Custom Order from Sponsors/LFSs?

[trigger-happy]

A while back I spoke with a couple of non-sponsor LFSs about custom ordering a few species from them. I was told that they could order just about any fish for me, but that if the fish came in and I wasn't satified with its looks (dull colors, etc) or health (spots of ich, not eating, etc), I'd still be locked into the commitment to purchase the fish they ordered for me.

I understand that a store has to recoup the money they spent to order the fish, but at the same time, it doesn't seem right for a person to be stuck paying full price for an ugly or unhealthy fish.

I guess what I want to know is, is this a pretty normal/standard practice?

 

[weaglereefer]

Well, you could get buyer's remorse and say you were "unhappy" with the fish when it could be a perfectly healthy normal fish of that species (remember, pics online are not always indicative of what you see at a LFS), and at that point you're asking them to hold something they might not have the correct system for, and then it dies and they lose out, so yes, IMO, it's fair.

That said, I've never gone to a store to have them order for me, I usually have a list of 3-4 fish in my mind that I would like when I go into a store, and if I see one, I may get it, I may not.

 

[jp30338]

Well my expereince has been a bit diffferent, if the livestock were to actually come in, A. They never notified me when the item arrived and/or B. Sold it to whomever came into the store first... This has been one of my biggest frustrations. Only one store ime was great about special orders and he's no longer around.

But ya, if they require payment upfront, then its pretty much a loss on your end, cause they lose money as they cant sell the livestock at the price they got it for, and its not their fault, they just placed the order.

 

[drnecropolis]

Most stores I have special ordered first required payment up front.. No big deal to me, In most cases if its special order its either
Expensive
No common enough to sale a lot of..

Either way its not something they keep in stock and might have a hard time moving so I understand wanting the money upfront 100%.. Don't see any problem with that..

 

[fetch]

I think the thing missing in this discussion is payment to assume risk. I buy car insurance because I can't afford to pay out of pocket if I wrap it around a tree. I pay "extra" to get someone else (my insurance company) to assume risk on my behalf. The same principle can be applied to the special order fish. I will pay you a premium of x% to be able to walk away from this sale if, when I see the fish for the first time, I don't like it. The trick is to find an x% that both parties are comfortable with. Since most LFS are locally owned, you can negotiate with someone who has the ability to make that decision pretty easily.

 

[weaglereefer]

Fetch;497721 wrote: I think the thing missing in this discussion is payment to assume risk. I buy car insurance because I can't afford to pay out of pocket if I wrap it around a tree. I pay "extra" to get someone else (my insurance company) to assume risk on my behalf. The same principle can be applied to the special order fish. I will pay you a premium of x% to be able to walk away from this sale if, when I see the fish for the first time, I don't like it. The trick is to find an x% that both parties are comfortable with. Since most LFS are locally owned, you can negotiate with someone who has the ability to make that decision pretty easily.

That premium would likely be whatever the "cost" price of the fish is, or maybe just a bit under. And I would think special ordered fish aren't mark-up leaders, so you might pay 80% of the cost of the fish and decide to walk away. I'd rather spend the extra 20% and just get it at that point.

 

[fetch]

What I mean is that you would pay 180% of the price if you decide to keep the fish and 0% of the price if you walk away.

Example:
I want to buy a fish that the guy says will cost $100.00. I say I want to walk away if I don't like it. He says fine, that'll be an extra 80%. I say fine.

If I like the fish, I pay $180.00 ($100.00 fish + $80.00 insurance). Everyone wins. I get my fish, and the LFS gets extra profit for assuming risk on my behalf.

If I don't like the fish, I walk away and pay $80.00 as my insurance premium. The LFS can now try and sell the fish to someone else, and since it looks bad, only has to sell it for $20.00 to break "even" and make $100.00 as if the proposition never existed.

Over the long run, I think everyone would win. Sometimes the customer would save money, sometimes they would pay extra and not have needed to. Sometime the fish store has a sick fish on its hands that dies, but it got the insurance money, so that helps mitigate its loss. Sometimes it makes extra profit for assuming risk.

Like I said before, the rub is what is x%. I would think 80% would be kinda high, but I could be wrong. This is what might be considered a special case of buying insurance for shipping an item via UPS.

 

[fetch]

Fetch;497740 wrote: What I mean is that you would pay 180% of the price if you decide to keep the fish and 0% of the price if you walk away.

Example:
I want to buy a fish that the guy says will cost $100.00. I say I want to walk away if I don't like it. He says fine, that'll be an extra 80%. I say fine.

If I like the fish, I pay $180.00 ($100.00 fish + $80.00 insurance). Everyone wins. I get my fish, and the LFS gets extra profit for assuming risk on my behalf.

If I don't like the fish, I walk away and pay $80.00 as my insurance premium. The LFS can now try and sell the fish to someone else, and since it looks bad, only has to sell it for $20.00 to break "even" and make $100.00 as if the proposition never existed.

Over the long run, I think everyone would win. Sometimes the customer would save money, sometimes they would pay extra and not have needed to. Sometime the fish store has a sick fish on its hands that dies, but it got the insurance money, so that helps mitigate its loss. Sometimes it makes extra profit for assuming risk.

Like I said before, the rub is what is x%. I would think 80% would be kinda high, but I could be wrong. This is what might be considered a special case of buying insurance for shipping an item via UPS.

In the first sentence, I meant 80% if you walk away. Sure wish we could edit posts...

 

[lilrobb]

Fetch;497741 wrote: In the first sentence, I meant 80% if you walk away. Sure wish we could edit posts...

You can - for the first 15minutes if you're a member...

 

[fetch]

member of...?

 

[trigger-happy]

I wasn't thinking rare, top-dollar fish when I made this post. I was actually thinking more along the lines of more common fish that they just don't happen to have in stock at the time...

 

[jp30338]

Fetch;497762 wrote: member of...?

He means an actual paying member of this club.

 

[enderg60]

How would you like it if someone asked you to buy something for them and then backed out and didnt pay you after you got it? Why should the store get suck with a crappy fish you asked them to order?

If its something common, just call around and ask when they might be getting more in and wait.

If its rare, go ahead and do a special order, but be prepared to pay up front and get stuck with whatever shows up.

 

[fish scales2]

Standard for most but not all. As a hobbiest and store owner I try to look at it from both sides. The first time I will not make you pay up front. If you do not show up for said fish then you no longer have the priviledge. If a fish comes in sick then I need to reconsider my source for one and how in the world could I allow an unhealthy fish to leave my hands for two. Now consider that most fish when stressed from shipping do not show there "HAPPY" colors so I would not consider color in the equation. On the other hand I am very weary of fish that come in with colors "BLARING" typicaly sign of improper collection methods.

So in short: if you need fish special ordered, do you your research, ask and you shall recieve.

trigger-happy;497664 wrote: A while back I spoke with a couple of non-sponsor LFSs about custom ordering a few species from them. I was told that they could order just about any fish for me, but that if the fish came in and I wasn't satified with its looks (dull colors, etc) or health (spots of ich, not eating, etc), I'd still be locked into the commitment to purchase the fish they ordered for me.

I understand that a store has to recoup the money they spent to order the fish, but at the same time, it doesn't seem right for a person to be stuck paying full price for an ugly or unhealthy fish.

I guess what I want to know is, is this a pretty normal/standard practice?