Aqualocker Closing?!

[mike550]

Did anyone else receive an email from Aqua Locker saying that it was closing? At first I thought it was just their Paragon Reef offering but now it sounds like all of their business lines.

Their website has a similar message.

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aqualocker.com

I’m hoping someone with more information is able to share. @AquaLocker

 

[GabeM]

Oi thats not cool guys

 

[Feet4Fish]

I got that email too!! Seems crazy

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is restructuring and affects all three companies under the same management:

 

[flsalty]

Interesting lesson for people who think there is such a thing as a free market in this country.

 

[albano]

Sounds like their wholesaler shut them down... !

 

[Billldg]

I am not going to say nothing except read my post in their thread. ;Rage

 

[vetteguy53081]

They state it is temporary - something fishy here as I feel it may be long term than short term especially when trying to secure investors in this struggling hobby with competition.
I believe their practices of higher pricing with packing fees and other fees added hurt them. While we recognize and have to accept operating costs, We have options to purchase fish and refused to pay these fees and in turn they paid the price- Not us.
Never good to see a supplier leave but under such circumstances, it was bound to happen. I still question, knowing this was forthcoming why they would place a sale and ACCEPT order the very weekend they made this decision ???
TO THOSE WHO DID NOT RCEIVE THE EMAIL:

​ On Thursday January, 30th 2020 we launched ParagonReef.com. This was our third site and it offered what we named Wholesale Plus™ to everyone. This is a concept we have been talking about for over a year. We thought it was good idea, but we had no idea how popular it was going to be nor did we anticipate that it would put us at odds with our wholesaler and fish stores nationally. PLEASE NOTE: We are NOT a wholesaler nor are we owned or controlled by any wholesaler - we do not import the livestock ourselves - we buy from existing wholesalers who, like all other large US wholesalers sell to both local fish stores and online websites. Despite the perception of some, our wholesaler was not involved in the development and launch of Paragon Reef and didn’t know about it until their retail brick and mortar store customers began screaming. By introducing Paragon Reef, we thought we had finally worked out a way for everyone to get livestock and goods under a new pricing model where customers only pay what it actually costs to pack and ship livestock and dry goods. The Plus part of Wholesale Plus™ was what enabled us to offer people the ability to have an Arrive Alive, 7 or 14 day guarantee and allow local fish stores to offer these same benefits to their customers. Sadly, those with much more influence in the industry and deeper pockets than ours felt threatened by this and we have been forced us to shut our doors. Just to be very clear, it is not the wholesalers fault that we are closing! We believe that capitalism should let the market find the correct price for products. Lower prices means more people in our hobby. That means more people pushing for better quality products, healthier livestock and more livestock that is captive-bred. Captive-bred livestock are typically cheaper to raise and sell too. The impact on the environment is much lower and they should be pennies vs dollars against wild caught livestock. All this should be driving the prices down, not up. If you have an account, you need to go to Paragon Reef. The memberships are still in place, but if you have one, you will need to cancel that membership before it renews. We are not, and never have been, a big company and have only ever operated with a hand full of employees over the entire time we've been in business. We do not have the resources to fight this battle and stay in business. We are now taking the following step: All websites are no longer taking new orders, effective immediately. Please do NOT place any new orders as we cannot do anything with the order. We are working with potential investors to raise the money needed to operate in a manner in which we have more control over the livestock and pricing. This would include importing our own livestock, investing in the raising of our own captive-bred animals, and quarantining as much livestock at possible. If you have an outstanding order with us and can wait until we can reorganize, please do so. We want to ensure that each and every one of our customers are taken care of. If you or someone you know wishes to invest, buy company assets or partner with us, please get in touch with us via our contact page. Additionally, our staff has committed to staying on as long as possible, but given the deep investment we made in building Paragon Reef we only have a few weeks of payroll left. Should we get to the point that we need to close everything and file to restructure, we will let you know right away.

 

[Brian_68]

Temporary while we try to line up funding, is usually not temporary.

 

[WVNed]

I just got the email. I received an order from them today. They do a very good job and I have ordered from them several times.
Your Fishy Business Order #142269 was delivered to its destination on 04 February, 2020 10:45
I ordered Saturday night.

This makes me sad.

explicative deleted

 

[Billldg]

They state it is temporary - something fishy here as I feel it may be long term than short term especially when trying to secure investors in this struggling hobby with competition.
I believe their practices of higher pricing with packing fees and other fees added hurt them. While we recognize and have to accept operating costs, We have options to purchase fish and refused to pay these fees and in turn they paid the price- Not us.
Never good to see a supplier leave but under such circumstances, it was bound to happen. I still question, knowing this was forthcoming why they would place a sale and ACCEPT order the very weekend they made this decision ???
TO THOSE WHO DID NOT RCEIVE THE EMAIL:

​ On Thursday January, 30th 2020 we launched ParagonReef.com. This was our third site and it offered what we named Wholesale Plus™ to everyone. This is a concept we have been talking about for over a year. We thought it was good idea, but we had no idea how popular it was going to be nor did we anticipate that it would put us at odds with our wholesaler and fish stores nationally. PLEASE NOTE: We are NOT a wholesaler nor are we owned or controlled by any wholesaler - we do not import the livestock ourselves - we buy from existing wholesalers who, like all other large US wholesalers sell to both local fish stores and online websites. Despite the perception of some, our wholesaler was not involved in the development and launch of Paragon Reef and didn’t know about it until their retail brick and mortar store customers began screaming. By introducing Paragon Reef, we thought we had finally worked out a way for everyone to get livestock and goods under a new pricing model where customers only pay what it actually costs to pack and ship livestock and dry goods. The Plus part of Wholesale Plus™ was what enabled us to offer people the ability to have an Arrive Alive, 7 or 14 day guarantee and allow local fish stores to offer these same benefits to their customers. Sadly, those with much more influence in the industry and deeper pockets than ours felt threatened by this and we have been forced us to shut our doors. Just to be very clear, it is not the wholesalers fault that we are closing! We believe that capitalism should let the market find the correct price for products. Lower prices means more people in our hobby. That means more people pushing for better quality products, healthier livestock and more livestock that is captive-bred. Captive-bred livestock are typically cheaper to raise and sell too. The impact on the environment is much lower and they should be pennies vs dollars against wild caught livestock. All this should be driving the prices down, not up. If you have an account, you need to go to Paragon Reef. The memberships are still in place, but if you have one, you will need to cancel that membership before it renews. We are not, and never have been, a big company and have only ever operated with a hand full of employees over the entire time we've been in business. We do not have the resources to fight this battle and stay in business. We are now taking the following step: All websites are no longer taking new orders, effective immediately. Please do NOT place any new orders as we cannot do anything with the order. We are working with potential investors to raise the money needed to operate in a manner in which we have more control over the livestock and pricing. This would include importing our own livestock, investing in the raising of our own captive-bred animals, and quarantining as much livestock at possible. If you have an outstanding order with us and can wait until we can reorganize, please do so. We want to ensure that each and every one of our customers are taken care of. If you or someone you know wishes to invest, buy company assets or partner with us, please get in touch with us via our contact page. Additionally, our staff has committed to staying on as long as possible, but given the deep investment we made in building Paragon Reef we only have a few weeks of payroll left. Should we get to the point that we need to close everything and file to restructure, we will let you know right away.

Go to the Aqualocker site and read, you will see that they will cut you off instantly.

 

[Zoaologist]

dang that’s crazy.

 

[WVNed]

I can still put a fish in my cart? I actually dont want any right now since I just put 5 in this morning.

 

[Silver14SS]

They state it is temporary - something fishy here as I feel it may be long term than short term especially when trying to secure investors in this struggling hobby with competition.
I believe their practices of higher pricing with packing fees and other fees added hurt them. While we recognize and have to accept operating costs, We have options to purchase fish and refused to pay these fees and in turn they paid the price- Not us.
Never good to see a supplier leave but under such circumstances, it was bound to happen. I still question, knowing this was forthcoming why they would place a sale and ACCEPT order the very weekend they made this decision ???
TO THOSE WHO DID NOT RCEIVE THE EMAIL:

I don't understand how a business goes under in 5 days after launching a new site, makes me think they had financial troubles for much longer.

 

[WVNed]

Lawyers more likely

 

[MTBake]

Sounds like they crossed a line they shouldn't have with their wholesaler.

 

[Cell]

I'm guessing the supplier(s) were none too happy Aqualocker was sharing their pricing with the public for a fee. And the entire Paragon concept was likely a last ditch effort by a company that could no longer afford to maintain it's own livestock, instead attempting to be essentially a middleman for direct to customer sales for the wholesaler without its permission.

 

[Silver14SS]

Sounds like they crossed a line they shouldn't have with their wholesaler.

Crazy if nobody did the due diligence to see how the wholesale to public idea would impact their business relationships.

 

[jmcdona6]

In their defense, they probably considered this as a potential worst-case scenario. They were also probably hoping to gain more market traction before attracting the negative attention of major players.

They could have changed their marketing tactics a little bit. Did they have to label themselves as a pseudo wholesaler? Did they have to call out Live Aquaria/Petco and other players pricing front and center? Did they need to play the LFS/Online retailers are robbing you blind card? Sure they got some attention for doing it, but they probably could have done okay, especially at the beginning, just marketing themselves as a members-only website that offered great deals for those wanting to order in bulk and pay more in S&H + Fee.

 

[Brian_68]

I don't understand how a business goes under in 5 days after launching a new site, makes me think they had financial troubles for much longer.

Could happen in a day, the day their supplier says they won't supply anymore.