concerned! need to stop this

R

reef2you

New member
hi all

ive been in the hobby for 18yrs.
ive always paid for live animals what ive considered to be fair.

what im seeing now is stores here in canada are having sales priced at 40$ doesnt matter what that coral is,these are new stores.
i have a feeling that this will hurt distributers that have been around for a long time and also stores that have been around for some time.

sure this is great for the end user but i dont think its good for the industry.

how can we get it across to them that this can hurt the industry.

signed
concerned
 
I'm not sure I understand your concern here...are you saying $40 is too much or too little? And for certain corals in particular, or all corals? Wild caught? aquacultured? Trade ins from other reefer's growout tanks?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8103472#post8103472 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SDguy
I'm not sure I understand your concern here...are you saying $40 is too much or too little? And for certain corals in particular, or all corals? Wild caught? aquacultured? Trade ins from other reefer's growout tanks?
Click to expand...

its approx 4 stores
they buy these really nice pieces at wholesale prices.
large shipments.
corals are wild and not frags.
they publisize a shipment 1 week before it arrives and they sell it fast so they dont have to keep it long.
so there not making much money at all.

heres an example:
a large piece of acrapora oh say the size of a soft ball for 40$.

we have true importers here which are gonna have a hard time
keeping up. its gonna drive them down (hopefully not)

so these fly by nights may ruin the hobby here and possibly hurt any of the distributers overseas
 
enjoy my friend while it last.

just because they have been taking advantage for so long doesnt mean they still can.

the mark up on coral and equipment is outstanding.

you dont have a problem just a blessing
 
This isn't unusual at all. Same thing happens with cigarettes, diapers, milk, soda, etc. It's called a draw good and is priced below or at cost in order to get people in the store under the assumption that while they are there they will purchase other items that the LFS willl make money on. If you really want to screw with them, buy up all the $40 corals and nothing else in the store. They will stop soon enough.
 
either that, or they get a loyal following thinking.."this place has the best prices in town"...then they slowly raise the prices by $1.00-$1.50...and you dont really notice it...until the next thing you know your paying $75 for what you were just paying $40 for...
 
Which stores are these?

I would like to go in and give them a piece of my money.. I mean mind!

Ya, that's it! Mind...


Competition is always good! If it shuts down one store, another will open in its place. If you want to pay high prices and want the stores that charge to much to stay open, shop there. While everyone else saves their money. For stores to compete, they have to adapt, which might mean offerring something better for their money, not just the same thing at a higher price.
 
I'm not sure how this differs too much from buying livestock on the web. Not to sound like TOO much of a capitalist here, but if their products are good, and they can continue to sell them at a price like that, why should we worry about the established distributers? We have a couple of shops in the Chicago area that have gorgeous livestock, and they charge an arm and a leg for them. The prices you can get on the net (minus shipping costs, of course) are MUCH better, but you don't have the ability to see your purchase ahead of time, and the local gougers are doing just fine, thankyouverymuch.

I'm sure the same thing will play out up there. If the newbies are that far below market value, they won't be able to keep it up long. Your established guys will have to adapt, but they'll be fine.
 
CNordstrom,

Very true, but if all the LFS went out of business and it all shifted to the web, who would the newbies (like me) go to for questions/emergency equipment needs, or just inspiration? I've been setting up my tank for 6 months and have spent hours picking the brains of my LFS where most of the staff is very knowledgeable. While I could save a few $ by buying online, I feel some loyalty to them for double checking my water parms, giving advice on aquascaping, etc.

BTW, their prices are slightly above internet. I swear he checks liveaquaria.com prices, adds some cost for shipping then tacks on 15%. Seems fair for the service they provide.
 
Once in a while we get lucky. Consider it a stroke of luck.

Yesterday, I walked into my LFS and saw a perfect, 3.5" Red Sea Semilarvatus Butterfly for only $36 !!!!!

I bought it. :-)
 
Man, around here good frags are like $40. I wouldn't be complaining about them, I would be hugging them.
 
I know of one store here that sells all corals for $40 (didn't know there was more than one). If you pick through you can get wonderful deals, but they're also selling things that aren't worth nearly $40 IMO (small rocks with two or three ordinary mushrooms for example). Much of what I saw was in poor health, and because I like to buy 'scratch & dent' corals and bring them back to health I asked about reduced rates for bleached/recessing corals and was told that no matter what type of coral or its condition, the price remains the same. It's a bit of an unusual policy, not sure why they're doing things this way, but if you get there on the day a shipment arives I have no doubt you could get some wonderful deals. Last time I was there I saw a beautiful (if unhappy looking) open brain that another LFS would likely price around $80-$100 and was sorely tempted, unfortunately I had to leave it in the store because my angels are brain nippers. Someone got a great deal :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8105091#post8105091 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TurboSnail8898
Man, around here good frags are like $40. I wouldn't be complaining about them, I would be hugging them.
Click to expand...

Around here ALL frags are $40+


Like a small monti cap is like $50. Zoos start in the 40s.



Which is why I buy wild colonies, and not aquacultured frags from the stores. I wish I could buy the aquacultured..but its silly. Frags have to come from hobbiests because the stores are so $$.
 
Getting them from fellow hobbyists is definitely the best way to do it. In Tucson we have a frag auction about 4 times a year. Everyone gets a chance to trim their corals and make some money.
 
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