Why buy from an online store vs hobbiest?

[Sweet Reef Corals]

Most hobbiest here chop and hack coral to flip. But our stores and online are pretty good

Wow, just wow.
Do you think vendors buy and grow corals just to sit and watch it grow in their system?? NO! They buy corals to hack and chop and sell it!! LOL

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

Some shops definitely photo shop. I can take some amazing pictures of Zoa. A few bought online and not hit the same coloration that they show online. They over saturate photos adjust balances and such. BUT at the same time something that looks one way in my tank may not look the same way in your just due to your lighting and my lighting. This is from my personal experience.

ALL vendors photoshop. Some just more extensively than others.

It would be easier to point out a vendor that DOESNT photoshop!

 

[Sweet Reef Corals]

As above, pests. I try to order only from established vendors with a heavy investment in aquaculture. I assume these vendors are highly motivated to maintain as pest-free of a system as possible. If I order from assorted hobbyists, I feel like the chance of pests is higher. A few years ago I bought a local hobbyist frag of clove polyps-and several days later noticed tiny aiptasia between the polyps. I removed the frag but it was too late. I saved a few dollars on that frag but ended up spending a year trying to put kalk paste on aiptasia with limited success. I eventually bought over $200 in aiptasia-eating nudibranchs to eradicate the aiptasia. I do still dip, but dipping is not perfect and is ineffective on aiptasia.

I don’t disagree with you, however, hobbyists aren’t taking in pieces or colonies that are straight from the ocean like the big named vendors do, so that they can slap their trademarked name on them. So the chances of a vendor acquiring some crazy butt pests are incredibly higher than a hobbyist with good pest prevention practices. Personally, when I acquire a new piece, I have only found the home made Bayer dip to be 100% effective on all the pests we see in the hobby. AEFW, White bugs, red bugs, spiders, etc. I’ve seen them all in the bottom of my Bayer dip container and magnifying glasses. I have purchased from a ton of vendors and several well known hobbyists. I’m here to tell you, vendor pieces are just as loaded with life as hobbyists. I don’t have time or the knowledge to sort thru that life and pick and choose what I keep or get rid of. I want it ALL dead!! Good or bad! And Bayer is the only dip treatment I know of that can do that in 15 minutes with very little to no harm done to the coral. Unlike the other popular brands. Hint: see if redbugs are mentioned on your dip bottle!
The next step is to cut EVERYTHING off of the piece that isn’t flesh and throw it away. Never keep a frag plug! Then remount the flesh to a new plug.

This is just my $.02 because I feel that hobbyists such as myself are taking a bit of a slap on the back of the head here.
Thanks for listening to my rant : )

 

[coralbeauties]

I have a buddy that purchased a $2000 frag from a big named vendor that had aefw on it when he dipped. This was after his first delivered frag was burnt up with two heat packs in the cooler. The money was refunded but he had to destroy the frag. Just goes to show you that you can get pests from anyone. It’s up to you to follow good practices once you receive your frag.

As above, pests. I try to order only from established vendors with a heavy investment in aquaculture. I assume these vendors are highly motivated to maintain as pest-free of a system as possible. If I order from assorted hobbyists, I feel like the chance of pests is higher. A few years ago I bought a local hobbyist frag of clove polyps-and several days later noticed tiny aiptasia between the polyps. I removed the frag but it was too late. I saved a few dollars on that frag but ended up spending a year trying to put kalk paste on aiptasia with limited success. I eventually bought over $200 in aiptasia-eating nudibranchs to eradicate the aiptasia. I do still dip, but dipping is not perfect and is ineffective on aiptasia.

 

[Vette67]

I use locals over venders and I have bought off here before too and was happy.

It is winter and I prefer not to ship anything right now.

This. I recently was interested in a couple higher end pieces of coral (Superman and Walt Disney). I purposely sought out and contacted a local guy and we worked out a deal. He cut the frags, and held them for a few days to heal and make sure they were OK. Then I drove to his house, and grabbed stuff in his driveway, almost contactless. No worries about delayed deliveries freezing here in Ohio, the frags went from his tank to mine in under an hour, which I have to believe is better for the coral. If possible, I will seek local reefers to purchase from again, preferably within driving distance, especially in the winter months. I got what I wanted at a fair price and with a quick, smooth transaction. Oh yeah, and I didn't have to pay $50 for overnight shipping.

 

[LOVEROCK]

I tend to think it is the attitude today of no social interactions. Buy with a click of a button, few days later your coral arrives without dealing with a human. Most all ads state a doa policy, do your homework on a seller and you should be able to buy with confidence.
Jeff

that is somewhat true, sometimes i would like to ask for all cor and be able to select, and oppose to a online store everything is already displayed

I have a buddy that purchased a $2000 frag from a big named vendor that had aefw on it when he dipped. This was after his first delivered frag was burnt up with two heat packs in the cooler. The money was refunded but he had to destroy the frag. Just goes to show you that you can get pests from anyone. It’s up to you to follow good practices once you receive your frag.

who is the big name vendor ! lol 2 k too wooooooah

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

I received a frag from one of the largest most well respected vendors who are sponsors here, and it had a clearly visible aiptasia on the stem of the plug. I always clip the frag off the plug, so it had no impact, but it goes to show that even the best can have a pest! I still buy from that company and have lot's of great pieces from them. Perfection is unobtainable when we are talking about mother nature and life's will to survive...Also don't ask because I'm not naming them.

 

[Straasha]

I have bought almost all my corals from local folks in my reef club. I am not a high-end coral buyer. I don't see the value. I buy the red, blue, orange, or green one. I could care less about the fancy name.

 

[RJKain-777]

Wow, just wow.
Do you think vendors buy and grow corals just to sit and watch it grow in their system?? NO! They buy corals to hack and chop and sell it!! LOL

Not what I’m getting at haha. And most vendors do actually let there coral grow and then frag off a mother colony. Pretty sure that’s what aquaculture is, and that’s where the industry is going.
These guys literally buy 1 inch frags , and make 3 frags out of it and sell the next day. No time to acclimate, no time to head from cutting.
I guess that’s the difference between a reputable vendor and a chop shop.

 

[PicassoClown04]

I absolutely love buying from fellow members on R2R, I just have a few rules when choosing a new seller to buy from that keep me safe.

1. DOA policy has to be at least 24 hours after the arrival. ESPECIALLY if it is a fish/invert that may be struggling ititally. A lot of corals you can tell in the bag if it's going to make it, it is probably going to die, or it's already dead but fish can sometimes pull through or they can kick the bucket after looking fine initially.

2. The seller has to have good reviews. I dont care if its in previous sale threads or a dedicated feedback threat but it's gotta be there! Im mostly looking for good comments about communication and shipping/packaging.

3. Its gotta be a lot! I dont want to pay $45 shipping for 2 frags, I usually buy 8+ items or until I get to the free shipping cutoff (if applicable). I want a seller than can get me lots of frags all at once- they usually end up being zoa packs for this reason.

I think if more people followed these very simple rules for buying on the internet, everyone would come out a lot happier. There are some scummy people, thats just life, but the vast majority of people on this site are good people who just want to make a little money on the side and they get that things happen when you ship livestock. If buyers could be a little more malleable (EX: The picture looks different than the coral does in my tank even though I was told that the seller runs very blue lighting!) and sellers could be a little more forgiving (EX: I texted the seller that the coral was slimy and the water was cloudy upon arrival and 25 hours later the coral melted completely) then everyone would be a lot happier

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

I absolutely love buying from fellow members on R2R, I just have a few rules when choosing a new seller to buy from that keep me safe.

1. DOA policy has to be at least 24 hours after the arrival. ESPECIALLY if it is a fish/invert that may be struggling ititally. A lot of corals you can tell in the bag if it's going to make it, it is probably going to die, or it's already dead but fish can sometimes pull through or they can kick the bucket after looking fine initially.

2. The seller has to have good reviews. I dont care if its in previous sale threads or a dedicated feedback threat but it's gotta be there! Im mostly looking for good comments about communication and shipping/packaging.

3. Its gotta be a lot! I dont want to pay $45 shipping for 2 frags, I usually buy 8+ items or until I get to the free shipping cutoff (if applicable). I want a seller than can get me lots of frags all at once- they usually end up being zoa packs for this reason.

I think if more people followed these very simple rules for buying on the internet, everyone would come out a lot happier. There are some scummy people, thats just life, but the vast majority of people on this site are good people who just want to make a little money on the side and they get that things happen when you ship livestock. If buyers could be a little more malleable (EX: The picture looks different than the coral does in my tank even though I was told that the seller runs very blue lighting!) and sellers could be a little more forgiving (EX: I texted the seller that the coral was slimy and the water was cloudy upon arrival and 25 hours later the coral melted completely) then everyone would be a lot happier

These are great points. I also rarely buy a single frag as I consider them to be like potato chips or breaking windows - you can't have just one. Also I feel they get lonely on their trip if they are travelling by themselves. I know that many sellers are hard and fast by their DOA rules, but personally my policy is that I will take care of my customer to their satisfaction. If that means replacing a frag or refunding I will do it. I do have a DOA policy but since I'm the boss of me, I have the flexibility to make sure that the end result is a happy customer who will hopefully come back for future purchases.

 

[Mateusz]

I try to buy from hobbyist when I can now, mostly for the unique corals you will find versus a store. I've had some minor issues here or there, but R2R also states only to use Paypal Goods and Services for a secure transaction. There are plenty of rules in place to protect the buyer... Everything i've ever sold on r2r has been smooth minus one or two, and my purchases from other hobbyists have always gone well. I've had a few buyers try to work me over though, mostly younger kids.

I've made some decent friends on here, and gotten some great corals from other hobbyists, which is an added benefit that I don't get with a store. When i've ordered from stores i've not noticed any of them being any better/worse than a fellow hobbyist in terms of packaging. As a hobbyist myself I try to take pride in packaging corals so that they do arrive there healthy and open, especially if i'm growing a high end zoa that I only have a few of and am waiting for it to grow all the time.

It could be that people feel more secure with a store since they can be looked up easily like others have said? Personally, i'm confident in both hobbyists here and stores, and i'd say I buy from both equally as much.

 

[will25u]

Why aren’t more people buying from the classified section? There are a lot of good sellers there with prices a lot cheaper than online retailers. I haven’t understood why people will buy from a web site and pay more vs buying from a hobbiest direct that has grown the corals out in his own tanks? I place ads and am lucky to sell anything yet a buddy that has a web site store sells thousands. Is it a lack of trust issue? Lack of stock variety? . Let’s hear your thoughts.
Thanks
Jeff

Every time we've sold on here, I've done my best to replace any mushroom that melted upon arrival. If I can't, I won't sell them. I certainly am more strict now though.

As for buying things for my tank - I have to see things in person whether it be a store or a local person selling from their tanks. I could not care at all about brand, store, etc.

 

[PicassoClown04]

These are great points. I also rarely buy a single frag as I consider them to be like potato chips or breaking windows - you can't have just one. Also I feel they get lonely on their trip if they are travelling by themselves. I know that many sellers are hard and fast by their DOA rules, but personally my policy is that I will take care of my customer to their satisfaction. If that means replacing a frag or refunding I will do it. I do have a DOA policy but since I'm the boss of me, I have the flexibility to make sure that the end result is a happy customer who will hopefully come back for future purchases.

I love this! Personally, my DOA policy is 3 days after arrival on corals. You just have to tell me that something's going on and you've claimed your DOA its really just that simple. I've had dozens of happy customers and I honored a DOA 7 days after arrival because FedEx had been rough with the box (had a STAB wound which caused the bag to get punctured and leak). Take care of your customers and you get repeat buyers plus great reviews, its a win for everyone involved. Usually I just do a $ refund for the affected frag since its not worth the $40 shipping to replace a single frag of a coral usually worth less than the shipping cost.

 

[REEFTIDE]

So as a vendor we come across this issue as well.
I like buying from collectors because you generally get a really good product and a really good price. It means that I can later sell that frag for less because I have less into it. I can also generally get larger pieces and as an aquaculture facility, the bigger the better!
However, recently we bought a pricy piece from a hobbyist and the stipulations were almost enough to put me off buying the coral altogether.
They wanted FF paypal payment, contact 30 minutes after the coral arrives for any level of coverage, they would only cover live arrival, and they wanted to ship on a day that would not fit my schedule. Because its not a full time job to some people they don't treat it as a business transaction and in my opinion that puts off buyers sometimes.
Dealing with a business is easier to do a lot of the time because they have accountability and a name to uphold. Any of the larger companies are more than happy to deal with a customer's requests because word of mouth is a big thing for them. Reviews are a big thing for them. Happy customers that return are extremely important and so on.

Now don't get me wrong, buying from a legitimate business doesn't mean you wont get scammed or horrible service but it does mean you have some protection when it comes to getting a resolution. 4 Months ago we ordered frag racks from a somewhat known company in the market and we just received them yesterday... partially built and missing parts. At this point, I'm just going to leave an honest review and move on but that way other people know. You can't really do that with a buyer. They don't have a Google reviews page.

I think, one has to feel out the seller no matter if they're buying from a business or the classified section. You can get some steals there!

 

[BillyW]

Might be bringing an old thread back to life, but I’ve bought from online retailers, from reef2reef hobbyists, and locally.
I will not buy from an online retailer if I can help it.
Locally is the best in my opinion, but there are literally 0 (zero) LFS with any sort of SPS selection. I bought the one SPS frag that was worthwhile they had, and talked to my favorite LFS about it and they said because including me they can count the number of people on one hand that have SPS in their tanks.
Online venders from my experience are there to just pump them out and make money, and I get it they have mouths to feed and want to keep the lights on.
Talking to people in the classified, I feel you can get anything you could get from a vendor, but they actually care, and will hold a conversation with you about their tank and give insight.