Why does BRS seem to be the default site?

[Rakie]

This is my reason!!

Quite frankly, I too think that's the best reason!

Think of all the ways BRS has stepped up above competition, forcing everyone to play catch up.

- Reef Chili
- Basic Elements (kalk, 2-part)
- Basic how-to videos
- In depth videos
- Free Shipping
- Rewards Programs
- Monthly preferred reefer deals
- Free tanks for everybody..

OKay, that last one isn't there yet. But every major company (no matter how great they are) are playing catch up to BRS. BRS basically started with Reef Chili and once they moved onto 2-part and kalk they really started innovating. Most major companies are playing catch up one at a time. They're starting to catch onto video build series. They've all had to implement shipping deals. They've all had to introduce (and try to beat) the rewards program. They're doing the monthly 'club'/preferred reefer sales. And it's about to rain free tanks.. Okay, maybe still a little optimistic on the last one.

But again. I think for example, SA.com implementing and besting the rewards program BRS has? I mean... BRS made something so significant, not only did it have to be copied, but it had to be bested. That's a serious compliment whether they meant it or not! And again with SW.com, aside from the "must have" items (EcoTech, AI, Kessil, etc etc) have you noticed they try to focus on specifically what BRS doesn't have if they can? I mean this as no slight to SW.Com, but when a guy like me needs that one thing BRS doesn't have, here's a company that specializes in the odds and ends BRS doesn't stock.

Think about that -- SW.com is survived by the gaps in BRS offerings. It's one of the first places people go to when BRS doesn't carry X, Y, or Z. That's kind of amazing... Because SW.com is NOT a small shop by any means.

The fact is, even though some great shops were around before BRS -- BRS changed the game from the ground up.

 

[Mayerlyn A]

Quite frankly, I too think that's the best reason!

Think of all the ways BRS has stepped up above competition, forcing everyone to play catch up.

- Reef Chili
- Basic Elements (kalk, 2-part)
- Basic how-to videos
- In depth videos
- Free Shipping
- Rewards Programs
- Monthly preferred reefer deals
- Free tanks for everybody..

OKay, that last one isn't there yet. But every major company (no matter how great they are) are playing catch up to BRS. BRS basically started with Reef Chili and once they moved onto 2-part and kalk they really started innovating. Most major companies are playing catch up one at a time. They're starting to catch onto video build series. They've all had to implement shipping deals. They've all had to introduce (and try to beat) the rewards program. They're doing the monthly 'club'/preferred reefer sales. And it's about to rain free tanks.. Okay, maybe still a little optimistic on the last one.

But again. I think for example, SA.com implementing and besting the rewards program BRS has? I mean... BRS made something so significant, not only did it have to be copied, but it had to be bested. That's a serious compliment whether they meant it or not! And again with SW.com, aside from the "must have" items (EcoTech, AI, Kessil, etc etc) have you noticed they try to focus on specifically what BRS doesn't have if they can? I mean this as no slight to SW.Com, but when a guy like me needs that one thing BRS doesn't have, here's a company that specializes in the odds and ends BRS doesn't stock.

Think about that -- SW.com is survived by the gaps in BRS offerings. It's one of the first places people go to when BRS doesn't carry X, Y, or Z. That's kind of amazing... Because SW.com is NOT a small shop by any means.

The fact is, even though some great shops were around before BRS -- BRS changed the game from the ground up.

Reef tanks for all!!!

 

[ReefWithCare]

Of the three main ones - SWA, BRS, MD - MD ships the fastest to me. However I mostly use amazon or Petco these days because I don’t make a lot of high tickets purchases and just want stuff next day. Petco seems to have most stuff I need and I usually ask for affiliate codes if I’m buying off amazon from YTers I Support so I don’t feel so bad about getting from Amazon. The LFS is too far away from me and are very overpriced. If I want something below MAP - I just call another seller and ask (some will do it, but I haven’t needed high ticket items for a bit)

 

[Deaf clown]

The fast shipping for me. I live in IA and they ship from MN. For me it’s a no brainer.

Unless they don’t have parts or something is on sale/cheaper on other sites I stick with them.

 

[AlexStinson]

I got hooked on BRS a decade ago when they it was the place to go for 'bulk supplies' like carbon, gfo and 2-part at a huge savings from anywhere else. Now, it is just more convenient to get everything from them, especially when they have sales that give me 10x bonus points. I often have enough points that I can pick up small things I need between orders for free. All the public service info they put out on YouTube is definitely another reason I support them. some smaller items are a much better price on amazon and I do have to go that direction. I don't think they updated their small item pricing when they switched from free shipping on all order to a minimum purchase.

 

[408Dartfish]

I have my top 3 right now in no order. Saltwateraquarium bought my Redsea tank from them. BRS always has good prices, ships faster than saltwater to my place in Oregon. Marine Depot is great, like how ships from California. All have a rewards program, like the freebies from Saltwateraquarium also. Dustin

 

[SurfLife]

When I started I used BRS. Had some problems with some BRS branded products and billing errors. Maybe just really bad luck on my part but I no longer shop there. I started using SWA. I have had 100% success with them in all areas.

 

[Jet915]

I shop at both BRS and saltwateraquarium.com. If im not in a hurry, I will get the item from saltwateraquarium.com because of their rewards, freebies and they do military discount. Customer service from BRS is the best though.

 

[Deaf clown]

Going to buck the system here. I shop at @MarineDepot because of their financing options on large purchases

I tried doing that once but it doesn’t work for us IA residents. So instead I’ve got Pay Pal Credit for that now. [emoji28]

 

[doughboy]

BRS is a master of marketing, and very good at it, so good they can sell an icebox to an Eskimo.
First the name BRS. The name associates itself with "warehouse clubs" to give the impression you are saving money.
The reality is, you are not. But what matters is people have the impression or feel they are saving money. lol.
Next, anything you can buy at BRS, you can buy at the same price elsewhere or cheaper, at times, a lot cheaper. Someone in an earlier post gave a few examples, I know several more. I think any price savvy shopper knows about this. But most people are not price savvy shoppers. BRS does not manufacture the stuff they sell. They buy it elsewhere, marks it up, then resells it. You can most likely buy it from the same place they buy and get it a lot cheaper. Having said that, what you are paying is convenience, and that is perfectly fine.

My goto source is SA. They have an ebay store that sells other stuff that they don't list on their website. Price is always competitive and ships promptly. BRS I think use a really cheap budget shipping service company since they went free shipping. Speaking of BRS free shipping, they raised their prices since they offered free shipping, so yeah, its not really free. But what matters is, people think or get the impression they are getting free shipping.

Many years ago, I added several items to my BRS cart a week or two before black friday. Then the next day, I noticed everything in my cart got removed, and all the prices were jacked up!! and guess what, come black friday, after the so called black friday discount, the final price was, you guessed it, the price before they jacked up the prices. lol, really master of marketing. Compared to DFS, DFS honors the price at the time you add the item to your cart, even if the price goes up later.

Bottom line is, always shop around.

 

[squampton]

Going to buck the system here. I shop at @MarineDepot because of their financing options on large purchases

No, really I think I shop at both equally. I think that they have both added so much more to the hobby other than a great shopping experience for dry goods.

I used Marine Depot last December to buy my red sea tank, they were offering no interest/no fee financing on them, with such a promotion no reason not to accept the offer and pay the tank over 12 months, end cost was the same so no extra cost on my end.

 

[MTBake]

I use BRS mostly. If I need something quick, I check Amazon or Aquacave. Aquacave is about an hour away from me, so I get orders usually next day from them. Marine Depot isn't bad either. Just takes forever for me to get packages from them. I even use Dr Foster and Smith from time to time. Really depends on the what I need and who has the best price.

I do prefer BRS because of all they do for the hobby. Seems like they care about more than just taking our money, imo.

 

[reacclimating 2 the hobby]

Bought a replacement wireless drive for my MP10 because I have some travel coming up and wanted it connected to my apex. They sent the wrong driver(BRS is they). I contacted them and told them my situation. Before confirming via a picture that I had received the wrong product they shipped a new driver overnight so I would have it prior to my trip.

I use other sites, but my first place to look is BRS. Customer Service and available products.

 

[ReefInskeep]

BRS earned my business.

• Generally, they carry products that they test and stand behind. Their selection of solid products is great, ever expanding, and prices fair
• Their rewards system rocks and has saved me a lot of money over the years
• Their customer service is truly outstanding. I wish all businesses valued customer service as much as BRS does. (One of many examples: I ordered a screen top kit and it was missing a part. They shipped it next-day to me and then gave me $20 worth of reward points for the inconvenience.)
• What they contribute to the reefing community is beyond what any sane & rational corporate MBA-folks would approve, thankfully. We should all send them letters thanking them. Between BRSTV (that alone would be worth our business), the insane weekly giveaways, supporting local clubs and events, etc., they’ve become an invaluable resource for our community. Years ago, BRSTV was the only legit & easy to understand source of basic info for me. Now, they’re also a source of cutting edge testing and investigation relating to our hobby. That costs a lot of money/man-hours and effort on their part, and it benefits us all.

Unless I’m broke and have to find a rock bottom price elsewhere, or some other place has a good deal on something that BRS doesn’t have or can’t match, I buy from BRS or my best local fish stores (I try to give them business when possible because I value their presence.)

 

[Bulk Reef Supply Verified Sponsor]

BRS is a master of marketing, and very good at it, so good they can sell an icebox to an Eskimo.
First the name BRS. The name associates itself with "warehouse clubs" to give the impression you are saving money.
The reality is, you are not. But what matters is people have the impression or feel they are saving money. lol.
Next, anything you can buy at BRS, you can buy at the same price elsewhere or cheaper, at times, a lot cheaper. Someone in an earlier post gave a few examples, I know several more. I think any price savvy shopper knows about this. But most people are not price savvy shoppers. BRS does not manufacture the stuff they sell. They buy it elsewhere, marks it up, then resells it. You can most likely buy it from the same place they buy and get it a lot cheaper. Having said that, what you are paying is convenience, and that is perfectly fine.

My goto source is SA. They have an ebay store that sells other stuff that they don't list on their website. Price is always competitive and ships promptly. BRS I think use a really cheap budget shipping service company since they went free shipping. Speaking of BRS free shipping, they raised their prices since they offered free shipping, so yeah, its not really free. But what matters is, people think or get the impression they are getting free shipping.

Many years ago, I added several items to my BRS cart a week or two before black friday. Then the next day, I noticed everything in my cart got removed, and all the prices were jacked up!! and guess what, come black friday, after the so called black friday discount, the final price was, you guessed it, the price before they jacked up the prices. lol, really master of marketing. Compared to DFS, DFS honors the price at the time you add the item to your cart, even if the price goes up later.

Bottom line is, always shop around.

I just wanted to note, we never ever ever raise prices artificially before a sale. It's possible there was a price increase from the manufacturer, or it was already planned. Doing so artificially is just dishonest and a crummy business practice. No thanks! While I'm here, we actually do manufacture our own products. The products we have created originally stemmed from frustration of not being able to find it in the market already, that's actually how BRS started. That's still our practice today. We try to develop products that work better, and/or are a better value in the market. We're very selective, so putting our brand name on something is a pretty big deal.

 

[mitch91175]

I shop at every single vendor that I am aware of (Amazon, BRS, LiveAquaria, Aquacave, MarineDepot, PremiumAquatics, etc). If you are solely shopping at BRS, I will tell you for certain that you are missing out on some good pricing - specially from PremiumAquatics. There are brands that BRS doesn't carry so if you want them you will have to shop somewhere else.

 

[Mrx7899]

I shop at saltwater aquarium, marine depot and brs. My go to is salt aquarium they're closer to me I'm in New Jersey and I usually get their packages in 2 days with free shipping. With marine depot if it's in their east coast warehouse its 2 or 3 days. But brs is about a week with their faster shipping and over a week with the free shipping which is just to slow for me. I love brs for what they do with all the you tube videos but the shipping to new Jersey is just to slow. When everyone else can get it to me in 2 or 3 days why wait 7 to 14 days for the same thing.

 

[ReefInskeep]

Also, forgot to mention this... BRS has a superb website. Organization, search functionality, everything. It’s fantastic.

I really, really dislike rummaging through poorly designed or dysfunctional websites, struggling to find simple things, or thinking I’ve found everything then stumbling on more later because the website it so poorly done.

I have 100+ mbps fiber optic internet, and I still struggle to get Marine Depot’s website to load. And, it’s mobile site has been terrible, in my experience. A few days ago I was browsing and the MD website just refused to let me go into the category menu anymore. Then SA & PA both have mediocre websites that are sometimes poorly organized. I volunteer to run a website for a local non profit and it’s a PITA, so I get it...but they can all do better.

Shopping at BRS is a pleasure. Maybe some reefers don’t care, but you know who does, other than me...new hobbyists. At this time, for any business operating online, an excellent website and mobile site should be an absolute priority.

 

[Ratsinmyhead]

I live in Minnesota so it’s brs for me. And the videos are always informative.

 

[rsumner]

I shop at BRS to financially contribute to the substantial investments they make in educating me through their videos and social presence.

Their customer service is absolutely awesome and worth the few bucks you may have to spend on a single product that may be cheaper elsewhere.

I feel as if they carry products that they trust and it just anything that’s available on the market.

There are certainly things that I would like BRS to improve:

* subscription orders. I have to have to remember to order recurring items like GFo and carbon and don’t always buy everything in excess volumes.
* wish lists or being able to save a cart for later. For plumbing projects, it takes me days or even weeks to select all the fittings that need and if I need to snag an extra filter sock while I’m in the middle of that, then I have to start all over.
* sometimes viewing product categories on your iPhone will go nuts. If you click on a product from a category to view the details and then hit the back arrow to go back to the list, then scrolling through the products will forcibly jump you back to the top of the list (over and over again)

Despite these quirks, I only shop elsewhere when BRS is out of stock and I need something immediately.