very confused? how is this a deal?

[cavaliersfan23]

ok this probably dont belong here but i just recieved an email from SWF.com and they added 10.00 to my account for a happy new year it says. but it also say i have to spend 49.99 to be able to use the 10.00 credit. How is that any different than the 39.99 minimum we have to spend in the first place? im a missing something. sorry if i seem like a dummy but i guess im not seeing it.

 

[jstdv8]

well, im no math guru but if you spend 50 bucks and you get 10 bucks free then you get 60 bucks worth of stuff at the end.
if you spend 40 bucks you get 40 bucks worth of stuff at the end

 

[cavaliersfan23]

it says 49.99 on livestock. usually its 39.99 so they give us 10 bucks and bump the minimum purchase up 10 bucks?

 

[mdb_talon]

LOL some people complain about anything. Clearly it is a very good deal for anyone that wants $50 worth of stuff; that is a 20% discount.

 

[jstdv8]

+1

 

[rlablan]

Every time I place an order on SWF.com... AFTER my order has arrived and I got everything I wanted, They tell me that I get another ten bucks worth of credit.
It's a business thing, to get you to spend more money.
The thing with me is that I save all the things I want on a list and only order when I have enough things to get free shipping, or there is a REALLY good sale. So for me to spend 150+ on fish, and then spend another 49 bucks to get 10 free kinda defeats the purpose. I would have to pay shipping anyway, and would not be saving myself anything.
I appreciate the gesture anyway SWF.com... It's nice to know that you want my business.

 

[jstdv8]

ive never ordered anything on here. but just don't see how a 10 dollar credit isnt giving you 10 dollars worth of free stuff. If you oreder 150 worth of fish you are allready getting free shipping. you spent the 49.99 minimum in your 150+ so really you are paying 140.00
what am i missing?

 

[rlablan]

Cause they don't actually give you 10 bucks off.
It's like If I give you a coupon for 5 bucks off if you spend 150 in my store. And then you come and you buy 150 bucks worth of stuff. Then I hand you another coupon, AFTER you transaction and say "come back within 5 days and I'll give you another 10 bucks off ANOTHER purchase of a minimum of 49.99"
It's a nice gesture, but you already bought everything you wanted for 150+ bucks to use the first coupon. And if you only have 5 days to use this next coupon, the chances you'll want to spend that much more, so soon, are slim.
It would be a great deal if SWF gave you like a 10 credit everytime you placed a big order. Shoot, even a 2 dollar credit. I would order more often and actually be able to use my "credit" that they "give" me.

 

[handbanana]

So the credit that SWF gives with a purchase expires arter time? Because this seems fairly straight forward buiness pratice. Incentive

 

[rlablan]

I am not following? Are you asking if it expires? The ones I get do... It ususally says "use it by this time"
I am not saying it isn't nice, I don't think the original poster is saying this either.
For me, I have about 6 LFS in town, and I shop at them all for different things. But I do order from SWF too. It's just that their prices are some what decent (in town is cheaper for me) and then tack on shipping and it's more than I want to spend, often..
I will gather a list of what I need/want that needs to be gotten online (rare fish, equipment, supplements...) and order it all together to get the free shipping. I only order from here maybe 3 times per year because I can get everything locally.
So I am saying its nice that they do that, I do appreciate that they want my business and I will come back, just not within the same week, to get 10 bucks off when I can go right down the street to 2 close LFSs that are cheaper to begin with.
If they gave a credit for ordering so much, or like for a frequent customer or something... That would be better for me. Just saying is all...
They do the free gifts though... So I always get snails lol

 

[kube]

they dont send it out after you make a purchase....it may coincide with that fact but if you've been on the mailing list for awhile they always send out that email periodically whether you just bough something or not...to be truthfull they send it often enough that you might as well wait till they send it again and then make your purchase

 

[handbanana]

Do they include a free gift in your order? like the snails? Ive only ordered once from SWF once and I got a $5 credit. I dont know if it expires but either way +1 on the timely ordering. We have a LFS that specilizes in reef aquariums. so it might be some time before I order Online again. Didnt mean to be rude or anything like that. just wondering.

 

[rlablan]

I have been on the mailing list since I joined... It's like exactly 12 hours after my order gets processed.... There is one of those 10 dollas vouchers... That is too weird. Or maybe they send out multiple ones and I just get a different kind?
I am not sure what the deal is with the free gifts. It's not exactly clear...
The first time I ordered about 50 bucks worth of stuff. I didn't get anything. Since then, there has been 2 times I have gotten an option for a free gift. There is a list to choose from. You can usually choose from some various crabs, a coral banded shrimp, some cleaner clams, a group of 5 or 3 turbo snails, sand sifting star fish... It is usually CUC members and maybe a fish like a damsel. I have gotten the clams and the snails. I would get the star if I had a bigger system that could support them.

 

[scsinet]

I placed my first order from swf.com that I had in a couple years about 2 months ago, and I've had been getting the $10 credit emails the whole time. I also got the one yesterday, and like I said, it's been a couple months since I ordered. So... I think it's just a cooincidence that they come right after a particular order.
Yes, you still get the free item from the frequent customer program when you use a credit. For those that are not frequent orderers, SWF.com has a frequent customer program that places you in different tiers depending on the total amount you spend with them since you establish an account. I'm in the top tier and it gives you a $20-$30 item with every purchase. It's always a choice of a few items in a given price range, and usually it's enough of a selection that you can find something useful. In my case, the free item is valuable enough to offset the shipping cost.

I almost always get a cleaner shrimp.
The $10 credits come often enough that if I can just wait until the next one comes along to order, it's not usually a long wait. Yes, the minimum orders are there, but it all figures in with shipping costs, etc. Some of us may remember back in the day when minimum orders were $80. SWF has been pretty good about passing along shipping savings onto us and ordering here has gotten a lot cheaper and easier over time.
The $10 is only "not a deal" if you choose to look at it like they are forcing you to buy something. You didn't need the credit to get you to make an order in the first place, nobody is twisting your arm to make another order just because you have a credit. If you don't need anything, let it expire and don't worry about it. That's what I do... all... the... time. Not ordering or not meeting the requirements to take advantage of the deal costs you nothing more than regular prices you are used to paying do anyway.
I don't want to sound draconian... and not saying that anyone here does... but if someone has a beef with swf, you should email them or at least take it up in the ask swf.com forum. I'd be nice if we all make sure we aren't using these free boards to air our grieveances with the company that provides them.

 

[handbanana]

Hate to beat a dead horse but I noticed I have $5 account credit. whats the difference of a girt credit and account credit?
$5 would be awesome for a shrimp or some snails. Its frickin cool getting live fish in the mail. Espacially when they come to your work!

 

[scsinet]

An account credit can be credit put on your account by swf because you returned something, got a refund, etc. It can also be something put there as a promotional item by swf. The latter credits often expire after a short period and/or can only be used with a minimum purchase amount.