I'm tired of seeing "frag packs" at retailers

[Kraken]

Frag packs are a good way for a vendor to perhaps sell stock that are not selling very well. If everybody only bought the expensive stuff, and nobody buys the cheap ugly stuff (not neccesarily), then the vendor is unlikely to be able to make any money. Like all livestock, when you purchase from a farm or from a distributor of corals, no one is going to sell you all of their cherry pieces. For example, if I went and purchased a box of 24 corals, there is a very high chance that 1 of them is a gem, and the other 23 is crap (not always the case but you get the gist of it). If everybody just wants that 1 gem, whats going to happen to the 23 crap corals? Unless you can sell the gem to cover for the entire box AND make a profit, then either the vendor has to sell it to a customer or its just gonna keep taking up space in their tanks and eventually gets tossed in the garbage. It really isnt easy to make money off of livestock because everybody is chasing for gems and the crap is either heavily discounted or left behind, but thats just the way it works unfortunately.

[mark]

the crap has to stop. Reefers have to stop buying it, stores should stop bringing it in, growers stop growing it

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by mark

the crap has to stop. Reefers have to stop buying it, stores should stop bringing it in, growers stop growing it

Stores don't bring it in, it just gets shipped. I've been at the "store" or the ordering of corals, and been there at the receiving of corals, always two different batches As stated, out of a box of say 16 maricultured colonies, 3 are nice, 3 are ok, the rest are crap. Often with duplicates.

[denny_C]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Stores don't bring it in, it just gets shipped. I've been at the "store" or the ordering of corals, and been there at the receiving of corals, always two different batches As stated, out of a box of say 16 maricultured colonies, 3 are nice, 3 are ok, the rest are crap. Often with duplicates.

the duplicates thing can be brutal, oder 6 zoa colonies or 15 sps colonies just to have 8 of the exact same pieces lol

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by denny@concept

the duplicates thing can be brutal, oder 6 zoa colonies or 15 sps colonies just to have 8 of the exact same pieces lol

Ya, and they aren't duplicates of the gem pieces. Usually the digitata that wasn't even ordered lol

[denny_C]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Ya, and they aren't duplicates of the gem pieces. Usually the digitata that wasn't even ordered lol

or the same red cap or valida colonie over and over and over lol

better yet is when they list it as a collector name or ultra this and that and then the lemons show lol

fool me once....

[Taipan]

Duplicates are brutal....but what really hurts are the items that you DIDN'T order and are automatically substituted (of supposed 'equal' value - yeah, right). As in 99.99% of direct shipments. Transhipping aside.

I've helped several LFS select and choose items - sometimes there's a mere list to choose from. Other times - there are literally hundreds of pictures to comb through.

It's amazing how what it ordered will never match what is delivered and unboxed. Someone will invariably ask: "Why does the LFS put up with that kind of service standard?"

Answer: Canada is a relatively small market and the wholesaler will generally cater to much larger U.S. and European clients - ie.) Live Aquaria, White Corals (Germany). Wholesalers will bend over backwards for a consistent large revenue stream. Economies of scale.

Back on topic - for what it's worth....some frag pack corals (despite being puke coloured green or some other non appealing form) will colour up very nicely over time. I've found several "runts" and ugly ducklings change colour under different conditions.

[ScubaSteve]

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.