[demosthenes]

First of all... "new plant" trends. Has anyone else noticed that as soon as there is some new plant in the hobby, everyone buys it, grows a TON of it, sells it to a bunch of other people, and then its totally forgotten? I remember there was this huge flame moss craze in the SnS, and everyone was buying and selling flame moss. Then it was UG. Then the same thing happened with downoi, and then Pogostemon stellatus and those ones, and then now its Sphaerocaryum malaccense. its interesting how things come and go in style... like no one really uses lagenandras anymore except in ripariums, and florida crypts and stoneworts... totally forgotten plants.

i've also noticed that lately, the number of sales threads in the SnS has decreased in a lot. Theres still stuff being sold, but whats the deal? I haven't spent much time on this website lately because of my homework load, but do you guys think there will be a lot more sales threads after christmas or anything? There are a bunch of plants that i wouldnt know how to acquire except from these forums.

thanks!
wilson

PS - if any of that soudned rude in any way to the forums or PT staff, i'm really sorry, this is such an awesome site!!!

 

[timwag2001]

sales die off a lot during the winter months. plants can freeze and die. people do still sell but they have to use heat packs.

 

[sewingalot]

Just like every hobby, there will be trends that pass through the hobby. I suspect that our society of having to have the newest, coolest object doesn't stop at cars and cell phones. Plants like UG and mosses like flame are going to be popular to some just because it is in style to own. Some will loose interest in them, others will use them endlessly. (Me and blyxa are kissing close!)

How would you know the S&S traffic is down if you haven't been on here? If there is a lull, I think it has a lot to do with the time of year. Many are on breaks for the holidays and it is getting a little cold to ship for some of us (like me).

 

[[email protected]]

I'd attribute the drop in S&S listings to the changes made some months back requiring forum support from people who more interested in selling than helping out.

All new offerings of living items go through fad cycles. Gerbils were $75.00 each in the sixties and the sellers would not send you a a male and female pair if you purchased two.
These days, in my opinion, shipping costs breaks the cycle of a fad. When shipping comes to more than the cost or value of the item interest drops off rather than tapering off.

 

[lauraleellbp]

I'm not buying anything for my tanks till after the Holidays. Too busy and my $$ is all going towards presents! LOL

 

[alan j t]

ya, its too cold to buy or sell and the holidays got me broke.
you have no idea how many times i see my fav rotalas for sale and i cant buy some till next year:flick:

 

[talontsiawd]

I will not ship anything in the holiday season again. My 2-3 day shipping took 7 days and supposadly didn't look very good when they got there. I didn't ship it the way many people do (I just put them in bags with no paper) but I have never had an issue. The cold may be an issue but it was from Cali to Cali. If it took the right time, I would doubt there would be a problem.

 

[Church]

I'd attribute the drop in S&S listings to the changes made some months back requiring forum support from people who more interested in selling than helping out.

+1 !

And that's not to say that there are no sale threads happening... just that a lot of the power sellers moved elsewhere, and many people who are unable or unwilling to become paying members here are now only able to have 1 thread a month.

Personally, though, I think ultimately what the OP is noticing has more to do with this being the cold time of year than anything else.

 

[GTR]

I just bought something a couple days ago and then realized what time of year it was. lol

I'm pretty new at this and obtaining different things I can't find local is half the fun of it. Not everything will suit me or be happy with my level of care so mixing it up some I might find the right combination.

SteveU

 

[GTR]

and many people who are unable or unwilling to become paying members here are now only able to have 1 thread a month.

Coming from a SW board to here was refreshing. I picked to support the board, not for the ability to sell but to get more PM storage space than 25. lol
I didn't realize you could only start one FS thread a month. That explains why the title on some threads change over time. lol

SteveU

 

[oldpunk78]

i think it has fallen off lately because of the weather and transit times. i also find myself trying to find plants in state as well. thank goodness there are a lot of CA sellers! lol

 

[skiboarder72]

I heard lil wayne is working on a song about blyxa and flame moss...

Exclusive Lyrics:

oh blyxa your leaves are soo fine what can I do?
I wish my flame moss could grow as big as you