Outrageously Priced Fish

[Montiman]

I don’t feel the price is unreasonable at all. If you do research into what the collection process involves particularly of deep water fish it is reasonable.

I also think that we simply don’t want to spend as much on our pets as do other pet owners. Growing up my family had several pure bred dogs that cost a couple thousand dollars. Many aquarium fish will outlive these animals making the cost over time cheaper.

My brothers kept reptiles where they would spend a few hundred dollars on an animal and they would show me pictures of animals for 10s or even 100s of thousands of dollars.

I am still shocked at the cost of horses.

I think we just need to understand that the market drives pricing and deal with it. Frankly I am much more shocked with the price of corals. Much easier to collect provided it is legal. Often many designer pieces look just like the cheap wild corals I see at the LFS everyday. There is way way more marketing hype going into coral pricing.

 

[Hermie]

The market sets the price, and people will ask for what they know people will pay. Doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it to the people who are willing to pay it.

True but not all markets are fair and free. For example, collusion can happen. Monopolies. Imbalance of information between seller and buyer... All types of stuff can make markets go bad, even including people willing to pay exorbitant amounts like in some real estate markets. We shouldn't take for granted that a given market is free and fair, driven solely by the invisible hand of supply and demand.

 

[Hermie]

I think we just need to understand that the market drives pricing and deal with it.

How to deal with it is the real challenge

 

[Nokiaec11]

I would underatand if the capture extensive efforts, and extra special conditions for shipping, but for $1,500 for a Scopas Tang that's just came out off-colored is not worth a rare fish price...A Sopas Tang is freebie for buying other fish:

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

When I used to breed and sell Northern and Amazon Basin Emerald Tree Boas, I offered a DOA policy with video proof (not pics but an actual video) and I offered a 1 week health policy with proof of proper housing/care. Never had one issue. But my normal pricing ranged anywhere between $400-$4,000. Depended on the geographic range of the animal.

The only reason I can see a fish going for a premium price is if it were collected on an isolated reef or real deep waters.

Nice to see another snake person on here! I see what your saying about the reason for a price but I'd like to prepose a counterpoint- Ball pythons... People get weird when the colours change.

 

[ccombs]

I think the fish looks pretty cool and I would buy it at a normal price for the fish, but not these marked up prices.... geeeezzzzz

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

I would underatand if the capture extensive efforts, and extra special conditions for shipping, but for $1,500 for a Scopas Tang that's just came out off-colored is not worth a rare fish price...A Sopas Tang is freebie for buying other fish:

I feel like my first post in this may have been long for everyone to bother reading it (Which I totally understand because I talk forever) so I'm going to do a really short one... That fish has a rare fish price tag because its a rare fish. Even though it's a very common species of fish it's very rare for one to have that colour and really rare for one to make it to a size where someone can catch it before a predator does.

The species is common, the individual fish and its genetics are the rarity.

 

[Mike1995]

I'll take my $35 maroon clown over a $1500 fish anyday. My clown is beautiful and $1500 or $15000 couldn't buy her personality. In my mind, I think who are we as people to sell living other things for so much money? If animals were smart enough, I wonder how we would feel if they tried to sell us. It'd be wild. "Oh hey frank, you see tom just got sold for $100 by that giraffe on ebay". Like what the heck? I've always thought as animals as other living things. If I didn't have to pay for them to enjoy thier presence I certainly wouldn't.

 

[PhilT]

I really can’t talk. Last year I bought a decently bred, AKC “english cream” golden retriever. I could have probably gotten a golden, golden retriever with similar quality breeding for about $300-400 less. But, I definitely paid for the “white” because I liked the look of the dog, and it was just a little bit different. Same with the silver labs that are so popular now, it’s just a genetic mutation in a chocolate colored lab... but they will sell for a couple hundred more than the chocolate and yellow labs from the same litter!

The market sets the price, and people will ask for what they know people will pay. Doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it to the people who are willing to pay it.

I think my handsome white pooch was worth every penny [emoji12]

A woman at our dog park has 3 of them!

 

[Mical]

Another thing to note - not just fish but corals too - prices are higher during winter. There is a more captive audience during winter months vs summer.

 

[Jesterrace]

One of the things that continually amazes me is the amount of money people are willing to spend for the smallest genetic defect or blemish on a fish. Even if I were a billionaire, I would have a very hard time justifying buying what looks like a sick or scarred fish for over $1K for a fish when I can get a better colored/healthier looking version for $40 or less. I guess I just feel that a poor value is just that regardless of income. It's not like purchasing an interruptous angel where you are getting a gorgoues and very unique fish that you really can't duplicate (probably the closest being the Potter's and that's a stretch). Either way though I still can't justify spending more than a few hundred on a fish regardless of income. Too many variables. Even if I was a billionaire, I would feel sick if the fish died from a potentially wide range of causes. That's why with my current status I am content with my cap of $60 per fish.

 

[Hemmdog]

One of the things that continually amazes me is the amount of money people are willing to spend for the smallest genetic defect or blemish on a fish. Even if I were a billionaire, I would have a very hard time justifying buying what looks like a sick or scarred fish for over $1K for a fish when I can get a better colored/healthier looking version for $40 or less. I guess I just feel that a poor value is just that regardless of income. It's not like purchasing an interruptous angel where you are getting a gorgoues and very unique fish that you really can't duplicate (probably the closest being the Potter's and that's a stretch). Either way though I still can't justify spending more than a few hundred on a fish regardless of income. Too many variables. Even if I was a billionaire, I would feel sick if the fish died from a potentially wide range of causes. That's why with my current status I am content with my cap of $60 per fish.

That’s rookie numbers Jester, come on !

 

[mort]

High pricing because the fish is rare or hard to collect I get. High pricing because the fish shows aberrant colouration or hybridisation I sometimes understand as some can be more stunning than the normal species. Paying vast amounts for fish that look diseased like the original picture I just don't understand as yes it's unique but it isn't a shade on a normal one.
The one species I really don't get are the aberrant tri colour tangs. I've always thought they were truely hideous and if I was to have one it would have to be significantly cheaper than a normal one. The colours also aren't fixed so it's possible for you to spend the big bucks for it to change as it ages.

At the end of the day people like uniqueness and they are willing to pay for a one off fish. It doesn't bother me in the slightest if these fish have a massive price tag as I'd never be in the market for one anyway.

 

[Hot2na]

Like the High price on a clarion angel that is not wild caught on divers den...I think it's like 2500 bucks ? I remember getting a beautiful adult clarion around 1985/6 for $700.....

 

[Tom Giddens]

What about all of these crazy clownfish they are putting out today. IMO most of them look like crap to me but people are paying up for them.

 

[pdcatania]

This was just on divers den. Lasted about 24 hours. I for one would never pay that much let alone several hundred dollars. I think my max may be $200 if it was something real special but I’ve only gone 75 so far.

For $4,000 I better be able to drive it to work.

 

[dylana407]

Yesterday,

My wife: "honey, Clinique has a facial product that cost $75 per week if I was to use it. That's is crazy expensive"

Me: it wasn't made for poor people.

 

[joec]

This is one heck of a bargain:

https://www.liveaquaria.com/divers-den/product/447650/bali-aquarich-captive-bred-clarion-angelfish

 

[ca1ore]

If somebody buys that bicolor then the price will be justified; if not it will start getting discounted. Does rather look like a regular bicolor that got in a fight lol.

 

[BantyRooster97]

That bi-color looks damaged. Could be a 1 off morph, but who knows. I think 1 off morph damaged looking fish should be freebie fish, but thats just me. Now, some of the other fish mentioned in this thread I get. They are breeds of fish that are less available or harder to catch safely. That should demand a higher price.

Like dogs, a breed you can keep going (white retrievers, silver labs, red poodles, etc) that is a breed not a 1 off morph. 1 off morphs in dogs are generally genetic mutts and not highly sought after.