Thoughts on fish auctions?

[Fishy monkey]

I went to my first auction the other day, was hosted by a local tropical fish society and the guy doing the auctioneering owns an aquatics shop so I figured it'd be decent.
I was surprised though, cos we couldn't see the fish before bidding due to them getting stressed by being picked up and put down again, and they were being stored in bags inside boxes. But when the bidding started the guy just picked up the bag of fish, waved them over his head then when they were sold they were just carried across the room to sit with their new owner.
When I buy fish from a LFS they put them in a carrier bag so they're not stressed by the changing surroundings, why wouldn't the same apply in an auction?

 

[Mrc8858]

It can be stressful on them don't be mistaken lol but the way I see it most big chain pet stores fish are already on the verge of death so they need to take extra precautions to not kill them.. the guy hosting the auction on the other hand I bet only gets quality stock and only sells when they are healthy which is why people keep coming back for more you might actually be surprised at what these fish go through from the wild to your tank, its actually quite amazing anything can live thru some of that haha

 

[Fishy monkey]

Thanks for your reply. The fish on sale weren't from one person or shop, they were from lots of different people (I got there early and saw them setting up). The shop owner/auctioneer was a member of the society.
I just found it all a bit surreal and odd. I can't quite grasp how to know if the fish are healthy without seeing them first but since most of the people there seemed to know each other I guess they trust each other too.

I'm struggling to find a LFS I trust completely to provide my new stock, I think I'd really find it hard to buy fish I've never looked at!

 

[aaronjohn20]

This is why I love my lfs. The NS stands for no sale. If they notice something wrong with any fish in any tank then no fish in that tank is for sale. The barb had ick, but dang it, I want some gbr's lol. Plus the guy that's runs the place is nice and very knowledgable and helpfull

 

[Ohsnapitscharity]

This is why I love my lfs. The NS stands for no sale. If they notice something wrong with any fish in any tank then no fish in that tank is for sale. The barb had ick, but dang it, I want some gbr's lol. Plus the guy that's runs the place is nice and very knowledgable and helpfull

Is that Fishy Business?

 

[jlk]

Have you ever visited any of the online auctions? You bid on a picture of the fish. Some auctions even state that you are not bidding on this exact fish but one 'similar' of the sellers choice. I think I would prefer the 'in person' auction because you are actually buying the fish you see. Not allowing excess handling of the fish prior to auction makes sense as well. I think I would make sure I had a front row seat though if I was actually going to bid.

 

[aaronjohn20]

Is that Fishy Business?

What???