buying fish off the internet?

[HN1]

I agree with some of your sentiment, but you cast far too wide a net and make false blanket statements. I know, and am one myself, many online sellers. Some of the finest fish in the hobby are available only through them because they are dedicated hobbyists first. Many of the most successful breeding programs for many species are because of hobbyists who take things in a slightly different direction than most. Without them, some species would be extinct.

Have you ever actually ordered something from online? Do you automatically equate "online" with "cheaper"? You should maybe have some first hand experience before you make proclamations of how anything truly is.

As with anything else online or real world... buyer beware. Know your source and make informed purchases regardless of where.

[mrg02d]

Originally Posted by boxfishlover

So how many of you that buy off the internet have read the fine print on your gaurentee? From what I can tell shipping is not covered for any replacement and in some cases shipping goes up on a replacement. Most of these internet sellers dont even have the fish when they sell them they wait for the order and then order it from a wholesaler. (IMO) it is only a matter of time until many of these places are exposed. I just got word today that my lfs is going out of business rather than try to compete online because they know the type of gaurentees out there are B.S. and they wont conduct business that way. I will now have to drive an hour to get live stock but will do that before trusting an unseen face or some guy in his basement reselling something he doesnt even have.

Thats why you pay with paypal.
Paypal will FORCE the money from their cold little fingers, shipping and everything. I have done this several times for vendors with attitudes! I love to see how their cocky attitude goes right out the window when paypal auto sides with the buyer and tells the seller he is to accept a return. (Even if its a dead animal)

That said, id actually trust a guy in his basement OVER a large online store or a LFS for that matter. Some guy in his basement is no doubt running a small time business with MUCH more time for QC and attention to health. He likely cant take a hit on a sick fish + its shipping cost, so he will likely make dang sure its good to go. Places that ship 1000 fish a week KNOW they are going to have 50 dead fish a week and plan for it (financially). That still leaves us without a fish and irritated.

Matt

[ryshark]

I will admit, I stopped reading once the long responses started so I have no clue whats going on in this thread. However, to answer the original question. I have successfully purchased fish from both Liveaquaria and Bluezooaqutics and I would do so again. I have also purchased from the DiversDen section of Liveaquaria which is as good as it gets!

[mellowyellow]

Boxfish lover: Thanks for the heads-up. My LFS is busy every day and doesn't show signs of going out of business. She's been in Dover Delaware for 15 years and I know she does a hefty business. I also have to travel about 40 min. to get to the store, but I think I'll stick with her. I'm sure she'd order me a fish if it were one I couldn't live without. I'm leaning toward an assessor. they're peaceful and very pretty. Again, thanks.

[Jimbo7]

Originally Posted by ryshark

I will admit, I stopped reading once the long responses started so I have no clue whats going on in this thread. However, to answer the original question. I have successfully purchased fish from both Liveaquaria and Bluezooaqutics and I would do so again. I have also purchased from the DiversDen section of Liveaquaria which is as good as it gets!

lol, this happens to me so often. Just get too lazy.
I agree though, I have ordered from the same places with good results. I had a fish DOA from Liveaquaria and they had another shipped out the next day at no cost to me. This was a couple years ago though, and it was a pretty pricey item.

[ryshark]

Originally Posted by Jimbo7

lol, this happens to me so often. Just get too lazy.
I agree though, I have ordered from the same places with good results. I had a fish DOA from Liveaquaria and they had another shipped out the next day at no cost to me. This was a couple years ago though, and it was a pretty pricey item.

Liveaquaria's customer service is Second to NONE.

[Hinds04]

Shipped prices are fubar. Never will be online buying cheaper for me than driving 10 minutes to the lfs.

[Jimbo7]

Originally Posted by Hinds04

Shipped prices are fubar. Never will be online buying cheaper for me than driving 10 minutes to the lfs.

True, but there are times where your LFS can't get in the things that the big online retailers do. Thats about the only time its worth it. Stores know that too, a lot jack up costs to just under what it would cost to have the same fish shipped to you.

[ryshark]

Plus the 14-day guarantee is sometimes worth the extra money in shipping.

[Hinds04]

My lfs has a 7 day guarantee

[Kurt_Nelson]

That's pretty darn good for a brick and mortar place, and pretty rare.

The 7-10-14 day guarantees, to me, are just marketing gimmicks. Seems to me, with my bad luck experiences of trying to get my first few fish through quarantine, that fish are either DOA (or within 8 hours or so), or they hang on for several weeks (more than 14 days) obviously not doing well before finally giving it up. Whether it's 3 days or 14 days, I'm guessing the death/refund rates are pretty much the same.

Regardless, I've purchased fish online (liveaquaria.com) and would again. I prefer to get them locally from a trusted LFS where I can see them before hand, but in some circumstances the online route is cheaper/easier/more convenient.

[Jimbo7]

LFS guarantees are usually bogus too. I'm sure some out there are fine, but the only one i tried to redeem, your levels had to be like absolutely perfect, which is never going to happen. You could have brought in fresh mixed salt and that guy would have found a level he didn't like.

[mellowyellow]

Thanks to you all for your experiences with buying off the internet. The fish I would like is a yellow assessor. I hear they're peaceful and pricey. However, if I get a guarantee perhaps it would be worth it. What do you think? Oh. One more thing. I did see one last week when I was surfing and it was 50% off. Being new I'm wondering why was the price reduced. I'd like to think it is because the FS has had it for a while and wants to push it out of the tank which is fine with me if that's the reason. Again, what do you all think?

[ryshark]

Originally Posted by Kurt_Nelson

That's pretty darn good for a brick and mortar place, and pretty rare.

The 7-10-14 day guarantees, to me, are just marketing gimmicks. Seems to me, with my bad luck experiences of trying to get my first few fish through quarantine, that fish are either DOA (or within 8 hours or so), or they hang on for several weeks (more than 14 days) obviously not doing well before finally giving it up. Whether it's 3 days or 14 days, I'm guessing the death/refund rates are pretty much the same.

Regardless, I've purchased fish online (liveaquaria.com) and would again. I prefer to get them locally from a trusted LFS where I can see them before hand, but in some circumstances the online route is cheaper/easier/more convenient.

My last DiversDen purchase was an Achilles Tang. For awhile it was only eating Nori/Seaweed. I would periodically emial liveaquaria letting them know this and see if they had any suggestions. They actually extended the guarantee for me past the original 14-days. Excellent service.

[ryshark]

Originally Posted by mellowyellow

Thanks to you all for your experiences with buying off the internet. The fish I would like is a yellow assessor. I hear they're peaceful and pricey. However, if I get a guarantee perhaps it would be worth it. What do you think? Oh. One more thing. I did see one last week when I was surfing and it was 50% off. Being new I'm wondering why was the price reduced. I'd like to think it is because the FS has had it for a while and wants to push it out of the tank which is fine with me if that's the reason. Again, what do you all think?

You should be happy it is half off, if it is from one of the reputable websites which we listed in this thread. Buy it now before it goes off sale. They probably just have a lot of them in stock right now and thats why it is half off..... not because it is half dead.(if thats what you were thinking)

[mrg02d]

Originally Posted by ryshark

My last DiversDen purchase was an Achilles Tang. For awhile it was only eating Nori/Seaweed. I would periodically emial liveaquaria letting them know this and see if they had any suggestions. They actually extended the guarantee for me past the original 14-days. Excellent service.

All vendors should have this attitude IMO. We arent buying TVs, we are buying fish. How many people would spend $100 on a fish (shipping included) if they dont know what they are doing? They could also ask questions to determine if you are trust worthy or just an idiot.

I will likely save up some money so I can buy a fish from liveaquaria as well as some coral and whatnot so I can make the shipping worth it. (Dont want to turn a $10 goby into a $50 goby. )

Ive heard liveaquaria is the best online vendor...

Matt

[ryshark]

Originally Posted by mrg02d

All vendors should have this attitude IMO. We arent buying TVs, we are buying fish. How many people would spend $100 on a fish (shipping included) if they dont know what they are doing? They could also ask questions to determine if you are trust worthy or just an idiot.

I will likely save up some money so I can buy a fish from liveaquaria as well as some coral and whatnot so I can make the shipping worth it. (Dont want to turn a $10 goby into a $50 goby. )

Ive heard liveaquaria is the best online vendor...

Matt

Thats a good point, if you want a $10 fish its very hard to justify paying the $40 shipping. But if you order a bunch of fish, like you mentioned, then it seems to make more sense. I ordered all of my online fish as a group of at least a few..... With exception to the 5" Hawaiian Achilles, which is fairly rare and when the price tag on the fish is already $230 whats an extra $40 at that point. Plus with the poor history of the Achilles, I felt getting it from liveaquaria, DiversDen was the only option.

[mellowyellow]

ryshark: Yes I was thinking maybe something was wrong with the Assessor. I still haven't had the nerve to try internet fish shopping and for now I'll stick with my LFS she's honest and is very helpful when choosing fish. Thanks for your reply.

[johnmaloney]

-edit - nevermind I was like 2 pages back.

[cmor1701d]

I've bought from LiveAquaria, BlueZoo, SaltwaterFish.com and a couple of other places. That's for both fish, corals, and inverts. If I'm only buying one fish I find I need to buy some corals, inverts a/o other items to justify the shipping charges. But I trust them more the the lfs's left around here. I could drive an hour or so, bu then the price plus gas plus my time make it cost more than the online purchase.

I also recently got some corals from MidWest on eBay. Much better deal than I could get locally, but I did get 7 coral frags.

It all comes down to where you live and how good a nearby lfs is. When I first started the lfs I got my tank from had terrible livestock. A kid at the local Petco told me about another store with pristine tanks. I bought several fish from them and never had a problem. Unfortunatley they are gone, so I am left with the drive, or an online purchase.

For snails, etc. it's easy (reefcleaners). For other's it's a bit more difficult.