Pleco prices getting out of hand every where?

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Rivers2k

Rivers2k

Piranha
MFK Member
Dec 27, 2011
1,530
46
81
NY
Today a saw a 1" Blue phantom and thought of picking it it up until I saw the price tag of $59. Gold nuggets are going for $49. I think they are really cool but I cant justify the price. Just wondering if prices are going nuts every where?
 
Ive seen blue phantoms for 70 here, 50ish for juveniles. Thats in British pounds, which would be 116 us dollars

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I haven't kept any plecos in a few years but I remember when the blue eyed panaque wasn't so expensive,now you pretty much need to secure a loan in order to get one.
 
Where are you guys getting your prices from? If you're buying from an LFS, expect to pay an obscene markup. Or do a group buy or purchase enough to make the shipping worth it on your own.. I mean Snookn21 has quite nice prices imo...

www.freshwatertropicalfishonline.com stock and price list
FRESHWATER TROPICALS
4371 GOEBLE RD, FORT MYERS FL 33905
CELL PHONE : (239) 826-7529
EMAIL : SNOOKN21@YAHOO.COM
INSTOCK AVAILABILITY : March 12 , 2014
SHIPPING INFO:
We ship with FedEx: Shipping overnight start's at $38.00 for a group of fish or plecos.
2 Day shipping cost $22.00 . If you want to add more fish to the order it would cost
$10.00 more for overnight shipping for every group of fish you add and $6.00 more for 2
day shipping. We also ship Airport to Airport for Large orders. Any questions you can
email me at snookn21@yahoo.com
SPECIES NAME PRICE SHIPPING
PLECOS
Plecos can be mixed
L- 007 Toothnose Galaxias $40.00 each or 2 for $70.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 14 Goldy 2" - 2.5" New $40.00 each or 3 for $105.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 14 Goldy 4"- 5" New $75.00 each $38.00 overnight
L- 14 Goldy Xlg. 12" $199.00 each $75.00 overnight
L- 15 Xingu Vittata New $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 18 Gold Nugget $30.00 each or 3 for $75.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 20 Oligancistrus SP. 5" - 6" New $50.00 each or 2 for $90.00 $40.00 overnight
L- 24 Redfin Cactus 6" - 7" New $129.00 each $40.00 overnight
L- 24 Redfin Cactus 12" $250.00 each $75.00 overnight
L- 25 Scarlet Xlg. 12" $275.00 each $75.00 overnight
L- 25 Scarlet 7 pointer Xlg. 12" $350.00 each $75.00 overnight
L- 26 Niveatus 3" - 3.5" $30.00 each or 3 for $75.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 27 Long Nose Royal 6" - 7" Xingu New $125.00 each $48.00 overnight
L- 27 Gold Line Royal 10" - 11"Tacant New $270.00 each $58.00 overnight
L- 29 Galaxias 6" $75.00 each $40.00 overnight
L- 37 Honey Comb $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 48 Pario $35.00 each or 3 for $90.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 48 Pario 6" $99.00 each $40.00 overnight
L- 52 Butter Fly Sm $15.00 each or 3 for $30.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 52 Butter Fly Lg $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 67 Pseudancistrus SP. $25.00 each or 3 for $60.00 $38.00 overnightL- 75 Para 6" $65.00 each $40.00 overnight
L- 91 Red Fin Black Spot $40.00 each or 3 for $105.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 97 Polka Dot Cactus 6" $150.00 each $40.00 overnight
L- 106 Spotted Orange Seam $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L-114 Redtail Sternella $40.00 each or 3 for $105.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 128 Blue Phantom Sm. $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 128 Blue Phantom Med. $30.00 each or 3 for $75.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 128 Blue Phantom Lg. $40.00 each or 3 for $105.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 129 Zebra $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 136 B Hypancistrus 2.5" - 3" New $30.00 each or 3 for $75.00 $38.00 Overnight
L- 141 White Fin Gray Ghost $25.00 each or 3 for $60.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 177 Iriri Yellow Seam New $35.00 each or 3 for $90.00 $38.00 overnight
L-190 Royal $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L-199 Zebra $30.00 each or 3 for $75.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 200 Green Phantom Med. $30.00 each or 3 for $75.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 200 Green Phantom Xlg. 6" + $60.00 each or 2 for $100.00 $40.00 overnight
L- 201 Inspector $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 204 Flash $25.00 each or 3 for $60.00 $38.00 overnight
L-207 Ancistrini $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 235 Flat Flyer Xlg. $35.00 each or 2 for $60.00 $40.00 overnight
L- 239 Blue Panaque $30.00 each or 3 for $75.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 240 Sail Fin Vampire $40.00 each or 3 for $105.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 243 Peckoltia SP. $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 257 Tiger $40.00 each or 3 for $105.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 260 Queen Arabesque $50.00 each or 3 for $135.00 $38.00 overnight
L- 330 Spotted Royal Lg $65.00 each $40.00 overnight
L- 340 Mega Clown $20.00 each or 3 for $45.00 $38.00 overnight
LDA - 01 Gold Stripe Panaque Lg. $35.00 each or 3 for $90.00 $38.00 overnight
LDA - 07 Leopardus 9" - 10" $285.00 each $58.00 overnight
LDA 31 Mustard Spot $25.00 each or 3 for $60.00 $38.00 overnight
Blue Eye Panaque 14" SPECIAL 625.00 $850.00 each $80.00 overnight
Royal 4" $35.00 each or 2 for $60.00 $38.00 overnight
Albino Ancistrus 1.5" + 6 for $26.00 $22.00 - 2 day shipping
Longfin Albino Ancistrus 1.5" 6 for $42.00 $22.00 - 2 day shipping
Longfin Chocolate Ancistrus 1.5" 6 for $42.00 $22.00 - 2 day shipping
Mated Pair Albino Ancistrus 4" - 5" 1 M/ 1FM/ both for $50.00 $38.00 overnight
Mated Pair L.F. Albino Ancistrus 3.5" - 4.5" 1 M/ 1 Fm/ both for $60.00 $38.00 overnight
Mated Pair L. F. Chocolate Ancistrus 3.5" - 4.5" 1 M/ 1FM/ both for $60.00 $38.00 overnight
Click to expand...


And that's just plecos..

Blue Panaque 30$. Not really loan worthy ;p

I derped, just realized you said blue eyed ;p yea those are obscene prices :D That supply/demand deal.
 
guys, don't mix lfs prices with online prices. With lfs, you are not dealing with the shipping fee, you get to inspect the fish for any signs of sickness, and you get to pick out exactly which one you like.

It's not fair to compare the two. Are you going to buy from online source for a $50 fish while paying $70 for shipping?
 
We have 2 bigbox (petland and petsmart) and 1 private (waterworld) stores. All 3 are ridiculously lack luster. All 3 require a deposit to 'special order' a pleco of $$ price. It's actually worse to order from them pricewise than an online order.

Btw, who charges 70$ for shipping? Average for overnight should be 40$ depending on size.
 
So it seems prices are nuts everywhere. I wont buy on line because I don't want to spend 40 on shipping and I don't need 3 of them. I wonder why the prices seem to be so much more on plecos. Yes I know other fish get pricey but it seems the class as a whole is pricey. My wife who doesn't care much about fish noticed that all fancy plecos are expensive.
 
Rivers2k said:
So it seems prices are nuts everywhere. I wont buy on line because I don't want to spend 40 on shipping and I don't need 3 of them. I wonder why the prices seem to be so much more on plecos. Yes I know other fish get pricey but it seems the class as a whole is pricey. My wife who doesn't care much about fish noticed that all fancy plecos are expensive.
Click to expand...

Supply and demand. Years ago, people weren't really enamored with plecos as a species in general. Over the last decade demand has really picked up, and supply has been tightened up on some specific points of pickup.

It's not a hard deal for me to order just 1 fish and pay the shipping because our LFS's expect me to pay the -entire- shipping charge + a 2.5-3.5x markup. on top of the wholesale price they paid. It's absolutely ludicrous. I envy folks who have a reasonable amount of quality LFS in their location. a 50$ fish would cost me 70.5$ + paying the shipping charge of 25-45$ + taxes.... It's a wallet-rape a cross the board for me if I don't online order. I try to order in bulk when I do so I don't get screwed over on shipping.

I recently did a large stocking order online. Cost me around 400$ had I done it locally (I got exact quotes) It would have cost me $1200 and that was AFTER they gave me a 'discount' for a bulk order. I literally laughed him off the phone. I couldn't tell if I was pissed or just flat out amused.. either way that's my story for online orders :D
 
The other thing you need to keep in mind is most fancy plecos are wild caught.... so shipping costs continue to rise from SA (especially brazil, L24,L25,L14,L260 etc) and because of the longer shipping loss rates are higher which causes higher prices. A LFS may have to sit on that fish for a while and risk losing it while a lot of online vendors do not even have the fish in house (blue grass, affordable) or flip much more quantity do to the internet ( snook, rapps, etc).
 
UnstoppableJayD said:
The other thing you need to keep in mind is most fancy plecos are wild caught.... so shipping costs continue to rise from SA (especially brazil, L24,L25,L14,L260 etc) and because of the longer shipping loss rates are higher which causes higher prices. A LFS may have to sit on that fish for a while and risk losing it while a lot of online vendors do not even have the fish in house (blue grass, affordable) or flip much more quantity do to the internet ( snook, rapps, etc).
Click to expand...

I didn't realize that so if someone started a business breeding fancy plecos they could make a killing.
 
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