Titleist
Active Member
This is a new trend to me but maybe old news for the rest of us here. Is it just me or does it seem like the exotic fish trade has gone "stock exchange" on us? When you're used to buying from what seem to be the 2 biggies out there you get used to placing an order and having it shipped in a reasonable time and receiving it when it's supposed to arrive. It seems now every other online fish sales entity has gone "exchange" on us, meaning none of the rest of these online retailers actually possess any of the livestock they claim is supposed to be in stock. Quite more than a few have no information on their sites to inform a potential buyer that they don't actually have any livestock in their possession yet they present the illusion of possession by showing in stock, not in stock or "get on the waiting list". It's the "get on the waiting list" that has one has to now recognize as a retailer that merely maintains a relationship with the major livestock importers waiting for someone to place an order so they can check the importer's inventory, then race to put their tag on a specimen so they can then either go pick it up to process themselves or what seems more likely, have importer personnel bag and tag specimens on a first come first serve basis and ship out the livestock with a brand marked shipping label and packing list. Buying and maintaining specimens seems to not be the desired business model anymore but rather online retailers dealing directly with the importers and fabricating a separate online presence to maintain the illusion that you're dealing with a business that is more than someone's cell phone who merely checks importer inventory and takes a small cut of the sales. Wasn't this the business model of a recently shut down site which was shut down against their will because the big names didn't like how they were operating and undercutting their prices all the time? I mean the prices are much more reasonable for sure and after you talk with enough of these guys you start believing that you really don't need a warranty because if the fish manages to live through capture, tanking, transferring to an importer and can last any length of time they're in reasonable health to begin with and should need minimal quarantining if any at all.
So for me, when doing the usual checks on retailers online via forums etc. I also look for the following clues that the retailer doesn't really own or inspect livestock:
"Get on waiting list" when attempting to place an item in a shopping cart
"We may not ship. your order if it doesn't meet our strict health standards" - which is a way to cover their behinds when the importer runs out of a specimen the retailer just sold you.
"If we can fulfill x% of your order we will ship it out to you and refund the rest" - another cya move to ensure at least some livestock gets sold rather than entire orders being cancelled which causes unwanted fluctuations in income and results in financial losses due to chargebacks.
"Once you place your order we will call you to discuss shipping options" - which means pay us now and then we'll call you and tell you what we actually can put a hold on to sell you and what we never had in stock when we sold it to you and we can discuss whether you want to let us keep your money until a specimen that survives actually shows up.
It's not to say that the employees aren't polite or try to help you which most are. It's the lack of information given to the buyer so the buyer is more likely to make a purchase before learning they may not see their order for a while because the importer doesn't have any of the items you were already sold. I actually had one retailer tell me they have orders dating back to January waiting for fulfillment. In some cases you're charged immediately in others they don't charge until they ship. In the event of the latter the buyer is stuck waiting for an undetermined time, always having to make a choice between yet another "exchange" actually being able to secure a specimen or just plain waiting for a single retailer to get it and sell it to them. In either event it's extremely inconvenient not knowing when something you ordered will be shipped and if you don't want to have to maintain a quarantine tank forever with nothing in it, you then have to suddenly fire it up and get it stabilized before the retailer tells you you have to take the fish by x date, because they don't want it sitting at the importer any longer than they have to because they can always fulfill someone else's order and get rid of it before something happens to it, and I don't believe the big importers care too much about the specimens they get except for the same desire the retailer has which is to get rid of it ASAP so they don't lose money.
Anyhow, it's a shame these days if you want to purchase a specimen that you have to buy it first before you find out you may not get it, possibly for months on end and when you do get it it can show up in a day or two and you'd better be ready.
It's either that or pay 3 times what it's worth from the big few out there who maintain their own inventory and actually feed them and know what's happening with the specimens they're about to sell you.
I actually find it amusing when you speak to an "exchanger" about the livestock, like "what's it eating, how long have you had it etc." when they have no clue whether it's eating, diseased or otherwise. It's amusing to hear them say "oh they're eating Mysis". Always seems to be Mysis, which in large volume is probably more expensive to maintain a large livestock inventory on than a more inexpensive flake or pellet that keeps longer and provides more balanced nutrition in some cases.
It's the world we live in these days I guess.
So for me, when doing the usual checks on retailers online via forums etc. I also look for the following clues that the retailer doesn't really own or inspect livestock:
"Get on waiting list" when attempting to place an item in a shopping cart
"We may not ship. your order if it doesn't meet our strict health standards" - which is a way to cover their behinds when the importer runs out of a specimen the retailer just sold you.
"If we can fulfill x% of your order we will ship it out to you and refund the rest" - another cya move to ensure at least some livestock gets sold rather than entire orders being cancelled which causes unwanted fluctuations in income and results in financial losses due to chargebacks.
"Once you place your order we will call you to discuss shipping options" - which means pay us now and then we'll call you and tell you what we actually can put a hold on to sell you and what we never had in stock when we sold it to you and we can discuss whether you want to let us keep your money until a specimen that survives actually shows up.
It's not to say that the employees aren't polite or try to help you which most are. It's the lack of information given to the buyer so the buyer is more likely to make a purchase before learning they may not see their order for a while because the importer doesn't have any of the items you were already sold. I actually had one retailer tell me they have orders dating back to January waiting for fulfillment. In some cases you're charged immediately in others they don't charge until they ship. In the event of the latter the buyer is stuck waiting for an undetermined time, always having to make a choice between yet another "exchange" actually being able to secure a specimen or just plain waiting for a single retailer to get it and sell it to them. In either event it's extremely inconvenient not knowing when something you ordered will be shipped and if you don't want to have to maintain a quarantine tank forever with nothing in it, you then have to suddenly fire it up and get it stabilized before the retailer tells you you have to take the fish by x date, because they don't want it sitting at the importer any longer than they have to because they can always fulfill someone else's order and get rid of it before something happens to it, and I don't believe the big importers care too much about the specimens they get except for the same desire the retailer has which is to get rid of it ASAP so they don't lose money.
Anyhow, it's a shame these days if you want to purchase a specimen that you have to buy it first before you find out you may not get it, possibly for months on end and when you do get it it can show up in a day or two and you'd better be ready.
It's either that or pay 3 times what it's worth from the big few out there who maintain their own inventory and actually feed them and know what's happening with the specimens they're about to sell you.
I actually find it amusing when you speak to an "exchanger" about the livestock, like "what's it eating, how long have you had it etc." when they have no clue whether it's eating, diseased or otherwise. It's amusing to hear them say "oh they're eating Mysis". Always seems to be Mysis, which in large volume is probably more expensive to maintain a large livestock inventory on than a more inexpensive flake or pellet that keeps longer and provides more balanced nutrition in some cases.
It's the world we live in these days I guess.
