Do you support aquarium supply companies over places like Amazon and should you?

Do you think it's important to support aquarium specific businesses within our industry first?

  • YES

    Votes: 501 82.5%
  • NO

    Votes: 60 9.9%
  • Other

    Votes: 46 7.6%

  • Total voters
    607

r20crazy

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I have to go out to Petco today and get sand and silicone for my pico project as amazon said april 22nd delivery for me.. I used to ONLY go to my LFS's , but they disappeared one by one and the ones that are left are either overpriced, don't have what I need, or the owners/employees are useless. easier to order online thru amazon after doing research, and if I don't like it no hassle returns even if tested for a bit.
 

AZMSGT

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Other: Well, I avoid Amazon and for that matter most online sales. I try to support as many Brick and Mortar stores as possible. We need to support local stores now more than ever.

One thing I can say is Amazon is a toxic work place. They will fire an employee that is injured while working for them. I know this because it happened to my wife 11 years ago.
 

lmm1967

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well - a large percentage of everything sold on amazon is really other businesses using amazon as a fulfillment service.

Even stuff sold "by" amazon is really stuff that a business has provided to amazon and is allowing amazon to sell on their behalf.

That said - I mix it up. There's plenty of money to be spent in this hobby - I'm probably about 1/3 split evenly across LFS, Amazon & the big mail order suppliers (BRS, MD)
 

Peace River

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I agree that it is important to support LFSs and industry vendors AND for the LFSs and industry vendors to support their customers and the hobby. I realize that there will be those customers that always look for the lowest price and there will be those sellers that always try to maximize profits. Hopefully we can all work to expand the space in the middle that includes mutual trust and respect so that we optimize the experience and grow the overall market.
 

afuel

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I only buy from Amazon when there is no other option even then it makes me nauseous
 

ca1ore

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I've never been a particular fan of supporting businesses just to support them. I tend to think it's survival of the fittest …. if a dedicated aquarium supply company cannot compete then they should disappear. Having said that, I do buy the majority of my supplies from BRS because they do a really good job of meeting my needs. Salt and polyfilter off amazon, everything else from BRS.
 
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WiscoFishNut

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I always go to BRS first since they're so close to me and the delivery times are awesome. Not opposed to using Amazon. However, this morning I went to buy an inTank media basket from Amazon and the estimated delivery was April 23rd, so I just bought it direct from inTank instead.
 

JayLu

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I used to buy almost everything from Foster and Smith. I still try to buy things from BRS. But I do find myself buying a lot from Amazon.
 

Bob Lauson

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I would never likely use an aquarium store for standard parts you can by from a big box home improvement store. I only buy aquarium specific items from the aquarium stores.
 

Fishy Art

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After my initial purchases from BRS and marine depot for my major items and supplies, I have found and continually use Amazon for things the former two suppliers do not carry. Buying is easy and the return policy is great. I have bought several incidentals related to the hobby that did not work out and the return policy and refund process is flawless.
 

Js.Aqua.Project

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I always try to support the LFS first (currently travelling down to @Living Reef Orlando) before buying online.

If I have to go online, I always try to use BRS/Marine Depot before shopping Amazon.
 

dstevenstn

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I like to support local, but when the price difference is too much I go to amazon. On most filters pumps etc I go to amazon
 

Mark Novack

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When the local store closes so does the local customer support. As far as mail ordering goes its great unless you have to return it for defects. I prefer to let my local store repack and get it right and that's part of being a retail store.
 

William Robinson

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I buy as much Amazon as I can because I hate paying for the SLOW shipping that BRS has. I check both BRS and Amazon. If its on Amazon I will pay a few dollars more gladly so I can get it quicker and often cheaper without BRS's shipping.
 

Reefnoobz90

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I've gotten so many counterfeit items on Amazon lately I'm starting to move away from them. I'm about 3 miles away from Clear Choice Aquatics so most of my stuff comes from them, hand delivered usually the same day.

My last purchase from Amazon was spark plugs for my car and they were very obviously fake NGK plugs and much shorter than the same plugs purchased at Advanced auto. That's just unacceptable and could cause a lot of damage.
 

phatduckk

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It all depends. Here's my complicated logic
  • if my LFS has it and I need it now, ill buy it there assuming my schedule allows
  • If Amazon is cheaper and its available via Prime I'll buy it there
  • if I have enough Amazon rewards points I'll sometimes use Amazon even if its not available via Prime
  • if I have enough Apple Cash I'll use Marin Depot b/c they take Apple Pay
  • Sometimes I pick Marine Depot over BRS b/c they ship from the west coast too and it'll get here faster than from BRS
  • BRS and Marine Depot stock different brands so I switch between those two a lot. Their rewards points come into play if they both have it in stock
 

hllb

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For me, it depends on shipping. Small items, if I can't get them locally, the shipping prices of some of the aquarium vendors are too high. But, when I look at Amazon, they are frequently sold by those same online vendors for a smaller price premium than shipping would be from their site. Or, it's coming directly from the manufacturer.
 

Lollipop

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i would totally support local or small online shops if they are comparable in terms of price and return policy. If shops are insisting high markup, impossible return policies, etc., they will keep losing business. One of the ridiculous things i read was "if the product has a problem, contact manufacturer. we are not responsible for the failure of the product" well, retailers, this is the reason why you exist and if you dont take care of consumers, manufacturers do not need you to sell their products if they choose to market on their own.
 

AquariumSpecialty

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As a seller, we really appreciate orders coming in though our business vs. Amazon or eBay. Amazon gets 15% off the top -MINIMUM. for that reason alone it's better if you go to businesses directly. In many cases, consumers can get better deals from stores because Amazon sellers (and other marketplaces) pay these expensive fees.

Also, we have started incentivizing consumers to buy from us directly with free shipping on products like Vibrant and others. Here's an example...https://www.aquariumspecialty.com/shop-by-brand/underwater-creations.html
 
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