Does this forum drive down pricing??
 

Not trying to start a battle or anything, just noticed a thread for free live rock and it got me thinking...as canreefers we look for great deals on livestock and equipment, but I am wondering if as a result, those who sell are actually getting less than what they deserve as a result.

I have stuff to sell, but thinking twice about posting here simply because I'd lose so much on it. Not looking for retail, but if something is still in great condition, possibly with warranty left on it, why is there so much downward pressure on pricing on this forum??

Anyone else ever think this?

Yes, absolutely.

if i have hardware or tank of my own to sell i do it on kijiji as on canreef its mostly lowball offers , for livestock ill post on both as livestock seems to carry its cost alot more these days then equipment:)

I think, like everywhere else, its supply and demand.
If everyone today were to sell LR, the price would go down if the seller wanted to sell. In this environment, if you wanted to get rid of the LR because you needed the space tonight for that elusive fish you always coveted, then you would give the LR away free.

I think most people would be happy to just have it out of their hair instead of it collecting dust unfortunately most try to sell local especially bigger centres and usually market is flooded if more people were willing to ship probably ( I know shipping scares a lot of people) prices would be a little higher.:mrgreen:

Wow
 

It doesn't drive prices down. People that low ball aren't only on canreef. The person selling stuff is the one that sets the price. People that buy stuff for say $500 new and use it for 6 months and try and sell it for $480 are the worst.

Yeah it has nothing to do with driving prices down, but everyone is looking for a good deal. It's 100% situational. The free live rock guy has a leaking tank, and has to get rid of it right away. I would do the same thing (if I didn't have 1000 other backup tanks lying around my house lol). I would much rather sell something at lower value on here, not only to give others a good deal (lets call it reciprocity), but so that it dosn't sit around my house and take up space.

Here's how I do it.... look at what others are posting their prices at and start around there. If it disn't sell... lower the price $20 a week until it sells. evenually it will.

Sometimes you just have bad luck. No one needs that particular item at the moment, or just dosn't have the cash. Keep at it! lol.

All good points for sure. What I like about selling/buying stuff here is getting to meet other locals that are actually active on the forum and maybe I'm naïve for thinking, but I trust people here a lot more than random people on kijijji. Its also a what goes around comes around thing, I'd like to think anyway.

I've only had one bad experience selling something. For the most part, buying and selling is worth the price simply because of this community. I just get annoyed because I'm one of those that went out when I first started and bought live rock at Pisces at $10/lb, then see it super cheap or free here...not that I need live rock now, but .....

I was not complaining about pricing or anything as I've certainly taken advantage of the great sales here, I'm not bitching about how things are traded or negotiated. But ya, its like buying a new car, as soon as you drive off the lot, its value drops like 35%. Guess its the same here too...:mrgreen: and this thread was not started as a result of my experience, just a thought I had when I saw the free thread as I know there's at least 1 other thread trying to sell LR....

There are deals such as the free live rock on Kijiji as well! Some of my cheapest and my most worthwhile purchases of livestock, tanks, and other equipment have been from there. The difference is, once sold on Kijiji, the ad disappears. On CanReef forum, it exists "forever". If people want a good deal, they spend more time looking for it. If items for sale are of good quality and reasonably priced, they sell equally well on either site........

Just my $0.02 worth

True enough!