TulsaReefer
New member
I didn't want to see Ian's selling thread get hijacked, so I started this for the disussion on fish prices that was beginning to start up over there. We can get some discussion going here if anyone is interested.
This is my view on the debate of "I can buy that cheaper here" concept...
The price of fish and other livestock often varies widely. And unfortunately from the outside many fish look alike, i.e. a Yellow Tang looks pretty much the same other from an outward condition. Often if they are pretty new into the store they really haven't had time to show any outward signs of problems, it will often take a few days or weeks for the effects of shipping stress to show up. Where this is a problem is some dealers (especially big box stores) really are about quick volume sales, and volume sales means turning inventory quickly. It's not uncommon for these dealers to sell fish within minutes of them coming into the store, and you probably won't see tags with the date the fish was received. And never will you see a fish that isn't for sale, they are all for sale, all the time, even with "special add-ons" like ich and internal parasites. So you go and buy a fish, it's a bargain price $25, which is $5 less than anywhere else. And it's been in the store for all of 5 hours before you buy it, but you don't know that, and neither does the person selling it to you, they usually work in the dog food section
.
So you take your great bargain home, and since your so worried about saving $5 it's most likely you don't bother to quaranteen it either, quaranteen costs extra money... Now this new fish turns out to have a health problem, and your whole tank is now at risk. You spend $15 on medication to try to clear it up, and in the end kill off a $40 coral, and the fish dies anyway. So let's see, that $5 savings how cost you $25 for the fish, $40 for the coral, and $15 for the medication for a total of $80 to save $5. I know this is an extreme example, but I see worst all the time, complete wipe outs of tanks due to saving a couple dollars.
The attitude that the lowest price must be best is an idea that the Wal-Mart stores (and other discount chains, not just them) have drummed into the minds of people to where they forget that low price doesn't always equate to good value. Value takes into account the whole picture, not just the initial outlay, as well as the risk you take when buying a product. So you buy a fish of questionable health and save $5, it ends up costing you $80. Is that a good value? You see where I'm going? If your purchase decisions are based on who can sell you an item for the lowest cost, and that's all, then be prepared to variable results. Does paying more guarantee you will have better luck, no, but again, go with a seller you trust and has had good success, either your own or friends. Go to someone who will tell you "NO" once in a while when you try to buy something that doesn't belong in your tank, who is willing to forgo a sale to make sure you have long term success. Go to the place that maybe charges a little more, but YOU trust (I don't endorse any stores here, it's YOUR choice, I have my own).
That extra $5 may save you more than you think. Over the 15+ years I've been in this hobby it's taught me two things, one is patience, the other is that quality is never more expensive in the end, you almost always get what you pay for.
This is my view on the debate of "I can buy that cheaper here" concept...
The price of fish and other livestock often varies widely. And unfortunately from the outside many fish look alike, i.e. a Yellow Tang looks pretty much the same other from an outward condition. Often if they are pretty new into the store they really haven't had time to show any outward signs of problems, it will often take a few days or weeks for the effects of shipping stress to show up. Where this is a problem is some dealers (especially big box stores) really are about quick volume sales, and volume sales means turning inventory quickly. It's not uncommon for these dealers to sell fish within minutes of them coming into the store, and you probably won't see tags with the date the fish was received. And never will you see a fish that isn't for sale, they are all for sale, all the time, even with "special add-ons" like ich and internal parasites. So you go and buy a fish, it's a bargain price $25, which is $5 less than anywhere else. And it's been in the store for all of 5 hours before you buy it, but you don't know that, and neither does the person selling it to you, they usually work in the dog food section
. So you take your great bargain home, and since your so worried about saving $5 it's most likely you don't bother to quaranteen it either, quaranteen costs extra money... Now this new fish turns out to have a health problem, and your whole tank is now at risk. You spend $15 on medication to try to clear it up, and in the end kill off a $40 coral, and the fish dies anyway. So let's see, that $5 savings how cost you $25 for the fish, $40 for the coral, and $15 for the medication for a total of $80 to save $5. I know this is an extreme example, but I see worst all the time, complete wipe outs of tanks due to saving a couple dollars.
The attitude that the lowest price must be best is an idea that the Wal-Mart stores (and other discount chains, not just them) have drummed into the minds of people to where they forget that low price doesn't always equate to good value. Value takes into account the whole picture, not just the initial outlay, as well as the risk you take when buying a product. So you buy a fish of questionable health and save $5, it ends up costing you $80. Is that a good value? You see where I'm going? If your purchase decisions are based on who can sell you an item for the lowest cost, and that's all, then be prepared to variable results. Does paying more guarantee you will have better luck, no, but again, go with a seller you trust and has had good success, either your own or friends. Go to someone who will tell you "NO" once in a while when you try to buy something that doesn't belong in your tank, who is willing to forgo a sale to make sure you have long term success. Go to the place that maybe charges a little more, but YOU trust (I don't endorse any stores here, it's YOUR choice, I have my own).
That extra $5 may save you more than you think. Over the 15+ years I've been in this hobby it's taught me two things, one is patience, the other is that quality is never more expensive in the end, you almost always get what you pay for.
