Free Pass or Hammered?

[engineeronh2o]

Who decides in this hobby who gets a free pass and who gets hammered?

Just in the past week, I have seen sellers get hammered (and rightfully so). However, some people and vendors that does the hammering needs to look at themselves.

If someone uses a picture that isn't theirs, they get hammered or if the picture isn't super clear that shows the skirt alternating, the same. But, if a vendor uses the same picture (that they took) of a "mother colony", over and over and over, to sell polyp after polyp, that's ok? There is only 12 polyps in the picture and you have sold way more than 12 polyps. That isn't a picture of a polyp the buyer is receiving, so it is null and void. So what, if it is the mother colony that it come from. What if I bought a polyp from you and a year later I had 20, then I could use that picture and say this is the mother colony that you will receive one polyp from.

Or a vendor post a picture on ebay of a blue agave and claims its a WYSIWYG, but it is the same picture that has been on their website for many months?

How do I know thats the mother colony, and why does it matter? I want to see the polyp I am bidding and maybe getting and thats all that matters. If you want to throw in a pic of the MC to show how many you have and how they look when there are a dozen ok. But honestly the picture doesn't show me anything. How do I know you didn't get that picture from whoever or what if that colony melted away like the long lash eagle eyes. How do I know what the frag looks like? Was it healed, was it fragged correctly? Your pic doesn't show anything.

And so you will send a pic if requested, but why wouldn't you just post it in the beginning????? That is what we are bidding on, not the MC.

This is what I am saying, "Stop with the mother colony only pics when selling one polyp from the MC or 1" of Strawberry Shortcake from the MC". Show the WYSIWYG pics and let the buyers have piece of mind of what they are getting. The buyers always have to ask, and it seems the vendors are quite hesitate to show. Oh but the WYSIWYG picture isn't nearly as pretty and wouldn't get you that top dollar.

Maybe I am wrong, but I have bought many many times, and been super disappointed with my frag from the MC (Mother Colony).

Just a hobbyist opinion.

 

[grisha]

Well, in a lot of ways our hobby is pretty messed up...But this belongs to the market for collector coral...Most of the ppl cannot comprehend the fact that some coral sells for $200-$1000 per tiny 1/4" fragment....IMO there is always gonna be a lot of "beef" where such a competition exists.

 

[SPStoner]

If they only show the frag, and not the mother colony, they will get just as many emails and PM's asking to see the MC. I say, show them both.

 

[engineeronh2o]

I agree, but which one is most important. Both works! But gotta show the frag.

 

[grisha]

Most of the time when i want to buy something from websites i had to ask around forums how does that particular coral looks on unphotoshopped pictures

 

[ziggy]

I agree that it would be really really nice to see both the actual frag (most important) and the mother colony.

 

[SDguy]

Lot of laziness involved, and some lying. People like to make money as easily and quickly as possible. Taking the time to photograph colonies and frags, upload the photos, etc. isn't everyone's number one priority. Especially if the current colonies and frags aren't looking so hot.

 

[lazyreefer]

+1 SDguy, your ultimate right lies in purchasing corals elsewhere. And let whoever selling know why you're not buying from them. I mean it goes over like a Led Zeppelin but some folks may not know that some people would like to see the mother colony AND the frag.

There was a recent seller on eBay which showed the exact same picture of the exact same coral over, and over, and over......all at the same time no less. AND, he had about a half dozen corals offered the same way in about 60 + listings.

I sent him a question about wanting to spend some money with him but I really needed to see what it was I was buying. He sent back some schtick about how it his turn to reap the benefits of the hobby and he doesn't have any time.

I politely replied stating his decision was forcing me to do business elsewhere. Never heard back from him.....

And please don't even get me started about some getting hammered while others carry on with impunity over at that other board..... :bad_smelly: