I stand on both sides for this issue.
For more common corals that are great for filling out a new tank, frag packs are the dog's bollocks - you get an insta-reef at a low price and the seller moves a bunch of stuff quickly. I get the need to move volume fast; I'm so busy that I actually give most of my frags away for free to friends and newbies, otherwise I throw them out. I just don't have the time or space to deal with it. For a retailer, moving stock through is key and I totally get why they do it.
On the other hand, the selection of nice collector corals seems to be rather **** poor in Vancouver, so I'm already getting nailed having to bring in corals from out of province. Having the one frag I want stuck in a bundle that can't be split up ticks me off because now I have to spend more money to buy more corals that I don't even have room (or want) just to get the one - and then add the shipping back on top of that if it's not local. Ya, sure I can go and try to sell the pieces I don't want, but refer to my previous point - I'm too flippin' busy to deal with it and have no room in the tank. So, what happens is that I just pass on the packs and yet again still can't get the collector pieces I'm after. It's only happened to me a few times but each time it was for a piece I really wanted and would have paid a premium for.
So, Paddy buddy, I feel ya on this one. I too hit that point some weeks where I'm just going "Why the frig is it so damn hard just to get a nice piece of coral!", then you come so close to finding what you want and get burned by something silly like a pack... leaving me banging my head again the tank in frustration.
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