That is often the first questions our customers ask, when they first contact us regarding a shipment of coral. The actual farm raised coral from our ocean based aquaculture operation is not as expensive as it appears at face value. One could get them at a bargain price in fairly large numbers right here in Bali. So if you are a hobbyist looking to cut out some cost, couldn’t you order directly from the source and save a few dollars? We as consumers are so used that it takes only a few mouse clicks and our treasures get shipped from a far flung location, just to land directly at our doorsteps not so long thereafter. Why not do that with coral? The same coral cost a different price in different locations. Lets look at the difference in cost for tropical coral at a wholesale distributor in Hamburg Germany? That number is much higher than in Bali. Coral need to undergo a strict reporting, packing, and control process to get the stamp of approval from the Indonesian authorities to be allowed to get exported. Then it has to be shipped via airfreight in precise timed routes to avoid long layover times. At the same time highly trained import agents work on clearing all the paperwork that adhere to cites protocol and documentation, so that the coral can swiftly be trucked from the airport to a holding facility of the wholesale operator. Within 48 hours many hands have carried the insulated shipping boxes, handled the documentation and processed the freight. Literally nothing is very easy in this process. By the time the wholesaler can take a first look at the coral, its price went up considerably. Now the wholesalers team spends time and resources to quarantine the new specimen and acclimate them to the new environment. After it finally gets packed and delivered to the retailer it undergoes another round of efforts to keep it healthy and vibrant. Everyone that has its hand in this endeavor is a specialist in its own domain, spends time and resources to make the almost impossible happen. Tropical live coral from the opposite side of the globe reaches a location near the polar circle in Norway, for example. The most unlikely proposition came to life. So how much does that cost? The answer always depends on where it is going. Even large retailers often can’t import coral themselves, because of their location, experience or manpower. There is a wide range of reasons why it is difficult or impossible to import directly. If they are too far from the next international Airport that has the right connecting flights coral will endure too much stress during prolonged shipments. Are the right customs agents available to clear the red tape? Does the would-be importer possess the right qualifications to be allowed to handle the import of specimen under Cites requirements? Does the importer has the manpower, experience and equipment for the aftercare and intermediate housing of the life coral?

After all we are shipping fragile animals to an environment the is vastly different from their own natural surrounding. We put a square peg into a round hole, so to speak. It takes a lot of work to get to the finish line. It is is easy to forget the efforts it took to get beautiful coral to sways its tentacles in your fish tank in this mesmerizing way. So if you ever approached us with the wish to receive a small shipment of coral directly from us, and we said no – it is not that we did not want to accommodate you. It is to prevent you and us from failing. Some things are best left to the professionals. If on the other hand you import coral for a living, we want to talk to you. You know your business and you have the expertise and resources to make this happen on your side. We have increased our farm capacity recently and our processing ability, so we can in fact accept more wholesale coral importers as our customers. Please inquire about our coral shipping policy and pricing sheet. We look forward talking to you and your team. You don’t even have to operate anywhere near the polar circle.