zoo market about to go bust? Softies in general?

BigJay

BigJay

Well-Known Member
I was at the LFS today selling some frags and was looking around and his tanks were stocked to the gills. Noticed some really nice zoo colonies and they were $40... for the entire colony!( 4" x 5" approx).
Since I have a ton of zoo frags ready to go into his store my stomach dropped. So we got to talking on what he's getting them for and I couldn't stop shaking my head.
This guys prices aren't ever horribly out of line but they are typical for an LFS, usually 20-40% higher then the net. Now his prices are what I'd sell my frags to him for.
I also picked up 5 yumas for $50. I pinched myself as I walked out the door.
So I'm asking those with the insider track. Is this going to be the norm? Are wholesale prices really dropping all over the place or has this guy just stumbled on a gold mine wholesaler? I know there is no way I am going to continue fragging out zoos for him at that price. Its not even worth my time much less the cost for glue , frag disks, dip etc.
He had some other corals at good prices but nothing that caused me to miss a step like the softies. Well the 8" x 8" acan for $220 did make me sob a bit when I saw it had a sold sign on it. So any way I'll shut up and wait for some input or opinions on the current and future market.
 
Reddog170

Reddog170

Active Member
Now that would be awesome, st least for me, if the prices dropped and stayed there. I think that the reason is the economy right now. I think that sellers are doing everything they can just to stay in buisness. Times are tough and they are not making any money with them just sitting there with people wishing they had the money so the result is dropping the prices to get them sold so they can get something. Just my thoughts, Shaun
 
R

ryanb91

Member
Yeah at my LFS the guy got in some zoo colonies too. He had a crap load of them. Mainly green but still they were about the size of a softball and was asking $30 for any of them. I wish my tank was ready I would have been all over that. I asked him about it and he said the wholesaler was having a blowout deal on them. Maybe the same one, who knows its a hell of a deal.
 
chipmunkofdoom2

chipmunkofdoom2

Well-Known Member
My opinion is absolutely not. I think it might be a local thing, perhaps in conjunction with the economy, because all softies are still an arm and a leg locally. Enjoy the prices.
 
K

kgross

Member
Being a LFS, I would be willing to bet most of it is the economy, things are not selling, so to make any money you have to keep the price low to compete with MO.

Kim
 
T

tidalzone

RS Sponsor
kgross said:
Being a LFS, I would be willing to bet most of it is the economy, things are not selling, so to make any money you have to keep the price low to compete with MO.

Kim
Click to expand...

I agree I have a pretty good source and there prices havnt dropped so I'm betting hes selling to move or he bought a very large order to get a really good deal which is also possible as with most wholesale/transhipper's the more you buy better deal you get.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
I'm working with 2 LFS right now and although there has been a SLIGHT drop I wouldn't say "it's a BUST" by any stretch of the imagination.
 
BigJay

BigJay

Well-Known Member
BigAl07 said:
I'm working with 2 LFS right now and although there has been a SLIGHT drop I wouldn't say "it's a BUST" by any stretch of the imagination.
Click to expand...

I should have clarified.. bust for the fragger selling to the LFS. At the price hes paying it isn't worth the cost of the dip, glue,gloves or frag disks to frag them out. Who wants to sell zoos for .30 a polyp or an entire colony for $15-$20?? Except for the super exotics like Tubs he basically told me all colonies are that cheap. You gotta really take a step back when the LFS is undercutting liveaquaria.com by 50%.
I can still compete by selling direct to the public which I know some people prefer. I still got my price for a couple softies but my prices on those are rock bottom to begin with.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Hey I understand that for sure. Here's how I "Try" to approach something like this. Think of it as a "Green Concept". All the frags you're putting into the "Frag Stream" is keeping other corals IN the ocean... at least some of them :)
 
rmlevasseur

rmlevasseur

Active Member
This is the economy. Here's a quick version of what has happened in this country: the government allowed private interests and banks to loan out money, whether it be in the form of stocks or real estate, and then the debt from those broken deals was absorbed back by the government. The banks and stock markets were isolated from their mistakes and some people made a hell of a lot of money. Now the party is over, and prices that were artificially inflated are now artificially deflated.

Consider this:

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.” –President Thomas Jefferson, 1802, letter to Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin

Its too bad that the Republican visionary that saw this 200 years ago was only to be betrayed by his own party by his own insight. Get ready for the hurt people. Only the strong are gonna ride this one out. Ultimately I think this will benefit the home-fraggers though, as I believe many of our aquatic resources will be out of business in the near future.
 
degibson84

degibson84

Active Member
man my father in law just bought a zoo colony smaller than the one you described in the first post for $69.99

prices just seem higher than they used to be
 
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