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private sale

M

mickeysreef <*))))<

NJRC Member
idk if it's just me. what do you guys think about people selling fish or corals for more than you could get it at the store lol.

I mean yeah I get it you might have spent a lot to grow or care for it but isn't it closer to dying the older or bigger it is? hahaha

man idk I'm not paying ++++store prices for something out of somebody's tank. even at the store I'm asking for discounts.

anyway I rather have a small fish or coral and grow it out. that's the fun part for me. if I need something out of my tank, I just end up giving it away. only time I got something for something out of my tank was store credit when I either couldn't give it away cause nobody wanted it or didn't have time to give it away.

just funny when someone is asking so much money for something out of their tank. I'm laughing in my head but I don't want to be rude so my face is straight.
 
iTzJu

iTzJu

Officer Emeritus
NJRC Member
it depends, if the seller is a trusted individual and you know the fish/coral is healthy and disease free then, yes, I'd say is definitely worth to pay a bit more than retail. that extra $10, $20, $30 or so bucks is worth it to me knowing i'm getting a healthy fish/coral, saves me the time to set up a QT/trying to get it to eat. but again the person selling needs to be a trusted source. If some random dude is just selling things then no.
 
M

mickeysreef <*))))<

NJRC Member
idk. it's one thing to break even but doubling or tripling the cost. nah. plenty of places selling fully qt animals.

I used to also go your way. like if I trusted the person. but I learned the hard way you can trust someone all you want. only God is God. the rest of us are just guessing and trying our best. there is no guarantee particularly in this hobby. and when the worst happens, all you'll get is a "wow that sucks, probably already in your tank". LOL

I agree to pay store prices because that's their business. they pay rent etc. but I'm not paying store prices out of tanks, I don't care who you are lol and even funnier when you are 3x store prices RIGHTTTTT
 
DEL

DEL

Vice President
Staff member
Board of Directors
NJRC Member
Moderator
if i know that a fish has been in someone's tank and is eating flakes/pellets, and is healthy, i wouldnt mind paying a little bit more than LFS prices. majority of the time LFS just has something drop shipped and sold within a few days. its a hit or miss based on the species of fish if it will eat. Corals however, I always get great deals when its from another members tank.
 
B

brokereefer

I think it's tough to make a blanket statement about this. And I think it's also a matter of personal choice.

There are plenty of fish that are worth more (whether you buy it in the store or from someone's tank) when they grow larger or reach adult maturity. And there are also plenty of fish that are notoriously hard to get eating or acclimated with a high loss rate. I'd rather buy something fat and eating from someone's tank at that point rather than chance it with a store bought fish.

The same can be said for some corals. If someone bought a small frag from the store, then grew it out to be a larger colony, I think it's fair that it would be worth more. Of course, same size frags are generally sold for less than the stores or online vendors charge.

At the end of the day, if you have a smaller tank or specifically want smaller fish or corals, then of course it's not worth it to you. I think it also has to do with rarity and how hard it is to keep that item. I can think of a number of instances though where it would be worth it to me to pay more for a larger frag or a healthy specimen from a trusted tank. Maybe not 2-3x more, but I'm sure there are even rare situations where a buyer exists for that.
 
amado

amado

Dal
Staff member
Board of Directors
NJRC Member
For me I rather buy fish from tank break downs then from LFS. I have fish and corals from local reefers. I have seen some LFS that just get corals from the public and chop it up and turn around and sell it to the public at a higher price. I am in Sales so I understand how people over value what “market value is “ . Now I also have to say that most stores have very small frags. When I trade or sell a frag the frag plugs are huge. When people sell huge colony from home you can’t get that from a store. From my interaction with LFS owners they are really bad business people. They are good at growing corals but not their business. I have seen some local reefers that have a better frag setup then the LFS. With my new tank setup I don’t want aptasia or any algae problem.
I don’t want ick in my tank so I am really careful where I get my corals/fish from. The free market will always dictate the price of coral or fish. So if someone is selling frags to high in price the market won’t buy and it will sit in inventory.
But if you are selling then don’t reduce your price. If people are willing to spend top $$$ then get top $$$. The market always dictates the price.

I am realtor and when I am selling a house I get 10-15 people tell me the price is too high. Lol then I get 15-20 above asking offers on the same house. The market will always support the demand.
 
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Mark_C

Mark_C

Staff member
Officer Emeritus
NJRC Member
Moderator
Depends on what they're selling and price, and agreed, NJRC should take care of its own.

I recently sold some golden gonzo mushrooms that retail at $100+, if you can find them, for $25 or less a head, and I just sold a tank raised ORA moca clown that I've had for 2 months that retails at $100-120 for $50.
Per regular sellers, Raptor sells frag packs probably valued at $400 for $80-100, Dave does cheap as dirt prices for members and oft does a $10 a frag sale, and there's a lot more members out there that help out other members.
Also, the amount of cheap and free equipment exchanged between members is fantastic.

I've bought and traded from a lot of folks here. I know the tanks are clean, the livestock is top notch, and the equipment in good shape.
And I agree, there are some members that price retail and above, which is ridiculous. I simply won't buy from them.
 
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Salted

Salted

NJRC Member
I've got to say I've been the recipient of more than one members' generosity and am thankful for it. My tank is young and I don't have much offer yet but I was recently able to pay it forward a little and it feels good to give back to this community. I hope to get to the point where I have things growing out and can in turn pass some on.
 
Paulie 069

Paulie 069

Salted said:
I've got to say I've been the recipient of more than one members' generosity and am thankful for it. My tank is young and I don't have much offer yet but I was recently able to pay it forward a little and it feels good to give back to this community. I hope to get to the point where I have things growing out and can in turn pass some on.
Click to expand...
That’s awesome attitude my brother spread the love we need more of it in this day n time
 
DangerDave

DangerDave

NJRC Member
I agree. I’m here for the club and the cool folks I’ve met and I sell accordingly. I mean if we don’t have each other, we’re stuck financing some vendor who mostly pull animals from the ocean. Having a retail store has huge overhead and you need to move volume. I understand it all came from the oceans, but the more we aquaculture, the less that happens.

I have nothing against someone doing this for a profit, but if they want to do that here it’s my opinion that they should be transparent and sign up as a vendor.

When it comes to price, I have some stuff that sells for silly prices, but I try and reserve them for trading for other stupidly priced pieces I want. It’s a hobby for me. I already have a career and even that’s starting to get old. I don’t want that to happen with my hobby. If I came anywhere close to half the money I put in to just my supplies, it would be a good frag month and I’d be damned surprised.

I think lower cost of entry helps get new reefers started. Two of my non reefclub friends tanks came from our club members. They would have never paid full price to start off.

Dave
 
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