Survival/DOA rate for mail order fish?

[GaryE]

It would be interesting to see how other non US people do. My feeling about the UK is that there is still a network of decent shops, and things aren't as 'fast foodized" as they are for Americans. Are people in other places as pushed to have to buy online?
In Canada, the network of online sellers is expanding, but people tend to be very naive about our climate. We're spoiled by Amazon dry goods and seem to expect fish to be plastic.
I get most of my requests to send fish after it's become too cold to ship safely.
What happens in Australia, Asia, and the EU?

 

[Essjay]

I can't speak for the rest of the UK but within half an hour drive of where I live I have 2 Maidenhead Aquatics (a national chain), a Pets at Home (but don't shop there) and at least 4 independent shops.

 

[gwand]

Within half an hour of where I live we have two independent shops and four national chain stores, two Petsmarts and two Petcos. That is a bad ratio.

 

[Colin_T]

It would be interesting to see how other non US people do. My feeling about the UK is that there is still a network of decent shops, and things aren't as 'fast foodized" as they are for Americans. Are people in other places as pushed to have to buy online?
In Canada, the network of online sellers is expanding, but people tend to be very naive about our climate. We're spoiled by Amazon dry goods and seem to expect fish to be plastic.
I get most of my requests to send fish after it's become too cold to ship safely.
What happens in Australia, Asia, and the EU?

I can't comment on what happens in the pet industry currently but online shopping here in Australia is massive since Covid19. Before Covid19 a few places did online shopping and most people simply went to the store. Now every business (or nearly every business) has online shopping with either "click & collect" or "direct to boot" orders. I have been doing a lot of direct to boot orders to get food so I don't have to go into a shop where I might catch something. I actually caught a bug on Monday when I had to pick up the thermal paste for my new computer. I went and did some shopping after that and Tuesday night my sinuses were gunked up and I couldn't breath. Wednesday night my throat started burning. Today (Thursday night) my sinuses are still gunked up and my throat (top of mouth at back near throat) is on fire and I can't talk. I sound a bit like the Godfather (from the movie). I can't even understand what I am saying. This is why I have been doing direct to boot orders and my medical mask didn't do its job when I was at the shops.

But online orders are big now and so much stuff is being shipped by courier and postal services. There's a new crime wave with bad guys following couriers and stealing items being left at doors.

We don't get carried away with 24 hour shipping and immediate delivery and hopefully never will. But most things can be delivered to your door within a day or two if you don't mind paying extra for the postage. Going back to the thermal paste I bought on Monday, I ordered it online and it cost about $15.00 for 3.5 grams of paste in a small plastic syringe. I could have paid to have it delivered but the prices started at $19 for delivery in 4 days and went up to $49 for next day delivery. I don't have that sort of money so drove in and did my click & collect order, which cost nothing except the price of the item (and me catching a bug afterwards).