Coral Pricing

[mpoletti]

I guess bottom line for me is this, and it will show MY true colors. I started this business as a hobby but lets face it. I'm a small operation compared to most, and i can't support my family selling mushrooms and green pagoda cups! LOL

I love it Matt. I have a couple friends that run shops and I totally understand it. Besides, the prices are only going up. That means my investments a couple years ago look better and better :)

 

[SDguy]

The only thing that will stop it, is a ban on imported corals,....

Interesting.... Don't you think this will increase prices, not decrease?

 

[mpoletti]

I
I'm curious, what is the cut off point on what you would pay for a frag?

$200, $500, $1,000?

I've paid $200 a couple times and $300 once. I have spent a little more on a fish before, but thats different :D

 

[mpoletti]

Interesting.... Don't you think this will increase prices, not decrease?

Agreed. I would love a ban as my collection would triple in value; not like that matters ;)

 

[SDguy]

*Drools at the thought of fraggable fish*

 

[ahvrivera]

This is a great thread. cause you are seeing many sides to this risky hobbie.

I used to own a pet store and can relate to some of the high pricing methods used. if i got a nice piece in of course it would be higher priced. but at the same time i would give out great deals if other items or frag packs would be bought. I also have an importers license and have seen that side too. it has been explained many a times over in the above replies.

so i agree with both sides. Yes the prices are WOW the highest ive seen but, the demand is there. I myself am the kind to see a piece if i like it i buy it. usually price doesnt deter me(usually) I like trading more than buying to be honest. help out a fellow reefer. and im gonna stop here cause im loosing track hahahaha!!!

 

[SDguy]

Agreed. I would love a ban as my collection would triple in value; not like that matters ;)

At least it will offset my 401K :tongue:

 

[Fish n' Frags]

I love it Matt. I have a couple friends that run shops and I totally understand it. Besides, the prices are only going up. That means my investments a couple years ago look better and better :)

Absolutely Mark, your corals especially! You must have about what? 1 million in there?? LOL

 

[sailfish]

I have no problem with you or anyone else making money. Heck I want you to otherwise you will go out of business and I can't get your nice corals.:bigsmile: I just think some are overpriced for the size of coral you get. I think if you can not cut a 1" frag of something then it should not be cut.:snicker:

I can't really discuss this with you Matthew because it's really about your business model more then about your corals. There are many different business models one can follow. Yours may be the best one it may not only time will tell. If your here in a few years then you were right.

As for your example one could also take that coral and cut it up. Sell it for a 50% mark up and then move on to the next one. I would imagen that the more you sell the more you could buy, the more you buy the better stuff you supplier would offer.

I could be wrong as I do not run a store.

One could also cut out the middle man and import yourself.

I have nothing against you of any store owner specifically I just want all the nice coral I can get. I do not like dishonesty or some tactics I see in this industry.

I often wounder if people who post corals on their website but do not post a price for a day are two are just trying to see how many PMs they get about the coral before setting an actual price.

I also think that is the reason some people post updates on this site before they even post their corals on their site. If they get a lot of PMs they jack up the price. Heck half the time corals are sold before they even make it to the site. I never get a chance at it. Dam you guys. LOL Something about this does not sit right with me.

Now that I have ticked off all the guys with the best corals I will quit before no one will sell me corals.:squigglemouth:

Joe

LOL, i'm not sold out, i'm just putting everything up on the site before i make it all available for purchase. Probably tonight or tomorrow.

And SHOULD i know who you are? If i do, please let me know and we can work on that special pricing.. :D

 

[aquarius77]

Great thread.
There are def a few sides to this hobby. I am basically broke and dont spend alot of money on my tank, but i can understand the buisness sides view as well. If it sells for 300 an eye, sell that sucker for 300 an eye. In 2 years ill be able to afford it once everyone has it and demand for it drops :)

 

[mpoletti]

Absolutely Mark, your corals especially! You must have about what? 1 million in there?? LOL

No quite ;)

 

[Fish n' Frags]

I have no problem with you or anyone else making money. Heck I want you to otherwise you will go out of business and I can't get your nice corals.:bigsmile: I just think some are overpriced for the size of coral you get. I think if you can not cut a 1" frag of something then it should not be cut.:snicker:

I can't really discuss this with you Matthew because it's really about your business model more then about your corals. There are many different business models one can follow. Yours may be the best one it may not only time will tell. If your here in a few years then you were right.

As for your example one could also take that coral and cut it up. Sell it for a 50% mark up and then move on to the next one. I would imagen that the more you sell the more you could buy, the more you buy the better stuff you supplier would offer.

I could be wrong as I do not run a store.

One could also cut out the middle man and import yourself.

I have nothing against you of any store owner specifically I just want all the nice coral I can get. I do not like dishonesty or some tactics I see in this industry.

I often wounder if people who post corals on their website but do not post a price for a day are two are just trying to see how many PMs they get about the coral before setting an actual price.

I also think that is the reason some people post updates on this site before they even post their corals on their site. If they get a lot of PMs they jack up the price. Heck half the time corals are sold before they even make it to the site. I never get a chance at it. Dam you guys. LOL Something about this does not sit right with me.

Now that I have ticked off all the guys with the best corals I will quit before no one will sell me corals.:squigglemouth:

Joe

No worries here mate! I hear ya from start to finish. We'll see if i'm dead in the water shortly.. :D

 

[Ultimateaquariums]

I used to be one of the guys that would pay whatever price if I liked the coral. I have to say the prices and way things work now with posting corals on here to drive the price up even higher has completely ended my online frag addiction. I would like to thank all the people that have brought in a wild colony and charged $400/ frag. You are saving me a ton of money!

 

[Fish n' Frags]

Please show me a 400.00 frag besides Trops Acid Trip, besides 400 is nothing compared to the rumors of a $1000.00 plus My Miami.... and i'm sure it will sell. Heck, i'd buy it.

Also, if you don't import direct (we don't) than the middle man is making money to. And my middle man knows his coral. I'll just say this, the Goku cost me around the 1000.00 mark. But it looks good on my website! :D And i'm glad i bought it cause i still haven't seen a peice like it since.

It feels like some people think that vendors are getting there coral for dirt and selling them for gold. Well, maybe some, but in my case its gold for gold.

 

[Psychographic]

Interesting.... Don't you think this will increase prices, not decrease?

I was kind of going with there would be none imported to be available for sale. I was'nt thinking of the aquaculture side of things.

Yes I agree you are correct.

 

[bushh23]

Please show me a 400.00 frag besides Trops Acid Trip, besides 400 is nothing compared to the rumors of a $1000.00 plus My Miami.... and i'm sure it will sell. Heck, i'd buy it.

Also, if you don't import direct (we don't) than the middle man is making money to. And my middle man knows his coral. I'll just say this, the Goku cost me around the 1000.00 mark. But it looks good on my website! :D And i'm glad i bought it cause i still haven't seen a peice like it since.

It feels like some people think that vendors are getting there coral for dirt and selling them for gold. Well, maybe some, but in my case its gold for gold.

I actually like how we are getting a vendor point of view also and i spplaud Matt for chiming in! One thing i think a lot of people forget about when thinking these frags are expensive is the Risk/Reward. Just because a vendor buys a rare colony for a 1000 doesnt necessarily guarantee he will make that back or more. He could lose the colony or frag it and lost all of the frags. That also would be built into the price and also makes most of us keep our goodies and not share them! Dont overlook the fact that these things take time to grow, some a lot more than others. This is the same arguement that happens with cars. I want to drive a BMW or classic hotrod, but i choose not too because payments on it would be harder to make each month and cut into my coral money :). BUT if i want it the fancy car i make adjustments. No one forces us to pay what we pay. You can always just take the money you want to spend on a few frags and pool it together to buy 1 great one. Then in 6 months you may have trade bait. That starts the ball rolling and also helps you build contacts in this hobby to trade with who might give you a break on the corals they have. I find myself paying high prices for frags (sometimes between $350 and $400) and not just because i really want that piece but because the person i buy it from didnt hear me haggle or complain about the price. This usually helps me get first dibs on stuff other times when they are releasing something. Of course i have a work tank that i can then turn around and sell them to my boss for the same price and my "commission" is the contact. Thus helping my own tank at home. I know not everyone can do this but hey everyone has to start somewhere!

 

[Ultimateaquariums]

Please show me a 400.00 frag besides Trops Acid Trip, besides 400 is nothing compared to the rumors of a $1000.00 plus My Miami.... and i'm sure it will sell. Heck, i'd buy it.

Also, if you don't import direct (we don't) than the middle man is making money to. And my middle man knows his coral. I'll just say this, the Goku cost me around the 1000.00 mark. But it looks good on my website! :D And i'm glad i bought it cause i still haven't seen a peice like it since.

It feels like some people think that vendors are getting there coral for dirt and selling them for gold. Well, maybe some, but in my case its gold for gold.

I know what corals cost.. I sold them for six years. I agree completely. Most have no idea what costs are involved with this business. Try running full blown fish store and it will blow your mind. It's just gotten out of hand on every end. You are still paying for a coral that somebody just went in the ocean, cut out, stuck in a few boxes, and shipped all over the place. I can't justify the cost anymore. It's just too much. BTW I paid close to $900 for an original red WM colony from Dave Whitham so I'm just as nuts as most. At least it was about a 3" colony and not a frag though! I'm done with that part of it.

 

[SaraB]

I typically buy what I like ... but I do have to say it's not hard to get caught up in all the hype and over spend with the chalices.

I'm also disappointed with the sizes of frags out there and paying over $200+ for a teeny tiny piece. That has somewhat turned me off to future buying lately.

I have a few key pieces that I will let grow and hopefully to use as trade items to get some of the LE's I don't already own.

I do tell my husband that I can recoupe some of the cost of the frag by selling a couple frags down the road to pay for what I purchased. I sold him that way on a piece 1.5 years ago I paid $300 for and I still have not fragged it! It helps to keep me out of the dog house somewhat. If I'm selling the frag I do price it less than the going vendor price ... if I'm trading it, I trade vendor price for vendor price.

 

[cultivatedcoral]

You won't see those prices at our store. We have full colonies 4-5" for the same price that other stores would charge per eye.

 

[mpoletti]

I typically buy what I like ... but I do have to say it's not hard to get caught up in all the hype and over spend with the chalices.

I'm also disappointed with the sizes of frags out there and paying over $200+ for a teeny tiny piece. That has somewhat turned me off to future buying lately.

Well Said Sara. When did the price go from "xyz for a 'frag" to "xyz for an 'eye". I guess that is when I started getting sick about the whole thing as well.

The hype is what draws so many of us in. That is why I can not fault the vendors.

The vendors need their crack. They cut up the crack and then they sell it to the crack heads. The wholesales know that prices will continue to go up because the vendors are paying more and more. They need to make a profit so they pass it along to consumers.