OT: Question for someone at a fish store?

[superman]

What does it actually cost for the store to purchase a salt water fish? Like if I pay $100 for a fish what does it cost the store?

 

[goldfish]

I would guess around $50...I hate to say it, but most places are going to mark up about 50%. The place I shop says he charges $5 over invoice, but I don't belive that at all!
These stores are all in the same boat..just trying to make a living and a profit.

 

[carrie1429]

goldfish is right, it is 50% of the price they sell it for. (at least at the store that I work at).

 

[demosthenes]

At my LFS he only marks up %10. I've seen the price he paid for the fish, then what he sells it for. He's shown me the receipts. The reason for the %10 is food, time, and compensation for other fish that have died in travel. IMO, the mark-up is really not that much the fault of the LFS. I was in yesterday, when they get their shipments, and they got 3 yellow tangs, all three packed in very small bags. One was already dead, one was swimming upside down, and the other was breathing rapidly, and leaning against the wall. He has to mark up some to prevent closing down. If he just left the dead fish out of the equation he would be working at BK or something. So, I think that the price paid for a fish is reasonable.

 

[susiepan]

It also depends on the area and the type of people they cater too, and Also if they are the only place in a large radius that sells coral, or hard to find items, Then you can be sure the price is WAY high...
~Susie

 

[katara]

My lfs has a weekly 25% off sale and I can't imagine that he's giving any profits away so my bet is strongly at least 50% mark up..plus I KNOW that most keep low salinity levels so you can't catch on to the ich till the fish and its ich is your problem.

 

[superman]

I was just curious. I figured it was pretty high, in fact i knew it was i was just curious as to how much. It's the American way, buy low, sell high. They don't only markup 10% because they have to profit somewhere.

 

[scy]

Hello:working in a aquarium store part time the markup would be 25 to 50% depending on what was paid for the fish.

 

[demosthenes]

I'm beginning to think I'm lucky or something. I've never encountered ICH in my life, at the store or in-home. Plus my LFS is great, and no, I am not naive. I've seen what some LFS are like, and it sounds like they're located where you all are located. I went to ***** yesterday, and was almost physically ill. There was an Atlantic Blue Tang, that had a shrunken stomach, looked like a sneeze away from disease, and come to think of it, didn't even look like an Atlantic Blue Tang. I've never seen one, other than yesterday, and that one was green, so is this their original color before maturity?

 

[frankl15207]

1968 - The first time I ordered saltwater fish.
Friend owned a pet shop and let me order what I wanted at his prices since no store in Pittsburgh carried them at that time. I had to pay for shipping and drive to the airport to pick up the box. Cost of fish $20. Cost of air freight $30. Time to and back from airport 2 hours. Live delivery guaranty: They are live when we put them in the box.
There are a lot of pet shops in my area. None of the people that own them are rich.