....is it me or does anyone else feel the same

[blureef]

Hi, I been enjoying this hobby for the last 5 years. I been wondering a few things over the last little while that I have come across just wondering what anyone else's thoughts are.

There are two things in this hobby I just don't understand one is the price differences for livestock from shop to shop. I recently was looking for a purple tip elegance I shopped around was told it would cost be 200+ dollars however I went to one store and bought the same size one for $80. However this same store had some zoanthids for $40 but the store that wanted 200+ for the elegance only wanted $15 for the zoas. It's crazy how the price differs. One would think like any market that they would all be in the same ball park just like when you go buy a TV, you can shop at all the major retailers and the prices are usually the same or close to each other. I understand there allot of variables that account for the price these stores sell them for but some days I swear its like they pick a number from a hat and that's what the price is. Am I totally off, I understand if people offer things such as "arrive alive" or some sort of guarantee that would affect the price which is totally understandable but some of differences in price on livestock is substantial from store to store for the same thing. I understand its a free market and people can charge whatever they want. But it seems like there is no consistency in pricing. I never forget I bought a frag of sps once at a lfs in southern Alberta for $45, one month later I got the colony of the frag for the same price and dealt with the same person.


The other thing I don't understand is when you go online the sites from the states have way more variety. I never seen half the stuff they list anywhere in a store here in Canada or online. Are the laws different down there? Do they have different suppliers? As well it seems the livestock they have is also allot cheaper yet the dollar is the same most of the time.

I am not complaining as I love the hobby and always happy dealing where I buy my stuff, just seeing what others think.