[Hilde]

Anyone ever bid on fish on Aqua Bid?

At present bidding on some Dwarf Neon Rainbow fish at Aqua Bid. Is it possible to win them under $10 at this site?

 

[Lnb]

Anything is possible except of course if the seller has set a minimum reserve price. That means the seller will not sell the item for less than the set reserve price.

"No reserve" means anything goes .... they are obligated to honor any winning bid no matter how low.

 

[niko]

Also make sure you know how much the shipping will cost you. Many sellers insist on sending you the fish overnight (about $40). Some charge a handling fee too.

Also it's wise to make sure your fish are guaranteed. The auction should say something about the fish arriving dead - what is the seller going to do in that case.

--Nikolay

 

[BottomFeeder]

I've done a few fish buys on there now and am pretty happy with the deals I got. Shipping live fish can be expensive so figure that into the price. I recently bought a bunch of swordtails and it cost me less for 5 with shipping from AquaBid than it did for 5 less attractive ones from a local shop.

 

[Hilde]

I finally won some Neon Rainbows on Aqua Bid. There is no shipping charge. Getting 8 for $22. Great price. Soon I will have a total of 10 Neon Rainbow fish. Probably too many for my 29 gallon planted tank. Thus I will take 5 to fish auction.

 

[gheitman]

Congratulations on winning your bid. I just won a couple of auctions myself and find AquaBid a great source of fish at a good price that are difficult if not impossible to find locally. YMMV depending on the reseller though. That is why I prefer reduce the risk by going with sellers that have sold a lot of fish and have great feedback posted about them.

 

[jmelnek]

Not to hijack this thread but do you have to overnight fish or I see some offer free shipping with priority. How long can the fish survive. Should I look for sellers within a certain distance from me (like <500 miles?).

Any guidance is welcome.

Thanks,

Josh

 

[Bmac]

I have sent many fish along the east coast with 2 day priority just fine.

 

[Hilde]

YMMV depending on the reseller though.

What does YMMV mean?

 

[gheitman]

What does YMMV mean?

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary

 

[gheitman]

I regularly get fish shipped priority so that they arrive in two days. I've never had a problem and just got in yesterday a dozen furcata rainbow juveniles that had been shipped from Michigan.

Not to hijack this thread but do you have to overnight fish or I see some offer free shipping with priority. How long can the fish survive. Should I look for sellers within a certain distance from me (like <500 miles?).

Any guidance is welcome.

Thanks,

Josh

 

[Lnb]

Not to hijack this thread but do you have to overnight fish or I see some offer free shipping with priority. How long can the fish survive. Should I look for sellers within a certain distance from me (like <500 miles?).

Any guidance is welcome.

Thanks,

Josh

I regularly get fish shipped priority so that they arrive in two days. I've never had a problem and just got in yesterday a dozen furcata rainbow juveniles that had been shipped from Michigan.

I have purchased livestock and know sellers who ship a lot of livestock.

These are "my" rules":

1. Buy from someone who has a history of shipping fish/ivestock!! They of course will have the experience of how to package and prep the livestock for shipping. This is very, very important.

2. I live on the East coast ..... no I will not buy from a seller shipping from the west coast unless it is by express. Priority is best keep to your half of the country. Unless of course I really, really want the fish and can't get it locally.

3. The time of the year. I will avoid extreme cold or heat at all cost. To do otherwise, you are playing roulette.

4. Certain species just do not ship well, be forwarned. Adult fish usually do not ship well, they get really stressed out.


I have had "overnight" express take 3 days and the fish arrived cooked, though basically well packed.

I have had priority shipments reach me in 1 1/2 days. That of course is from within a few hundred miles.

I've only had one really bad experience but hey, I'd rather be paranoid and safe than sorry.

Phew ........... that was a long one!!

 

[jake]

What I have found personally is that the good deals aren't necessarily to be found on the auctions, but rather through the different people you meet on the site and just online generally.

You frequent the auction site, bid on and win some auctions, chat with people, make some friends, and before long you sort of compile a "list". Ok, I need some dwarf chain loaches... who do I know that would have those... and you shoot them an email. You don't make friends for that reason, but as you chat with people and they know what you have and you know what they have, it just sort of naturally winds up like that.

The auction site is great for your more rare fish and such, but don't overlook the chance to get to know people. Phone calls or emails to people you know is always going to be cheaper and easier than placing a bid.

I'm sorry that doesn't answer your question really, but sometimes my 2 cents just burns a hole in my pocket.

 

[rmc]

Every seller on AB has a feedback rating. Make sure you read the feedback from both parties. Beware of 0/0 sellers offering deals too good to be true and sellers that only accept Western Union.

As far as shipping........ Some will only ship express with a live arrival guarantee. If I'm buying or selling an extremely rare or expensive fish I may choose express shipping but I usually go with Priorty Mail.

IME, Priority Mail gets delivered faster if the distance is more than 500 miles. I live in Indianapolis and most of the stuff I send to California is delivered in two days but shipping across the State or to a neighboring State will often take 3 days.

If you are receiving fish and they get set on your steps until you get home from work at the end of the day you will likely have dead fish and you can only blame yourself. Styro boxes can only protect the contents from extreme temps for so long.

Acclimating fish that have been shipped can be different too. The water is likely to have ammonia in it but the effects are kept in check by the co2 from the fish breathing. When the bag is opened, fresh air is exchanged and the water becomes toxic very quickly.

You can add product like Amquel or Prime as soon as you open the bag or get the fish out of that water immediately and drop them in your tank if the temp and chemistry is close to being the same. It's also a good idea to ask the seller what they recommend and what their water parameters are.

 

[niko]

As of Sep. 09, 2009 Express Mail containing live animals is NOT guaranteed to be delivered Next Day (or 2-nd Day for some destinations).

The Express Mail containing live animals could be delivered up to 3 days late. USPS will NOT give you a refund for the shipment if the box was delivered within 3 days.

If Express Mail containing live animals is delivered after 3+ days late there MAYBE a refund. Depending on circumstances (?).

Express Mail animal deliveries could be delayed because USPS (FedEx actually, the subcontractor) looks at all the boxes on the plane. If some of the other boxes contain certain chemicals the boxes with live animals wait for the next plane.

Priority Mail shipments have no guarantee whatsoever. If delivered after 3+ days you can't get money back.

Note - all refunds are for the shipping charges only. NOT for dead animals. You can insure the package when sending it if you want.

--Nikolay

 

[niko]

And another VERY important thing about shipping fish.

How many fish in a bag.

The customer can at least ask for the fish to not be crowded. From experience the seller should know what's reasonable.

You may think that it's ok to package 10 cardinals in 1 bag but it's much better to divide them into 2 or 3 bags.

Not crowding the fish means more work packing, more weight, and less fish will fit in one box. But it's worth it.

--Nikolay

 

[Lnb]

And another VERY important thing about shipping fish.

How many fish in a bag.

The customer can at least ask for the fish to not be crowded. From experience the seller should know what's reasonable.

You may think that it's ok to package 10 cardinals in 1 bag but it's much better to divide them into 2 or 3 bags.

Not crowding the fish means more work packing, more weight, and less fish will fit in one box. But it's worth it.

--Nikolay

That's precisely why an experienced seller and shipper, like Invertz, is top priority!

 

[Hilde]

Now I am fearful of the condition of the fish, which are coming from California, will be. I am home now most of the time, so at the most they will be at the door for a few hours.

I won them from *name removed*. He has 2 negatives. Problems with catfish. No live arrival guarantee. At least I did this when the temp is not extreme.

This is the first time I have done this. I wanted those fish so bad. For got 2 for $5, for they were sold as Rummnynose. They seemed so lost. I bought some Black Neons to comfort them. Still they swam lost. The store closest to me, 20 miles, sells them for $15.

 

[rmc]

Relax. Unless the shipper is really a novice, most fish will go through less stress in the mail than they do when they are first shipped from their point of origin. Two or three days in a box, or even longer shouldn't pose any problems for fish as long as the temps don't reach extremes.

I see that seller has 2 negs, 3 neutral, and 244 positive feedbacks. I read the feedbacks and the negs came from a 0/0 bidder which has been happening a lot on the auctions lately and for no apparent reason other than to cause someone grief. The neutrals appear to have been placed before contacting the seller that something may have gone wrong. To hold a seller's feedback hostage before contacting them or giving them a chance to respond is wrong any way you look at it.

From what I've read and my own experience on AquaBid, I would say the odds are in your favor of having an uneventful and satisfactory transaction.

 

[Hilde]

Relax. Unless the shipper is really a novice, most fish will go through less stress in the mail than they do when they are first shipped from their point of origin.

From what I've read and my own experience on AquaBid, I would say the odds are in your favor of having an uneventful and satisfactory transaction.

Thanks for the info. Very relieved now. Considering the worst feedback was for catfish it could be a problem due to acclimation for that particular fish.

I did ask him how many fish he puts in each bag. He said 2 per bag.