LFS Prices

[noobtothereef]

Im trying to figure out why lfs's charge so much for theyre products? Ive been into aquaria for about 10 years and over the last couple of years the prices are going crazy.... I know they have overhead they have to pay unlike online stores but WOW they are getting out of hand, today i saw an aqualifter pump for $69($12 online), a koralia evo 1400 for $109($52 online), reef octo extreme 200 skimmer $599($300 online) etc... i know they need to make money but geeze they are shooting thereself in the foot forcing people to order online, i like supporting lfs's but its getting out of hand...maybe if they didnt mark stuff up so much they would ell more and get better prices on theyre products through theyre distributors for selling a higher quantity....

 

[dun2run]

No joke. Just today I saw a BUCKET of ReefCrystals salt for (you might want to sit down) $76.00!!! Dont know how they can sleep at night.

 

[noobtothereef]

theres an lfs here where io is $80 and rc $90

 

[cnaegler]

I saw a bucket of Tropic Marin pro for $124.99 at my LFS.

 

[edsreef]

A LFS I frequent also has absurd prices marked on everything, including live stock. Talk to a manager and see if they'll work with you. Mine does and I can buy just about anything in the store for much less than the marked price. Not sure why they do that?..Just fishing for suckers I reckon?

 

[zma21]

I used to follow the rule "hardware online, livestock in-store."

My last coral purchase was online, however. I don't feel like paying $30 for brown zoanthids or green mushrooms.

I've never lived close to a good LFS.

 

[Alex T.]

Not that I support outright price gouging, but let's be serious here people. An online vendor has a warehouse that they ship from or even drop ship from the product vendor directly. It's not even close to the same overhead. An LFS has to run the lights, pay the employees, feed the livestock, pay the bills and rent/mortgage on the property. They can't possibly give you the same discount you get online. I've seen the price sheet of what my lfs pays to get livestock and dry goods. We as hobbyists can buy them online for a just a hair more; hardly any profit margin left in it for the owner.

Is going out to eat any different? What does a glass of your favorite wine or beer cost when you go to a restaurant as opposed to picking it up at the liquor store? Is this any different?

 

[Aquarist007]

Im trying to figure out why lfs's charge so much for theyre products? Ive been into aquaria for about 10 years and over the last couple of years the prices are going crazy.... I know they have overhead they have to pay unlike online stores but WOW they are getting out of hand, today i saw an aqualifter pump for $69($12 online), a koralia evo 1400 for $109($52 online), reef octo extreme 200 skimmer $599($300 online) etc... i know they need to make money but geeze they are shooting thereself in the foot forcing people to order online, i like supporting lfs's but its getting out of hand...maybe if they didnt mark stuff up so much they would ell more and get better prices on theyre products through theyre distributors for selling a higher quantity....

IMO its the online products that are forcing the LFS to mark up their products so much.

 

[Pallobi]

hardware, food, equipment and supplies online for me... corals from local reefers, and fish and inverts from a LFS... unless i "adopt" or buy fish or inverts from a friend or other local reefer

traditionally i dont like LFS's and i used to work at one as well

 

[SquidHC]

It's the way it is with everything now days. I don't go to the library, I order a book from amazon. I don't pay retail for anything, because I can find it online for so much cheaper.

Unfortunately, this makes everything harder for all the little guys, and gives control of the market to online vendors. Once all of the LFS's are gone, the online vendors will be able to control the market price, which I assume will just go up.

The larger overhead of LFS's has to be paid somehow. The city I live in is divided into 2 sides, east and west. If all the LFS's were to get together as a team, and create one really nice store on each side, they could significantly reduce there overhead and maybe have a chance.

 

[allsps40]

WOW IO for $80 RC for $90 TMP for $150 that is crazy. Here IO is about $50 RC $60-65 TMP $95. It is true that the LFS has to make a profit on everything they sell to stay in business and supply use with items and live stock we need.

 

[BarbaraM]

I have an LFS locally that has very reasonable prices on dry goods and he will try to match anyone (even online vendors) on stuff. To me even if it's a little more expensive, I save on shipping and I get the stuff immediately or within a couple of days. He also carries the "latest" stuff which was always a beef of mine with LFS's in the past (selling old outdated stuff for rediculous prices. Regarding IO and RC. There is an LFS in Tampa that usually has 200g boxes for $35 and $40.

 

[jasonrp104]

I vary a bit. My korilias were only like a 10 dollar difference when I factored in shipping so I bought them local. Salt, testkits, and heaters are local. Livestock and high dollar stuff was pretty much all online until I found my new LFS. Most of his frags are 5 for $100

He also shares my hatred of stupid coral names

 

[Lynnmw1208]

my LFS is the same way. They wanted $60 for a little frag of GSP! isn't that considered a weed to some people?! and when I asked about pricing, the guy got real rude to me. seems like whenever I have a question the owner of the place is a real jerk and doesn't want to help. :mad2:

i guess I'll have to drive 45min away to get to a good LFS... but that one's fish prices are way higher *sigh* u can't win lol.

it's just way cheaper to buy from liveaquaria and the like even with shipping cost. If you split shipping amongst how many fish you ordered, the price for one fish is still cheaper than the store. plus they tend to look healthier from liveaquaria. these stores obviously don't want to stay open.:rolleye1:

 

[tozzi]

Lfs has the overhead like alex t said. Thats it. Usually though all the lfs by me will knock the price down. I think the sticker price is more for people that walk in to the store and want to set up their first tank. Newbies

 

[cornraker]

I completely agree with you. I am all for supporting the LFS but the prices are making it hard to do so. I have been ordering my supplies offline and I plan on trying to order my livestock online as well.

 

[the_klenzer]

IMO its the online products that are forcing the LFS to mark up their products so much.

I think there's a lot of truth to this. When your customer base gets slashed by online sales, the only way (short of recruiting new customers but who wants to waste money on THAT ) is to get more money out of the customers you have remaining. Since you have a limited base of items to sell them, then you must raise your prices to make more money.

I'm lucky, there's a great LFS here (ok an hour away but its worth the drive) that started as an online store and opened a retail location, so I can get close to online prices while still supporting a local shop. And they aren't idiots, which is a bonus.

Actually, there's an LFS that's about 5 blocks from me, who has crazy expensive prices (hence my hour drive to the other one). 6 weeks ago I asked them if they'd match a price on bulbs. They said "no" because they had crazy high rent to cover in that location. I suggested that 1) it wasn't my fault they opened a store on one of the more expensive streets in the city, and 2) that instead of making less money on my sale, they are now going to make no money because I'll buy it from the other LFS.
Last week, I found out they are moving to a cheaper location.

 

[isildursbane]

IMO its the online products that are forcing the LFS to mark up their products so much.

Competition is good for consumers, not bad as you claim. The online marketplace has opened up a vast array of different products to the home consumer that would not be available otherwise.

 

[longiotti]

my story
I love buying local. Return policy has made me looking online.
example:
I buy a $600 light fixture for my tank.
8 days old and one of the balists for the 250Watt MH stopped working.
I know the store owner and have sense he opened. I did the standard trouble shooting. swapped balists and the problem followed the balist. tried different outlets. problem followed the balist.
went to bring the balist back to the store. I am thinking he has 3 other hoods in stock so he will just swap me out for a new one. NO he wants to send it back to the manufacture and have be wait for 2 to 3 weeks with no light over the one side of my tank......
I was like, you are kidding right? he said no, all I have to do is flip my hood every other day. I laughed and walked out. Went home got my hood and the box and brought it back and got a full refund. went online and bought the same thing for $150 cheaper with shipping.
it was like he did not even want my business. I knew I was giving him the extra $150 but I didn't care because I wanted to help local business and I figured he could help me out if I ever had problems with it.
it is really hard for me to spend over $50 in that store. because of this. I understand trying to support local but come on!

 

[jeff@zina.com]

If you don't like the pricing, don't buy it. There are a lot of reasons that prices may be higher in your LFS, just like Walmart sells fish food cheaper, and I can't guess as to their motives, but nobody forces you to buy anything there. Eventually, if nobody buys anything, the prices will drop -- at their going out of business sale.

Become a savvy shopper. An hour's drive on a nice day with lunch out with your honey and you probably can get to another LFS with policies and pricing you can accept. I have basically five LFS within 45 minutes of home, 2 within ten minutes. Each has advantages and disadvantages, and I buy some things at one and other things at another. And there's still stuff I buy online. But I also keep a list of stuff I'm looking for and when I'm in another city I look to see what's available. I'm lucky, Miami and Fort Lauderdale are a two hour drive. That gives me another half dozen excellent LFS within reach and another 20 or so that might have something. And I still order online.

Jeff