Understanding Coral Pricing

[ReefFan]

I gotta say after a year of diving head first into reefkeeping, I dont understand this huge disparity between the costs of corals. How I can get practically a colony of REALLY colorful, beautiful Zoos from one guy and yet theres other people charging $50-100$+ for 1 or 2 polyps. I realize these must be rare species but certainly at this stage of my reefbuilding I have no business spending this kind of money on these tiny corals.

I was wondering if there was any kind of trustworthy guideline on what expenses are worthy of which corals. I go to 2 reef stores in the area, the others can KMA as they charge WAY too much for the same things. But the hope was coming here on MR to buy things might save me a lil $ on trades and private vendors who dont have to compensate prices for huge overheads on storefronts. Yet when i compare costs of the same thing to my LFS's they are even more expensive.

Hey everyone has the right to charge whatever they wish for their stuff, I just dont wanna be one ot the poor schleps getting ripped out of their hard-earned money. Just wish i knew a little more about why certain prices are so high. IS it cuz divers so rarely come across them so, they take so long to propagate or is it people just trying to get top dollar from the poor bastids that dont know any better.

Bottomline is I dont wanna be the latter. So if anyone has any useful advice on spending money on expanding the biodiveristy in my system Im all ears.

-Jay

 

[Alex]

Simply put:

economics 101- supply and demand.

you have already stated that an individual can charge what they want, for what they have. If someone is willing to pay that amount, then they have a sale if not, then they usually lower the price.

I hope you remember the elmo craze or the zhu zhu pet craze of this past christmas. either way if you want the coral you'll pay and if you don't, there are other beautiful pieces to chose from. Maybe you should attend the MR frag swap in april.

 

[Dre]

You answered your own questions.There are ways not to get ripped off .Keep your money in your pocket,shop around and do some reseach just like what you'v been doing.If you think the prices are out of control now,you have'nt seen nothing yet.It's about to get alot worse because some countries including the US are trying very hard to preserve what they have left of a reef.

 

[prattreef]

There are several ways to approach the hobby. One is to buy what you like regardless of what it is called or how "rare" it is. Another is to approach it as a collector and this is where you run into big $$$ for small pieces as you are paying for lineage or "rarity" or name. The latter seems to be the prevailing trend these days, but is no more valid an approach than any other.

I personally find it unfortunate that new hobbyists get swept up in the collector craze before they cut their teeth on growing a reef as the collector approach tends to foster a "buy and hack" mentality ( driven by the need to recoup costs) rather than a lets figure out how to grow this into a gorgeous colony first mindeset.

 

[Wes]

The pricey stuff is usually the aquacultured that can be traced back however many generations to the original colony. The harder it is to obtain a frag of it, the more expensive it gets. The really extraordinary stuff tends to fetch a high price. Usually here on MR the asking prices are fair. If someone is trying to Jack the price and rip off an unsuspecting newbie they get called out.

The cheaper stuff you see in the LFS is usually wild collected pulled from a reef somewhere. It's alot cheaper and more commonly seen in the hobby. Personally I support aquaculture and try to avoid as many wild collected specimens as possible.

I tend to collect corals that fetch high prices. They usually fetch a high price because of their beauty. I don't buy stuff to frag and resell. When I do have to frag something I sell it well below the "going rate" in an effort to bring prices down.

The really expensive stuff gets cheaper as more and more people grow and frag it. If there is a particular piece u like but don't want to pay the going rate you can wait a year or 2 and get it much cheaper.
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[coralnut99]

There are several ways to approach the hobby. One is to buy what you like regardless of what it is called or how "rare" it is. Another is to approach it as a collector and this is where you run into big $$$ for small pieces as you are paying for lineage or "rarity" or name. The latter seems to be the prevailing trend these days, but is no more valid an approach than any other.

I personally find it unfortunate that new hobbyists get swept up in the collector craze before they cut their teeth on growing a reef as the collector approach tends to foster a "buy and hack" mentality ( driven by the need to recoup costs) rather than a lets figure out how to grow this into a gorgeous colony first mindeset.

+1 Not much I can add to this. Very well said.

 

[bizarrecorals]

+1 supply and demand
+1 wait a year or two, price will drop

it is almost impossible to tell what is aggricultured

 

[Wes]

+1 supply and demand
+1 wait a year or two, price will drop

it is almost impossible to tell what is aggricultured

It's pretty easy to tell the difference in some cases. If it's fragged from a colony in a hobbyists tank...it's aquacultured. Or It comes from ORA, Foster and Smith "certified captive grown", Tyree, etc. than it's definitely aquacultured.

If its a colony that comes from a wholesaler...it's not aquacultured.

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[prattreef]

Well there are the Mari-cultured colonies that are imported too.

 

[Wes]

Well there are the Mari-cultured colonies that are imported too.

Yes. I don't consider them aquacultured as they have not been living in aquaria for any significant amount of time.

I would chose them over wild collected however, because of the lower impact on the reefs.


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[ReefFan]

Wow, didnt know if I'd get any interest on this thread.. But understand coral pricing I do, now thanks to the topshelf replies here at MR. One day, possibly somewhere within the 2nd year of my reefkeeping endeavor, I may consider myself a "collector". But as of now im simply a builder. Now with a firm grasp of what it takes to keep these specimens healthy n happy, i may be able to justify a large price tag on a true collector's item. All present pieces will have to stand the test of time, but when im confident enough, Ill get something rare/exotic

Thanks again MR guys.

-Jay

 

[reefprobe]

A vendor/hobbiest can easily buy a wild piece of coral and cut it into 50 pieces and glue them to a plug and call it aquacultured. I don't care if its Foster &Smith or the guy you bumped into at the local reef store. There is no real way of knowing where that so called aquacultered frag came from?
As far as how people price the expensive corals and call them rare.........welcome to Reefkeeping. You are obviously new to the hobby and welcome to the reality of owning a reef tank........people can charge whatever they want and call it whatever the want .

 

[cali_reef]

You are a "collector" as soon as you find something you like and "collect" it.

Buy what you like and what you can afford, this is a hobby that you'll need money to be in. Just don't be a "hobbyist turn want-to-be vendor", who frag and sell everything 5 days after they buy it in hope of "making a buck". We don't need those people to jack up the prices.

 

[jackson6745]

You are a "collector" as soon as you find something you like and "collect" it.

Buy what you like and what you can afford, this is a hobby that you'll need money to be in. Just don't be a "hobbyist turn want-to-be vendor", who frag and sell everything 5 days after they buy it in hope of "making a buck". We don't need those people to jack up the prices.

+1:meow:

 

[Wes]

A vendor/hobbiest can easily buy a wild piece of coral and cut it into 50 pieces and glue them to a plug and call it aquacultured. I don't care if its Foster &Smith or the guy you bumped into at the local reef store.

Then u are what they call a "chop shop". It's pretty easy to figure out the difference between a true aquaculture facility and a chop shop if you know the tell tale signs.

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[ReefFan]

You are a "collector" as soon as you find something you like and "collect" it.

Buy what you like and what you can afford, this is a hobby that you'll need money to be in. Just don't be a "hobbyist turn want-to-be vendor", who frag and sell everything 5 days after they buy it in hope of "making a buck". We don't need those people to jack up the prices.

Noooo, never even a consideration. Not sure how my question steered perception this way but i was trying to understand as a buyer, never a seller. Sure maybe years down the road ill grow things out in my tank to large colony size where they need to be cut back.. Only then will i sell frags. Even when i do, im only interested in charging fair prices... never try and get top dollar its just not my style. Only think ive fragged are Xenias and they people are buying em up dirt cheap. Getting a few polyps to grow and hacking em off for a buck is the last thing im interested in.

As for chop-shop mentality, that is so far from my mind im surprised it was mentioned. Yeah Im new to the hobby, about a year.. but ive learned quite alot i think. Noticing the huge differences in prices based on size is what im becoming acquainted with now. I see the whole other side to the hobby, and more accurately the private-forum sales world. Now well aware though and i will always buy what is reasonable and affordable to me. Only $50-$60+ piece im buying for the next 2 years are extra large colony sized pieces and i dont care how rare they may be. The flavor of the month or trendy stuff has never interested me in any other area, so certainly its not my bag here with reefing.

 

[bbreef240]

i really comes down to how bad you really want something...i have over payed for plenty of corals but when i shop for things i look for different shapes ...i might see the same coral somewhere else for less but the shape is not the same...i guess you can say i have no will power when it comes to something i want ....

 

[ReefFan]

i really comes down to how bad you really want something...i have over payed for plenty of corals but when i shop for things i look for different shapes ...i might see the same coral somewhere else for less but the shape is not the same...i guess you can say i have no will power when it comes to something i want ....

hehe niether do I man. Especially with my fav LFS and the deals and discounts they offer. It makes it so hard to say no. I come in looking to just buy a box of salt and make the mistake of browsing the livestock, then i ask for a couple prices and the next thing you know, youre wallet is alot lighter.

But I have finally justified my spending on corals.. and maybe this will help others feeling the sting of insufficient willpower in reefing. Look at it this way, from an investment point of view, there are few things more worthy of spending your money on. Cuz unlike almost anything else you can spend your money on, not only do corals not depreciate in value, but it continues to rise as it propagates n grows. So whenever you feel guilt from the collector POV, take a look at it from the investor perspective

Ya just have to keep the water conditions perfect..

 

[cali_reef]

not only do corals not depreciate in value, but it continues to rise as it propagates n grows. So whenever you feel guilt from the collector POV, take a look at it from the investor perspective

Ya just have to keep the water conditions perfect..

This is the part I am talking about... Enjoy it, don't think about this as an "investment", as most people "invest" to make a "profit"..

 

[bizarrecorals]

A vendor/hobbiest can easily buy a wild piece of coral and cut it into 50 pieces and glue them to a plug and call it aquacultured. I don't care if its Foster &Smith or the guy you bumped into at the local reef store. There is no real way of knowing where that so called aquacultered frag came from?
As far as how people price the expensive corals and call them rare.........welcome to Reefkeeping. You are obviously new to the hobby and welcome to the reality of owning a reef tank........people can charge whatever they want and call it whatever the want .

+1
thats exactly what I meant with the aggricultured BS, is not easy and close to impossible to tell which is what.