Prices are getting crazy

[Aquatickiwiaquarium]

My initial post seemed to come off harsh and some people felt I was accusing them of price gouging. I admit I was having a bad day yesterday and probably didn’t think my post through fully. To be clear I’m not accusing everyone on here of price gouging, just giving my opinion that some corals seem inflated above what is a fair price and I feel we should all be trying to give each other breaks for the fun of the hobby. I have given members here a break on things I’ve sold myself. Now I know I don’t have to buy the corals and I’m not saying everything on here is inflated, just some corals. I have gotten some good deals on equipment and a couple corals on here that I bought as they were priced well. I’ve sold a couple things at very reasonable prices too. It’s still a good place for buying and selling and there are a lot of good people on here. Anyway, enough said, I’ll get on with it and get over the price increases of everything in life I’m sure!. My bad for sounding accusatory.

 

[Rainblood]

Mmmm...I have mixed feelings on this.
Some people are historically high but their stuff tends to be very healthy and nice which is why you are paying the premium.
Their are certain corals that I wouldn't trust from an LFS like torches, elegances, gonis, etc...these tend to melt if you don't know what you are doing. I would much rather buy from a hobbyist who has had it in his tank for years.
I agree some prices appear high but its an open market. I'm surprised at how fast some of these pieces move which means its either a one-off or I need to recalibrate my brain on some pricing

 

[hzheng33]

Mmmm...I have mixed feelings on this.
Some people are historically high but their stuff tends to be very healthy and nice which is why you are paying the premium.
Their are certain corals that I wouldn't trust from an LFS like torches, elegances, gonis, etc...these tend to melt if you don't know what you are doing. I would much rather buy from a hobbyist who has had it in his tank for years.
I agree some prices appear high but its an open market. I'm surprised at how fast some of these pieces move which means its either a one-off or I need to recalibrate my brain on some pricing

yup.

furthermore as a consumer, you have the right to not-to-buy from any entity. i try not to get in the business of what their overhead is or what risks the lfs usually take to bring livestock into their store, condition the livestock and then sell.

i have talked to an owner of lfs and one thing they said resonated with me: who's their main customer? probably not anyone on ARC. in the store, they sell a ton of GSP/xenia/and other what we consider as "pest" or "freebie" corals. Here on ARC, you can't give them away fast enough. also some people even ghosted on the freebies or, for instance, want free delivery of the said corals.

on the other hand, prices here on ARC are usually very budget friendly. but let's not have the wrong assumption that others should comply to this norm. Atlanta is a unique market where the demand for high end stuff is very limited plus folks are very generous here. if you want to buy local, buy local. if you want to buy from online vendor, the rights are all yours. just be an aware/well-versed consumer.

 

[Aquatickiwiaquarium]

To be clear, I’m not trying to accuse anyone of scalping here. Just wanted to bring up my opinion and get a discussion going. It seems that torches in particular are commanding higher than normal prices. That’s hard to wrap my head around given these have been super cheap in the past and they seem plentiful enough. These designer names also get crazier and crazier it seems

 

[hzheng33]

To be clear, I’m not trying to accuse anyone of scalping here. Just wanted to bring up my opinion and get a discussion going. It seems that torches in particular are commanding higher than normal prices. That’s hard to wrap my head around given these have been super cheap in the past and they seem plentiful enough. These designer names also get crazier and crazier it seems

Aussie gold used to be $80 a head five years ago……due to situation in Australia and now covid/inflation, good luck finding it under $300

 

[Aquatickiwiaquarium]

Aussie gold used to be $80 a head five years ago……due to situation in Australia and now covid/inflation, good luck finding it under $300

That’s a prime example there. I know some of it has to do with export restrictions and Covid supply chain issues. It would be nice if we could get back closer to those levels at some point

 

[Doberman13]

I haven't seen any corals on the forum priced more than the LFS in the area and most online vendors might appear to be cheap but then they tack on $30-60 more for shipping.

As for torches everytime I hear of someone getting one from a LFS that was wildcaught it lasts less than 6 months. Some of the torches going around the club can be traced to three different club members.

 

[hzheng33]

That’s a prime example there. I know some of it has to do with export restrictions and Covid supply chain issues. It would be nice if we could get back closer to those levels at some point

unfortunately the ship has sailed.....

 

[dball711]

Look at any product in any industry in the last few years. Supply and demand set the pace on pricing, look at the yellow tang. I sell a lot of corals and people either buy them or walk away.

If the price is too high for you then walk away. Your initial post really slams people selling corals on this forum. Either buy a coral here or go elsewhere. No one is twisting your arm…

 

[myvwrock]

I 100% disagree. I was just at a store and they were charging $45 for one polyp of some very common zoas. Rain blood gives some of the best deals I have ever seen for Coral. I've never seen deals on Coral or equipment like I do on this site. I myself will literally give Coral away, ones that I could sell but I just choose not to. Because that's not what it's about for me, this is a hobby. Like others have said, you have the right not to buy. Let us not forget about the used equipment deals, tanks that should be over $1,000 pop up for $250, come and get it kind of thing. I'm in the RV industry. You want to talk about price inflation come look at my books , I've got fridges that a year and a half ago were under $1,000 , now they're selling for over two and I'm lucky if I can get them . Maybe instead of complaining just lead by example. Just my two cents

Sent from my LM-K500 using Tapatalk

 

[Adam]

I'm not sure I follow the topic of this thread. ARC, by and large, has been the lowest cost place to buy coral just about anywhere, much to the dismay of many people. I've been told more times than I can count that no other city in the US has it as good as we do here. There are also several people in town that refuse to sell here because the pricing is so low.

Go look at the livestock sales threads on R2R.

 

[ecoreefguy]

I can’t think of a way to word this nicely, so I’m going to be blunt. This hobby is honestly a “luxury”, not a necessity. It’s a pay to play type of thing. As such, prices are all relative. Complaining about coral pricing is like complaining about car pricing. Some can afford Hondas and Toyotas , others can afford lambos.

 

[myvwrock]

I can’t think of a way to word this nicely, so I’m going to be blunt. This hobby is honestly a “luxury”, not a necessity. It’s a pay to play type of thing. As such, prices are all relative. Complaining about coral pricing is like complaining about car pricing. Some can afford Hondas and Toyotas , others can afford lambos.

A disposable income kind of thing. Like my pool in the backyard , it's money I don't mind throwing out the window

Sent from my LM-K500 using Tapatalk

 

[billyocean]

I always find people's pricing extremely reasonable on ARC. It's much less expensive than the alternatives. Plus, why not support a club member selling something you want? Any money from the corals I sell just get pumped back into the tank for supplements or whatever anyway. Or, they get traded for other corals. Errrrbody wins...errrbody happy!

 

[snowmansnow]

Meh nothin “wrong” w overpricing a coral

If someone wants to buy it fine. If not fine

Now, if we were overpricing fuel, food, or medicine. That’s actual price gouging at least that’s my take on it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[york1]

 

[chemaholic]

I would not sweat the post myself. Sometimes everyone needs to vent a little.

That said, a thing is worth whatever the consumer will pay for it whether it is corals, food, electronics, whatever.

Personally I have found the prices on this forum to be well below other larger market forums and definitely lower than many coral websites.

I like the fact that I am dealing with the seller face to face too. So far my experiences have been nothing short of phenomenal. Each time I go to pick up a coral, I learn something new about corals or I get to see a cool coral or fish I have not seen before.

A person will not last long selling in a market like this if they do not sell quality goods and stand behind them either. This also gives me confidence in buying here.

 

[enderg60]

Im still getting back in after a few years and I am utterly astounded at how someone somehow added a zero to the prices of kole tangs. No one wanted them and all of a sudden a white tail is $350+...umm what?

Any Ive also been around long enough to remember when I was super confused why people were paying GOBS of money for bland corals with stupid names that only look good under super blue lights with a magnifying glass.

I also remember selling a TON of frags I needed to get rid of to a store and getting hate mail from people on this forum for not letting poor people have a chance at the frags.

If youre in this hobby worrying about money youre in for a bad ride.

 

[lmm1967]

Poor people? What an asshat thing to even say.

Give me a month and I'll have a completely free setup up and running - minus whatever salt costs me.

***** rich people ***** are the problem in this hobby - not the younger person seeking creative ways to maintain a healthy tank for their own enjoyment and pleasure.

 

[Adam]

Im still getting back in after a few years and I am utterly astounded at how someone somehow added a zero to the prices of kole tangs. No one wanted them and all of a sudden a white tail is $350+...umm what?

Any Ive also been around long enough to remember when I was super confused why people were paying GOBS of money for bland corals with stupid names that only look good under super blue lights with a magnifying glass.

I also remember selling a TON of frags I needed to get rid of to a store and getting hate mail from people on this forum for not letting poor people have a chance at the frags.

If youre in this hobby worrying about money youre in for a bad ride.

When Hawaii banned all harvesting of live fish in early 2021 the price of all the fish that are from there went up an order of magnitude. A $30 to $50 yellow tang went to $500 or more. Yellow Eye Kole's come from there too. The those Kole's have been harder and harder to find. None of the major online vendors have stock at all and the listed prices of $300ish are meaningless with no inventory.

Now Two Spot or "Blue Eye Kole's" are still reasonable because they come from waters in Africa and Asia that are still harvesting. It's all supply and demand. Cut the supply with a demand and the cost skyrockets.