Vendors are Doing Nothing Wrong by Raising their Prices.

[HomebroodExotics]

It’s tough to be a business in these times. Gave employees 30% raise this year since we are as desperate to keep them as other businesses are to hire them. Added retirement plan and extra 2 weeks of vacation on top of that - employees making more than us with none of the downside risks lol

If you don't want to pay them then it sounds like you don't really need them.

 

[AKG]

No it won't! It will go back to local frag swaps and re ignite local reef clubs... which will put natural downward pressure on the vendor prices. The real problem is that the local reef scene is dead and everyone (me included) is too lazy to reboot it.

Yes!

 

[InactiveAcct]

Well, to be fair, their down side risk is two fold:

1. You could fire them any day
2. Staying with you means they may be giving up a higher salary somewhere else.

as I said, I am a business owner too. Just a sucky situation right now all around.

Can’t argue with that, everyone is just trying to feed mouths. But all of that to say, I’m not expecting to see wiggle room for actual discounts. I think there are very few who are actually getting rich off selling frags.

 

[exnisstech]

I've got a hundred heads of Duncan. Mats of xenia, Hundreds of all types of zoa polyps. Super nice leathers I can frag candy canes and many other nice corals that are overgrown but none of them are "in" so therefore I'll keep trimming them and throwing them in the trash

I see you are from Dayton, is that Dayton OH?

 

[Colt13]

The free market will (*should) correct itself. There's a lot of bloat after the bull market during covid, (whether its certain 'covid stocks' or just government stimulus), the govt is now trying to chop the head off the economy so it doesn't turn into a runaway train. This results in fewer home purchases, mass layoffs, etc. Small businesses can no longer afford to stay afloat and will go under, as is natural in capitalism. When enough companies go under and inflation is reined in, the supply/demand will reach equilibrium it will swing up again (after hitting the 'bottom').

Reefing is the same way. A luxury hobby that had a boom during covid (when everyone was indoors) marked by multiple large mergers and acquisitions. Once all of the above happens, and the person who was originally fine with spending thousands on corals suddenly realizes they are now out of their budget and settles for a cheaper alternative, prices will come down.

 

[AKG]

The free market will (*should) correct itself. There's a lot of bloat after the bull market during covid, (whether its certain 'covid stocks' or just government stimulus), the govt is now trying to chop the head off the economy so it doesn't turn into a runaway train. This results in fewer home purchases, mass layoffs, etc. Small businesses can no longer afford to stay afloat and will go under, as is natural in capitalism. When enough companies go under and inflation is reined in, the supply/demand will reach equilibrium it will swing up again (after hitting the 'bottom').

Reefing is the same way. A luxury hobby that had a boom during covid (when everyone was indoors) marked by multiple large mergers and acquisitions. Once all of the above happens, and the person who was originally fine with spending thousands on corals suddenly realizes they are now out of their budget and settles for a cheaper alternative, prices will come down.

I agree, and that's why I think vendors are committing no wrong in raising their prices. We shouldn't be shaming vendors for "taking advantage of people" when R2R, a community of probably close to 40-50,000 quasi active users, can only manage 15 posts about coral selling daily.

If people want a stronger community then perhaps they should build one, but arguably many people come here purely for live sales and don't even browse the forums beyond them, or maybe feel that purchasing from non B+M+ online vendors is sketchy.

The problem with these corals is the people buying them either aren't propogating them for sale, they are dying, or they are leaving the hobby and throw the reef in the trash, OR your lfs managing your tank is taking those frags back to the lfs and selling them themselves.

I'm all about a reef club, and helping others via trade shows and educational content, and I think regardless of the study done to incite it's worth BRS or someone else's time, it's worthy of viewing and forming your own opinions.

Do I enjoy viewing a random 2.5 hour stream of Melev's Reef every week? Maybe not. But I do it because the more you learn the harder you have to look for those golden nuggets of information.

At least I can trust that a video of a vendor is someone caring for corals. Here, you can be a coral expert, never post your tank, create crazy opinions, and become a partner member or get fancy titles and suddenly you're a quasi authority figure because you're the only volunteer who replied to someone's question about kalkwasser because everyone else though they would just figure it out like a bird trapped in a house with the door open.


I dunno, my time spent here is purely volunteered and with the purpose of learning. Do I want to read another thread about "fish died" or " fan not working" ? Nope. But I become a educated person on the topic over time when I do anyway.

Reefing and education takes time and most people feel they have to pick between one and the other. Me, I just absorb everything I can and try to divulge the most accurate and precise extrapolated opinion based on what we know, and what we don't.


To this extent, I posted my title. The reasons are many, but complaining about the price of a luxury good vendor who also bothers to educate people is incredibly oxymoron. Especially when people pay tens of thousands of dollars for education just so they can go earn the same paycheck a clerk at the grocer makes.

 

[Pridedcloth3]

True story, I bought a Duke nukem rhodactis from wwc in a auction on eBay and got it for 40 bucks. A year later on their website they had them listed upwards of $100.00 (I think 299.99 of I remember correctly) and they were selling. With that being said I think I over-paid when I can get a rhodactis for 10 bucks so think about that insane jump in price because it's the exact same as any other shroom just a different color pattern. Can't tell me they're isn't some kind of cash grab there.

 

[AKG]

True story, I bought a Duke nukem rhodactis from wwc in a auction on eBay and got it for 40 bucks. A year later on their website they had them listed upwards of $100.00 (I think 299.99 of I remember correctly) and they were selling. With that being said I think I over-paid when I can get a rhodactis for 10 bucks so think about that insane jump in price because it's the exact same as any other shroom just a different color pattern. Can't tell me they're isn't some kind of cash grab there.

That's true but if wwc doesn't do it then somebody else probably will?

 

[billyocean]

I sell plenty and don't charge what I paid for it. I look at it like once the coral has paid for itself in frags, anything else is profit plus I still have the coral for what would then be free and the savings get passed along. In a previous post I saw someone say they bought a wwc mushroom for 40 and wwc sells it for 200 now. I'm not hating but you think wwc is having to pay for that original mushroom over and over...lol. nah. They could sell them for 40 still and it would still be 99% profit on each one. But it's a business and to each their own. I won't do business with any vendor claiming they have $1/5 frags and all it is are frags you would only pay $20 for anyways. I watch people buy things on "live sales" all the time that I could buy at a LFS for the same price..much less a hobbyist. You want a LEGIT live sale, check out SBB Corals sale this week..they are only 1 of 3 vendors I do business with coral wise.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

You want a LEGIT live sale, check out SBB Corals sale this week..they are only 1 of 3 vendors I do business with coral wise.

I dont begrudge someone like WWC continually charging 200 for a mushroom that is 99% profit. They have employees, a store, health insurance..and that are just the costs to sell corals. They also have families and children that they need to provide for. Oh, they also have to pay for retirement and maybe a little savings. Add it all up and life is expensive.

 

[billyocean]

I dont begrudge someone like WWC continually charging 200 for a mushroom that is 99% profit. They have employees, a store, health insurance..and that are just the costs to sell corals. They also have families and children that they need to provide for. Oh, they also have to pay for retirement and maybe a little savings. Add it all up and life is expensive.

I agree..I'm not hating anyone for getting their money! The point was it doesn't have to be accepted as you, jhunt and I know

 

[ninjamyst]

I actually love WWC. I was in there today and saw they were selling indo gold torch for $849. Yup. $849 per head. I don't blame them. I won't ever buy the torch from them but I am sure some rich retiree would buy some. That helps support their huge aquaculture farms and hiring 10+ employees that provide outstanding customer services to rest of us.

Supply and demand.

 

[Sean Clark]

I actually love WWC. I was in there today and saw they were selling indo gold torch for $849. Yup. $849 per head. I don't blame them. I won't ever buy the torch from them but I am sure some rich retiree would buy some. That helps support their huge aquaculture farms and hiring 10+ employees that provide outstanding customer services to rest of us.

Supply and demand.

Subtle flex living near wwc. Points awarded.

 

[tautog83]

Its all about doing the homework and knowing the prices for yourself . Once you have an understanding of it, you know what to stay away from . Lets face it, i would guess about 75% of people that are buying these overpriced corals couldnt tell a tenuis from a millie Most just see the "black light " pics and go oo wow this post got 20 comments on it i have to have it!!. I know of a couple sites that if you gave me a $100 gift card for the first thing id do is to sell it to someone on here lol

 

[FMF0331]

Do we really need another thread on this?
Did you post your point on the other one?
I say close this.

Agree

 

[tautog83]

Lolll wow 849 thats definatley a new record. Please please someone with a wholesale account post how much much one of them actually costs them and see if its 20% margin. Lol now the lagoon can have 29 radions instead of 28 on it woot woot

 

[ninjamyst]

Lolll wow 849 thats definatley a new record. Please please someone with a wholesale account post how much much one of them actually costs them and see if its 20% margin. Lol now the lagoon can have 29 radions instead of 28 on it woot woot

Probably doesn't cost them anything if they were aquacultured. I guess you can say it costs them water and electricity...

 

[JoJosReef]

Chalk it up to "I must have __insert fancy name torch__, and I must have it now!". I would also love having a beautiful multicolor torch growing in my tank, but I won't spend even $100 on a coral.

So, I have a green tip torch in one of my tanks and a silver tip torch in my other, both from AquaSD super sales. They are beautiful.

I've also become more active in the community, organizing group ReefCleaners buys and such. Met very nice reefers. Give and take extra frags of our stuff, too, and that makes this hobby next-level enjoyable!

You don't HAVE to buy the expensive stuff, and you don't HAVE to get suckered into a fake sale. See a coral? Like the price? Put it in your tank!

 

[jp_75]

I actually love WWC. I was in there today and saw they were selling indo gold torch for $849. Yup. $849 per head. I don't blame them. I won't ever buy the torch from them but I am sure some rich retiree would buy some. That helps support their huge aquaculture farms and hiring 10+ employees that provide outstanding customer services to rest of us.

Supply and demand.


How is their store on pricing? Same as internet? Gonna be in FL soon and think about stopping by….

 

[ninjamyst]

Some stuff are cheaper than online. Some are more expensive. They have a $10 frag section too. It's worth a visit.