I'm trying to get some out of the Red Sea early the week after next. Gearing up for MACNA, only getting in SPS this week. I don't have a problem with your post is was an accurate account of your visit.
I think you can understand how easy it is for word to get out that a store has high prices if one or 2 items are accidentally mispriced, or if an item is correctly priced but doesn't fit into the buyer's plan of bargain basement shopping. Then there are those who want to pay as little as possible even if it means the shop owner has to sell it at a loss, just so long as it fits their budget, and if you don't give it away then your some kind of rip-off. I'm making a point here so follow me.
Now that same person, get's in on a frag swap and offers their own frags for sale. Do you think that those frags are a.) fairly priced b.) moderately priced or c.) e-bay stratosphere priced?
If you said a.) you are euphoricly delusional, if you said b.) there's hope for you and the rest of the human race. However, unfortunate the answer is c.
The new craze is to charge what an e-bay bidding auction would get bottom line without the risk of a low bid. Sellers at every level (individual, retail wholesale) are trying this method of profiteer marketing of their "rarities".
I abhor it and don't practice it. I use a simple mathmatical calculation, cost x 2 = price, across the board. I have learned very recently that a store in close proximity to mine is selling zooanthids in minute frags for collosal prices and defends the practice by telling customers that these are what they sell for on e-bay. Gee, teriffic, then sell them on e-bay and quit trying to rape your customer base. Otherwise, they'll become someone else's customer base.
. As for the coral tank, we have no intention of writing prices on it. From years of experience with water spillage wipe ups and acrylic, everything ends up smeared and writing all those prices takes a couple of hours. We will try to get a clip board up soon that will give you a better idea of prices. Otherwise, we don't mind answering a hundred questions as long as you don't leave with any unanswered ones. I have one guy on vaction and we don't usually get shipments on Saturdays, or there would have been more people there to assist you.
