Split from 'Speaking of looking for people'
- Thread starter JeremyR
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clarionreef
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- San Francisco
And now for something thats really sad.
Times are getting tougher and the appeals to support a store more more urgent.
See below from a local ad on Craigslist.
Steve
Times are getting tougher and the appeals to support a store more more urgent.
See below from a local ad on Craigslist.
Steve
cortez marine":4s7jzdlp said:
Well I wonder where this internet only site got it's Clarion(s) from? Cheapest I've seen Clarions go in a long time. Sorta devaluing the fish, but hey, I didn't sell it to them
http://justrarefish.com/html/rare_finds ... new_a.html
clarionreef
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- San Francisco
HEY
THAT GUY DIDN'T GET ANY!
He was just fishing for interest with the intention of ordering fish if he got some play....
He had hoped to avoid buying anything that wasn't a sure thing no doubt.
Telegraphing the intention to undercut everyone else though wasn't too cool.
Now without even posessing a single orange fish he has made it into the weeks gossip.
Steve
THAT GUY DIDN'T GET ANY!
He was just fishing for interest with the intention of ordering fish if he got some play....
He had hoped to avoid buying anything that wasn't a sure thing no doubt.
Telegraphing the intention to undercut everyone else though wasn't too cool.
Now without even posessing a single orange fish he has made it into the weeks gossip.
Steve
Steve,
Things are even more challenging for everyone in our industry during these tough economic times. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for everyone involved in the trade no matter where they are in the chain of custody of marine fish. From collectors, exporters, importers all the way to the retail brick and mortar and internet/catalog based fish stores.
One reason things are becoming even more challenging is the changes happening right now in our industry as the internet definitely has changed the way people do business. The chain of custody is getting shorter and shorter for fish in the trade.
For years, you have always stood behind the brick and mortar retailer and shunned off these Internet based companies that offer livestock. Don’t you think that when collectors and exporters like yourself sell their catch directly to the end consumer that this is in fact doing a major disservice to all of the wholesalers, importers, and retailers (both brick and mortar and eCommerce livestock suppliers) that work so hard to make a living in the aquarium trade?
I was completely astounded to find out that you had sold three of your "Orange Fish" directly to a hobbyist in Colorado, one of which is an acquaintance of mine that actually picked up the boxes sent cargo freight yesterday and is now tending to the fish.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1523448
How is this helping the brick and mortar retailer, wholesaler, distributor or any of us who work so hard to try and make a living doing what we love to do working in the aquarium trade?
I would think that this will make it very challenging for you to sell the bulk of these fish from here forward in the US market to all of the folks who supported your last efforts with this kind of distribution style.
Regards,
Kevin Kohen
Director of LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith
Things are even more challenging for everyone in our industry during these tough economic times. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for everyone involved in the trade no matter where they are in the chain of custody of marine fish. From collectors, exporters, importers all the way to the retail brick and mortar and internet/catalog based fish stores.
One reason things are becoming even more challenging is the changes happening right now in our industry as the internet definitely has changed the way people do business. The chain of custody is getting shorter and shorter for fish in the trade.
For years, you have always stood behind the brick and mortar retailer and shunned off these Internet based companies that offer livestock. Don’t you think that when collectors and exporters like yourself sell their catch directly to the end consumer that this is in fact doing a major disservice to all of the wholesalers, importers, and retailers (both brick and mortar and eCommerce livestock suppliers) that work so hard to make a living in the aquarium trade?
I was completely astounded to find out that you had sold three of your "Orange Fish" directly to a hobbyist in Colorado, one of which is an acquaintance of mine that actually picked up the boxes sent cargo freight yesterday and is now tending to the fish.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1523448
How is this helping the brick and mortar retailer, wholesaler, distributor or any of us who work so hard to try and make a living doing what we love to do working in the aquarium trade?
I would think that this will make it very challenging for you to sell the bulk of these fish from here forward in the US market to all of the folks who supported your last efforts with this kind of distribution style.
Regards,
Kevin Kohen
Director of LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith
clarionreef
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- Location
- San Francisco
Kevin,
The simple truth is actually a better read.
I do sell to the conventional chain of custody as all the airway bills attest but once is a while one does slip thru that shouldn't have....and this has been the busiest and most hectic week I've ever had.
I actually sold to a retailer who handed off to the hobbyist w/out a mark-up it apparently and that hobbyist eagerly broadcast it all over as a direct shipment. Some retailers have a special customer who they let see the inside and I figured this must be one. Sometimes they would bring their best customer by the shop and let him have a look. Long distance, this gets blurrier.
Ruining the value of a fish was not my intention as the refusal to ship to several others this week would suggest.
Mistakes happen and may happen again one day .
Steve
The simple truth is actually a better read.
I do sell to the conventional chain of custody as all the airway bills attest but once is a while one does slip thru that shouldn't have....and this has been the busiest and most hectic week I've ever had.
I actually sold to a retailer who handed off to the hobbyist w/out a mark-up it apparently and that hobbyist eagerly broadcast it all over as a direct shipment. Some retailers have a special customer who they let see the inside and I figured this must be one. Sometimes they would bring their best customer by the shop and let him have a look. Long distance, this gets blurrier.
Ruining the value of a fish was not my intention as the refusal to ship to several others this week would suggest.
Mistakes happen and may happen again one day .
Steve
clarionreef
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- Location
- San Francisco
Egads...
Ironic..and good point.
They don't like it going direct to hobbyists and by-passing them?
Jeremys point reveals a huge double standard here....
Despite the incredible , collective damage done to the retail trade by on-line dealers...especially in the run up towards reccession... they don't like it when the shoe is on the other foot.
By passing the online dealer and going direct from Collector to hobbyists!
Eureka! Great idea!!
Kevin, you wanna work for me and pitch this new spin?
And if not, do you guys want some fish?
Steve
I'm sorry. I made a mistake. But I did not inhale.
Ironic..and good point.
They don't like it going direct to hobbyists and by-passing them?
Jeremys point reveals a huge double standard here....
Despite the incredible , collective damage done to the retail trade by on-line dealers...especially in the run up towards reccession... they don't like it when the shoe is on the other foot.
By passing the online dealer and going direct from Collector to hobbyists!
Eureka! Great idea!!
Kevin, you wanna work for me and pitch this new spin?
And if not, do you guys want some fish?
Steve
I'm sorry. I made a mistake. But I did not inhale.
IF Steve made a regular habit of shipping fish to hobbyists, then that would be ironic compared to his past ideals.. if it happened once or twice that a hobbyist circumvented the rules, or an old friend got a $2-3k fish direct, and that's all it was.. then it really had no impact on anyone. 99.9% of LFS's would never even consider stocking that fish anyways. It's completely incomparable to the millions of dollars of drop shipping that people like DFS do.
Steve,
Dont spin this off and try and deflect the facts. I perfectly understand how busy and hectic things can get, as this is my life also, as well as many others individuals who have worked in the marine fish business for many years. Unfortunately the marine fish business is unlike other industries or professions that you can just “turn off and go homeâ€
Dont spin this off and try and deflect the facts. I perfectly understand how busy and hectic things can get, as this is my life also, as well as many others individuals who have worked in the marine fish business for many years. Unfortunately the marine fish business is unlike other industries or professions that you can just “turn off and go homeâ€
A collector selling direct has a much greater industry impact than a wholesaler selling direct.
I have no problem with Steve selling direct to consumers but I do wish he would be truthful to his retail customers and wholesalers. This industry needs honesty, even if we all do not agree.
I have no problem with Steve selling direct to consumers but I do wish he would be truthful to his retail customers and wholesalers. This industry needs honesty, even if we all do not agree.
clarionreef
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- San Francisco
Guys
I have moved over 400 fish in one year....and they went to importers and dealers...is this all you've got?
Trying to play "gotcha" on a single misfire which was still technically not one as the guy bringing em in is in the trade!
The one whos happy with his fish on the internet was the final customer and not the retail buyer who is obviously unknown to you in your zeal to find fault.
Now...owning up to a mistake is something I can do but telling a customer not to be happy with his fish and to not share it w/ the world on the internet is not something we can control.
Now, this sour grapes thing has a remedy and since the last importer isn't bringing in our fish to sell to you like last time... you'll have to buy them from L.A. as some importers there have some...as is usual when we bring em in.
Sorry for the errors in understanding...
I have moved over 400 fish in one year....and they went to importers and dealers...is this all you've got?
Trying to play "gotcha" on a single misfire which was still technically not one as the guy bringing em in is in the trade!
The one whos happy with his fish on the internet was the final customer and not the retail buyer who is obviously unknown to you in your zeal to find fault.
Now...owning up to a mistake is something I can do but telling a customer not to be happy with his fish and to not share it w/ the world on the internet is not something we can control.
Now, this sour grapes thing has a remedy and since the last importer isn't bringing in our fish to sell to you like last time... you'll have to buy them from L.A. as some importers there have some...as is usual when we bring em in.
Sorry for the errors in understanding...
JeremyR":186ie55k said:I find it very amusing that DFS would be the one complaining about direct to hobbyist shipments.
They are complaining cause what they strive to do to retailers now looks like it's feasible to be done to them. They can move in and take out the wholesalers that cater to them now and cut them out of the trade, but it is near impossible to move in and take over the collection market. I do not think this will impact LFS as much as Race thinks, I think the direct to public affect is at it's peak from the internet, LFS still deal with the weathly customers that do not want to get their hands wet and rely on fish stores to do that.
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