Cost of the hobby

shaunn

shaunn

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hi all
as i am sure u all know this hobby is verry expencive why is it so, is because all the equipment is imported are the LFS gready and what a big mark up?

ie R6000 for a lighting system and thats for cheep one

I can understand about the fish and livestock but the genaral equipment its madness.

Dont get me wrong i am not complaning but there must be reasion fro this high costs.
I have a supper bike it does not cost near to the cost of my small tank yes i know totaly diffrent hobbys but its a fact.
 
I still need to find a hobby thats not expensive..

Reefkeeping is expensive in some way's to start, but if your on your way the maintanance is quite cheap
 
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ANy hobby is expensive if you do it properly. At least there are some electrical components and computerized logic build into many of the stuff such as the profilux. And now compare this to something like LEGO. A minute piece of molded plastic that costs a fortune.

Take photography as another example..... Do it properly and it will cost you a fortune..
 
Yeah, when i was a little boy a pound was R2.00 and R1.00 was 75c US. Something went wrong with time. It is strange that the asumption and perception is always one of "rip off from the LFS" or "importer".

Imagine getting a 23KG bucket of H2Ocean salt for R160.00 and a Giesemann 54w T5 light tube for R45.00 or perhaps a Deltec TC1655 skimmer for R1200.00
 
shaunnorth said:
hi all
as i am sure u all know this hobby is verry expencive why is it so, is because all the equipment is imported are the LFS gready and what a big mark up?

ie R6000 for a lighting system and thats for cheep one

I can understand about the fish and livestock but the genaral equipment its madness.

Dont get me wrong i am not complaning but there must be reasion fro this high costs.
I have a supper bike it does not cost near to the cost of my small tank yes i know totaly diffrent hobbys but its a fact.
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:whistling::whistling::whistling:
Then again shaunnorth..... it all depends on what superbike you are talking about!
My hubby have a Ducati and a BMW 1200GS Adventure and I can assure you its totally compareable with my hobby (reefing) ;). Same with his Fly-fishing hobby.... dont get me started on that!!! Any specialised equipment comes with a pricetag as they are usually imported. So yes.... there's a reason for the high cost. Suppose it all comes down to choices. You either choose a cheaper brand or setup or you go for the more expensive line. :(
 
The high cost of the hobby is actually a great thing for me. Reason 1 is that I think twice before I'll buy anything from a pet shop and it learned me to look around at different stores for the best price. Also just the satisfaction of working hard and saving up for a certain piece of equipment or fish and buying it in the end gives me a value that no money can buy. If everything was cheap just imagine how many guys would have overstocked tanks and have no value to anything because they could buy the stuff just by the change out of their wallets. My opinion is, if you love it you will have to make sacrifices, but in the end it's those sacrifices that makes the hobby worth it's weight in gold.
 
Mods, Please just close this thread. If I have to think about the price of this hobby I'll quit!!! Actually, don't close it, remove it all together.
PLEASE
 
this is an expensive hobby but its worth every penny i love watching the system mature and the surprise of find something new that wasnt there...
 
Ha this is nothing my practical pistol shooting cost approx four gees a month with holes in a target to show for it
 
Well remember that this hobby is not as big as in USA, so the shops sell less, so they have to have a big mark up
 
Tremayn said:
Well remember that this hobby is not as:) big as in USA, so the shops sell less, so they have to have a big mark up
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Tanks and their maintenance is big bucks in ct. there are guys that have tanks you can swim in. we talk millions for tank and equipment. if guys haggled with what they pay for your salary or products:)you would never earn a living. dont winge our life is made more fun by the hobby .they need to make a living. thwre is no need to knock the guys for making a living.
 
I think the thread is seen in the wrong light.

Everyone is either justifying the expense or arguing that its not expensive, besides Tremayn whom actually answered the question.

Shaunnorth asked a question. Why is it expensive? (This is what the thread is about)

There are many answers, 1 of which Tremayn has already pointed out. Maybe to be more specific is that less quantities are imported. Lower import rates mean importers get less discount. Suppliers sell at higher prices to LFS, and we pay the final price.

A 2nd reason is merely fabrication. For instance, look at what furniture costs. Even a pressed wood/chipboard cupboard, like in most kitchens, will set you back a few thousand grand. But go buy the wood etc yourself and DIY. It'll be much cheaper. The same with a reactor. A acrylic media reactor can set you back R2k easily, the cost of the acrylic itself may not be that much but because not just anyone can DIY one the price goes up.

Same with the profilux, compare a R7k profilux computer to the processing power and capabilities of a desktop or laptop of the same price range and you'll find the same thing. Simply because very little people can go out a build one themselves the price will be high.

Point is, the materials may be cheap/ish but the fabrication process makes it expensive. And with little competition in terms of brand in SA prices are high. With all the new sponsors starting their own brands they are already creating lots of competition and lowering prices. Take Idol's cooling system vs. a chiller. Look at all the different adhesives becoming available driving down each others prices. LEDS will eventually get cheaper.

The smaller the market, the more expensive the products will be.
 
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pXius said:
I think the thread is seen in the wrong light.

Everyone is either justifying the expense or arguing that its not expensive, besides Tremayn whom actually answered the question.

Shaunnorth asked a question. Why is it expensive? (This is what the thread is about)

There are many answers, 1 of which Tremayn has already pointed out. Maybe to be more specific is that less quantities are imported. Lower import rates mean importers get less discount. Suppliers sell at higher prices to LFS, and we pay the final price.

A 2nd reason is merely fabrication. For instance, look at what furniture costs. Even a pressed wood/chipboard cupboard, like in most kitchens, will set you back a few thousand grand. But go buy the wood etc yourself and DIY. It'll be much cheaper. The same with a reactor. A acrylic media reactor can set you back R2k easily, the cost of the acrylic itself may not be that much but because not just anyone can DIY one the price goes up.

Same with the profilux, compare a R7k profilux computer to the processing power and capabilities of a desktop or laptop of the same price range and you'll find the same thing. Simply because very little people can go out a build one themselves the price will be high.

Point is, the materials may be cheap/ish but the fabrication process makes it expensive. And with little competition in terms of brand in SA prices are high. With all the new sponsors starting their own brands they are already creating lots of competition and lowering prices. Take Idol's cooling system vs. a chiller. Look at all the different adhesives becoming available driving down each others prices. LEDS will eventually get cheaper.

The smaller the market, the more expensive the products will be.
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Thats very true, thats why a decent guitar costs 14k
 
I must say I to an extent I agree to a few points made, one thing I would like to say is, I wish the hardware and the Live stock is cheaper so I could by a bigger tank..
 
Tremayn said:
Well remember that this hobby is not as big as in USA, so the shops sell less, so they have to have a big mark up
Click to expand...
What he said:tt2:
 
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