Your Opinion Needed (Group Buy Related)

[Piro]

Originally Posted by LobsterOfJustice

2. price

Originally Posted by Bailey

Jacksonville NC
LFS Hermit crab 3.00$ Ea
Online Hermit crab 0.49$ Ea

I'll buy a tiny hermit crab for half a dollar online any day than pay 2-3 dollars in a shop.
$5 for 10 compared to $20-30 for 10 is no contest in my mind.

Communication, competitive markets, and cut-throat business ethics- economic Darwinism.

I won't buy a fish, clam, or anything that is very delicate in a group buy.

[gatorchem]

Originally Posted by grennan

Can someone please explain why the ric group buy was deleted?
(it appears that this LFS/internet/sponsor purchase thread coincides with it's deletion)

Originally Posted by fishboysgirl

Okay, just got an update that at the request of the original person posting the group ric buy, the post was deleted. Nothing to do with CFT, the person just decided not to do the buy I guess... Oh well, such is life..

Yes the ric group buy post was deleted at the request of the original poster. He/she decided not to go through with the order and therefore requested to delete the thread. This has no connection to the current thread.

Now let's get back to the topic at hand and hear some more reasons on internet group buys.

thks

[JoeCreature]

I think they are great for stuff like CUC where many people buying in bulk drops the collective price.

Otherwise its just a hassle, especially for the poor schmuck that has to organize it.....because sometimes they get held accountable for thing outside their power like dead, sick, or wrong items. It seems like everytime there is a CFAS CUC group buy ED gets stuck with a bag of dead snails and the not so pretty leftovers.

More than anything its the human compulsion to instant gratification. Sure you could get the same livestock item for a higher price at a LFS than an e-buy, but at least the the store you can actually see/touch the thing you are buying.

Call it a whacked out equilibrium among: what one wants (willing to wait for)-price/cheapskatedness-and what one wants NOW.

[foresteronw]

I think a lot of it comes down to marketing and price.

A lot of national online retailers do a great job at marketing their items; their pictures are great, their prices are usually hard to beat, their websites are really nice as well as easy to navigate, and most of them have a good reputation.

Sometimes this marketing can cloud reality though and if you were to compare apples to apples (final price including shipping costs, size of items, etc.) it may be cheaper getting it locally.

I do understand what it’s like to have limited options in your area though...it’s really tough around this part of the state to get quality live stock locally.

[schwa6970]

I buy alot of my equipment online simply for the reason that you have so much more to choose from. I have yet to run into an LFS that has everything you could possibly need and it requires a special order and alot of times special orders cant be returned. For livestock I always buy local which for me usually requires a 45 minute drive. There is only 2 LFS that I can think of that are in short driving distance(15min or less) and once again very limited on supplies. A good example -I had to drive almost an hour to get a 5 gallon bucket of Reef Crystals how on earth can you run a LFS that deals in Saltwater and not have salt in anything bigger than a 25 gallon box?

[fsn77]

I shop where I can find what I want at reasonable prices. I don't mind paying a little extra locally, especially if I can see with my own eyes that the fish or coral is really as nice (or nicer) as some potentially photo shopped online photo (more of an issue with some "hobbyists" selling on forums, not with actual online retailers). There's one LFS that I buy a considerable amount of livestock from, and I'd probably buy more from them if I had the time to make the drive more regularly and could get there during their business hours. I don't buy equipment from a LFS if I can help it. The price difference is just too high, unless it's an emergency and they actually stock what I need, which can be kind of rare.

[triggerman77]

Ok If was in RTP area or closer than 2.5 hours away. I would defiantly buy from LFS more often if we had one that had fair prices. I do buy most of my fish local unless they can't get what im looking for. The only place i buy fish online is from the Divers den at Liveaquaria.com They are WYSIWYG and im picky about my fish. As for CUC's i buy online. Piro said it all in his post. $3 per hermit and 1.99 per snail!!! WTF is wrong with these people i understand overhead but this is robbery. Sorry Ya'll had to add that.lol Maybe it could help some people open their eyes. So maybe i can help support them.

[Mexican reefer]

I buy most of my dry goods on line. Live stock I buy from fellow hobbyist.
I do buy the occasional fish at LFS and IO salt for $35 for 200 gl box.

If you use your LFS for a group buy he is going to order it too so why add a middle man to the equation plus I get them shipped straight to my door step.

Frankly I don't know how most LFS stay in business with on-line competition.
My guess is newbies.
I have no sympathy for LFS I don't care how great of a guy you might be or how good your advise is. There are many reputable sites on-line to get information from what maters to me is the price. I'm a consumer you have a product I want the most bang for my buck.