How many people fall for the "deluxe" frags?

phi delt reefer · #1 08-09-2011, 05:33 PM

lot of the "brand name" stuff is heavily aquacultured so it does very well in home aquaria vs the random crap LFS ship in from the ocean. You can get similar stuff cheap at the LFS in every shipment but theres a 50% its just gonna brown out or just die on you. Some corals just dont do well in closed systems.

also buying designer from the store is like buying Hugo Boss at the Holt Renfrew at full retail. You gotta find deals from hobbyiest who are just looking to make a few extra bucks to help pay their aquarium costs.

Aquattro · #2 08-09-2011, 05:40 PM

These are certainly nice pieces, but I won't pay that kind of money. I don't mind waiting for you to buy it and grow it out, I'll get a $20 frag from you next year! I think the most I've paid for a frag is about 40 bucks, and even that was a lot.
On the flip side, once all my "named" acros grow up, frags will be 10 or 15 bucks. And my frags are never 1"

There are enough people that just want the nice piece and not want to recoup their costs in the first 2 frags they sell, so once they have frags, them I buy the fancy stuff.

Haloreef · #3 08-09-2011, 07:00 PM

Hey, you know I have a tank full of named corals, but I would not have bought any of them if I did not like them, regardless of cost.
I buy what I like! Some of my nicest pieces are wild collected and in the last few years I have noticed that the wild pieces are starting to cost more because LFS are not bringing them in as much. I have been good friends with 3 LFS owners over the years and have had the good luck to help un pack many coral orders as they come in and as such have had first shot at a lot of corals before the general public. I have never seen anything like a Purple Monster or a Red Planet or Ice Fire Echinata show up in these orders.
There have been some realy nice stuff don't get me wrong.
I guess you just buy what you can afford and like and thats the way I look at this hobby.
I don't think I would call anybody names because they were buying stuff for reasons other than mine.
Just my two cents though.
Keith.

Aquattro · #4 08-09-2011, 07:05 PM

Absolutely right Keith. Nothing wrong with buying a frag of something nice if you like it and can justify the cost. For me, my money needs to go to other things, like feeding baby, dogs, etc. I have a limited tank budget and couldn't spend that kind of money if I wanted to. For me, I have to wait a year for your purple monster to be sprouting branches out of the top of your tank, and hopefully you're throwing it away by then

Sometimes I just have to wait longer than you to have these pieces.Sometimes a lot longer -lol

apexifd · #5 08-09-2011, 07:06 PM

catchy names or slogans help to sell products right?

albert_dao · #6 08-09-2011, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquattro

These are certainly nice pieces, but I won't pay that kind of money. I don't mind waiting for you to buy it and grow it out, I'll get a $20 frag from you next year! I think the most I've paid for a frag is about 40 bucks, and even that was a lot.
On the flip side, once all my "named" acros grow up, frags will be 10 or 15 bucks. And my frags are never 1"

There are enough people that just want the nice piece and not want to recoup their costs in the first 2 frags they sell, so once they have frags, them I buy the fancy stuff.

Why would you sell something for less than market value?

Aquattro · #7 08-09-2011, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Why would you sell something for less than market value?

Because I'm fragging it to prevent contact with the adjacent coral, and I get to help a fellow hobbyist obtain something they might otherwise not have access to and when I need a frag back of something, the favor is almost always returned. It's called karma and works out really well for me almost all the time.

albert_dao · #8 08-09-2011, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Because I'm fragging it to prevent contact with the adjacent coral, and I get to help a fellow hobbyist obtain something they might otherwise not have access to and when I need a frag back of something, the favor is almost always returned. It's called karma and works out really well for me almost all the time.

It also devalues the product over the span of the local market in the short term and possibly beyond in the long.

Makes for a great buyers market, but stymies the profitability and resulting development of the businesses that assume the time and risk to import these animals in the first place.

Why would I, assuming I sold corals, spend the countless hours and dollars needed to do all the import/export processes to bring in a lineaged coral from the States when its profitability is destined to be undermined within the year? What incentives do I have to not just sell more of the same stuff that I'm already selling?

Aquattro · #9 08-09-2011, 07:47 PM

Albert, I work within the 2nd phase of the market (the used car people

), and sell only to those that otherwise wouldn't buy your product to begin with. The only way I, or others, will ever own those pieces is by buying from other hobbyists that feel as I do.

So for your efforts you will still have the customers that purchased the original pieces wanting your newly imported special of the month. That market segment will always exist and will always pay your asking price. I will not, so I'm not a part of your market scope. Your business goes on with or without me, with so little impact from my part that it isn't worth considering.

To add, I'm also not able to bring any of my product to market in the first year, so short term is not something I participate in, and long term shows us new product where my items are now old news. Keep inmind, I'm not buying a piece to turn around and frag in 3 months, I'm fragging excess growth, which I won't realize for at least a year.

albert_dao · #10 08-09-2011, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Albert, I work within the 2nd phase of the market (the used car people

), and sell only to those that otherwise wouldn't buy your product to begin with. The only way I, or others, will ever own those pieces is by buying from other hobbyists that feel as I do.

So for your efforts you will still have the customers that purchased the original pieces wanting your newly imported special of the month. That market segment will always exist and will always pay your asking price. I will not, so I'm not a part of your market scope. Your business goes on with or without me, with so little impact from my part that it isn't worth considering.

To add, I'm also not able to bring any of my product to market in the first year, so short term is not something I participate in, and long term shows us new product where my items are now old news. Keep inmind, I'm not buying a piece to turn around and frag in 3 months, I'm fragging excess growth, which I won't realize for at least a year.

Fair enough.

Not that my product (love and peace for the common man) depreciates in value