Pros and Cons of Online Buying

Hey guys! I'm starting a list of the Pros and Cons of online shopping, especially for live rock, coral, and fish!

Pros:
-Large(r) selection.
-Net price (price w/o shipping) is frequently cheaper.
-No waiting.
-Arrive-Alive Guarantee.
-Rare exotic fish usually on constant availability.
Cons:
-Live Rock is heavy and will add to the shipping price.
-Not always WYSIWYG, like in the LFS.
-Weather can come crashing down on you and your livestock.
-Unpredictable health.
-Shipping price is ALWAYS expensive. (Except in BULK)
-Dead fish or coral upon arrival is a massive hassle.
-No personell to give you personal advice.

You tell me something to add to the list and i'll edit my post. Thanks!

 

LR: is way heavy so you will pay a bunch for shipping.

Corals: If you can find someone close like on ebay then you can get standard shipping. Just keep in mind to always keep the weather in mind. If it gets bad then even UPS gets stuck in their trucks no knowing you have livestock in a box.

 

cons:
with both LR and organisms is that 8 time out of 10 you dont see what you are getting. [there may by two of the "same" that have slighty different colors or one is in "better" health, its a crap shot as to which the store wants to send you]. plus shipping is expensive no matter what you get. some online store have a min amount you can buy ive seen some at $100+. as otty said sometimes the weather is against you and you get dead organisms. yes there is gurantee but that is a big hassle most of the time. dont get personal advice [i know some stores the assoicates are dumb then dirt and just want to sell you crap you dont need, but not the good ones]

pros:
some of the prices are cheeper [but not after shipping]...
you can find things that the LFS may not have [mine will always take orders for me, i do spend a whole there]...thats all i got

 

---Bump!---

I'm still looking for more great ideas!

 

Good idea for pricing! bad idea when there are no lfs to support us because everyone buys online. Just my .02. My lfs is expensive but he is always there when I need him. I spent 12 dollars on 3 doller filters today but hey he had them and no waiting and no headache to get them. I might get bulk from bluk reefsupply but hey my lfs had them and I needed them.

 

I shop online for expensive livestock only. I find that if i order a specific fish on the more rare side, he'll never get it in because he gets fish directly from the source (i.e. hawaii) and it's always unpredictable for what he is actually getting. If it's something I want for a showpiece that is a little more expensive i'll order online for the live arrive guaranteed for 48 hours after arrival. If it's from the LFS as soon as you leave the building there is no guarantee, which is why i tend to buy less expensive livestock there rather than online.

 

A person to talk to while you are at the LFS is always nice. Being able to look around at fish that are actually moving can help you make a decision on if a fish will be good for you or not.

 

Pros:
Selection

cons:
shipping Price and arrival condition.

I have found that online has a better selection...as stated above, but "need it now" is sometimes the key here.

 

Pro: Can get the exact coral/fish you want, particularly with rare or exceptionally nice coloration (zoas, acans, favia)
My lfs has a pretty good selection of corals, but it is almost always common stuff that everybody has.
- make a big order and shipping is free ( i just wait until I can make a big order, some sites have fairly low minimums)
- most good sites, you can email the people or call, and they will help you with any decision or question about a particular coral.
-Base rock, even with shipping is cheaper then buying at any lfs in my area
Stores in my area sell rock for $5-9lb, I can get base rock for about $2.70lb online

As to the unpredictable health, any established site will not ship unhealthy livestock, it will only hurt them to do so. Im not saying that it doesn't' happen, but with the internet, it is pretty easy to find out who does.
For the Cons, you pretty much listed them, at least to some extent.

I do want to say that I only buy corals online. I still buy my fish and some supplies, if I need it immediately at the lfs.
(I have orderd corals from ATT?(tangster), vividaquariums, tbaquatics, and cherrycorals)

 

I don't 100% agree on that point of shipping is expensive. Yes, if you get 1 fish it is. 99.99% of my hardware and fish were all bought online (including 2 of my 3 tanks) Most places have flat rate shipping.
Petsolutions.com all the fish you want, ship for $35.00 Granted to off set $35, you need to buy a few fish. Their LR, 45 lbs ships for $79 over night or 75 for 2nd day. LR with the cost with shipping is ~$3 per pound VS my LFS is about $9 per pound (again, you have to want 45 lbs for that price, where as at the LFS you can pick up 7 lbs and thats it)

Petsolutions and Dr Fosters and smith have done OK by me. As long as you take your time and follow the process for getting the fish into the tank, I have had great success.

On the rare time I have something "check out" I call them and either have gotten a credit, or a new fish shipped to me for no charge.