Divers Den pricing

[GoldeneyeRet]

No shipments, so prices will rise. Probably continue to

DD pricing had been steadily increasing before the current crisis. Simultaneously, the quality of fish seemed to have been decreasing. Just my opinion based on daily browsing and regular orders from them.

 

[tehmadreefer]

I see it across the board, every company is raising prices in this hobby and are beginning to price people out.


I for one no longer support any vendors on here unless it’s during a big sale, and just buy through amazon or eBay and other reefers. Fish I get from my lfs. If I absolutely have to buy from a vendor, then I buy essential items from marine depot only.

I give a big middle finger to all of em!!

 

[AquaBiomics]

i have to, I support most of our LFS here in C-Town but even with a large Metro area of 4-5 million, the Clev-Ark-Canton metro “might” have 3-5 decent LFS total. ...and yeah our LFS prices are higher than DD or LA

Have to? Lots of other online fish stores (although few have fish in stock right now because of covid)

I'm with you on LFS, few areas are lucky enough to have a decent LFS. But there are lots of other online retailers that dont engage in price gouging.

You might try saltwaterfish, reefs4less, or bluezooaquatics next time... I've had nothing but good experiences with all 3

 

[joe0813]

I also agree the the quality of DD fish has gone down. Ive now bought 3 gem tangs on them only to have them all die, a purple tang that was supposed to be medium came in at 1.5 inches maybe 2 if it was lucky and 8 lyretail anthias that all came in sick with uronema. The anthias were two different orders, only one survived.

 

[GoVols]

Did not know that their quantity have gone done.

Thanks for the heads up.

Brain, at Reefwise is top notch, but he stopped online sales way back.

 

[joe0813]

stinks a lot of places are closed down right now. I was looking forward to a nice order with Elliot at marine collectors then this covid happened.

 

[ca1ore]

The explanation here doesn’t make sense to me. Higher prices should generally mean there is more demand . With job loss, how can people have more demand ? I realize that some still order but I’m sure it’s less than prior to covid. I am almost certain their business isn’t doing “better” by any metric

Couple of things ....

First, pricing is a function of BOTH supply and demand. If demand goes down 25% but supply goes down 50% then prices go up. Second, it’s not what you ask for something but what you get for it. If inventory sits at elevated prices then the lack of demand at that price will push it down.

 

[mfollen]

I think this is all overblown the hate on divers den. I have gotten multiple fish from them the past year and they’ve been just as good when I used to order from them 5+ years ago.
I’ve also gotten most of my fish from marinecollectors.

LA does not claim they sell fully quarantined fish.
For the most part fish from Wisconsin arrive healthy it seems but people flip out when the fish is not perfect.

California facility I can not speak to.

 

[Phycodurus]

i love peeking at their DD selections daily. the pricing on LPS offerings lately has also caught my attention: $500+ price tags show up with increasing frequency. and the items sell!

a maxim a coworker of mine loved to espouse: “whatever the market can bear.”

 

[GoVols]

I think this is all overblown the hate on divers den. I have gotten multiple fish from them the past year and they’ve been just as good when I used to order from them 5+ years ago.
I’ve also gotten most of my fish from marinecollectors.

LA does not claim they sell fully quarantined fish.
For the most part fish from Wisconsin arrive healthy it seems but people flip out when the fish is not perfect.

California facility I can not speak to.

Been buying from them over the past decade with no complaints.

It's not about anyone tossing hate at DD Wisconsin fish quality, but their fish prices have skyrocketed over the past 15 months.

It was way before Covid-19 came into play, bringing on limited supply and demand.

They also dropped the option for the full refund if a specimen passes away during the 14 day period.

It's their business to run and wish them all the best, but we can still talk and share our feelings, as along as we remain civil to one another.

If it was hate, then we would not have a discussion thread, because they have become beloved so much, in the past.

 

[mfollen]

Agreed, I was referring to other threads

 

[dohc97]

I just received an order from TSM and i am a believer, the packaging was outstanding and the fish look fat and healthy. I will not order from DD/liveaquaria again, the prices have been going up and it is getting insane, $550 for a Hawaiian flame wrasse? TSM had them listed for $200 at the same time for a quarantined specimen.

 

[Drendo]

I was wondering what happened with their pricing. I stopped searching their website.

 

[GoVols]

I just received an order from TSM and i am a believer, the packaging was outstanding and the fish look fat and healthy. I will not order from DD/liveaquaria again, the prices have been going up and it is getting insane, $550 for a Hawaiian flame wrasse? TSM had them listed for $200 at the same time for a quarantined specimen.

You really just can't beat Ray and his quality.

 

[GoVols]

Agreed, I was referring to other threads

Sorry, mfollen

Never saw those other threads.

 

[9975]

Unless people stop buying at the inflated rates then why would they quit pricing as such? Liveaquaria is in this to make money and nothing else. Granted the negative reviews will always be louder than positive but the negative ones seem to be getting more frequent.

The only solution is to stop buying from them. You have to hit them where it hurts the most.

 

[vtecintegra]

I haven't seen anything on their for months at a price I'd be willing to pay. Rose Bubble Tips are as high as $400.

 

[joe0813]

No hating here either, just pointing out that the prices of DD specimens seems pretty high compared to other ways of getting fish. Some of the places are selling pre-conditioned and treated fish. People are still buying from them so nothing is going to change. If anything pricing there will just continue to climb.

 

[Braves Fan]

QUOTE="Doctorgori, post: 7347091, member: 119561"]
i have to,
[/QUOTE]

There are other options out there ,, other vendors ,,

but people flip out when the fish is not perfect.

The fish " should " be perfect ,, its just not the money I have invested in buying the fish ,, its the sweat equity I have invested in buying the fish ,, if I have to work 4 or 5 hours to buy your fish ,, I expect nothing less than a quality fish ,, maybe that's asking to much ,, I guess this is why I don't buy many fish ,, I have lost upper end fish from the " quality " vendors ,, it happens ,, that happens ,, I won't be back to buy another,,

We have a LFS ,, kinda in my area ,, that sells fully QT fish ,, he post in a local forum when fish have come out of his QT system ,, I haven't bought any of his fish ,, reason for this is ,, he just hasn't run any fish thru the system I want he tends to not run the upper end fish thru the system ,, the fish I want ,, mostly Wrasses ,, he doesn't run many Wrasses thru the system ,, just the easier to get Wrasses ,, the whole thing is great if your sitting up a new tank though ,,

When it comes to buying corals ,, I am down to using only a handful of vendors ,, 3 or 4 ,, I don't buy ,, for the most part any SPS corals from them ,, there are a few really great sellers in the Forum that sell SPS corals ,, quality ,, pest free frags at great prices ,, they cut the biggest frags they can ,, the more you buy ,, the better deal they will give you ,, I have some nice ,, quality SPS frags in my tank ,, I am guessing I have invested somewhere around $2,000 in those frags ,, we are talking about 40+ frags ,, they came from 3 sources ,, go price 40+ frags from Top Shelf or WWC ,,

I just got a really nice ,, very hard to get ,, most don't even have it ,, 4 branched ,, SPS frag from one of the Reefers I buy SPS frags from on R2R ,, paid $300 for it ,, that coral from one of the top of the line vendors ,, would have cost $200 plus per branch ,, I have never seen this coral offered for sale from a vendor or hobbyist ,,

Pretty much the only corals I buy from vendors are LPS frags ,,

 

[piranhaman00]

For me, LA was just so hit or miss, I received two orders where the fish came in very lively, eating great. They went through QT and are now in my display, very happy with them.

But other orders, fish came in clearly dieing, Sickly looking, didnt last long. Overall, I stopped ordering from them as I felt bad watching these fish die in my care, they also refunded my credit card for the last order instead of store credit.

I still use them for frozen food orders.