my lfs is shot

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Wow.... I guess I'm pretty lucky. I have a bunch of independently owned fish shops around me and they are all decent in prices. $6 for a 2" Festae, $4 for a 1.5" Gold Saum, $10 for 4" Synspillum... $100 for an 8" Wallago catfish, $20 for a 6" Buttakoferi.... Jags are cheap, Midevils are cheap, etc... sorry, I'll stop.
 
Hey Jag, is it the place in on 112 south of sunrise? If so, I agree, way overpriced. I was there once cool store as far as setup, but the prices...forget about it. I also got turned off when I saw multiple tanks with ick in it. I go to the one further up 112 in coram, always has cool stuff coming in, prices cant be beat and he does great buisness there because of it.
 
Andicca said:
Hey Jag, is it the place in on 112 south of sunrise? If so, I agree, way overpriced. I was there once cool store as far as setup, but the prices...forget about it. I also got turned off when I saw multiple tanks with ick in it. I go to the one further up 112 in coram, always has cool stuff coming in, prices cant be beat and he does great buisness there because of it.
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yup u hit it right on the head. dam country critters. that place is only good just to look around and maybe buy some products if u need. have u ever seen the prices on their tank setups too?. that's just the way it is in long island its the most expensive place in the country to live in so I guess wit the economy going downhill everyones jackin up prices. same thing with petland I used to buy 3 inch green terrors for no more than 5 bucks now they want minimum 12.99.i miss the way it was like 5-6 years ago seems like everything was cheaper. and yeah that's aquahut your talking about. I went there for the first time the other day they had great prices especially on the African cichlids for 11 bucks I could have got 3 nice sized assorted African cichlids but in country they want like 18-30 dollars for one assorted African. in petland they have 4 inch assorted African cichlid that they had for years no one buys them because they are in the 35 dollar price range its just something else
 
hello; One of the fundamental parts of being a consumer is being able to pick the places where you spend your money. I have scouted many fish shops over the years. Many were too poorly run or overpriced, in my opinion, so that I did not do business with them. I shop at the places that meet my personal criteria. I will pay more for healthy fish from a well run shop and often will not buy for some shops for any cheap price.

In terms of taking in an unwanted fish from a customer, that has never been a big negative for me. Some shops simply do not have the space (tanks) to house extra fish. I can also see the question of introducing disease or parasites from customer fish into their stock.

In over fifty years of keeping fish I have only one time asked a fish shop to take in a fish. A neighbor lost his house a few years ago and I took in a common plecostomas from his tank. The pleco simply was outgrowing the tank I had available for it. The fish shop did take in the pleco. They did not offer anything to me and that was fine. They may have sold the fish and made some coin, that is also fine. They did me and the fish a favor.

While the practice of trading in fish is mentioned in threads, I have not taken to the concept. When I buy fish my intent is to have them for the long term. I have learned about buying fish that are difficult to house or turn out to be a type I come to no longer enjoy. I have, so far, made a place for those fish and kept them. I also have become much more careful when considering keeping a new species. The concept of trading in fish was new on to me when I first began to read these forumns. I suppose as long as the health of the fish is maintained, that it is not a poor practice. I would not stop shopping at a LFS just because they did not take in fish or did not pay for fish they do take in.
 
There is a place by me that fits exactly what you said bro. Extremely over priced I paid $80 for a 8" fire eel. I went to another fish store and they had a fire eel for $50 or $60. Idk if it was a good or bad price but I paid $25 for a 1" silver aro


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AshKetchum said:
There is a place by me that fits exactly what you said bro. Extremely over priced I paid $80 for a 8" fire eel. I went to another fish store and they had a fire eel for $50 or $60. Idk if it was a good or bad price but I paid $25 for a 1" silver aro


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yep $25 for a 1 inch arrowana is overpriced they have 5-6 inch ones at aquahut in coram for 35 bucks. im not saying ill absoloutly never buy from country critters its just that theyr prices are WAY out of line. i could order the same size species i want that are wild or f1 from jeff raps for about the same price when you include shipping. i asked the guy why they have such high prices he said "when you think of how much you would pay to have a fish shipped our prices are not bad" but im not having it "shipped" im burning like 8 -12 bucks in gas back and forth to go there and pick it up. the manager complains that he hates aggressive fish cuz they are "evil" and he has to give them a tank to themselves then a costumer surrenders one in and they stick an outrageous price on it. i dont have a problem wit everyone in the store there cuz the women ther are really nice and theres this one dude that always helps me out. when i broke my waterchange faucet hose piece he opened a new one and sold me the piece then when that piece broke he just rigged something up for me no charge, i was really thankful for that.
 
A fish is worth what you're willing to pay for it. There is no standard pricing for a certain size or species of fish. You can call the shop out of line or overpriced but that doesn't make it fact. If you want to do a better job, open your own LFS and sell cheaper fish. Maybe you'll find it's not so simple.

You said it yourself -- Long Island is not a cheap place to live or operate a business. I'm sure his rent is high, as are his utilities, business licenses/permits, insurance, etc. His prices will reflect that. They won't be for everyone. If you don't agree with his prices, don't shop there. From your posts it sounds like you go to the store pretty frequently, so I don't understand why you're here bashing the guy and yet keep going back.

Shipping from someone like Jeff Rapps may be cheap for you because of your relatively close proximity to his facility, but overnight shipping to me from most of the big cichlid vendors is $75 - 100 depending on the size of my order. That means if I want to order six fish at $10 each, with shipping they are really about $22.50 each. If I could find those in an LFS for the same price, it'd be easier to go there, plus I'd have the luxury of selecting my own fish and the peace of mind knowing they weren't at the mercy of the weather or a FedEx employee.

Unfortunately most of the good LFS in my area closed, probably because people would rather go pay $5.99 for assorted cichlids at a big box store like Petsmart. There are a handful here who still have decent stock and it is priced high, but I do go in and buy something on occasion just to support local business and hopefully help them stick around a bit longer.

It should also be noted that, at least in Florida, a LFS cannot buy fish from you legally unless you have a license to sell them. They must buy from licensed wholesalers or pet suppliers. I learned this from a local wholesaler a few months ago. This is why so many stores will only take fish if they're free or if they can work out some deal with store credit, though they are not obligated to do this either. As was mentioned, taking in fish is risky because it could be sick and infect their existing stock.
 
ryansmith83 said:
A fish is worth what you're willing to pay for it. There is no standard pricing for a certain size or species of fish. You can call the shop out of line or overpriced but that doesn't make it fact. If you want to do a better job, open your own LFS and sell cheaper fish. Maybe you'll find it's not so simple.

You said it yourself -- Long Island is not a cheap place to live or operate a business. I'm sure his rent is high, as are his utilities, business licenses/permits, insurance, etc. His prices will reflect that. They won't be for everyone. If you don't agree with his prices, don't shop there. From your posts it sounds like you go to the store pretty frequently, so I don't understand why you're here bashing the guy and yet keep going back.

Shipping from someone like Jeff Rapps may be cheap for you because of your relatively close proximity to his facility, but overnight shipping to me from most of the big cichlid vendors is $75 - 100 depending on the size of my order. That means if I want to order six fish at $10 each, with shipping they are really about $22.50 each. If I could find those in an LFS for the same price, it'd be easier to go there, plus I'd have the luxury of selecting my own fish and the peace of mind knowing they weren't at the mercy of the weather or a FedEx employee.

Unfortunately most of the good LFS in my area closed, probably because people would rather go pay $5.99 for assorted cichlids at a big box store like Petsmart. There are a handful here who still have decent stock and it is priced high, but I do go in and buy something on occasion just to support local business and hopefully help them stick around a bit longer.

It should also be noted that, at least in Florida, a LFS cannot buy fish from you legally unless you have a license to sell them. They must buy from licensed wholesalers or pet suppliers. I learned this from a local wholesaler a few months ago. This is why so many stores will only take fish if they're free or if they can work out some deal with store credit, though they are not obligated to do this either. As was mentioned, taking in fish is risky because it could be sick and infect their existing stock.
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im not bashing dude. I was probably wrong for saying its "shot" whatever. that was the word I felt like using at the time. im not typing replies angrily at all just opening up a discussion about fish prices. I went to another store in queens and it blew this place out of the water and now my eyes are opened
 
Ryan, in all fairness to Jags, it all depends on what kind of operation you want to run. The store he is refering too IS highly overpriced. They had a "reputation" for being the best and I guess that has gone to their heads (and pricing). The other store we have been refering to has been around for 40 years, has plenty of competition, and is thriving. They are definately a no frills, mom and pop operation with good stock, great prices on everything from tanks, dry goods and livestock.They always have new stuff coming in and it sells quickly. You really have to go there weekly to see what came in because it sells that quick. They definately do their buisness by volume, price it well and move it out fast (which they do). Also, if you a regular there, they will work with you even further on pricing. Just recently for example, I picked up wild green terrors from peru for 4.99 each or 3 for 12. Sajica for 6.99 each or 3 for 15. 2.5 inch Vieja argentea for 6.99 each 3 for 15. He had small, maybe 2 inch red tiger motas for 6.99 each. Wild green sevs for 4.99 each and so on. I spoke with the owner numerous times and being he has been in the buisness so long, he has alot of connections in south america and asia so he imports direct and passes the saving on to the customer. Let me tell you, I was in there this weekend and they were BUSY, and people were buying. I actually drive 32 miles to go there and its worth it.They were running a sale on large tanks a year ago and you ould get a 125 with metal stand for $275..unheard of. Even now, its $350. I paid way more than that for a 90 gallon 2 years ago from a store more local (before I started going there).MY point being, If you are trying to put one over on your customers, by overcharging, especially in this economy, you wont be around long, however even in this economy, the local LFS can still do well if your pricing is fair and customer service is good, people will support you and I belive aquahut is living proof of that.
 
Andicca said:
Ryan, in all fairness to Jags, it all depends on what kind of operation you want to run. The store he is refering too IS highly overpriced. They had a "reputation" for being the best and I guess that has gone to their heads (and pricing). The other store we have been refering to has been around for 40 years, has plenty of competition, and is thriving. They are definately a no frills, mom and pop operation with good stock, great prices on everything from tanks, dry goods and livestock.They always have new stuff coming in and it sells quickly. You really have to go there weekly to see what came in because it sells that quick. They definately do their buisness by volume, price it well and move it out fast (which they do). Also, if you a regular there, they will work with you even further on pricing. Just recently for example, I picked up wild green terrors from peru for 4.99 each or 3 for 12. Sajica for 6.99 each or 3 for 15. 2.5 inch Vieja argentea for 6.99 each 3 for 15. He had small, maybe 2 inch red tiger motas for 6.99 each. Wild green sevs for 4.99 each and so on. I spoke with the owner numerous times and being he has been in the buisness so long, he has alot of connections in south america and asia so he imports direct and passes the saving on to the customer. Let me tell you, I was in there this weekend and they were BUSY, and people were buying. I actually drive 32 miles to go there and its worth it.They were running a sale on large tanks a year ago and you ould get a 125 with metal stand for $275..unheard of. Even now, its $350. I paid way more than that for a 90 gallon 2 years ago from a store more local (before I started going there).MY point being, If you are trying to put one over on your customers, by overcharging, especially in this economy, you wont be around long, however even in this economy, the local LFS can still do well if your pricing is fair and customer service is good, people will support you and I belive aquahut is living proof of that.
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I called country awhile back asking about pond filtration the dude told me 3 grand for a filter. I was like excuse me!
 
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