Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

[a_Vertigo_Guy]

tropheus (illangi, chaitika, kachese...), zaire fronts, lepidiolamps, xenos, benthos, erets, PETRO, neolamps, lamprichthys, calvus, cyps, granulosus...

I forgot what else is there, GO SEE THE PLACE!  8)

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

Hmmm I actually got a call about the new shipment but won't be able to make it till this weekend and this thread is gonna force me to go sooner so no one buys all the good stuff.

[Fishcrazy1]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

He is wanting a fortune for his zaire fronts.  Several of my friends and I have been waiting for them to arrive, and now they are WAYYYY to expensive.  Supply and Demand I guess.

[a_Vertigo_Guy]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

Notice all the fish are coming in smaller and smaller each shipment? The prices go up each time, and the fish come in smaller and in fewer numbers. makes you wonder how much longer this industry will be sustainable.

Some food for thought, remember that this is a store and not some hippie with no storefront, no overhead, employees, etc. selling out of his garage with a regular every day job.

[michiganmade]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

AVG - I agree with you about it being a store front, but with the prices getting nuts -  The ability for people to have this as a "hobby" will go down.  There is a price point things have to stay in order to keep interest and promote the growth of fish keeping.  I have not been doing this that long and looking back I have spent a ton on stuff and have a small tank.

[Fishcrazy1]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

I'm in business management myself and understand the cost that are involved in doing so.  I was just making a point that the prices he is asking for certain fish is above the average asking price of other vendors that I have talked to.

I am also a fan of Alex, and have sent him a lot of business myself.  I just wish that he would stay competitive with his pricing.

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

he is asking for certain fish is above the average asking price of other vendors that I have talked to.

Then buy the fish off them.

[a_Vertigo_Guy]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

You all make good points.

What Ive found as pricing goes, of course not all mark up the same and while there is an industry standard markup, some fish Ive found are marked up very little at all. Which makes me wonder whats the point if bringing something in where if one died, you would need to sell the rest to make up for the one that died.  Theres some fish I think you just cant really price competitively for a number of reasons.

This is not a defense, its just observations and info Im passing along from when I worked in a store and got MANY ppl who always complained about prices.

[Tiapan]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

i do shop elsewhere, not only because its horribly inconvient to go all the way across town to ultimate but he is not slightly but considerably overpriced, i have found fish for a third his price at other stores shoot 3 mile difference between stores has meant less then half the price of fish ranch and they arent that bad about pricing. you just find good deals on certain fish sometimes and i getthem then. but i have never seen a "good" deal at ultimate. I have seen that those they keep it fairly competitive sell their stock faster and there for can get different stuff in more often which is good for everyone involved. and now i always ask whats coming in and what they can order at places (how i got my gold occies and now several people are carrying them) what i didnt like was a gy at Fish gallery said that shell dwellers never sell and thy breed like crazy (i know the breeding to a certain extent but no seems to be able to keep them in stock on a regular basis on most of town and those that have started getting them sell out or at least till just 1 or 2 left. seems that he is miss guided in his believe that they dont sell. of course they had like 3 or 4 kinds of julie young all in one big tank making it really hard to know which was which (doesnt seem like smart move)

[a_Vertigo_Guy]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

Y'know, now that you mention FG, how do prices compare there from that of Ultimate?

Another thing I notice, NO ONE ever complained about prices from VTF yet they are probably the highest priced (aside from Aquarium World). A pair if Electric Blues @ $75 bucks a pair? Holy crap! Tell me thats not expensive!

[cichlidsooner]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

Why does a guy with tanks in the garage have to be a hippie? I sell alot of the same fish as the stores and some you don't find there, I am a stay at home dad and other than taken care of my girls, I tend to my fish. Shipping prices suck, but they should mark up a fish no more than a buck or maybe two. The most I have spent on shipping is 70 bucks but I also bought 60 something fish and got them in like 5 hours via the airport. I spend alot of time looking for good deals via the internet so that way when I sell fish I can give people a good deal! That is alot of hard work in itself! Anyone that has been to my house or even gotten fish from me should be able to say, yeah I got a good deal from him and good fish. Why, is not all because of overhead or store front, some has to do with greed or paying for fish that they bought that no one wants, to me that a bad business decision on their part and they trying to make a regular hobbyist pay for it. Who smoking what now? They guy who has a garage full of tanks making money or the store front losing money cause they have a bunch of junk or even some nice stuff but with a ridiculous price for it and still have it in the store? I am not getting rich, but I sell enough to pay the fish bills and can take the family out to dinner. Most of my prices are based of what they will sell for at an auction. I sold 7 black calvus at the auction for a total of 131 bucks. Heck, I was trying to sell 10 for 135 on this site with no interest. A dude in Dallas told me I was crazy for trying to sell them for that much and that I was a rip off, I don't feel so crazy now, wait where is my  :smokin:  
Me personally, I would rather buy from a guy that has a garage full of tanks, they have just as nice of fish without the phat price tag to go with it. Yeah there is some fish you just can't find, and for those yeah they should carry a big tag, supply and demand! But how many stores can carry the same fish and be selling for pretty close to the same price and I can have that fish out in my garage :smokin:  cough, cough... and can sell it for half that, same fish and good chance it came from the same supplier. It can't all be overhead or the store front itself. I guess I am a hippie, just didn't think I was old enough to fit into that catagory.

[Fishcrazy1]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

I didn't mean to turn this thread into an UltimateFish bashing party.  Ultimate does get in a lot of nice fish that you would have a hard time getting anywhere else.  I do highly recommend going there.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

Their prices might be a bit high on some/most items but then again where else in Houston can you find what he offers?

Some things I rather buy elsewhere and for an actual storefront he does have some cool stuff.

[jklntx]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

Before one judges UFs intentions, have to get answer to...is their fish of higher quality than same species found in other stores? The owner may pay a premium to guarantee his stock is of higher quality than the typical lfs. Of course, he will pass that cost to the consumer.

or is he only providing a resource to meet the fish hobbyists emotional hobby need and stocks fish that are not commonly found in Houston and knows this need of the hobbyist will pay a higher  price. He probably has other sources in the hobby who buy from him in quantity ( in which he lowers his price).

Otherwise, he will sustain inventory..not a cost effective way of a main street shop to do business today

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Lotsa new fishies @ Ultimate Fish

Alex has rare fish that you will not find anywhere in Houston.  His imported fish come from Africa, that have gone thru African, European, and US customs at about 3-4 airstops. All shipped Air Frieght priority.  These fish have sometimes been in bags for 4 or 5 days and on the verge of death when they arrive.

If your in business to make everyone a good deal, you'll not be in business long.  That is unless, you are selling out of your garage and the profits made at doing so, are not putting groceries on the table, and clothes on the family.

Alex really is a specialty store where the prices will be higher.  He is not selling bread and butter fish.  

I can add, that I am glad that Alex imports these fish, because you go easily and view the imported fish before you make a purchase.  I do not know how many times, I 've recieved mail order fish, then wish I had not made that purchase.

sorry for the rant..