Importers methods of selling

[smidey]

I find it interesting on overseas forums they way the importers operate & use the forums to their advantage.

Right now on a forum in Australia an importer has posted a list of species he has access to asking for orders & deposits for an order that will be placed this friday.

here's the list, can't be too many risks when ordering fish that you have deposit for.

All prices AUD

Chalinochromis bifrenatus 6 - 7 cm 18

Chalinochromis ndobhoi 5 - 6 cm 18

Chalinochromis ndobhoi 7 - 9 cm 28

Cyathopharynx furcifer Magara 6 - 7 cm 35

Cyathopharynx furcifer Resha 5 - 6 cm 38

Cyathopharynx furcifer Resha 7 - 8 cm 45

Cyprich. leptosoma speckleback Moba 6 - 8 cm NEW 50

Cyprichromis leptosoma Chaitika 6 - 8 cm 40

Cyprichromis leptosoma Chimba Türkis 6 - 8 cm 40

Cyprichromis leptosoma coloratus (Grandiosus) 5-6 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma Fulwe Rocks 5 - 6 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo azuri 5 - 7 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo Chaitika 6 - 8 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo Chipimbi 5 - 7 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo Fulwe 8 - 10 cm 40

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo gold fin Mpulungu 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo Kafungi 6 - 7 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo Kambwimba 6 - 8 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo Katete 7 - 9 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo Kekese 5 - 6 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo yellow Mbita 6 - 7 cm 40

Cyprichromis leptosoma Kabogo 6 - 7 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma Kantalamba 8 - 10 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma Kigoma 5 - 6 cm 30

Cyprichromis leptosoma Kigoma 7 - 8 cm COLOR 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma Kitumba 4 - 6 cm 25

Cyprichromis leptosoma Kitumba 7 - 8 cm 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma Kitumba Albino 5 - 6 cm 110

Cyprichromis leptosoma Livua 6 - 7 cm RARE 35

Cyprichromis leptosoma Moliro yellow chin 7 - 8 cm 40

Cyprichromis leptosoma Mpulungu 5 - 6 cm 20

Cyprichromis leptosoma Mpulungu 7 - 9 cm 45

Cyprichromis leptosoma Mvuna blue flash 5 - 6 cm 25

Cyprichromis leptosoma tricolor 5 - 6 cm 30

Cyprichromis leptosoma tricolor Mpimbwe 5 - 6 cm 30

Cyprichromis leptosoma Utinta 5 - 6 cm 30

Cyprichromis leptosoma yellow head jumbo 6 - 7 cm 35

Eretmodus cyanostictus blue spot Zambia 3 - 4 cm 20

Eretmodus cyanostictus Kasanga blue spot 3 - 4 cm 20

Gnathochromis permaxillaris Zambia 4 - 5 cm 80

Gnathochromis permaxillaris Zambia 6 - 7 cm 85

Gnathochromis permaxillaris Zambia 8 - 10 cm 95

Julidochromis dickfeldi 5 - 6 cm 20

Julidochromis marlieri Magara 5 - 6 cm 20

Julidochromis marlieri Magara 7 - 8 cm 20

Julidochromis ornatus Albino 4 - 5 cm 20

Julidochromis ornatus Isanga 4 - 5 cm 20

Julidochromis ornatus yellow Zaire 6 - 7 cm 20

Julidochromis regani Kaseke 5 - 7 cm 20

Julidochromis regani Kipili 5 - 6 cm 20

Julidochromis transcriptus Kalemie 4 - 5 cm 20

Julidochromis transcriptus Kissi 4 - 5 cm 20

Lamprologus ocellatus blue 3 - 4 cm 20

Lamprologus ocellatus gold 3 - 4 cm 20

Neolamprologus brichardi Fulwe Rocks 5 - 6 cm 20

Ophthalmo. ventralis Samazi yellow 9 - 13 cm 65

Ophthalmotilapia boops neon stripe 5 - 6 cm 45

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta Bilia 5 - 6 cm NEW 40

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta gold 9 - 11 cm NICE 48

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta Mabilibili 5 - 6 cm RARE 40

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta Nangu 4 - 5 cm NEW 40

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta Resha green 5 - 6 cm 45

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta Tiger 6 - 8 cm 45

Ophthalmotilapia nasuta Tiger Chimba 5 - 6 cm 40

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis Chisanse 6 - 8 cm NEW 40

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis Chituta 11 - 13 cm 65

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis Kantalamba 7 - 8 cm 50

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis Kapampa 5 - 6 cm 45

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis Kigoma white head 5 - 6 45

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis Nangu 5 - 6 cm NEW 45

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis orange cap 7 - 8 cm 50

Paracyprichromis nigripinnis blue neon 5 - 6 cm 60

Paracyprichromis nigripinnis blue neon 7 - 8 cm 40

Paracyprichromis nigripinnis blue neon Albino 6 - 8 45

Petrochromis trewavasae 4 - 5 cm pondraised 65

Petrochromis trewavasae 6 - 7 cm pondraised 70

Petrochromis trewavasae 8 - 10 cm pondraised 75

Tropheus brabant 4 - 5 cm 28

Tropheus bulu point (Kirschfleck) 4 - 5 cm 28

Tropheus bulu point (Kirschfleck) 5 - 6 cm 30

Tropheus bulu point (Kirschfleck) 7 - 9 cm MALES 35

Tropheus canary cheek 5 - 6 cm pondraised 28

Tropheus caramba 5 - 6 cm pondraised 28

Tropheus chaitika 5 - 6 cm RARE 28

Tropheus chilanga red 5 - 6 cm RARE 32

Tropheus duboisi Maswa 4-5 cm F1 ! NICE 28

Tropheus duboisi Stardust 5 - 6 cm NICE 28

Tropheus kaiser ikola 4 - 5 cm 28

Tropheus kaiser ikola 5 - 6 cm pondraised 30

Tropheus kiriza 5 - 6 cm pondraised 28

Tropheus kiriza gold 4 - 5 cm VERY RARE 130

Tropheus malagarasi 5 - 6 cm 28

Tropheus moliro 4 - 5 cm 22

Tropheus moliro 7 - 9 cm 45

Tropheus mpimbwe red cheek 5 - 6 cm pondraised 35

Tropheus mpulungu 7 - 8 cm pondraised 40

Tropheus murago 4 - 5 cm pondraised 30

Tropheus muzumi green 4 - 5 cm 28

Tropheus mwerazi 5 - 6 cm pondraised 28

Tropheus red rainbow 4 - 5 cm pondraised 45

Tropheus red rainbow 6 - 8 cm pondraised 55

Benthochromis tricoti 15 - 18 cm FEMALES Zambia 220

Benthochromis tricoti 5 - 6 cm Burundi 80

Cyathopharynx furcifer Kabogo 15 - 17 cm FEMALES Tanzania 160

Cyphotilapia frontosa blue Mpimbwe 10 - 12 cm Tanzania 120

Cyphotilapia frontosa blue Zaire Moba 10 - 12 cm Congo 300

Cyphotilapia frontosa blue Zaire Moba 15 - 17 cm Congo 320

Cyphotilapia frontosa Chaitika bright blue 12 - 15 cm Zambia 160

Cypri. lepto. jumbo gold fin Mpulungu 9 - 11 cm Zambia 80

Cypri. leptosoma jumbo yellow Mbita 9 - 12 cm Zambia 85

Cypri. leptosoma Kapampa yellow fin 9 - 11 cm Congo 80

Cyprichromis leptosoma blue flash Mvuna 9 - 11 cm Tanzania 70

Cyprichromis leptosoma jumbo Chaitika 8 - 10 cm Zambia 80

Cyprichromis leptosoma Kigoma 8 - 10 cm NICE Tanzania 80

Eretmodus cyanostictus Makombe 6 - 8 cm Burundi 30

Eretmodus cyanostictus orange dorsal 5 - 7 cm NEW Burundi 30

Eretmodus cyanostictus red fin Moba 6 - 8 cm Congo 30

Julidochromis dickfeldi 8 - 10 cm Zambia 40

Julidochromis transcriptus Katoto 7 - 9 cm Zambia 50

Opht. ventralis Mpimbwe silver stream 9 - 12 cm Tanzania 90

Ophthalmo. ventralis orange cap Kambwimba 10 - 14 Zambia 90

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis Chituta 9 - 12 cm MALES Zambia 90

Ophthalmotilapia ventralis Moba silver stream 9 - 12 Congo 90

Spathodus erythrodon Kabezi 5 - 7 cm Burundi 30

Spathodus marlieri Nyanza Lac 7 - 9 cm Burundi 30

Synodontis dhonti 8 - 12 cm Zambia 60

Synodontis granulosus 12 - 15 cm VERY RARE Burundi 380

Synodontis multipunctatus 7 - 10 cm Burundi 40

Synodontis petricola 8 - 10 cm Burundi 70

Synodontis polli 9 - 12 cm Zambia 60

Tropheus brichardi Ulwile 9 - 11 cm Tanzania 85

Tropheus bulombora 8 - 10 cm RARE VERY NICE Tanzania 90

Tropheus chaitika 9 - 11 cm Zambia 85

Tropheus chimba 9 - 11 cm Zambia 85

Tropheus chipimbi 9 - 11 cm Zambia 85

Tropheus kachese 9 - 11 cm Zambia 85

Tropheus kala 8 - 10 cm RARE MALES Tanzania 85

Tropheus kalambo 9 - 11 cm Zambia 85

Tropheus kapampa Zaire 9 - 11 cm MALES Congo 85

Tropheus kasakalawe 7 - 9 cm Zambia 85

Tropheus katoto red dorsal 8 - 10 cm Zambia 85

Tropheus kazumbe gold 9 - 11 cm Zambia 95

Tropheus kiriza 9 - 11 cm RARE males Congo 90

Tropheus linangu 9 - 12 cm Zambia 90

Tropheus lufubu 9 - 11 cm Zambia 90

Tropheus lunangwa red cheek 9 - 11 cm RARE Congo 90

Tropheus lupota 9 - 11 cm RARE Congo 85

Tropheus malagarasi 8 - 10 cm NICE Tanzania 85

Tropheus moliro 9 - 12 cm Congo 85

Tropheus mpimbwe red cheek 10 - 13 cm Tanzania 85

Tropheus mpulungu 7 - 9 cm Zambia 85

Tropheus murago 9 - 12 cm Congo 90

Tropheus musanga 9 - 12 cm Zambia 95

Tropheus muzi blue blaze 9 - 11 cm Tanzania 85

Tropheus muzumi green 7 - 9 cm RARE Congo 85

Tropheus ndole 9 - 11 cm Zambia 85

Tropheus polli Ikola 10 - 14 cm MALES Tanzania 85

Tropheus red rainbow 9 - 12 cm MALES Tanzania 95

Tropheus ujiji 7 - 10 cm Tanzania 90

[livingart]

unless of course they are out of stock when the order goes in

[smidey]

unless of course they are out of stock when the order goes in

that may happen but i think it may not be too likely if the list from the source is current, with a list like that you must be able to find something available.

[ryanjury]

It would be awesome to see our importers get fish that are identified right down to locational variant and keep that name assigned to the fish!

Personally I think that NZ is such a small market and they would post a list here and get stuff all orders especially for the rarer stuff, but I would love an importer to give it a go.

Stuff for NZ is likely to be sold out before we get it because they are more likely to satisfy their big customers (like Aussie) over us.

[the-obstacle]

It would be awesome to see our importers get fish that are identified right down to locational variant and keep that name assigned to the fish!

Personally I think that NZ is such a small market and they would post a list here and get stuff all orders especially for the rarer stuff, but I would love an importer to give it a go.

Stuff for NZ is likely to be sold out before we get it because they are more likely to satisfy their big customers (like Aussie) over us.

I agree - but if the importers are willing to try for custom additions to their standard orders it'd be great too.

[Mcculloch]

Another reason to move to aussie :-?

[ryanjury]

The importers have to be careful because they supply the shops and if they start ordering direct and bypassing the stores then the stores will get upset because it isn't really fair. Someone like redwoods who is a direct importer and retailer is more willing/able to entertain special requests but alot of them are high risk fish and sometimes it would become more hassle that it is worth.

HFF asked for suggestions of what fish people would like to see in a thread on here a while back and then asked one of their importers to import some of them some of which came into the country and made it into stores all over the place.

[smidey]

The importers have to be careful because they supply the shops and if they start ordering direct and bypassing the stores then the stores will get upset because it isn't really fair. Someone like redwoods who is a direct importer and retailer is more willing/able to entertain special requests but alot of them are high risk fish and sometimes it would become more hassle that it is worth.

this is easily sorted, all they need to do is supply to a shop only. if it was me I would set it up with an agreement between the importer & LFS as a fixed mark up rate & that way they could advise of the sell price up front. If a LFS refuses then offer it to another, it's profit for nothing really.

HFF asked for suggestions of what fish people would like to see in a thread on here a while back and then asked one of their importers to import some of them some of which came into the country and made it into stores all over the place.

that is what happens when the supplier has more than what the store purchased, they have to be sold somewhere

[the-obstacle]

this is easily sorted, all they need to do is supply to a shop only. if it was me I would set it up with an agreement between the importer & LFS as a fixed mark up rate & that way they could advise of the sell price up front. If a LFS refuses then offer it to another, it's profit for nothing really.

that is what happens when the supplier has more than what the store purchased, they have to be sold somewhere

Works for me! Can we convince HFF to do another round?

[Rabbit]

That is not from a wholesaler they are a foreign based company who import just Tanganyikans

http://www.airfish-cichlids.com/

It is quite common for them to be out of stock as i have purchased from them when i lived in Aus, alot dies in transit, and alot never got sent.

[ryanjury]

Works for me! Can we convince HFF to do another round?

It would be worth asking if HFF wanted to request some more fish in through their suppliers no doubt they already do to some degree if there are fish they are after for the store or that they think will sell well. I know there were some issues with the last import lot in that they struggled to sell all of what people indicated they wanted (guess that is to be expected when you just post on the net and don't take deposits or anything).

I think it would be difficult when ordering fish direct for customers when there are deposits etc already paid what happens if the fish die in quarantine etc? The importer would would probably refund the deposit if it is non refundable you will have someone who has paid a substantial amount of money and hasn't got any fish so it is that risk again. Alot of the fish we want importers wont touch are expensive and harder to get through quarantin, things like cichlids are likely to smack each other up especially in the bare minimum tanks they are kept in during their quarantine period.

[alanmin4304]

An importer can order all sorts from a pricelist and find:

Fish ordered do not arrive.

Fish ordered come in a different size and price.

Fish all die in Q

Many fish die in Q.

Testing for disease costs heaps.

Often people want high risk fish but don't want to share the risk.

With all this going on it would be a very risky businees.

[smidey]

i find this thread quite funny. i have been on a few international forums & NZ is the only country that does not have easy or any access to wild caught fish. our neighbouring country has many wild caught fish being imported regularly & a list as above to pick from & all we can say why it won't or shouldn't happen & if we actually had that list through a supplier & ordered something it would never arrive anyway. :lol:

[alanmin4304]

If it was easy as, all the importers would be doing it and be rich as.

[the-obstacle]

It's not a question of ease - it's a question of willingness. If it's an option for importers to offer this option I'd like them to try it or let us know they aren't willing to do it anymore because x and x.

i think what these recent threads have shown is that there's a distinct disconnect between the interested hobbyist (us) and the importers. I don't expect the importers to communicate with teh world but isn't the FNZAS supposed to be a catch-all body for all things fish keeping in NZ? Surely this would be the most sensible place for them to communicate with the people who are ultimately their customers.

edit: I do realise there are importers who are here regularly. People that once were importers saying "it's too hard / they'll never do that" don't add to the conversation in any way.

[livingart]

edit: I do realise there are importers who are here regularly. People that once were importers saying "it's too hard / they'll never do that" don't add to the conversation in any way.

with no current importers responding what an ex importer has posted is the closest to an answer as to why they don't do it you will get at the moment

HFF did communicate through this site a while back as to what should be imported

a few said they would be interested in certain fish

not as many purchased them

i think if you set up a business on peoples wish lists disappointment may arise

what we want, what is available, what arrives, what survives, what eventual price it is sold for is a lot of variables

maybe best idea is to get some money together and finance an importer to bring in what is wanted

[the-obstacle]

with no current importers responding what an ex importer has posted is the closest to an answer as to why they don't do it you will get at the moment

HFF did communicate through this site a while back as to what should be imported

a few said they would be interested in certain fish

not as many purchased them

i think if you set up a business on peoples wish lists disappointment may arise

what we want, what is available, what arrives, what survives, what eventual price it is sold for is a lot of variables

maybe best idea is to get some money together and finance an importer to bring in what is wanted

Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to offend by that post. It just seems that every thread on the business behind the hobby recently has ended by going into the "it's too hard" basket instead of sparking discussion about how it currently works and what could be done to make it better / different. If I was an importer interested in improving my business I'd be going to the customer to find out what I could do better/differently.

[livingart]

no offence taken, i was just expressing another point of view

If I was an importer interested in improving my business I'd be going to the customer to find out what I could do better/differently.

as would i

there is the bread and butter stuff they know will sell and come through quarantine at a good return

the harder to source species or not imported before have unknown outcomes so offer more risk to a profit line

[hovmoller]

Importers take risks all the time when importing fish... that is what importers do isn't it??

What Smidey first posted is a situation where the importer (could also include the retailer) has made a sale even before placing the order for the fish overseas.. I don't see why these orders couldn't be more common.. Yes of course the price of the fish may vary depending on how many fish eventually shows up and so on but surely agreements can be made. Eg. HFF&Importer states on this forum that they will import 100 of species x and you can buy at the cost of y amount dollars for a % of fish left after quarantine... Then I might order 10% of that lot (10 fish) but knowing that I might end up only getting 6 fish if some are lost on the way and then a certain discount should be applied so in the end all parties involved share the risk of import.

Yes this is complicated and just pulled out of my .... but I'm sure something like this could work so that it would be feasible to import some new species that certain people are after (provided they are on the allow list of course)

[the-obstacle]

Importers take risks all the time when importing fish... that is what importers do isn't it??

What Smidey first posted is a situation where the importer (could also include the retailer) has made a sale even before placing the order for the fish overseas.. I don't see why these orders couldn't be more common.. Yes of course the price of the fish may vary depending on how many fish eventually shows up and so on but surely agreements can be made. Eg. HFF&Importer states on this forum that they will import 100 of species x and you can buy at the cost of y amount dollars for a % of fish left after quarantine... Then I might order 10% of that lot (10 fish) but knowing that I might end up only getting 6 fish if some are lost on the way and then a certain discount should be applied so in the end all parties involved share the risk of import.

Yes this is complicated and just pulled out of my .... but I'm sure something like this could work so that it would be feasible to import some new species that certain people are after (provided they are on the allow list of course)

That actually answers the questions I got stuck on when I was trying to figure out the process in my head. I'd be really keen to have access to this type of buying power.

Does anybody have access to the importers at the moment? could they provide us a contact or even suggest who we could talk to about this? I must stress that I don't expect to buy direct and would expect a retail store to take a cut but I'd also expect them to be the middleman on the deal to make it seem fair.

[Navarre]

Yah earn ya stripes ya get ya fish

sooner or later

Still ...be nice to have some of them fish here

I remember the last lot of furcifers that were imported down this way...and boops...nice fish

wonder what happend to them?

[hovmoller]

So in my fantasy world this is what would happen:

1. HFF/Importer start a thread about which fish (on allow list) people are seriously interrested in.

2. HFF/Importer offer people to buy a % share of x amount of y species for $z per %

3. I pay HFF for 10% of 100 no. of y species.

4. 60 fish show up.. I get 6 fish and HFF returns 66% of what I paid for the last 4 (risk shared 3 ways)

5. I'm happy

6. I manage to breed y species and recover my cost in selling offspring.

7. Voila!.. new species now avaliable in NZ.

Perfect world I know..

[livingart]

Yah earn ya stripes ya get ya fish

sooner or later

[livingart]

fantasy world no.2.

approach wholesaler and supply funds to land 100 fish in the country and share costs of quarantine

keep 10% of what survives quarantine

rest sold by wholesaler

both recoup costs and share any profit

[alanmin4304]

You need to remember that importers are in the business of making money by importing fish. Generally they will import from a known and reliable exporter and generally bread and butter fish that they have a good chance of getting through quarantine. That exporter may not have the fish you want so they would have to import from another exporter and that increases the risk. I remember Phil Collis saying he had sent thousands of dollars to an exporter and got no fish. It can be a risky business and I have been trying to point out some of the realities. You would be hard pressed to find an importer who wants to take all the risks so you can have a fish you have dreamed about. It is also unfortunately a fact that many importers, wholesalers and retailers perceive us as a threat because they think we breed fish and sell them to each other rather than buying from them. This in the main part I think is a flse fear but for many I think it is a fear just the same.