Friendships, Fair Pricing or Fire: Why do you shop with certain aquarium vendors?

[Crotalus]

Saltwater Aquarium has a standing Veteran's discount. They are where I go to first if my LFS doesn't carry it. My LFS isn't really into dry goods anyway.

 

[Goose91]

Mostly ease of access. I live in alberta canada and im very limited to the amount of stores around me. There are only 2 loactions within a 2 hr drive of me where i can buy product. That or i purchase online when i can again due to having to drive a decent distance to my nearest lfs. Its sucks living in a place so far from any tropical ocean. But it is what it is, and am thankful that there is an amazingly huge lfs in my nearest city that can supply me with all my needs. Just purhaps maybe not the most expsenive and rare fish. Oh well

 

[jlts21]

I think some of those go hand-in-hand. If you have a good relationship with your LFS or whoever you buy coral/fish from, you will get good deals, fire coral & fish, and good deals on fire coral & fish

 

[Weller]

My LFS is 8 hours away. They're the only store in my state to do WYSIWYG and their website is hand over fist better then any other in my state. I can call, web or occasionally drop in. They have stopped me from doing stupid things and have my confidence.

 

[Key-tie]

To me...a hard and fast #1 rule is...am i treated like i have value to them as a customer.
If i am "blown off" in any way, or treated badly just because i may be making only a small purchase that day, or feel ripped offin any way...then they are OUT as a place i shop...forever.
I will not give any business to any establishment that makes me feel like my purchases mean nothing to them.

 

[siggy]

Dry goods I can do the work and find what I want. Availability, if its not available then whats to consider, that's were good CS is a must.
CORALS, I cant post what I had written so I will say, quality, size and price. If there frags average 1/2" and under I go elsewhere, period, and I shop mostly for colonies or something larger
Unique Corals A+

 

[Bpb]

Any vendor who uses the term “fire” I will usually avoid. If they use the term “fiya” or overuse flame emojis to describe their stock, I generally want to claw my eyes out. It’s such an embarrassing term.

 

[Dianna Marshall]

I deal primarily with saltwater aq as well, for the prices and faster delivery of orders and I too am a veteran, so every little discount, however small is appreciated. I have an Lfs I started visiting in the past few months, the owner is extremely knowledgeable and as long as he is not busy with livestock coming in, any questions or concerns I may have, he is very open to discussion. He is a very small store, very well kept, clean and his displays are as clean as I have ever seen.

 

[JLynn]

I take particular care to support companies that I see helping the community. BRS, for example, with their BRS Investigates series - those experiments take a lot of time, money, space, and thought to put together, and I've found them very helpful. Because of that, when I upgrade my tank, I'm going to be buying everything I'm looking for that they stock from them.

 

[Blknovass]

I have been going to the same place for a few years now. They are great pricing but now that I know everyone they put things off to the side for me just cause they know my taste.
Now I do go to another place that is expensive however if I want to drop a few hundred on a precise coral some how they can get it where others can’t. If ur in the Chicago area Reef Geeks totally a great little place to spend an hour!

 

[Roosterjack]

I will support vendors that support the community here, and take the time to post more than just the latest sale. Many of you have made great points that I agree with, so no sense rehashing them. If it comes down to two vendors I will go,with the hobbyist friendly guys always.

 

[BuBBly FiSh]

Today I'm thinking about why we shop with certain vendors whether it be local or online.

Obviously in life we favor things, relationships etc. over other things and other relationships for various reasons. But when it comes to spending your money with saltwater aquarium businesses why is that? Does it have to do with relationships you've made with employees or owners? Maybe it's that their pricing for goods is fair? Maybe it's all about the quality of product or service? That's what I would like to hear about today from you.

Why do you choose to shop with the companies you shop with when it comes to your aquarium needs and wants?

# 1 and most important is pricing. I do not need a salesman trying to rip me off or to choose my corals for me based on items simply not selling well for them --- You know who I am talking about. I also will not flush my money down the toilet on a membership that will allow me to get the same corals found at a coral swap but with a 40% hike on price. To simplify even if you have to travel to a NEIGHBORING STATE for a coral swap, it is still in my opinion cheaper and better to get your corals that way as you can see 1st hand what your buying and pay on average 40% less than ordering online. The last thing this hobby needs is a Walmart aka W__ BUYING UP ALL THE CORALS THEN DICTATING THE PRICE. I have a boatload of money and the reason I do is because I don't spend it foolishly.

 

[hotdrop]

With dry goods it’s price then support/service though there were times when brs was doing good work that I supported them just for that. Lately their videos have fallen off so my loyalty has as well because they are never their cheapest.
For I only want stuff from people that grow it and I don’t want any bug infested harvested chop shop corals.
The other thing is that pictures have to be accurate I like comparing pictures of named corals I’ve seen and using that to figure out if the picture is enhanced or just not reflective of typical grow conditions in most tanks. JF and WWC are both vendor I won’t buy because of the dishonest photo issues. Just compare the JF Walt Disney to the other photos out there and and it’s obvious that they are not reflective of normal light and grow conditions.

 

[Braves Fan]

I use BRS for pretty much everything that is not a coral ,, unless they they happen to not sell what I am needing ,, it happens lol they are a hard company to beat ,, they have all sorts of how to video's ,, they test equipment ,, one brand against another ,, we as reefers know what we are buying ,, I don't have to spend hours researching brands on which one is best for me to spend my money on ,, they have tested and compared it to other brands ,, I don't have to find out the hard way of the short comings of one brand over another after I have bought it ,,

When it comes to corals ,, I only buy from the best companies ,, clean ,, pest free frags ,, is a big deal ,, I am not going to try and save a few $$ on coral frags from a company that has no interest in selling me clean frags ,, its a coral surcharge I am willing to pay ,, I just don't throw my money away to these better companies though ,, they have to compete for it are you hearing me WWC