bededog February 1, 2006 Share February 1, 2006 Does anyone know what ORA charges pet stores for their fish? I am curious about what the markup is and also the price comparison between captive raised and wild caught. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grav February 2, 2006 Share February 2, 2006 It is FAR cheaper for captive raised fish. Wild caught clowns are usually 3 or 4 times as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bededog February 2, 2006 Author Share February 2, 2006 Are you saying that it is far cheaper for stores to buy tank raised? I assumed so but when you look at prices for tank raised vs. wild caught at places like LA or SWF the prices are very similar and even more for tank raised in some cases. I was hoping someone on here knew how much ORA actually charges for their fish. Thanks for the reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 February 2, 2006 Share February 2, 2006 It is FAR cheaper for captive raised fish. Wild caught clowns are usually 3 or 4 times as much. 51857[/snapback] Not the case with most available clown species. I was hoping someone on here knew how much ORA actually charges for their fish. Thanks for the reply. 51859[/snapback] Not sure it would be fair to release a wholesale price, as it does not take into account shipping, maintaining, losses, etc., and is really immaterial since we are comparing apples and oranges with respect to the benefits of WC/CB. The are significant benefits to captive raised fish; when the retailer keeps them separate from wild caught specimens. Unfortunately, most retailers do not have separate systems for WC and CB, so many of the possible benefits are lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 February 2, 2006 Share February 2, 2006 The are significant benefits to captive raised fish; when the retailer keeps them separate from wild caught specimens. Unfortunately, most retailers do not have separate systems for WC and CB, so many of the possible benefits are lost. 51877[/snapback] Hey Traveller, What are your thoughts on this. Even if a retailer keeps them separate (wc and CB) most hobbyists would put them in tanks with other fish that were wild caught or fish they have no idea where they came from. It costly for retailers to setup a system just for CB fish when most hobbyists don't have a system that way as well. I see the benefits of cb but feel most of them are lost once they are released in most everyone's tanks. Also I don't think anyone will tell you the wholesale prices of ORA fish as well. There is alot more to the price than just the fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bededog February 2, 2006 Author Share February 2, 2006 I think it would be fair to post the prices. The other costs that you mention are there whether a retailer gets a CB shipment or a WC shipment. The shipping is probably nearly the same, losses are probably greater with WC, and maintenance is the same for both. I wish more stores would keep separate systems for CB. That is a lot to ask for most of the small to medium fish places though. I believe you are getting a lot more than just disease free fish when you buy CB. CB aren't simply adjusted to life in captivity, that is all they know. They are more hearty right from the start. Putting them in a tank with WC fish is a case by case issue. WC should always be QT'd so this isn't an issue if you don't make it one. I don't have a burning desire to know what the ORA prices are for CB fish. It just crossed my mind so I thought I would ask if anyone knew. No big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 February 2, 2006 Share February 2, 2006 I don't have a burning desire to know what the ORA prices are for CB fish. It just crossed my mind so I thought I would ask if anyone knew. No big deal. 51881[/snapback] why don't you ask them. They won't tell ya right? because they don't want you to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeltwayBandit February 2, 2006 Share February 2, 2006 When I look at pricing I compare the LFS- Convinience Surcharge (negative meaning I consider the convenience to justify paying a little more at an LFS) to Online + Shipping. That is the relevant cost comparison. What they actually pay for something is irrelevant. All parties involved in the chain from Supplier to Customer jack up the price to cover their costs and make their profit. If I had to guess I would say that a retailer probably marks up the price around 75-100% of their cost on a live item. While taken alone that sounds outrageously high, but you have to factor in many costs. The retailer has overhead for the store such as wages, utilities, rent, tax, etc. The retailer also has to cover the cost of livestock that dies. Dry goods markups are significantly less, in the 30-40% range. I think the difference in pricing that you see at the various stores around the area directly corelate to their location. BRK is out in the sticks, his overhead (I'm guessing) is much lower than for places like Marine Scene, Super Petz, and Wally's. Roozens is another that is out of the "high traffic" areas. They also have a slightly different business model and are not totally dependant on retail sales. But I would guess their markup is still in the 50% range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller February 2, 2006 Share February 2, 2006 All ORA CB fish cost $1.00 each regardless of the species. Same as a dozen roses or a potted plant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 February 2, 2006 Share February 2, 2006 All ORA CB fish cost $1.00 each regardless of the species. 51891[/snapback] That does not match my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 February 2, 2006 Share February 2, 2006 Hey Traveller, What are your thoughts on this.51879[/snapback] A hobbyist is, or should be, looking for a fish with the least chance of carrying pathogens into their home environment, highest probability of eating available diets, least chance of being skittish in a captive space, etc. When a CB fish is introduced into an environment with WC fish, they are exposed to numerous internal and external diseases. Quite a few show no visible signs for 10-14 days. IME with clowns, this action alone reduces the value of CB to a point they are no longer a benefit to me and in fact are of less value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 February 2, 2006 Share February 2, 2006 Years ago I got ahold of a price list from Bali. It was incredible, fish ranged in price from $.01 to $1.00 and the big expensive fish was a $15.00 black tip reef shark. My friend and I then looked into the cost of ordering from them and found out just how expensive that single penny would be. Think about it like this. It costs a lot of money to ship something across the world and you also need to make sure that you have somewhere that it can be repackaged as it could take up to a few days for the package to reach you if you don't have a direct shipping route. Then, the amount you have to order so that it's worthwhile to actually place an order in the first place is crazy. Finally, you also have to look at how much you order versus how much you end up getting after some die off. Here's an example. I placed an order years ago for a bat ray from California to Chicago. It was shipped to me at the price of $50, but then shipping air freight cost me another $50. I had ordered 2, so double the price on that and you're at $200. When I got one, 1 was dead, so they gave me credit for it because it was a retail purchase, but the bottom line was that they never caught another one, so I was out of luck. I ended up paying $200 for a single bat ray that started out at $50. If I were a merchant, I'd have to add in the cost of maintaining my store to all of that as well as simple man hours involved. When a fish costs a certain amount, it's very misleading, and could end up costing by the time it arrives an arm and a leg. I don't think it's unfair to post ORA costs, but I do think it's unfair to post them without explanation. Also, consider the fact that you need a license to import and ship via certain carriers, sometimes across state lines, and also, internationally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PowderBrown February 10, 2006 Share February 10, 2006 Just for my two-cents. First, CB clowns are not $1.00 each and you do have to take into account shipping, loss coverage, etc. You have to think, the collectors in the Pacific are paid next to nothing for fish. All of the cost actually associated with the fish is in holding them (salt mix, rent, general overhead). That is why CB clowns are more expensive than WC...even to retailers. They have been reared for weeks to months in a facility that must pay such costs. WC are just bought, flown in and passed hand to hand until you get them at the store. Much cheaper at each stop. But, the reason I responded is that I think we are way off the topic as far as why we should buy CB rather than WC (especially clowns!!). The mortality rates for WC fish are unbelievable (some say up to 90%) between collection and retail. I'm all for anything to knock that stat down a bit...even if it costs me a few extra bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Larry-T February 10, 2006 Share February 10, 2006 Having owned a pet shop in the past, I can say that any store that does not mark up livestock by 3x - 4x is looking to go out of business. When you add to the cost of the fish infrastructure, maintenance, food, and the inevitable losses, that's a very fair price. The store takes all the risk and purchases on speculation and you get the convenience and the ability to see the fish before you decide to buy it. <<** Larry **>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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