Aquabid...Bettas from Thailand?

[youronlysin]

Has anyone ordered any fish from aquabid? Im mostly interested in some of the more rare colorations of Betta and noticed that they are coming from Thailand. What are your experiences with shipping costs and would you do it again?

 

[Toirtis]

I have not, but know those who have....unless you are bringing in 50+ fish, the shipping costs per fish are really ugly.

 

[Fluff]

It's been a while since I looked at the betta auctions but, don't some of them actually ship to a holding person in the US? Then they ship out the fish to you. That's actually paying shipping twice. I agree with Toirtis, unless you are buying large volumes, it's probably not worth the shipping.

 

[TankGirl]

I have used Aquabid, but only for fish from a domestic breeder/dealer. You can get some very nice fish this way.

 

[Nippyfish]

My experience was with a local [U.S.] breeder as well. It was costly, but worth it in my opinion. I think the betta went for $9.50, the shipping cost was $18 because I opted for overnight.

IMO the colors coming out of Thailand are incredible but wait long enough and some really beautiful domestics will come along on AquaBid.

 

[youronlysin]

Some of those fish are gorgeous! Ive never seen such vibrant colors, and the platinum ones are awesome, as are the black ones. I just cant bring myself to pay 30-35 dollars for a Betta, not including shipping! Maybe I'll splurge one of these days just to have that one special pet. I'll keep looking for the domestic sellers.

 

[Chilly Willy]

I own a halfmoon betta from Thailand and it was worth every penny I paid for them. Good news is I also got his breeding partner so I'm hoping for baby bettas in the future.

I'm still a rookie with fishies but this full red halfmoon betta is the king of my collection.

 

[Toirtis]

I own a halfmoon betta from Thailand and it was worth every penny I paid for them.

Which would be how many pennies (including shipping and any fees)?

 

[Chilly Willy]

I'm not very good at math but I'm pretty sure it was almost 10,000?

 

[Toirtis]

I'm not very good at math but I'm pretty sure it was almost 10,000?

10,000 Thai baht is like $260USD.

 

[greenfish]

I think Chilly meant 10,000 pennies or 100 Dollars

 

[Toirtis]

Even still....$100 US for a single pair of bettas is some fairly serious cash.

 

[youronlysin]

Wow. Im sorry, but Im a hobbyist. I love my fish and I try to take great care of them, but in my mind, there isnt a fish on the planet thats worth 200 dollars. I just cant do it. It doesnt seem responsible for me to spend that kind of money on my hobby when I have a family to take care of. Maybe once in a while I can splurge, but it will be a while until I have the kind of financial independence to spend frivolously on my hobbies. I think if I had a 100 or even a 50 dollar fish, it would definitely be the king of my collection also. I understand there are just things that require a bit of investment to have, and thats exactly why I dont have them.

I just spent 25 dollars at Petsmart tonight getting plants, fish food, some filter media, a few shrimp and another betta. My wife doesnt feel the same as I do about this hobby, so I'm really pushing it by spending 25 dollars here and there on my fish. I wish I could gather her interest on this subject, but I just cant seem to do it. I know spending money on needed items would be a lot easier if she had some interest.

Id really have to fight hard to convince her to let me spend 50 dollars on one single fish. Just wait untill I finish buying all the parts for my salt water tank!!!

 

[Chilly Willy]

Well it's slightly easier for me to spend $89 on a pair of bettas. I do have a family of 4 but I also own a painting company that turns close to a million dollar in sales a year.

 

[Toirtis]

Well...I suppose...I think one has to be that passionate about bettas in particular....I can't see my spending more than $25 on a betta, but I have dropped $250+ on a bichir without a second thought.