No disrespect taken at all here, Just saying how its really changed and if people want the prices to drop we gotta stop supporting these online vendors. And instead as you mentioned other reefers
I agree, no disrespect taken. It's great that we can agree to disagree and still conduct ourselves as mature men and women.
There have been dozens of thread posted on this topic because people are tired and fed up with these sky high prices that many people are getting rich off of. It is pure unadulterated greed and price gouging and the misleading statements of "oh it's just supply and demand or a phase, trend of fad", when it's neither. It's "pimpin", a way to make a lot of money by chopping off every single polyp that grows and attaching it to a round plug, giving it a cute name, taking macro pic with a digital camera, shopping the picture at times, giving it a label Limited Edition, rare, hard to find, seldom seen, just released, and new on the scene, LOL, this is all marketing 101 to get you hyped to spend your hard earn money on a polyp which might die tomorrow and most often does.
It's "pimpin 10"1 http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1304962&highlight=pimpin
These types of threads aren't bringing the hobby down, people leaving the hobby because of greedy price gougers is what's bringing the hobby down. No one can afford to buy enough zoas to fill a 100 gallon tank with 2 polyps at a time purchases for anything with any great coloration.
To say, "If you dont like it get out there and trade or sell for reasonable prices so people dont have to pay retailers so much", well, we shouldn't have to. I didn't create this problem. The people who are against these high prices aren't responsible for these high prices. It's the sellers and the buyers, so they should take the lead. I personally have given away tons of corals etc, but it didn't cause any prices to drop. I have sold zoa and paly frags all over the country back in the day for $ 15 to $ 25 for small to large frags loaded with every color imaginable, but it didn't stop prices from going through the roof. See links below.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208268&highlight=mucho
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1402134&highlight=mucho
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1308623&highlight=mucho
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1273953&highlight=mucho
To me, reefing is about helping, giving back, sharing and learning. I have given away dozens of very nice colorful zoas and palys away on other sights which allowed me to, that's reefing. I have sold tons of cheap colorful zoa and paly frags. I gave away Chaetamorpha to help someone else out who maybe couldn't afford to pay for it, that's reefing. Helping someone who has tank issues even if it means getting in my car and driving to their house, that's reefing. Answering the same questions over and over again on the same topic, that's reefing. For some, reefing is only about making money, that's not REEFING, that's RETAILING.
I don't find this thread depressing at all, I feel that selling a polyp that was chipped off of a 6" x 6" rock which someone paid $70.00 for with 70 polyps on it, and selling one polyp for $ 50, well....that's what I find depressing.
Many will say, "well what's wrong with making a few bucks to help subsidize the cost of running a reef tank. I say nothing is wrong with making a few bucks, my problem is those who are making a killing as stated above and misleading innocent newbies who truly believe they are getting a deal and something rare when most often it isn't. The last time I checked Ebay, every zoa and paly had "RARE" next to it, LOL. This is so funny. Most of this stuff isn't rare people. I learned this in my first year marketing 101 class. It's hype, false claims to excite you. It's a means to get your money and "usually", I said usually, the people who defend these sky high prices are sellers at these sky high prices. I once sold some frags for $ 15 for 15 to 20 polyps. Someone contacted me and told me I shouldn't do that cause it brought the cost down and they couldn't make as much money. I told them they were my frags and I'm selling them for what they are worth. Then he replied with some choice words. I replied in all caps that my neighbor is the prosecuting attorney and ask him if he wanted to retract his statements which were overt threats. This is what this has come to.
I wrote a very long informative and detailed article on this entire topic. I chose not to publish it years ago, this thread has changed my mind. I going to revise it and prepare to publish it. These high prices are running many reefers away who want to grow and collect them but can't afford them, the colorful ones, not just the common green and orange ones. This hobby use to be fun.
No disrespect to anyone, just my opinion as others have stated theirs as well. This is a subject and topic I will continue to defend and speak up and out on and against publicly.
Lets keep this topic going.
Mucho Reef
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