Are "pest" corals easy money for lfs?

[AquaVaj]

Corals like gsp, xenia, kenya tree. They're often suggested by the lfs to beginners because they're easy to care for and are attractive with their swaying motions. But they have no issue selling frags of them for $30 when they really are $10-15 frags. IDK I just feel like they're taking advantage of beginners with these corals.

[MainelyReefer]

3 hours ago, AquaVaj said:

Corals like gsp, xenia, kenya tree. They're often suggested by the lfs to beginners because they're easy to care for and are attractive with their swaying motions. But they have no issue selling frags of them for $30 when they really are $10-15 frags. IDK I just feel like they're taking advantage of beginners with these corals.

Somewhat agree, but at my LFS with nicer frags the softies tend to sit around and they hustle the higher end stuff.  Their $15 frag tank rarely has softies.  More than likely the LFS you are at that is peddling softies for a lot isn’t active in the reefing community so they don’t know better.  One LFS near me wants $150 for a single head of dying frogspawn.  

[Clown79]

Here most sps are the cheap except for the

"Rare", highly colourful, or anything given a name.

 

We don't see a lot of gsp, xenia, or leathers so they are always $30+ for a frag.

 

Nothing here is what I classify as reasonable prices. They gauge when they can.

 

Give it a special name and the price goes up...a lot.

 

I have seen stores sell a coral for $29.99, the next week the store has a 25% off sale and that coral is now listed $10-$20 more.

 

It's not much better with hobbyists here either. They overcharge too now.

 

 

[Tired]

If your LFS is selling corals at bad prices, and definitely knows better, that's not a very good LFS. Good ones have common corals cheap. Though keep in mind, what's common in an area will vary. And they don't exactly propagate their corals themself, they don't tend to have vats in the back room where they're growing huge sheets of GSP to sell.

 

Mine, you could probably find a $30 leather coral, but it'd be a big coral. IMO not a bad price for an impressive one- a full colony, not just a little frag. 

[Clown79]

All the stores here have the same prices. They even try selling half dead or almost completely dead corals for high prices.

 

Stores can do it because hobbyists will still pay. 

 

 

[IHaveADegreeInMarineBioBut]

This is kind of why I really like Petco (oops). When you find something good, their prices haven't been inflated and the corals are usually hardier. 

I have a very highly rated aquarium store by me, but their prices are insane and whatever I have ever gotten from them has usually died.  

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, IHaveADegreeInMarineBioBut said:

This is kind of why I really like Petco (oops). When you find something good, their prices haven't been inflated and the corals are usually hardier. 

I have a very highly rated aquarium store by me, but their prices are insane and whatever I have ever gotten from them has usually died.  

Funny you mention that.

 

A lot of the corals that I have gotten from exclusive reef shops are the ones that i lost yet the ones I've got from our big aquarium stores have done far better- even the ones i purchased that weren't in great shape. 

[IHaveADegreeInMarineBioBut]

9 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Funny you mention that.

 

A lot of the corals that I have gotten from exclusive reef shops are the ones that i lost yet the ones I've got from our big aquarium stores have done far better- even the ones i purchased that weren't in great shape. 

Yeah! They really adapt to anything; I wonder if LFS just have really specific lighting and parameters? Or they're not fragging the corals in the best way? And from my own experience, those corals from specialized shops also have more hitchhikers. But that's my own experience. 

[Tired]

Big aquarium stores generally have things that are relatively hardy so they don't kill it before someone buys it, and anything that's too weak tends to die. 

 

Around here, the Petcos have miserable animals, one Petsmart isn't bad because they have good staff, and two of the LFS I know of are good. The third gives terrible, terrible advice and I haven't been there in a decade or so, but their aquatic stock was healthy as far as I remember. Whether or not your local LFS has unhealthy stock depends on if it's a good store, and some people just have bad ones nearby. 

[pokerdobe]

Stores are in it to make money. Yes, many of those beginners corals are cheap as dirt in the secondhand market, but the store has to pay for overhead. 

 

Also, in my experience, people rarely want to pay for high end. I have racks full of higher end corals that I can't for my life, sell locally. High end, being relative and subjective to one's market. 

[IHaveADegreeInMarineBioBut]

1 hour ago, pokerdobe said:

Stores are in it to make money. Yes, many of those beginners corals are cheap as dirt in the secondhand market, but the store has to pay for overhead. 

 

Also, in my experience, people rarely want to pay for high end. I have racks full of higher end corals that I can't for my life, sell locally. High end, being relative and subjective to one's market. 

Really? I was kind of under the impression that people liked higher end corals and just swallowed the cost... Interesting.

[Tired]

If nobody wanted high end corals, they wouldn't exist as a separate type of corals. Seems like no one in your area wants to buy any at the moment, is all. Maybe look into shipping once things clear up.

[pokerdobe]

30 minutes ago, Tired said:

If nobody wanted high end corals, they wouldn't exist as a separate type of corals. Seems like no one in your area wants to buy any at the moment, is all. Maybe look into shipping once things clear up.

I didn't say the market didn't exist. The market is just a niche within a niche. Not alot of people are ready to shell out 500 dollars for Acrolandia or 1000 for RRC Jawdropper. Selling locally means that you're only accessing a fraction of that niche of a niche. 

 

I already ship.

 

In retrospect, I can see how what I said might have been interpreted as saying there was no market. But in general, it's difficult to sell coral locally. Low end or high end. For example, I sell SC OP as low as 50 locally if I'm in a hurry to clear my racks. Even at half of what the second hand market is, people will balk at that price. Every so often, someone will bite though. 

[IHaveADegreeInMarineBioBut]

1 minute ago, pokerdobe said:

I didn't say the market didn't exist. The market is just a niche within a niche. Not alot of people are ready to shell out 500 dollars for Acrolandia or 1000 for RRC Jawdropper. Selling locally means that you're only accessing a fraction of that niche of a niche. 

 

I already ship - that's why I said locally. 

Do you have a frogspawn at all? haha

[pokerdobe]

1 minute ago, IHaveADegreeInMarineBioBut said:

Do you have a frogspawn at all? haha

Unfortunately no. I sold my last frogspawn to clear out room for more acros. :) 

[Wc_aquariums]

I wouldn’t say they are taking advantage just think if your coral double size in 4 months then you can drag it your self and trade it in or sell it your self. I got a gsp about a year ago the size of a quarter for 10$ not it’s the size of my Palm and I’ve already fragged it and made my money back.

[jambon]

Fortunately we have enough LFS in our area to have the option to shop around a bit, if there prices are ridiculous someone else will get my dollars. As pokerdobe said they do have Overhead and have to make make money to survive and try to keep us hobbyists happy. ... I am sure some overhead is flushing dead livestock down the toilet. Good for us they weed out the sick livestock. That being said I guess somebody has to keep these guys in business and this is a "hobby"🙄

[RonyChapmen]

I am really in love with this type of corals because it is very easy to grow. I have pretty big collection, but it already needs investment of money. I am just a student and i don't want to ask my parents for money to develop my hobby. I am lucky bastard my friend have sent me yourmoneygeek.com. It is probably the single service using it you can easy earn money on playing surveys, passing online surveys os just viewing websites. I really recommend you to try it

[Cannedfish]

On 3/31/2020 at 7:41 PM, pokerdobe said:

I didn't say the market didn't exist. The market is just a niche within a niche. Not alot of people are ready to shell out 500 dollars for Acrolandia or 1000 for RRC Jawdropper. Selling locally means that you're only accessing a fraction of that niche of a niche. 

 

I already ship.

 

In retrospect, I can see how what I said might have been interpreted as saying there was no market. But in general, it's difficult to sell coral locally. Low end or high end. For example, I sell SC OP as low as 50 locally if I'm in a hurry to clear my racks. Even at half of what the second hand market is, people will balk at that price. Every so often, someone will bite though. 

So if I read that right.. and I’m pretty sure I did... you want to ship an Acrolandia to the Uptown, New Orleans area for cheap... Hold on, let me check again, just to make sure... checking... (slow reader)... (does some math on his fingers)... (gets slightly distracted pondering the existence of acorn squash) ...yup, that’s what it said. I’ll PM you my address so you send it to the right overpass. 

[ECLS Reefer]

31 minutes ago, Cannedfish said:

So if I read that right.. and I’m pretty sure I did... you want to ship an Acrolandia to the Uptown, New Orleans area for cheap... Hold on, let me check again, just to make sure... checking... (slow reader)... (does some math on his fingers)... (gets slightly distracted pondering the existence of acorn squash) ...yup, that’s what it said. I’ll PM you my address so you send it to the right overpass. 

That overpass being at Tulane and Lasalle? That explains the creepy lights at night and noises.

[pokerdobe]

45 minutes ago, Cannedfish said:

So if I read that right.. and I’m pretty sure I did... you want to ship an Acrolandia to the Uptown, New Orleans area for cheap... Hold on, let me check again, just to make sure... checking... (slow reader)... (does some math on his fingers)... (gets slightly distracted pondering the existence of acorn squash) ...yup, that’s what it said. I’ll PM you my address so you send it to the right overpass. 

As long as you're ok with an acrolandia that's literally a nub of a nub. 

[pokerdobe]

46 minutes ago, Cannedfish said:

New Orleans area

I just read this. I'll hand deliver it next time I'm passing through. White glove service.