[Witfull]

this has been on my mind for some time now and have to jot down a few thoughts,,,,

in my many years of reefing, i have seen many "gotta have" trends. way back when when, elegance coral was suddenly the rage and pieces went for literally $100's of dollars. ive seen the zoanthid zealousness, ricordia rage, acro frenzy. so many time a certain coral becomes the "IN" thing to have.i am not saying this is a bad thing...sometimes all it takes is exposure to the public as to its beauty.

now on to the ethical part,

in this article, i both agree and disagree with with Anthony Calfo.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-02/ac/index.php

Indeed, many of these trendy creatures are very beautiful and popular for good reason. But the extremes to which some folks get caught up in during the buying frenzy are, well… extreme. An artificial and grossly inflated market price then emerges.

most definately too

Do you really think for a moment that the island collectors, who earn mere dollars per day or pennies per piece for other pretty, but “common,” corals, get rewarded with tens or hundreds of dollars for finding the trendy coral of the week?

no they dont, but as he says,,lemme be the devils advocate here, when a car, say Chevy PT Cruiser, is made, the factory workers get X$$ for making them, suddenly there is a rage for them and the price of the car goes up $5,000. do the workers that actually make the car see any of that? no, the profit goes to the "company" the "Middleman" and the "Retailer". the workers get what...i hate to say it,,,they get a job and paid to do it.

You have my solemn promise that in the real world (industry), the early seller links in the chain of distribution are not earning anything beyond traditional (and appropriate) price points for such animals. The collectors, brokers, and larger wholesalers are in the sensible and savvy business of turning over living commodities fast – hours to days - if they are to succeed and be profitable. It’s good business for them, and it’s just plain good business (ethically and financially) to get live organisms into the hands of the final consumers as soon as possible. It’s the animals’ best chance for survival, it keeps the “product” in the best condition for the consumer, and it frankly earns the best profits for everyone in between. It’s a beautiful thing. I love to see good business conducted and rewarded. I also like to see less than optimal business and bad consumer habits tamed or trained fast – hence my small contribution here.

i totally agree with this also...but as he states this is the early chain-translated getting it from the collection post to the wholesalers in LA. then repacked and sent out. (now if you dont believe cherry picking here doesnt happen, take off the rose glasses.

now once again I'll put on my DA hat,

trading aquarists or small business merchants – who justify their exorbitant prices with supply and demand. “Supply and demand" is an excuse that gets abused too often and shamelessly, in my opinion. If this were not true, how then would you define or even recognize the existence of price gouging... For example, after a natural disaster such as a hurricane, do you think that merchants who suddenly raise the prices of bottled water, food and gasoline are “price-gouging?” I do. That’s not a supply and demand issue… it goes far beyond factorable expenses and traditional price points

this is such a bad analogy. these corals are not a neccessity, you wont die with out it! i also disagree with the usage of supply and demand here,,,its demand! say i have 2 zippo lighters for sale, someone walks in after seeing his friend black inlaid one, sees mine for sale and sucks it up, then his friend comes in,,,grabs one up,,hmm i think, and raise the price on it a dollar, another sells really fast, the next one i raise the price another 2 dollars,,it sells fast,,then a guy walks in and i dont have one, he really wants it,,so order more,,,and raise the price 10 dollars,,,and they still sell. its not that i cant get them,,,its that people WANT them. its called capitalism and it works very well. Mr. Calfo admits that it does

The money-hungry individual (that’s not a criticism… I love Capitalism!) can serve himself best and still be a “good guy.” To do anything less is a patent admission that you have no long term plans for the future and are just trying to scheme in the moment.

this is where the separation is,,,you cant lump the scammers in the same bucket. there are things a business has to do to stay viable. included in these things is....charging more for items in demand. it helps cut the profit/loss columb. is it unethical for companies tha have multiple retail outlets to sell the same thing for a different price due to geographic location? no, they are basing price on what that area can afford and willing to pay. and yes this happens everyday across america.

As consumers, we control the price of any good or service: if we don't buy it, they won’t sell it!

Witty stands and applauds,,,this is the absolute truth.

The best defense against bad business practices is simply being an educated consumer. I just wish everyone were as privy to industry news, experience and gossip as some of us salty dogs are. At first, it was mildly amusing for me to see corallimorphs that were listed for many years as “assorted Discosoma” species get renamed overnight for weekly stocklists as “assorted Pacific Ricordea” when the Ricordea fad hit big. Heehee… the same suppliers, the same colors/species… but suddenly better sales overnight for cherry pickers and online e-tailers by renaming them for offerings consumers were willing to buy. Man… what a country!

like you said,,,I love Capitalism. its called "marketing".

We either will tolerate the manipulations, or we won’t. And we will ultimately have to accept the market that we ourselves create!

once again,,,you are very correct, we as the consumer have the power of the wallet.

Does $600 for a tiny patch of zoanthids with a ridiculous marketing name sound overpriced to you? Then let the coral remain unsold.

but if you want to be in the Trendy, gotta have it while its hot club" you will pay the dues to get in. like your friend that you told us about. some people want to be in that club, and that is their desision and are free to make it. its their money and it makes them happy.

now on to part 2 skimmers. it basically feeds in to the demand and bragging rights here too. some people just get caught up in the "mine is bigger than yours" game or trying to keep up with the Jones. this is not a Reefkeeping phenomenon, it happens everywhere and with just about every "luxury commodity.

So many of these top-shelf, top-price skimmers are simply models of excess.

agreed.

I can promise you, though, that I have depth in my experience in aquatic science and a valid opinion about certain products, and hobby trends and history. I offer some of them here as merely that – my opinions – and as but one component in your information gathering process. Make an informed decision based on an intelligent consensus, but don’t discredit your own instincts, even if unpopular. And remember, there are traders out there thinking that if you are dumb enough to buy it, they are smart enough to sell it to you.

once again i agree, it is up to the person to make the best desision for their needs, be it for their tank or ego.