Originally Posted by ImUrNamine
I'd rather pay some extra cash to see my merchandise in person and have it 3 - 5 days sooner, but that's just me.
I can somewhat agree with that. But "some extra cash" for a local retailer is easily 30% more for livestock and well over 70% more for equipment and accessories. Sure, I would pay 30% more for a fish if I could see it every day for a month in a dealers tank to be sure it is acting properly. The problem comes on the non-living side of the business. I doubt a fish store would ever survive by just selling fish (inverts, plants, etc.). They have to rely on income from stocked items (heaters, powerheads, air pumps, etc.) that they have have to buy in advance to stock their shelves. Many of these items will NEVER sell, so the prices for everything has to be increased to cover the items collecting dust to not sustain an overall loss. You are paying 4 extra dollars for a can of fish food because the ick treatment isn't going to sell huge volumes even though a retailer has to have it available for sale in case someone is looking for it.
I have bought fish through mail oder before the internet was even mainstream, and I haven't been disappointed yet. That is what helps me be so bold with my opinion. I'm sur that if I had ever felt ripped off OR I was looking for a prized $300 item, my business may go to a trusted local dealer.
Another point I didn't touch on earlier is the fact that it is damn near impossible for a lfs to quarantine their new arrivals. That can be WAY worse for the store owner than it is for the buyer. A buyer may pay 30% more knowing that they have seen the perfect fish and just write it off when it dies of some disease. But if a store's tanks get infected, it can wipe out thousands of dollars worth of inventory. THAT is a huge risk.
I am in no way trying to dissuade K-ROK from following a lifelong dream. I also don't want K-ROK going into this venture without some knowledge of the possible downside to the idea.
