Do you guys mind the big store price tag?

[Skay]

My first impression of this hobby walking into WWC for the first time was of how expensive everything is. I’m talking plus 300 for almost every frag. I thought that was the norm. Luckily in orlando there are many many local resellers, and i have yet to find those same frags for over $150. A dragon soul at WWC is $399, something absolutely absurd and i bought mine from a local reefer for $75. Just curious if stores like that are the “name brand” and some people just have no choice but to buy from them. What are your experiences? Do you guys mind the price tag? Don’t get me wrong i know if i buy from WWC i’m getting a good product but is it worth a 200 percent markup? What are your thoughts. Personally i refuse to ever buy a coral from these stores when the local market is so vast.

BTW i’m not hating on WWC it’s a great store with great employees who even know me by name. Every LFS here in orlando suffers from this dilemma.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I absolutely mind the astronomical pricing and microscopic coral size. Especially when others try to "mark to market" using those prices.

It always seems like a Joke that some people don't get, because they still Buy Them.

 

[bushdoc]

It's called Capitalism and I love it, but you should know how to navigate it. If you don't buy coral frag for $300-500 ( or more) they will drop the price.
There is plenty of less expensive frags in LFS or even large online stores.
I usually try LFS first and then go online and browse their inventory starting at lower prices. As a rule I do not buy frags for $300 of Dr Seuss fish for $6K.

 

[Michael A Kurolvech]

I use to shop exclusively locally, I have 4 saltwater fish stores within an hour or so. Recently I've been purchasing corals more online simply because of the huge selection available. I'm able to purchase 7 or 8 frags at one time as opposed to hoping to find something at my LFS.

 

[Skay]

It's called Capitalism and I love it, but you should know how to navigate it. If you don't buy coral frag for $300-500 ( or more) they will drop the price.
There is plenty of less expensive frags in LFS or even large online stores.
I usually try LFS first and then go online and browse their inventory starting at lower prices. As a rule I do not buy frags for $300 of Dr Seuss fish for $6K.

That’s the thing too with these stores they have crazy sales for like july 4th and father’s day, why would i ever buy a coral full price when i know these sales are gonna happen eventually. feel bad for the people that do

 

[billyocean]

Buying coral is like buying anything else in life...shop around and source different avenues. From a vendor standpoint..if I have a thousand people in my thread willing to pay those prices and they are happy with it...then why not.

 

[billyocean]

That’s the thing too these stores is they have crazy sales for like july 4th and father’s day, why would i ever buy a coral full price when i know these sales are gonna happen eventually. feel bad for the people that do

Ehhhh...retail price is just there for conditioning....80% off is just there to make you feel good. After a while you learn where the value buy is versus what you're being told is.

 

[Skay]

From a vendor standpoint..if I have a thousand people in my thread willing to pay those prices and they are happy with it...then why not.

maybe it’s the broke college student in me, i forget most people in this hobby are older with more dispensable income

 

[billyocean]

maybe it’s the broke college student in me, i forget most people in this hobby are older with more dispensable income

I see some of the sales..I shake my head....I keep it moving. Lol

 

[Skay]

I absolutely mind the astronomical pricing and microscopic coral size. Especially when others try to "mark to market" using those prices.

It always seems like a Joke that some people don't get, because they still Buy Them.

me and my girlfriend saw a dime size goni for 239 at WWC. absolutely insane and it was gone after a few weeks so i’m assuming someone bought it

 

[paragrouper]

maybe it’s the broke college student in me, i forget most people in this hobby are older with more dispensable income

I shy away from a lot of the larger vendors. I have an LFS who have very reasonable prices. they don’t carry as much stock, so you may have to wait for what you want.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I think this is a classic case of circular reasoning. In order for WWC to have a large facility and employees, they set the price of their products. Inexperienced hobbyist that doesn't know any better open their wallet and pay those prices. Then when a hobbyists has the same coral and want to sell it, they look on the internet to see what wwc is selling a 1/2" frag. They drop 10% off that cost and again some unsavy hobbyist thinks they're getting a good deal.

With the revolving door in this hobby there's never an opportunity for prices to naturally drop. Older somewhat wiser hobbyist leave, newer hobbyist don't know any better, all the while prices continue to creep up.

We can say it's capitalism all day long, but the truth of the matter is that no one listens when someone says, that $300 coral is only worth $30. We allow big businesses to dictate these prices and it's worth mentioning that the small coral farmers justify their prices even though their overhead is virtually nothing compared to wwc. Maybe this all stems from greed or a rising tide lifts all boats but I'm telling you right now it's not so much capitalism as it is a naive consumer base.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

maybe it’s the broke college student in me, i forget most people in this hobby are older with more dispensable income

That's an excellent point, this hobby attracts folks from all income brackets. And it's easy for the ones with expendable income to open their wallet and not bat an eye. Which again emboldens the market.

 

[Reefer Matt]

My first impression of this hobby walking into WWC for the first time was of how expensive everything is. I’m talking plus 300 for almost every frag. I thought that was the norm. Luckily in orlando there are many many local resellers, and i have yet to find those same frags for over $150. A dragon soul at WWC is $399, something absolutely absurd and i bought mine from a local reefer for $75. Just curious if stores like that are the “name brand” and some people just have no choice but to buy from them. What are your experiences? Do you guys mind the price tag? Don’t get me wrong i know if i buy from WWC i’m getting a good product but is it worth a 200 percent markup? What are your thoughts. Personally i refuse to ever buy a coral from these stores when the local market is so vast.

BTW i’m not hating on WWC it’s a great store with great employees who even know me by name. Every LFS here in orlando suffers from this dilemma.

I hear ya. The bigger the store, the more overhead they have to pay for though. Also, Reefing is still very much a hobby for the wealthy, unfortunately. I got lucky and found a lot of Reefers in my area to trade with. I don't buy from the big box stores, and I sell at about 25-50% of what they charge. But I only sell locally. There are "basement sellers" everywhere, so I would look for local groups online.

 

[AstroCoral]

This is how I go about buying coral frags from any professional online vendor: find corals I like, watch pricing on said corals, wait until the vendor drops the price then buy them if it’s reasonable. If someone else is willing to pay full price then it is all theirs, I just move on to another frag. I also do not go off the “original” slashed “sale” price that some online vendors are now using as a sales tactic. Example: “It was $899, now it’s only $499” except the problem was that it was never $899 as no one would buy it for that price. The $499 then looks more appealing leading to someone purchasing it as it looked like a great “sale” price.

As of recently, I have been buying more and more from hobbyists on R2R, better pricing and you know exactly what you are getting from them.

It’s unfortunate how costly some frags have become, I have e-receipts from nearly a decade ago (I probably need to clean out my email inbox) that show some ridiculously low prices I used to pay for frags.

 

[Skay]

I hear ya. The bigger the store, the more overhead they have to pay for though. Also, Reefing is still very much a hobby for the wealthy, unfortunately. I got lucky and found a lot of Reefers in my area to trade with. I don't buy from the big box stores, and I sell at about 25-50% of what they charge. But I only sell locally. There are "basement sellers" everywhere, so I would look for local groups online.

yeah i lucked out and found a lot of garage sellers. super cool setups and they always gave me a deal on whatever i was buying. you’re totally right about a hobby for the wealthy, i’ve been in line at wwc and some people drop 2-3k in one visit on like five corals haha

 

[BriansBrain]

I don’t blame any business to capitalize on a market that’s there, with cash in hand. However, big box coral shops make most of their money off newer hobbyists that see the business’s flashy YouTube or Instagram content making almost a tourist trap. With the revolving door of new people it creates fad corals throughout the years - acans, then mushrooms, then torches now gonis etc- my theories anyway.
People see the content being advertised/hyped and are drawn in waves.

If there’s something irresistible or uncommon, buy it if you want. If it’s a pink milli for $300, pass and buy it from a local Reefer for $40.

 

[Slocke]

My first impression of this hobby walking into WWC for the first time was of how expensive everything is. I’m talking plus 300 for almost every frag. I thought that was the norm. Luckily in orlando there are many many local resellers, and i have yet to find those same frags for over $150. A dragon soul at WWC is $399, something absolutely absurd and i bought mine from a local reefer for $75. Just curious if stores like that are the “name brand” and some people just have no choice but to buy from them. What are your experiences? Do you guys mind the price tag? Don’t get me wrong i know if i buy from WWC i’m getting a good product but is it worth a 200 percent markup? What are your thoughts. Personally i refuse to ever buy a coral from these stores when the local market is so vast.

BTW i’m not hating on WWC it’s a great store with great employees who even know me by name. Every LFS here in orlando suffers from this dilemma.

I visited WWC and was impressed… till I saw their prices.
I joke with @Petcrazyson in Orlando it would be cheaper to fly to me in Atlanta, buy the fish and corals at my LFS and fly back to Orlando

 

[Skay]

It’s unfortunate how costly some frags have become, I have e-receipts from nearly a decade ago (I probably need to clean out my email inbox) that show some ridiculously low prices I used to pay for frags.

unfortunately a decade ago i was barley 11. it’s the same vibe as why didn’t i buy a house in 09 when the market crashed haha

 

[vetteguy53081]

I cant even go to their booths at shows- I'll leave it at that