no reasonable code of ethics would compel vendors to sell themselves into bankruptcy. Profit is necessary and good and literally feeds families. Wholesale cost, lease and utility costs, and local cost of living all contribute to determining reasonable minimum prices.

Theres a wide range of prices between the minimum needed to keep the seller in business and the maximum someone will pay. I argue that yes, absolutely, there is an ethical dimension to the seller's decision where to set there prices, within this range.

But its very unlikely everyone will agree on the answers to this question, like any ethical question. Some will see it as their duty to maximize profit, and foolish to "leave money on the table". Others will see it as their duty to not overcharge their customers, and would feel guilty for overcharging the buyer.