eBay...yay or nay?

[bigkamp]

Newb here... I’ve always been a face to face kinda guy but I see crazy selections I haven’t seen in south jersey... anyone experiance the joys or sorrows of eBay purchasing of live corals or anemones? Or anything living for that matter... I did not know eBay allowed live animal sales... now I’m just wondering if it’s some kid in a basement citing frags and sticking them in a shipping box... pics of purchase and seller info would be greatly appreciated ones to use or avoid...he’s what I’m looking at... thoughts? On pricing, shipping quality... anything specific to look at/for in eBay ads...

 

[Rip2131]

I'm gonna follow along!

 

[littlebeard]

A lot of the vendors here use ebay to sell corals. World Wide Corals is one, I see you have AquaSD. Like anything on ebay, I would check the sellers rating.

 

[CMMorgan]

Also look to see if they list an aquaculture license. That will definitely set the pros apart from the basement side hustles. There are many quality sellers on Ebay and Etsy. You just need to do your due diligence. Read reviews, check ratings.

 

[ClownWrangler]

It’s hit or miss, but I say its not worth it unless they have a reasonable guaranty period. I just got an anemone off ebay the other day from a seller named "reef-tank-lover" who shipped it in a tiny zip lock bag with just a few oz of water. I honestly thought the box was empty at first. It didn’t survive and the seller is not responding to my email yet after 2 days. I didn’t notice the "2 hour" DOA policy in the description. If I had I would have avoided this shady seller. 2 hours is extremely unreasonable for coral frags and nems as they take longer than this to open up if they are alive. Avoid sellers that have policies like this at all cost. I will likely end up having to file a not as described claim with ebay to get my money back. I had better luck with a different seller "aqua-sd" who sent me 2 healthy nems without issue around the same time, but they have their own web site and a good reputation.

 

[ThePurple12]

I use Ebay all the time to buy some livestock and dy goods, and I sell there as well. It really depends on the seller. Check their ratings and DOA policy. If there's a problem and you ask Ebay to step in, they'll usually favor the buyer and you'll get your money back. Some buyers use this unfairly unfortunately...

 

[ClownWrangler]

Allow me to reiterate. Do not do business with ebay user reef-tank-lover. This seller does not know how to ship animals properly and will not cooperate with you for replacement when they die. aqua-sd on the other hand is good to go. Check out their website (aquasd.com) first though as you may getter better deals there or have an idea of what to place your bid limit at. You can combine the flat rate shipping with their ebay and website orders as well. They care about their animals and will even follow up if the shipment is delayed. Great customer service.

Semper Fidelis

 

[DonTavo27]

I’ve had a few great eBay purchases, but honestly, why not just look through the R2R selling forum? We have plenty of hobbyist with shipping experience, and of course good prices!

 

[bigkamp]

I’ve had a few great eBay purchases, but honestly, why not just look through the R2R selling forum? We have plenty of hobbyist with shipping experience, and of course good prices!

I did not know you could sell/buy on here wow that’s awesome every other pet/animal group/forum/platform you get banned for speaking such evil lol I haven’t really “looked” around here yet I just push buttons till I see a post new thread button lol

 

[vetteguy53081]

Haven’t purchased coral off eBay in quite some time but pieces were much smaller than in pics

 

[Sailfin11]

Yeah, heres a link to the livestock thread section! https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/selling-forum-livestock.9/

 

[Ta2oodfreak]

I just did a ebay purchase of some cyphestria, zoas and a porites. Seller was pretty cheap, but the frags were on the smaller frag plugs. He shipped 2nd day air but I met the delivery driver at the door.
The water was still 66 degrees. Box was well insulated and the corals were well packaged. Everything look great except the porites, but 4/5 isn't bad for some cheap frags.

 

[ClownWrangler]

Haven’t purchased coral off eBay in quite some time but pieces were much smaller than in pics

Some Ebay sellers have also mastered the art of trick photography and color adjustments in photoshop for "ultra-color" effect.

 

[hds4216]

I have never seen a Duncan be that color. Wonder if it’s genuinely that blue or a trick.

 

[tehmadreefer]

Same ppl that sell on here also sell on OfferUp, Craigslist, Facebook and eBay.

 

[bigkamp]

I have never seen a Duncan be that color. Wonder if it’s genuinely that blue or a trick.

That’s the stuff I’m wondering too

 

[ClownWrangler]

That’s the stuff I’m wondering too

What they do is illuminate the corals with intense actinic blue lighting unlike anything you would ever have over your aquarium. It makes all the colors "pop" but the dead giveaway is the background being washed out and blue in places that you know it wouldn’t be, like the oral disc of an anemone.

 

[Phil D.]

I did not know you could sell/buy on here wow that’s awesome every other pet/animal group/forum/platform you get banned for speaking such evil lol I haven’t really “looked” around here yet I just push buttons till I see a post new thread button lol

I sell on this forum all the time, zoas and nems. I have had good feedback from folks and I have bought from ebay too.

 

[ClownWrangler]

I have RBTAs similar to the one in the top left, but I'm not going to sell any until spring time. I just don’t trust the carriers any more to handle them properly. Even with heat packs, I have received anemones that basically froze to death.