Frag prices

[michika]

I'm curious to know, and understand, how frags are priced. I want to know specifically about ones traded between hobbiests, and not store purchased ones.

I want to know, for those who've sold, sell, or will be selling frags, how do you come to your selling price?

Granted things like coloration, size, and rarity come into play, but after those are all accounted for how do you set your price?

[tang daddy]

Hey there for me it's colour and rarity but basically I figure how much I would want to pay for the piece and then sell it for that. Sometimes I see what others are selling it for too and do it a little cheaper most of my pricing is reasonable and basically distribute frags that I started off with once it has multiplied and moved onto the rock.

[michika]

That sounds like quite a fair and logical method.

Do you ever take into account the cost of having grown out the frags, or the time spent?

[Tom R]

Pricing is quite difficult. Generally if you have mounted the frag on a rock the cost of the rock also has to be taken into account. A 1 to 1 1/2" frag will sell for 1$18 to $20 plus taxes in YLFS so $12 to $15 is a good price. My frags are generally much larger than 1 1/2" more like 4 to 5" so $15 to $20 is still a very good deal. I have paid as much as $40 to $50 for a 1 1/2" frag if it has great colour and is not something you see in the LFS on a regular basis,

Tom R

[fragalot]

I think first priority is the how rare the coral is.

[michika]

Bluemantr,

So after rarity, and I'm assuming rarity is what you decide to make of it, what's next?

A general question to all who have replied, do you rate rarity, color, etc. on your own views, or do you take into account what you've seen and hear from other reefers?

[fragalot]

I can talk about paly/zoas this is the things How i decide to price on my frags
1 Rarity
2 Popularity
3 Size of the frag.

[Murminator]

I'm like Little Cesears with brown zoos 5 bux, 5 bux ,5 bux Depends on what it is and how long it takes to grow. Brown zoos compared to colorful zoos, brown acro to colorful one I always stay under the store(always pay more at the store) but for myself trades are more important than $ I have gotton some pretty fugly stuff in trades that turned to gems under the right condtions

[michika]

When you say size of the frag, in terms of zoas & palys, do you mean how many heads, or how big each head is?

Thanks everyone for your responses. Its interesting to see some of the thought processes behind pricing frags.

[michika]

Long time no see Murray!
Ah the brown zoas!

I have to say that when I price, I do it based on color, size, and rarity, and most often in that order. Like most people have mentioned, I sometimes try to stay under what the LFS would charge, but I also take into account if its available at an LFS.

As for paying for frags, I'm willing to up what I would pay if its something I can't find locally, a color, or a species I don't have. I'm also willing to pay more as I often see frags as an investment of sorts.