online shopping

[panza]

hello,



well i was looking online for prices just for fun. and i realized that its a heck of a lot cheaper online then it is in the lfs. does anyone else order online? which online shopping is the most trustworthy with the order? and if the order dies or breaks whats the return policy for your source? thanks.

 

[Jimbo7]

Online is almost always cheaper then your LFS, they have to mark up stuff by a lot just to make a decent profit. Not to mention getting out competed by your general pet store.
I have shopped all over the intenet including aquacave, liveaquaria, marinedepot, and some others and never really had any problems.

 

[panza]

ok and i was trying to look at there shipping policy and was really confused. it sed like 34 dollar shipping or something like that idk i might have read wrong. but how much do you pay shipping!?

 

[buddha_red]

overnight usually runs anywhere from 35-45 dollars depending on who you go with.
Ive shopped a few online companies. Liveaquaria.com and underwater outlet recently.

 

[panza]

yeah is there any other shipping thats like way cheaper? like 10 dolars. lol

 

[Jimbo7]

shipping can be a big pain when you buy larger items, it can also depend on where the store is located in comparison to you. I like to order from aquacave because they are like 45 min from my house in chicago so i get shipping relatively cheap. A fancy trick i learned recently is for whichever store you use go to google and search "Randomstore Coupons" and there are websites that are devoted to posting online promotional codes that you can type in when you are checking out. Usually you can manage at least 10% off or free shipping if you look hard enough.


EDIT: If you are buying live items, minimum your going to have to pay is 35. its pretty standard and sucks..

 

[panza]

sweet. ha ha u dont happen to know any online store near phoenix arizona do you? im gonna make a search on those coupons thanks

 

[buddha_red]

i ordered some test kits from Foster & Smith. I found an online coupon for 5 dollars off. hey 5 bucks is 5 bucks!

 

[panza]

ha ha can u guys keep an eye out for me and see if u see any that have free shipping or near free shipping coupons for live aquaria or anything! thanks ill keep searching though and let you guys know also

 

[panza]

ha ha heres a good one if people need good deals to saltwaterfish.com

SaltWaterFish Coupons - SaltWaterFish Coupon Codes, Free SaltWaterFish Code Shipping Coupons for Saltwater Fish and Aquarium Products

 

[Jimbo7]

actually they are one of the ones i havent heard good things about. When you originally posted i thought you were talking about non-live things like equipment and such. For live orders i would stick to just liveaquaria and marinedepot.

 

[roka64]

I buy bulk dry goods from drsfosterandsmith....$15 for shipping. Thatpetplace matches other places (I get my clean up crews from them), premiumaquatics is good (got my heaters and phs there).
I have ordered from marinedepotlive and will never order from them again.
I got my Fluvial FX5 and nova extreme pro off ebay. I'm sure I am missing a few, but that is a list of where I mostly buy.

 

[Jimbo7]

what happened with marine depot live? I have only ordered non-live from them but i assumed they were just as reputable with live goods

 

[roka64]

I have heard marinedepot is good for dry goods.
Well, I took the day off for getting my shipment of fish/conchs. I waited all day, nothing, no call no email, nothing. I called them and they told me they didn't have everything I had ordered....at least let me know! Once I got my shipment, one of the conchs was DOA, and another fish lasted 6 days (1 day after their guarantee), I would have had to spent $70 to return both fatalities. I think there was something else but I can't quite remember.

 

[gwrace]

Great Customer Service from the doctors

i ordered some test kits from Foster & Smith. I found an online coupon for 5 dollars off. hey 5 bucks is 5 bucks!

I've ordered several things from the good doctors. Can't say enough good things about their customer service. It has to be second to none.

Most recently had a problem with a back ordered item. They upgraded to the next larger size item and did not charge me any shipping.

Very pleasant via email, live chat and on the phone.

 

[Patroklos]

I've ordered from LiveAquaria, Pacific East Aquaculture, and Vivid Aquariums as far as live stock and I have never had a problem with either (all corals, I get fish from the LFS). The shipping does suck, but it is normally a flat rate so just order a lot of stuff at once to save on shipping. Depending on how much you order, sometimes shipping is free.

I order most of my equipment and dry goods from Aquacave, no problems.