Austin Frag store

[discuspro]

Alright I just have an idea that I have to share. I just bought a coral frag from exoticreefs.us and it came to me, what if us Austinites in the Austin Reef Club could setup a store like that to sell frags online. Creating a reputation, a resource pool, and making an attractive website design and images, I believe, really can bring in some $$$. Fragfarmers, Reeffarmers, etc. sell pieces that draw attention by uniqueness and name. Selling individually may make it harder for other people to believe they are going to get what they ordered or something bad like that. Creating an official site could generate more confidence in a buyer rather than idividual sales.

So, this is how I picture it: We create a link from the main entrance of Austin Reef Club and call it TexasFrags or Austinfrags, or something good. We put together a library of corals according to genus and species and then by name, or vis-versa. For each genus/species/name there would be a list of frag providers in Austin most likely from the Austin Reef Club. I don't know if it would work but maybe we could create a fedex account. Once someone in Texas or somewhere else in the world wants to buy a frag the specific frag provider would be notified. Then either a coordinator or the frag provider themself would then ship the coral via the fedex account. Payment would go directly to the frag provider or maybe through a treasurer.

The tricky thing I just thought about would be consistency in frag quality from one frag provider to the next. I believe on way to get over that one would be to provide photos of the actual piece a buyer would recieve.

There is a bunch I haven't thought about but I just had to post it.

I think it would be fun, there could be meetings on new strains Austin Reef Club members come up with, ideas about sales and all kinds of things!

[thedude]

A couple large problems to consider;

First, the reason a place like exoticreefs is so successful is their coral farmers. Every farmer that they have is a world class reefer that most of the SPS community know and respect. Hard to say, but I'm afraid none of our tanks come even close to that of SniperSPS's beautiful aquarium.

The second reason most other frag sites like Atlantis Aquariums and Frag Farmer are successful is because they have access to all the premium acros coming in from overseas. We just don't have that same ability here in landlocked Austin. If someone came forward and said they knew such and such coral gatherer on Vanuatu, then it would be a different story.

The third reason is that once a frag goes "LE", how long would it take to acquire a piece of that coral, then propogate it enough to sell? I mean the oregon blue tort CRAWLS along to grow and the true purple monster is even slower. I'd have to think that you'd have a much easier time "financing as you go" by selling on frags.org, reefcentral, or best of all locally.

I think having a collective frag bank locally would be a great idea but nationwide? When I say collective frag bank, I mean a directory, linking each person with what they have growing currently and the asked price. Then there is the caveat, what if one person gives terrible frags and (god forbid) spreads red bugs unknowingly cross country?

Haha and then the obvious reason is that we only have 35 members and all of them are by no means active on the site. I do like the idea however of a local frag directory so that if you are looking for a specific coral, you can check to see if it is to be found locally. This way, the money goes immediately back to our local reefing community and not to LA.

Just my 2 cents,

John

[discuspro]

Yeah, that sounds good. I didn't figure it would all work, I was just dreaming big. Lets start a frag bank!

[OceanHomes]

I would be interested in that. I have a 135 thats full of all kinds of weird and net stuff. I have several corals from Exotic reef and several of tyree,s and am on the list for more (gotta get a bigger tank)

[discuspro]

Well, I was thinking my idea isn't that far from a frag bank, maybe. Just to have a main place to display pictures, info and stuff about the frags would be good. Making the site designs could maybe come through meetings or through someones great artistry. The fedex account I don't know if that would work but it would be cool. Those people that are big in the business started somewhere, I want to get some of our names on some corals like the big names!

[OceanHomes]

It dont hurt to try.

We all could be suprised by it actually working.

With the Fedex account - to get the best discounts you have to ship so much quanity a month, so probably at the start discounts wouldnt be to good.

[dieselndixie]

I dont know if this is what you are talking about, but I am new to fragging, and so far, so good.

Would this resource offer a way for locals to setup trades? I would like to be able to show what frags I have for trade, and see what others are willing to trade.

for instance, I have a colt coral I have been fragging...and am willing to cut a custom frag (it is too big for me now)...I dont want money....just zoos!

is there already something like this? does your site offer trades?

thanks

[+ACampbell]

does your site offer trades?

Certainly, Take some pics and make a post in the classifieds section of the forums.