Buying Fish Online?

[sbga]

Hi, I came across a website that sells fish. Since there is a serious lack of decent pet shops around here, would it be a good idea to order some online? I only want to order like 4 small barbs. The only thing that bugs me is not being able to inspect them. What do you think?

 

[rdd1952]

People order them online all the time. The biggest problem with ordering though is shipping costs. I'm not sure if you're in the US or elsewhere but shipping can run $35 or more for overnight. Compare that the the cost of barbs and the shipping is more than the fish. Most have a guarantee that the fish will be in good shape when they arrive or they will replace them free BUT you still have to pay the shipping again. Just make sure it's a reputable supplier. If you hae any question about the one you have found, post their name and someone can probably give you some feedback on them. You can also search for their name and find old threads about them.

 

[Mikaila31]

Yep shipping fish is quite common, there are many sites that sell fish aquabid.com, liveaquaria.com, and franksaquarium.com to name a few. Although the best time is in the summer when it is warm, and as rdd1952 said shipping is what will get you. Shipping a box of water across the country in 1-2 days is not cheap to do. Other than that some times a fish can only be found online and are very unlikely to be found in pet stores. IMO that is the main reason people will buy fish online.

 

[rdd1952]

Although I hae never ordered them online, I am actually considering it at the moment. I want some congo tetras for my 75 gallon and they are $15 each at the only location near me that stocks them. And those are almost full grown which means their life span will be much shorter. I can get smaller ones on line for about $6 to $8 each plus shipping.

If you are in the UK though, shipping is much cheaper. Someone was saying in a thread recently that overnight was something like $10. About the only thing that's cheaper over there.

 

[sbga]

I was thinking about ordering from petsolutions.com
I will check out the other ones you posted

 

[sbga]

Another question, how do they keep the fish heated? Maybe I will wait till spring

 

[rdd1952]

They use heat packs and in some locations they won't ship in the winter because of the cold. They are located in Ohio. I just looked at the Weather Channel for their location and it looks like the daily highs are in the upper 20s to low 30s so theymay not ship right now. You could always call your order in and ask them. It would also depend on where you live too. I have not ordered fish from PetSolutions before but have ordered supplies (filters, heaters, etc.) and was very satisfied with their service and prices.

 

[darknirvana217]

About 90 percent of my fish were purchased online. The best place to look is aquabid.com. there you can check to see if your seller has ahd any problems, and see if people think they are reliable. Buying fish online is easy, and fun in a way. The sellers typically do add a heat pack to keep them. Sellers typically know what they ar doing, and wouldn't send a fish in the middle of an ice storm. I live in Florida were its always 100 degrees, but I've ordered fish from southern California and Cincinnati, Ohio in the niddle of their winter, and everything was fine with the fish.

 

[Mikaila31]

The only thing with aquabid, it is basically ebay for fish, pay attention to where your fish are coming from. It is fine to order from other countries if you want to, but just be prepared to pay for shipping the fish into the states+ domestic shipping to your house and possibly a few other charges.


Also in the summer, you can get away with shipping some of the hardier fish via priority mail instead of express. Which can save you some money.