SPS Coral Prices (CRAZY)

[Reefkid88]

What really just kills me is,yeah they pay $x,xxx amount for a shipment,they cook these colonies for months but these lfs's have become such greedy,money hungry capitalists.  

 

 Say like a WD colony,they maybe pay a few hundred for a frag,grow it for a few months,and frags may come out at first at a premium price but that coral is a few years old now. There is no reason WD should be $100+ for a 1/4"-1/2" frag.. Maybe $60-$80 at most. Literally almost everyone has one and there is way better looking Acro's. Shit,OP's are still $150+ for a booger. 

 

 These stores sell a few frags and that colony is paid for. Regardless of overhead costs,the prices are just stupid. We as hobbyist need to make a effing stand man I swear. Not EVERYONE has the money or may blow our budgets on just setting the tank up and gathering equipment. 

 

 I have the right mind to tag all of them but won't. 

[Tamberav]

I have one LFS near me that is awesome for prices. I also have one that is very high. You can guess which one I visit. 

 

You want to see stupid prices, check out LA/DD fish costs these days 😛 

 

[pokerdobe]

Prices have never bothered me. I don't pretend to know what the overhead costs are to maintain an LFS and I accept that market forces, both supply side and consumer driven demand will change prices accordingly and I'll adapt accordingly. 

 

29 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said:

There is no reason WD should be $100+ for a 1/4"-1/2" frag.. Maybe $60-$80 at most. Literally almost everyone has one and there is way better looking Acro's. Shit,OP's are still $150+ for a booger. 

Where the hell are you buying that? I sell 1+" frags of SC OP for 75 locally. There's always deals to be found all around if you hunt for them. 

[Reefkid88]

Nowhere,because I won't entertain those prices. 

 

 I would give Coral Euphoria,Boom Corals,BSA Corals Battle Corals my money before I paid those high of prices. Those places yoy can get 3-4 frags for the prices of 1 over inflated price tag. 

[Chadicus Meridius]

My LFS is pretty cool about there frag prices I saw a purple tipped frogspawn for 25 dollars and they are selling a 2 head hammer for 15 I want to pick them up , but my tank isn’t ready. Montipora for 15, but their anemone prices are sky high 200+ dollars for a RBA and 50 for a RFA

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, Reefkid88 said:

What really just kills me is,yeah they pay $x,xxx amount for a shipment,they cook these colonies for months but these lfs's have become such greedy,money hungry capitalists.  

 

 Say like a WD colony,they maybe pay a few hundred for a frag,grow it for a few months,and frags may come out at first at a premium price but that coral is a few years old now. There is no reason WD should be $100+ for a 1/4"-1/2" frag.. Maybe $60-$80 at most. Literally almost everyone has one and there is way better looking Acro's. Shit,OP's are still $150+ for a booger. 

 

 These stores sell a few frags and that colony is paid for. Regardless of overhead costs,the prices are just stupid. We as hobbyist need to make a effing stand man I swear. Not EVERYONE has the money or may blow our budgets on just setting the tank up and gathering equipment. 

 

 I have the right mind to tag all of them but won't. 

Amen! You are bang on right.

 

That is exactly what happens 

 

They also buy from hobbyists trading in or shutting down, rip the person off, frag the piece and make triple + off the colony. 

 

My lfs guy had a gold torch, paid $250(according to him) and he told me he'd be fragging it once it grew and sell each head for $250. 

 

There is a lot of greed and here, hobbyists charge the same as the stores.

[IHaveADegreeInMarineBioBut]

Priced at $15 lol

[pokerdobe]

I guess I'm in the minority here. 

 

I've always been the attitude that vendors are free to charge what they like. If a person doesn't like it, then he/she is free to move on. No one is forcing them to buy it at that price and it isn't a need. I won't condemn people for practicing capitalism. 

 

Besides, the cost of these "premium" acros comes down quickly and the patient buyer can snag the frag at a fraction of the retail price. 

[Reefkid88]

Those places I named a post or so ago,has sps for $30,yes it might be 1/2" but I mean they are names that have been around for EVER. CoralEuphoria has Red Dragon,Pink Lemonade,Hawkins,Turaki,Cali Tort,Joe The Coral all for $30. These places like TSA,WWC,LRO,TCK TAKE EFFIN' NOTES !!! Most places are still charging double to triple for the names I just listed. 

 

 This is a single guy,growing coral to provide hobbyist with GOOD coral from his own house. I know I know before you salty commies start saying there is no overhead,no this,no that. Shut up. He is the hobbyist all these greedy places proclaim to be and it frustrates me. 

[Reefkid88]

I guess I just have too much passion for this hobby and the prices are just driving me away from the hobby,local stores and making me SUPER salty about it all. 

 

 I will just hunt and hunt until I find the pieces I want for the price I want,or shop at the stores online that are screwing everyone. These debates,threads and concerns just get my blood boiling thinking about it lol. As @mitten_reef can see. 

[mitten_reef]

16 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said:

I guess I just have too much passion for this hobby and the prices are just driving me away from the hobby,local stores and making me SUPER salty about it all. 

 

 I will just hunt and hunt until I find the pieces I want for the price I want,or shop at the stores online that are screwing everyone. These debates,threads and concerns just get my blood boiling thinking about it lol. As @mitten_reef can see. 

I’m actually confused to whom you’re referring to. You can talk about all the vendors you want, as long as you don’t tag them with an @. They probably will never see it. I don’t necessarily like those “big guys” either. 
I try to support my LFS (it’s also always good to be more friendly with them) and “smaller” online places that offer reasonable prices.  

[Reefkid88]

9 minutes ago, mitten_reef said:

I’m actually confused to whom you’re referring to. You can talk about all the vendors you want, as long as you don’t tag them with an @. They probably will never see it. I don’t necessarily like those “big guys” either. 
I try to support my LFS (it’s also always good to be more friendly with them) and “smaller” online places that offer reasonable prices.  

 

 I'm talking about the stores here in central florida,3 of them are local to me. Oh I know,I'm not gonna be that big of an asshole lol. Every time I go into TSA its a family reunion basically,but as of late all of the original guys have left and the store is just eh. Last time I was there,it took me 45 minutes to even get acknowledged. 

 

 That's why BC and CE are so nice. CE has about 30-35 frags starting out at $30 which nowadays is amazing. And I am talking about QUALITY pieces not some just green or brownish corals,I'm talking about colorful pieces. www.CoralEuphoria.com check him out. 

[Reefkid88]

This is what I am talking about:

 

 Subject coral,a higher end acro from RockyMountainFrags Red Devil Nasuta:

 

 RMF-$175

 TSA-$180

 CA-$150

 PRC-$180

 ADC-$138

 

 BC-$80

 CE-$40 (.5") $75 (1")

 

 

[Chadicus Meridius]

2 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said:

This is what I am talking about:

 

 Subject coral,a higher end acro from RockyMountainFrags Red Devil Nasuta:

 

 RMF-$175

 TSA-$180

 CA-$150

 PRC-$180

 ADC-$138

 

 BC-$80

 CE-$40 (.5") $75 (1")

 

 

So those are the same coral? But different prices at different places. That’s ridiculous 

[duncantse]

55 minutes ago, pokerdobe said:

I guess I'm in the minority here. 

 

I've always been the attitude that vendors are free to charge what they like. If a person doesn't like it, then he/she is free to move on. No one is forcing them to buy it at that price and it isn't a need. I won't condemn people for practicing capitalism. 

 

Besides, the cost of these "premium" acros comes down quickly and the patient buyer can snag the frag at a fraction of the retail price. 

 

+1 on this too 

 

Blame the consumers and not the businesses. If you guys were business owners and you're able to sell higher then why not? 

 

If nobody buys it then price will lower to meet the demands 

 

At the end of the day high end named collectible acros will always be expensive. If that's out of someone's budget then they can consider the lower end stuff. 

 

Finding frags from local reefers is always the best tho and that might be the better and cheaper option 

 

 

[Reefkid88]

Just now, Seea said:

So those are the same coral? But different prices at different places. That’s ridiculous 

Yup,same coral. Just goes to prove my point. 

[SliceGolfer]

I feel pretty lucky here in the Twin Cities. I have one shop that regularly prices LPS at $15-$30-$50-$80 and another shop with SPS at $25-$50-$75-higher. This being said, I bought a nice SPS pack from a hobbyist who sells online. Great pieces and professional service.

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, Reefkid88 said:

I guess I just have too much passion for this hobby and the prices are just driving me away from the hobby,local stores and making me SUPER salty about it all. 

 

 I will just hunt and hunt until I find the pieces I want for the price I want,or shop at the stores online that are screwing everyone. These debates,threads and concerns just get my blood boiling thinking about it lol. As @mitten_reef can see. 

I haven't purchased a coral for quite a while because of pricing.

What's being charged for a decent price is still high for what it is.

 

All else, way out of budget.

[Reefkid88]

3 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

I haven't purchased a coral for quite a while because of pricing.

What's being charged for a decent price is still high for what it is.

 

All else, way out of budget.

 

 Same here. Why do you think I haven't set up a tank in over a year,I can't afford it lol. I will for certain buy from Coral Euphoria or BC when my tank is ready.  

[Clown79]

8 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said:

 

 Same here. Why do you think I haven't set up a tank in over a year,I can't afford it lol. I will for certain buy from Coral Euphoria or BC when my tank is ready.  

It gets frustrating!

[ReefahBarra84]

Vendors always out there trying to rename old school stuff in order make more money.  

[dling]

I don't know if any of you shop Lveaquaria.com. They now have a 10.00 dollar box fee. Starting to remind of of the airlines.

Nickel and dime us too death on top of high prices.

[Clown79]

8 hours ago, dling said:

I don't know if any of you shop Lveaquaria.com. They now have a 10.00 dollar box fee. Starting to remind of of the airlines.

Nickel and dime us too death on top of high prices.

That's ridiculous. 

Sorry part of owning a company is having overhead expenses and a shipping box qualifies as such.

 

I would rather make less profit per sale with a high volume of sales then vice versa. 

 

Fair prices and fair treatment keeps customers returning.

 

We had a really good store here and they got bigger, moved to a city that generally is expensive to live and run a business.

 

The store looked gorgeous, really professional but the prices went up, the $20-25 mushroom was now $49-$69 per head

 

As I predicted, they closed down in less than a year. 

 

Locally 1 lfs stopped selling coral all together...no one was buying them because he charged ridiculous amounts for basic corals, dying corals, bleached corals.

[Tamberav]

1 hour ago, Clown79 said:

That's ridiculous. 

Sorry part of owning a company is having overhead expenses and a shipping box qualifies as such.

 

I would rather make less profit per sale with a high volume of sales then vice versa. 

 

Fair prices and fair treatment keeps customers returning.

 

We had a really good store here and they got bigger, moved to a city that generally is expensive to live and run a business.

 

The store looked gorgeous, really professional but the prices went up, the $20-25 mushroom was now $49-$69 per head

 

As I predicted, they closed down in less than a year. 

 

Locally 1 lfs stopped selling coral all together...no one was buying them because he charged ridiculous amounts for basic corals, dying corals, bleached corals.

LA is a big name and people still pay but the fish do move slower off DD these days. I noticed some go on sale after a few weeks sitting around. The sale price isn't great either but usually enough to get the fish to sell. 

 

The box fee is annoying because if something is DOA... you get a store credit. Guess what? You pay the box fee again 😉  - There is no order this much $ and get box fee waved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Clown79]

2 hours ago, Tamberav said:

LA is a big name and people still pay but the fish do move slower off DD these days. I noticed some go on sale after a few weeks sitting around. The sale price isn't great either but usually enough to get the fish to sell. 

 

The box fee is annoying because if something is DOA... you get a store credit. Guess what? You pay the box fee again 😉  - There is no order this much $ and get box fee waved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ya you shouldn't have to pay that twice. Seems like a way to just increase profit.

 

$10 for a box? They pay cost for cardboard boxes! It certainly isn't $10 for them.

 

Retail cost per box from uhaul is $0.87- $1.87 (they pay less) 

 

Oh a d for sh$ts and giggles I checked wholesale price for heat packs.

10 heat packs is $2.30 Canadian...

 

 

So $10 additional cost to a consumer is robbery.