LIVE SALES.... Are they losing their "deep discounts"???

muzikalmatt

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I've only participated in a few live sales (a couple from WWC and one from Unique Corals) but I would agree that the actual "savings" or "value" is not as much you'd expect for a "sale". Sure you can get some $5 frags if you're quick enough, but then you typically have to buy another standard frag with each $5 frag. When you factor in the cost of shipping, you're losing any savings you got from those $5 frags. I think the main benefit from my perspective is picking up some corals that aren't available at my local LFS, and to be honest, I kind of enjoy the frantic nature of the live sales. However, as someone else pointed out it definitely encourages impulse buys which don't always turn out so well.
 

vetteguy53081

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To add my two cents. . . . .
It has changed over the last 9-12 months.
Gone are the days of FREE shiiping
Gone are the days of $5 -$10 frags
Gone are the days of Cheap fish or coral UNLESS they are tiny and require a magnifying glass for viewing

I realize expenses have incurred over time but not to a level where as Harold indicated discounts surpass LFS prices. I just bought a 3+" powder blue tang at an LFS over an hour away. It was $99. Online it was $64.99 PLUS $39 ship at 3" plus I got to see it eat and inspect before paying and Got to bring it home in hours rather than days. The shipping and size made a difference to go to LFS, especially when box and packing fees are now added making the total $113.90 for a $65 fish shipped
 

Bigwrasse

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Yeah it’s like they reposted the same garbage 100 times. Never seen so many standard hammers or Xenia in my life. Like people don’t buy gsp for live sales. Yet they still didn’t “give them away”. I’ll be in Orlando for Black Friday and I’m really debating even going to wwc or tsa because i feel like it’s just another gimmick to rip people off
The store is fantastic and has great stuff. I think they used that live sale to get rid of their trash so they didn’t have to move it to the new location. I bought quite A few corals from Jason Fox live sale since he had some nicer stuff at a fair price but he has considerably lower overhead than WWC
 

hart24601

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Exactly. Once you buy one piece your almost forced to buy 5-6 more at some unappealing price to balance out the shipping or you just really pay double for the one piece. Its trickery

Exactly why I avoid them. It used to be worth the risk, but now it's terrible.
 
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I would expect prices to continue to rise when sale items are sold instantly when posted.
You freaking NAILED IT!

Why would a Live Sales Vendor sell smthg at 50% off when a 10% off coral gets bought within 30secs of it posting?

This RAVAGE buying has to stop....when 400-600 ppl hang out waiting on that $5 coral get bored then end up IMPULSE BUYING a $60 frag, the Vendor is just going to maximize their volume of sales.

I've done the Math..... most Vendors are selling anywhere btwn $25,000 to $100,000 of their coral stock by the ravage buyers "carting out" in 30 secs.

Math = you post 2,500 frags at an avg cost of $50 per frag ==== $125,000 In total sales. PLUS the $5/$10 they probably profit off of every single shipping modules

Not bad, selling $125,000 in corals in a 2day event...

It's a dang LICENSE TO PRINT MONEY. I'm all for Coral Vendors making money at a profit....but dont advertise a MAJOR SALE when it's a INVENTORY DUMP by the Vendor. Guess I'm jealous they can just spark sales with ravage buyers and us old-timers suffer with ever-increasing-prices
 
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HB AL

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Live sales on here are a farce. Its basically selling corals in a live setting not a live sale. When a green slimmer goes for 45$ for a small frag you have your answer, let alone the prices on Acro nubs, 1 head Zoa, that you’ve never heard of but are being offered at ridiculous prices. But I guess the companies are making a killing because most are doing it, seems like there’s a “live sale” every weekend and people are actually excited for them when they happen and are proud to “win” an overpriced frag the size of a polyp or nub priced with what the size of a 2 or 3 inch frag would cost locally. But I guess for those that don’t have many lfs’s close buy this is the only way to buy unfortunately they don’t know what there missing if they only had an lfs without the big name, glad I do. I have participated in a couple online sales the 1 st one a couple years ago from a very large vendor on here and was thoroughly disappointed in the corals I received for there size and looking nothing like the pictures posted. The second one was from another vendor a year ago and there prices were really sale prices a good deal and the frags came in looking like the pics showed them. I do occasionally buy from that second vendor on occasion as they have really good prices for what they are selling along with there discount codes. For the most part I stick to my lfs’s as I can see 1st hand what I’m getting and the true size along with the price compared to the same coral with a different name for half the size and atleast twice the price.
 
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I'm seeing a certain vendor is hosting yet another Live Sale this weekend

I went to their Vendor page and in 2019 alone they've offered TEN PAGES worth of Sale Events.... 10 pages, too many to count.

Im not saying that's good, bad, or indifferent.... paying a discounted price as always good!

I'm questioning if a Sales Price is actually a SALES price when its constantly on-sale. Cant list a gallon of milk regularly priced at $3.99 a gallon when 335 of the 365 days a year its "on sale " for $2.99

Every other Friday cant be Black Friday bc the consumer questions why pricing is always a sales price.....

Is it truly a sales price or just a falsely perceived sales price? Hmmmmm. When is too much, too much?


.
 
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vetteguy53081

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I'm seeing a certain vendor is hosting yet another Live Sale this weekend

I went to their Vendor page and in 2019 alone they've offered TEN PAGES worth of Sale Events.... 10 pages, too many to count.

Im not saying that's good, bad, or indifferent.... paying a discounted price as always good!

I'm questioning if a Sales Price is actually a SALES price when its constantly on-sale. Cant list a gallon of milk regularly priced at $3.99 a gallon when 335 of the 365 days a year its "on sale " for $2.99

Every other Friday cant be Black Friday bc the consumer questions why pricing is always a sales price.....

Is it truly a sales price or just a falsely perceived sales price? Hmmmmm. When is too much, too much?


.
Be assured, the 59.99 one you get 49% this weekend will be 39.99 next week with 10% off. Fo the numbers- not a sale just an impulse tactic. St one time it was svtrue sale but that is history
 

Nasir

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Live sales have become a joke just like the high priced frags. Less than a inch for 1000.00. I have notice that the prices are raised before the sale.
 

ScottR

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Actual I think some LS vendors do actually sell corals at 75-80% off bc they are severely overstocked on a particular genre.

Or they've been sitting on a coral for so long they are tired of throwing maintenance costs (salt, lighting) that they want it gone.



.
My tank is overstocked. I frag off and give away or just throw away. Xenia needs a lawn mowing every month. If you’re willing to spend big money for weeds, come to my home.
 

ScottR

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Live sales have become a joke just like the high priced frags. Less than a inch for 1000.00. I have notice that the prices are raised before the sale.
I’m not trying to add insult to injury but for $20 I can get a $20 colony that would cost $2000 in the US (I don’t live in the US). The market drives the price. If people pay that price, the needle won’t change. Everyday-people may complain but there are those buyers that buy and drive up the price. It’s economics 101. We hate it and we can’t change it.
 

lapin

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Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods or services sold in a given time period. Nothing says they have to be any cheaper than a regular price. Soon we will see rebates like the auto industry has. Applied to the cost of the vehicle. That cost may be marked up to cover the rebate. Sub coral for vehicle.
Was it not WC Fields that said a fool and his money are soon parted
 
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