Thanks for having me! Great to see you too!
Never been to rap but I sell frags at local swaps as a hobbyist. This is accurate for me, I make up the prices as I go, if people have asked the price on a particular piece like more than 5 times and it didn’t sell, the next person to ask might get a lower price. Also it’s a pain to try and label them all with prices and requires more planning than I am willing to do as an hobbyist. Because I make them up on the fly based on my experience and history, sometimes they are too high and I have to make adjustments or occasionally low and people get a deal. And I also want people to talk to me and ask questions, it’s part of what I enjoy about swaps. Not just look at the prices and walk on.I had a great time, especially meeting everyone from R2R, but I'm with those that said that most did not have prices listed, and while I'm sure prices could be negotiated and would fall the closer you get to Sunday evening, but I still found that annoying. I would have liked to see more labels and pricing to avoid the constant "how much is that". I think part of the reason they don't label things is so they can make up a price off the top of their head for whoever they are taking to at the time.
But again, I had a great time, and we are already planning on going next yearI hope to see you all there!
I do get that for sure! Thanks for your reply!
I understand some stuff is outrageous. I truly do and no need for me to expound on that. Don't get me wrong. But that's every hobby, every business, everything on the whole dang planet! Can you believe we pay for water in bottles? HAHA!
I remember when bottled water started to become a thing and I saw it in the grocery store with my wife and we talked about who was ever going to buy bottled water like that. Now my wife will only drink "the best" bottled water.
I was hoping you would reply to my comment. But me too!:( I can definitely send you one and is there any chance you are going to Aquashella?
Not everyone honestly I’d say a majority of vendors don’t put prices up or only pice half of their inventory. It’s not the way to run a both imo and experience. I have done craft shows before and always had things labeled granted that people would still ask what the prices of things were lol.
Oh absolutely I negotiate everything unless I already like the price lol!
Not likely, unfortunately, but definitely another show at some point, we had fun!
I can vouch for this. I think it really is nice to see what you are buying in person, and really know what you are getting. When you buy online, you take a chance with the coral being shipped, it being the right piece, etc Nothing against online businesses at all, but that is just the risk you take with having live goods shipped to you.
I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with “what you’re seeing is the trend in the economy”. Aquarium, especially the saltwater aquarium industry, is increasing their prices of everything at a much faster rate than anything I’ve ever seen before *cough coralvue cough*. They use tariffs and inflation as an excuse to price gouge us. PS5 was $399 in 2020 and it’s still the same price 5 years later… Abyzz A100 was $1,699 in 2020 and it’s now 2,199. Sorry but inflation hasn’t gone up 30% in 5 years.
I was providing a simple example, not the end all be all. I’ll give you another example. I was a gymnast for 18 years, and you could argue men’s gymnastics is a smaller industry than reefing. Yet, high bar grips have maybe gone up from $54 to a whopping $58 in the last decade. Every college athlete, including myself, only used a specific grip made by one German company because they made the best and there really aren’t any good alternatives. Reichelsport could’ve said “sorry fellas, we gonna charge $75+ now because uhhhhh tariffs and inflation” but they don’t.
Sounds like an opportunity for someone else to step into this vendor and trade show Market??
Not where I am in Northern virginia. Buying locally I always seem to get bigger pieces for much better prices than anything online. Seems like online you pay $60 or more for a single zoa polyp. I've made purchases locally with guys selling the same zoa, but have five polyps for $25, and it's the exact same! I always buy local as much as possible
