Zoa collectors - are you tired.....

[ZoWhat]

Zoa collectors,

Are you tired of Live Sale after Live Sale selling one polyp zoas?

I don't think this going to change until hobbyists outright quit supporting these sales

Your thoughts?


.

 

[PeterC99]

Why the issue with live sales with One polyp at a time?

 

[elysics]

I mean... If you are not in the mood for live sales, don't watch them, plenty of regular sellers around

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

I mean... If you are not in the mood for live sales, don't watch them, plenty of regular sellers around

Like me haha

 

[BeltedCoyote]

I am the dreaded newbie. I don’t have my DT wet yet. But I can say, while planning my Coral stock list, the whole live sale culture makes me want to just get coral from friends or find an importer.

it’s ridiculous. People are calling corals “luxurious” to charge stupid prices. How, exactly, is a coral luxurious? It ain’t a fancy car with great upholstery. It isn’t a massage equipped couch.

idk. Perhaps my input is worthless because I don’t have a reef tank yet. But it’s almost as dumb as the price for medical care

 

[Jeffcb]

I usually only buy colony's. I did buy Bod Marley's the other day with 4 polyps.

 

[reefinatl]

Get the pitchforks and torches!!!

But seriously just buy from other hobbyists. These vendor prices are a joke.

There are somewhere between 1 and 3 million reefers in the US. Somewhere someone has a tank full of what you want for for $2-5 a polyp.

If you gotta have that new color under the new filter and new lighting that just got pulled out of the ocean somewhere go for it though.

 

[reefinatl]

I am the dreaded newbie. I don’t have my DT wet yet. But I can say, while planning my Coral stock list, the whole live sale culture makes me want to just get coral from friends or find an importer.

it’s ridiculous. People are calling corals “luxurious” to charge stupid prices. How, exactly, is a coral luxurious? It ain’t a fancy car with great upholstery. It isn’t a massage equipped couch.

idk. Perhaps my input is worthless because I don’t have a reef tank yet. But it’s almost as dumb as the price for medical care

"Top Shelf" "Limited Edition" lol

Find a local club to buy frags from and spend the money you saved on CB and/or QT-d fish.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

"Top Shelf" "Limited Edition" lol

Find a local club to buy frags from and spend the money you saved on CB and/or QT-d fish.

ive got a club and some good friends who might “know a guy” I’m not worried about it. For the most part the only time I’m concerned about a “named” coral is the few I’ve seen I actually want. And they’re not part of the hype train. Just a few corals that I like the look of.

 

[reefinatl]

ive got a club and some good friends who might “know a guy” I’m not worried about it. For the most part the only time I’m concerned about a “named” coral is the few I’ve seen I actually want. And they’re not part of the hype train. Just a few corals that I like the look of.

This was started in reference to zoas but the only using names thing is aggravating with acro and Monti. It'd be nice to know if that limited edition goblin eater golden armageddon of doom was an encrusting, cap, stag or tabling.

Names are handy but some indication as to growth patterns and background on the mother colony would be nice.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

This was started in reference to zoas but the only using names thing is aggravating with acro and Monti. It'd be nice to know if that limited edition goblin eater golden armageddon of doom was an encrusting, cap, stag or table.

I know. I wasn’t trying to derail this from zoas. Meant what I said about them too. I’m concerned with color. But if I see a hotdog stand in Zimbabwe zoa that looks awesome, and it doesn’t cost an arm an a leg, I’ll utilize the name to find it. Then I’ll promptly forget the name because that’s how my brain works

 

[workhz]

Not a fan of live sales. I don’t have all day to watch what’s on offer or buy a stupid shipping credit ahead of time.

 

[MaxTremors]

I’m tired of live sales period. I think they are somewhat predatory (they exploit peoples’ FOMO), and the entire format just turns me off. I don’t like participating in hype culture, and I don’t like feeling pressured or rushed to buy something. So, yeah, hate ‘em.

 

[ZoWhat]

OP here....

I guess what I'm getting at is I worked at a Coral Shop for 5 years around 2013-2017. I was the frag-dude in charge of taking colonies the Owner bought and frag'ing them up in "presentable" ways for them to sell quickly and profitably.

Back then if all I offered were tiny 1-polyp zoas sitting on a lonely frag disc.. ALL my customers would have laughed so hard they would have had tears in their eyes and wet their pants

Nowadays 1-polyp sales seems to be the norm

And it URINATES ME OFF seeing such a ripoff



.

 

[MaxTremors]

OP here....

I guess what I'm getting at is I worked at a Coral Shop for 5 years around 2013-2017. I was the frag-dude in charge of taking colonies the Owner bought and frag'ing them up in "presentable" ways for them to sell quickly and profitably.

Back then if all I offered were tiny 1-polyp zoas sitting on a lonely frag disc.. ALL my customers would have laughed so hard they would have had tears in their eyes and wet their pants

Nowadays 1-polyp sales seems to be the norm

And it URINATES ME OFF seeing such a ripoff



.

Frags across the board are much smaller than they used to be. People are calling 5 polyps a colony now. Acro frags can be less than a half inch. People are selling half inch mushrooms for $500+ dollars. People have lost their GD minds.

 

[littlebigreef]

Having bought from a number of these vendors at swaps or via their site it’s a sad sorry joke that the list price is twice what it normally is only so they can ‘discount’ it 50% off. Fact remains, don’t like it? Take your money somewhere else.

Regarding zoas specifically, I always try for a 2p frag even if it means paying or nearly paying the PPP premium. That’s the price of playing zoa poker. As for these live sales there’s a handful, and I do mean handful, of things I’m seeing that should command the single polyp prices being asked.

 

[elysics]

OP here....

I guess what I'm getting at is I worked at a Coral Shop for 5 years around 2013-2017. I was the frag-dude in charge of taking colonies the Owner bought and frag'ing them up in "presentable" ways for them to sell quickly and profitably.

Back then if all I offered were tiny 1-polyp zoas sitting on a lonely frag disc.. ALL my customers would have laughed so hard they would have had tears in their eyes and wet their pants

Nowadays 1-polyp sales seems to be the norm

And it URINATES ME OFF seeing such a ripoff



.

To be fair, most of the zoas that are sold as individual polyps and such, are not the kinds that a store can just buy a huge colony of for cheap (exceptions exist of course)

Those zoas still exist, but they are not the newest shiniest thing. If you want the hype zoas from 2 or 3 years ago, you can get them for cheap, of you want the hype zoas of today, you'll pay the price

Just like with games, phones, or new cars

Part of being a collector is wanting to have things that noone else has yet, and that's expensive

 

[Staghorn]

I am the dreaded newbie. I don’t have my DT wet yet. But I can say, while planning my Coral stock list, the whole live sale culture makes me want to just get coral from friends or find an importer.

it’s ridiculous. People are calling corals “luxurious” to charge stupid prices. How, exactly, is a coral luxurious? It ain’t a fancy car with great upholstery. It isn’t a massage equipped couch.

idk. Perhaps my input is worthless because I don’t have a reef tank yet. But it’s almost as dumb as the price for medical care

You’ve obviously never worn a robe made out of zoanthinds. Very luxurious.

 

[MaxTremors]

To be fair, most of the zoas that are sold as individual polyps and such, are not the kinds that a store can just buy a huge colony of for cheap (exceptions exist of course)

Those zoas still exist, but they are not the newest shiniest thing. If you want the hype zoas from 2 or 3 years ago, you can get them for cheap, of you want the hype zoas of today, you'll pay the price

Just like with games, phones, or new cars

Part of being a collector is wanting to have things that noone else has yet, and that's expensive

I’ve never understood those kinds of collectors. First, no matter what, 99.9999999% of the time other people have the thing you’re collecting, so you’ll never have wheat no one else has. And second, you should collect things because you like them and the price, to you, is reasonable/worth it. Having to have the most hyped zoa (or whatever) right now is a fool’s errand, because there will be another tomorrow. Just buy what you like.

 

[elysics]

First, no matter what, 99.9999999% of the time other people have the thing you’re collecting

But how many? How exclusive is the club you are in?

And second, you should collect things because you like them

Why do you like things? What short circuit in the brain makes people want to collect the payment for sending letters? Or old beer cans? Or cars you'll never need. Things being new and hyped and exclusive is just one out of many totally irrational reasons to like things. People donn't really control what they like.

because there will be another tomorrow

Then you can buy another tomorrow, that's a good thing, isn't it? That's what makes it a collecting hobby. Not everyone is or needs to be a collector, but some people are