I prefer to go through the LFS. You get to see what you buy in person before you pay. High end fish tend to be more sensitive, not ideal for beginners. I have talked to multiple people who got fish from the LFS that did very well but when they spent the money on some higher end fish things didn't turn out well. Fish that are at your LFS were raised on a farm, shipped to a wholesaler, sat in the wholesaler's tanks, shipped to the LFS, sat in the LFS, and still came out healthy. Fish from high end sources are very well cared for and less forgiving of almost any mistakes.
I talked to one person who was excited about the oranda he bought from one of the previously mentioned sources. Before they even got a chance to ship it to him they had to let him know it died. These are not hardy fish.
You may not get the same show 'quality standards', but you will likely get a healthier, hardier fish if you just let the LFS(s) near you know you would like a ranchu and wait for them to get some in.
