Gem Tang Group Buy Interest List

[acroholic]

Guys,
I am getting together names for a possible Group Buy of Gem Tangs. I have imported fish from outside the US before, so I am familiar with the procedures. I have an Inquiry with a possible supplier (thanks Simon), and if he can help then I was thinking we might do 10 of them. This would really depend on the price we could get per fish, air freight, and any included Customs fees. I am a client with a Customs Broker that has always made it a breeze to import.

Please PM me if you are interested. I will compile a list of possible participants and we will proceed from there once I have heard back from the collector.

This is all very informal right now, of course. No final decisions will be made until per fish costs (fish + freight + customs fees) are known.

I have wanted a Gem tang for a while now, but not at $2300-$2700 each. I have no problem organizing this if we can save a good chunk money of them.

Thanks.
Dave

 

[harleyguy]

in a ballpark... what are you expecting to pay per fish? I "might" be interested if the price is very right... Also what kind of time frame are you thinking?

 

[ericmcj31]

was hoping for the $200-400 range

 

[skriz]

harleyguy;330929 wrote: in a ballpark... What are you expecting to pay per fish? I "might" be interested if the price is very right... Also what kind of time frame are you thinking?

+1

 

[chymos45]

PM sent

 

[acroholic]

Hi guys,
Right now there are about 10 people total interested. I'm only placing folks on this list if I receive a PM. I'm not posting names on this thread out of courtesy. Anyone that has gotten on the Interest List can post here saying that, but I'm not going to do it for them. Not my place.

FYI: here is the process for doing a buy like this.

1. Contact the Exporter (the diver in our case). Get a price list and cargo rates. I have done this but not heard back yet. I would prefer to keep this at just Gem Tangs and not import other species. But that can be decided if/when I get a response.

2. I would get an Import/Export permit to bring the fish into the US. This is not required for fish targeted for "personal use." But the USF&W Dept. is pretty narrow on their definition of this, IME. The cost of this is spread out among the buyers here.

3. Set up a shipment date with the Exporter. Day of shipment they fax/email me the necessary documents/permits on their end.

4. I contact my Customs Broker and fax them the required documents sent to me by the Exporter. They basically take care of all the paperwork and fees to get the fish thru inspection by US Customs/USF&W. I pay them a fee for their services and reimburse them for any required fees. Their fee is spread out among the buyers here.

5. I show up at the Air Cargos facility of the airline transporting the fish and pick them up after they clear Customs.

So the total cost per fish equals: cost of fish+cost of air freight+cost of any fixed fees/permits/taxes divided by the total number of fish. Fixed costs per fish go down the more fish you buy. Freight is expensive for any total cargo weight under 100 kilos. Cost/kilo goes down significantly over that weight, but we won't be anywhere near that for this order.

10 Gem Tangs would be about two boxes, I think. Maybe three depending on bag size.

I don't want to put the cart before the horse here, but we need to hear back from the Diver first, and I have not yet. I will post here when I do and notify everyone on the Interest List of pricing. Just so everyone knows, I will be paying the same price for a Gem as everyone else here. No secrets regarding pricing, etc. It will all boil down to availability, and wether we can save enough money to make it worth buying. We will decide this as a group if/when the pricing info is sent to me.
Dave

 

[lilrobb]

If you need help with the transportation, customs clearance - let me know...

 

[linda lee]

Acroholic;330982 wrote: 1. Contact the Exporter (the diver in our case). Get a price list and cargo rates. I have done this but not heard back yet. I would prefer to keep this at just Gem Tangs and not import other species. But that can be decided if/when I get a response.

If it turns out there are other species available, I'd love to know.

Where are these coming from? I'd like to start researching to see what else might be available in the same area.

Dave, it's great how you're putting this together. Your organizational skills are awesome.

 

[enderg60]

what she said^

while your doing this, might be a nice idea to see what kinds of stuff he has available for a later group buy.

 

[acroholic]

Linda: I believe this diver works of the coast of S. Africa.

ender: I'll ask about other species availability if/when I do hear back.

Dave

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Not many fish are typically collected off South African coasts. Apparently there is very rough seas. Typically East African species are from Kenya areas.

 

[grouper therapy]

jmaneyapanda;331240 wrote: Not many fish are typically collected off South African coasts. Apparently there is very rough seas. Typically East African species are from Kenya areas.

Do you know of any informative reading about the african collected fish that you could share. Thanks

 

[dustinp74]

grouper therapy;331247 wrote: Do you know of any informative reading about the african collected fish that you could share. Thanks

if these tangs are coming from kenya then most red sea fish should also be available since thats were most of the red sea species are shipped from these days

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Every Gem tang that I know of in captivity is collected from Mauritus. Gems actually have a robust range, but they are typically only collected for the aquarium trade from Mauritus.

Do you know of any informative reading about the african collected fish that you could share. Thanks

I dont have any reading sources, per se, just a lot of communications with otehr hobbyists, collectors, importers, etc.

 

[linda lee]

Scorpionfish, perhaps.

 

[grouper therapy]

jmaneyapanda;331359 wrote: Every Gem tang that I know of in captivity is collected from Mauritus. Gems actually have a robust range, but they are typically only collected for the aquarium trade from Mauritus.



I dont have any reading sources, per se, just a lot of communications with otehr hobbyists, collectors, importers, etc.

Jeremy is there a websight dedicated to collectors of rare marine fish that you know of?

 

[jmaneyapanda]

grouper therapy;331445 wrote: Jeremy is there a websight dedicated to collectors of rare marine fish that you know of?

Sorry, nothing like that. If you search out a specific fish, there is a number of websites that are useful, but nothing that is a conglomerate place for rarities. Do you have a fish in mind?

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Linda Lee;331409 wrote: Scorpionfish, perhaps.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2003/Fish.htm">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2003/Fish.htm</a>[/QUOTE]

Rhinopias aren't collected from South Africa, that I know of. Am I understanding you right? Are you looking for African fish, or South African fish?

 

[grouper therapy]

jmaneyapanda;331462 wrote: Sorry, nothing like that. If you search out a specific fish, there is a number of websites that are useful, but nothing that is a conglomerate place for rarities. Do you have a fish in mind?

Not really Jeremy. I just like to research and ponder and dream and then purchase. Really thought there might be a such site. But hey thanks so much for getting back to me. If I come up with something that interest me, I will definitly try to pick your brain a little.

 

[harleyguy]

I told my wife about this "possible" buy and the retail price of these fish... and like my signature says... She thinks I'm crazy!! So lets hope that they are a really good price.