crazy coral prices

[NanoRox]

I'm just curious...does anyone really pay some of these crazy high prices I am seeing for corals?  I understand "rare" but I just saw on one site $2700 for an SPS pack and $1600 for a zoa frag and pages of other frags for $300 - $600.  Who in their right mind would do that? 

[MainelyReefer]

Never personally purchased one but I definitely dream of it.  Locally I drool over the bounce mushroom that's $500 and wish I would hit the timing right as it spews off babies occasionally that they sell for 50-100$.  Also a Yuma mushroom from Love the Reef called the Godzilla Yuma.  And these are frag sizes not even a colony and demand is high so I understand the cost.  However I would likely be disappointed as even the 35$ rainbow acan frag I have looks nowhere near as cool as the highly doctored photo that it was marketed under.  I don't think I own a single coral worth over 50$ as a frag. $1000+ is stupid expensive.  The bounce mushroom has been in my LFS for Atleast a year and no one has paid that heavy price tag, likely because everyone's like me and cheap and wants the babies!  

[NanoRox]

I think that is more about being smart than cheap.   IMO no matter how unique a single animal may be, nothing is worth thousands of dollars for.  It’s extreme greed...nothing less. 

[Clown79]

I can't afford those prices.

 

It's getting ridiculous.

 

We have a store here charging $284 for ricordea, bounce is over $300, I've seen acans priced at $1600.

 

 

[Pjanssen]

I'd rather save that money and go diving and see them in the wild! 

[NanoRox]

Amen! 

[seabass]

Colorful corals at decent prices are also available.  Unless you are propagating them for aquaculture, there is no real need to purchase expensive frags.  People are always so bent on getting something that nobody else has.  I get that, and even fell into that a couple times.  However, I find that you can put together an impressive reef, that's full of color, with more commonly available pieces.  It's more about what you do with it, (complimenting colors, movement, textures, and heights) than what you spend on it.

[mbarton2010]

$20 is what I paid for this

[Pjanssen]

5 hours ago, mbarton2010 said:

$20 is what I paid for this

Wow! For all of the heads? That’s amazing. I want your source!

[NanoRox]

I agree.  That’s a nice piece 

[TheBig053]

If you have the benefit of a local marine aquarium club in your area, I would strongly recommend joining and sourcing frags from other local reefers. Perhaps my experience is unique, but the local club here (WAMAS) in the DC area is very active and you can generally find any coral (including high end pieces) available from from other local reefers for much less than from a LFS or online seller. I agree though, I am not paying $500-$1,000 for a mushroom coral.... 

[Clown79]

7 hours ago, mbarton2010 said:

$20 is what I paid for this

Wow! 

[Sjadet]

They don’t even need to look special. I think people just buy them to show off their wealth, like buying an expensive watch. And that might be all that’s required.. if gold was the cheapest metal, do you think people would still see it as prettier than silver, or copper?

 

[squamptonbc]

I don't have any corals at the moment, but last tank, all the corals I received for free. Granted they were not the most popular, but I liked them and that is all that matters. I am more willing to spend money on fish though, I am more a fish guy, and just use corals to compliment the tank and fish, not as the primary display.

[seabass]

1 hour ago, Sjadet said:

if gold was the cheapest metal, do you think people would still see it as prettier than silver, or copper?

Yeah, probably prettier than copper.

[John L]

I bought this beautiful long tentacle plate coral for £200. 

Dinner plate size inflated and worth every penny imo. 

 

Thousands is crazy ,but sellers know there are the wealthy who can easily afford them. 

[Lula_Mae]

I paid $50 for a gorgeous purple and tell blasto from LC and thought that was a ridiculous price to pay lol. Only things I might pay more for would be, say, a clam or fish I really wanted (like the PSW I have coming from Diver's Den). I think it's silly to pay triple digits or more for a frag.

[NanoRox]

24 minutes ago, John L said:

I bought this beautiful long tentacle plate coral for £200. 

Dinner plate size inflated and worth every penny imo. 

 

Thousands is crazy ,but sellers know there are the wealthy who can easily afford them. 

That is beautiful but I just could not pull that trigger.  Now if you want sell me a baby for $50 ya got a deal.  ;-) 

[John L]

3 minutes ago, Duane Clark said:

That is beautiful but I just could not pull that trigger.  Now if you want sell me a baby for $50 ya got a deal.  ;-) 

Thanks.  :).    I was literally in the right place at the right time, I re scaped my tank and took about 9 corals out I had over growing,  mushrooms,  birdsnest, montis etc, my lfs did a direct swap for me.

 

My corals did cost me a lot more than the store credit  ,but I was ready to rescape and simplify the tank, and the plate coral was just wow!  Otherwise I would definitely be sweating paying out 200, let alone telling my gf...

[JoeR]

I don’t understand why those Walt Disney acropora are so expensive! I saw like a 2-3” frag of it on WWC for $500. That’s just ludicrous that $500 is the going rate for the Walt Disney’s. I don’t understand what determines price sometimes. I understand demand but still.

[seabass]

Asking for $500 and getting $500 are two different things.  The marketplace determines the price.  If it's overpriced, then nobody will buy it.  However, if there's a small market for it at that price, then more power to the seller for finding it and tapping into it.

 

I don't really feel that selling coral is an easy business to make money at.  Today there are numerous sellers which are competing via price, shipping, variety, etc.  The marketplace is much more competitive than it was 15 years ago.  In general, (with some exceptions) I feel that prices have come down some over the years.

[This guy is extra salty]

1 hour ago, JoeR said:

I don’t understand why those Walt Disney acropora are so expensive! I saw like a 2-3” frag of it on WWC for $500. That’s just ludicrous that $500 is the going rate for the Walt Disney’s. I don’t understand what determines price sometimes. I understand demand but still.

 

My LFS has Walt’s for 115$ for a 3/4in piece...

i just got a blue Cali tort for a trade of one of my acropora that was a 1in long

[JoeR]

3 hours ago, seabass said:

Asking for $500 and getting $500 are two different things.  The marketplace determines the price.  If it's overpriced, then nobody will buy it.  However, if there's a small market for it at that price, then more power to the seller for finding it and tapping into it.

 

I don't really feel that selling coral is an easy business to make money at.  Today there are numerous sellers which are competing via price, shipping, variety, etc.  The marketplace is much more competitive than it was 15 years ago.  In general, (with some exceptions) I feel that prices have come down some over the years.

But why are people willing to pay that much for it?! I just don’t understand it, especially what makes it so special. I know Demand drives price. That means people are paying that much, or at least close. I’m pretty sure they’ll sell it at that price, I’ve seen small colonies go for a couple thousand.

 

Im really into my hobbies, but even so I just can’t imagine spending $500 on any frag, just like I would never spend $5,000 on an imported Bonsai. But people do, and there’s demand- that’s what I don’t understand.

 

 

Im not saying you’ll get rich selling coral, but my LFS for instance does very well I bet. They’re smart though- they keep overhead low (the building is small and part of a shopping center, and the tanks are compact) and rotate inventory WEEKLY. They get a ton of people in there, and volume drives price down. They rotate inventory so often nothing sits, and by selling more volume even if at lower prices they’re outcompeting the other places. They put out weekly ads that are “exciting” that attract people there and make them think they’re getting a steal, make people feel like they have to get there before others do. They just have a great business. 

 

Online is a different story.

[seabass]

1 hour ago, JoeR said:

Im really into my hobbies, but even so I just can’t imagine spending $500 on any frag, just like I would never spend $5,000 on an imported Bonsai. But people do, and there’s demand- that’s what I don’t understand.

What can you say; they buy it because it's worth it to them.  $50 is a lot of money for some people, while $500 isn't that much for others.  And some people seem to have more money than brains.

 

Likewise, a couple hundred dollars might be too steep for your average hobbyist.  However, if you planned on propagating the coral to sell, a couple hundred dollars might be a good investment to get a prized piece.

 

For me, I feel that there are some very nice pieces available for under $50 (some for under $20).  What's a good deal to me might not be for someone else.  Plus my tastes have definitely changed over the years.

 

1 hour ago, JoeR said:

Im not saying you’ll get rich selling coral, but my LFS for instance does very well I bet.

You're lucky to have a good store.  And they are lucky to have good demand.  I hear stories of local stores going out of business all the time.

[This guy is extra salty]

1 hour ago, JoeR said:

But why are people willing to pay that much for it?! I just don’t understand it, especially what makes it so special. I know Demand drives price. That means people are paying that much, or at least close. I’m pretty sure they’ll sell it at that price, I’ve seen small colonies go for a couple thousand.

 

Im really into my hobbies, but even so I just can’t imagine spending $500 on any frag, just like I would never spend $5,000 on an imported Bonsai. But people do, and there’s demand- that’s what I don’t understand.

 

 

Im not saying you’ll get rich selling coral, but my LFS for instance does very well I bet. They’re smart though- they keep overhead low (the building is small and part of a shopping center, and the tanks are compact) and rotate inventory WEEKLY. They get a ton of people in there, and volume drives price down. They rotate inventory so often nothing sits, and by selling more volume even if at lower prices they’re outcompeting the other places. They put out weekly ads that are “exciting” that attract people there and make them think they’re getting a steal, make people feel like they have to get there before others do. They just have a great business. 

 

Online is a different story.

You’re right my LFS does the same thing 

constantly turning over their store for whatever is “hot” or upcoming

 

i have received a few calls asking for certain frags that people have been asking 9/10 I’ll trade it for a fish or a neat coral. 

 

In all honesty my coral propagation pays for my hobby..

if you can afford it do it