Wow this is one of the reasons I usually stay away from the forums.
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Wow this is one of the reasons I usually stay away from the forums.
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Legit seller with legit coral. There are plenty of reasons someone would choose to hand off to a LFS vs dealing with local reefers. Much less hassle. Why should they feel obligated to mark down an item just so some deal sniper can make their own profit? The LFS is a business and in some cases with a national audience- why wouldn’t they list it at the value the coral holds nationally? As for the photoshop’d pics- if it’s your first time seeing that from a vendor... welcome to the game. Rob has one of the best tanks I’ve seen and sells fire. The photoshop’d pics are probably closer than the original pics. If you don’t believe me about Rob’s setup- do yourself a favor and buy something from him and see for yourself.
+1. Personally, I find selling things on forum more of a hassle. I could probably get more money, but the convenience of taking corals to a LFS and using the credit to buy things I would have bought anyways outweighs the time/effort/occasional sketch person in my house. Photoshop is just one way people get manipulated into paying more for corals, and unfortunately it works well.
+2. Rob's stuff are amazing and pure fire!! I've only seen his tank once but it left an impression to say the least! But yeah, it is easier to just sell the lot in one shot instead of dealing with the hassle of selling to individuals/flakes etc. With AquaSD now established as a nation wide seller, they are able to command a premium price similar to WWC. So it is a win-win.
The only thing I don't like is how the corals are "showcased". Sure, they look amazing zoomed in with a DSLR under blue light... don't think they photoshop them... but most of the time, they look nothing like the photos under normal conditions in our tanks unless you turn off all the lights, only run blues and look at them on the phone zoomed in with an orange filter or magnifying glass.
Unfortunately, yeah, that is what works.
This was actually an interesting thread that highlighted a dynamic in the hobby that I hadn't stopped to consider before. Removing individuals from the discussion, whom I am sure are all great people, a few observations struck me. I never considered the tension between someone selling frags for close to market prices to fellow reefers on the forum versus selling to the LFS for a lesser amount of store credit. I get that dealing with fellow reefers can be a hassle at times where trading in to a LFS is easier if you have a relationship with the LFS that supports that. I also get that selling to a fellow reefer for a discounted price to have them turn around and resell for more is a valid concern.
On the flip side, if one of the posts above is correct that you get about 1/3 of market price in store credit then isn't it possible to sell that frag to a fellow hobbyist for the lesser amount (but for cash and not store credit) and allow them the opportunity to save money while growing their collection without paying vendor prices? I admit that I am probably biased since I have only been on the buyer end of this equation. I'm also biased because pre-COVID I always had great interactions with sellers as we talked about their set ups and engaged in "hobby talk" that my wife couldn't care less about. So for me, buying from hobbyists was almost as much about the social interaction as the purchase itself. I am sure that as a seller you probably have less than positive interactions from time to time.
I don't have any conclusions here, just processing this thread and tossing out some thoughts. I hope I didn't offend anyone, that certainly isn't my intention. I just found this topic intriguing and can see both sides, so I thought I would see if others had insights to share. - Alan
Rob is a great person 2 deal with! Has great advice and always willing 2 talk about the hobie. He Has a beautiful reef tank (In my person opinion his tank is one of the top 3 in SD) At the end of the day it’s his coral and he can do whatever he likes with them. If he would like to sell them for $800 a frag or $10 a frag. That’s completely up 2 him.
Hey Rob that new build is looking amazing!!! Hope all is well.
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Rob is a stand up guy with an incredible selection of healthy corals. I’ve seen both of his systems and they’re legit. Also he doesn’t sell little booger frags like you’d get from a lot of online retailers. He sells nice healthy chunks.
I’m sure rob is a great guy no doubt. No one ever said anything negative about him. What so ever? So I’m not sure why that’s even up for discussion😂
I very respectfully asked a legit question. And seems like it got ignored, like many other things in these forums. And no one assumed anything brother. 1/3 is the standard of almost every shop. So I went based off of that. Again, simple question guys. No need for all this
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