Discus mafia and pricing fish way beyond their worth

[Mazain]

I have been having discus for about 8 months now and my discus cost me only US $ 6.83 a pair. Discus fish prices are a mafia in Sri Lanka and true, genuine fish keepers can't ignore the fact that the hobby is highly commercialised for personal gains and interest.
Spending more on discus food and adding variety for the fish help its growth and overall health, than spending more on a fish which is a mania.
I would rather sell my discus at $6.83 and share the experience for the Buyer which is what they look for rather than the greed for the hobby.
In most cases the fish are highly over rated price wise and later regreted when you find fish at $ 6.83. Issues are when you get them to actully rare.
I don't know what's the retail price abroad but I'm sure people pay alot more than what it's worth for a fish.

 

[Colin_T]

Well at $6.83 a pr you got an absolute bargain. That's about $3.42 per fish and that is way less than what we paid for them when we brought them in from the Asian exporters. We used to pay $20.00 per fish (about 3 inches in diameter) for common basic brown discus and the prices went up from there. Those were the prices we paid the exporters in Indonesia and that was 20 years ago.

Discus used to sell in the shop for $60+ each and that was 20-30 years ago. These days they regularly sit on the $80-100+ price for one fish. Fish are around 3-4 inches diameter. Bigger fish cost more.

Do I think they are overpriced, absolutely yes, they are overpriced. People are greedy and want as much money as they can get. People also feed their fish the wrong foods and have loads of trouble keeping them. They need plant matter in their diet and a well planted tank will give them the best chances of survival. The fish breed readily in well planted tanks and don't have intestinal issues when they get lots of plant matter in their diet. If breeders kept them in well planted tanks they wouldn't have as many health issues and the price could come down, but probably wouldn't due to plain old greedy people.

 

[Rhysp87]

I guess suppliers charge what people are willing to pay for them though? Is it really greed or is it just that that’s their value on an open market? That’s obviously assuming there’s decent competition between sellers.

 

[Mazain]

Well at $6.83 a pr you got an absolute bargain. That's about $3.42 per fish and that is way less than what we paid for them when we brought them in from the Asian exporters. We used to pay $20.00 per fish (about 3 inches in diameter) for common basic brown discus and the prices went up from there. Those were the prices we paid the exporters in Indonesia and that was 20 years ago.

Discus used to sell in the shop for $60+ each and that was 20-30 years ago. These days they regularly sit on the $80-100+ price for one fish. Fish are around 3-4 inches diameter. Bigger fish cost more.

Do I think they are overpriced, absolutely yes, they are overpriced. People are greedy and want as much money as they can get. People also feed their fish the wrong foods and have loads of trouble keeping them. They need plant matter in their diet and a well planted tank will give them the best chances of survival. The fish breed readily in well planted tanks and don't have intestinal issues when they get lots of plant matter in their diet. If breeders kept them in well planted tanks they wouldn't have as many health issues and the price could come down, but probably wouldn't due to plain old greedy people.

The imported blood lines from Malaysia, Indonesia and other F1 graded discus fish would definitely be above $ 6.83 in Sri Lanka however, "its over priced". I don't trust the local market as most of the breeders mix the strains or import low quality strains and sell them at a high price.
I wouldn't wana take a high risk and get imported discus "which is over priced", until the local discus adjust to my variables and parameters.
Just an Example, discus are considered very sensitive fish and tap water is a risk for water changes. However, my discus are used to tap water and have adjusted well during water changes. Like you said I find them very healthy with plants in the tanks.
Flakes, pellets and frozen blood worms are essential however, In diets with less or no spinach, less heart and more tiger prawns or tiger shrimps with krill and garlic provides an active digestive system making them pass feces every feeding. Plant matter is what my discus feed on when problems with digestion.
Many said my discus were stunted at the start and now they are grown to 8cm to 12cm in size ☺. Luckily my discus were an absolute bargain .

 

[GaryE]

Worth is a relative thing. I would pay a higher price for wild Discus, and wouldn't pay $6 for linebred ones. Others would reverse that. Prices on the open market are set by greed and how much sellers can get away with, and I haven't seen anyone undercutting the price of Discus. They are luxury purchases, and in many places, they wouldn't sell if the prices were reasonable. How could people show off their status and wealth? That seems very important to too many.

I've known sellers who had to double their prices to sell their fish. Buyers decided they must be poorly bred to sell at their prices. The same fish selling at $100 each sold well. Markets are ruled by greed, but we have to factor in stupidity too.

Around here, we are seeing a huge spike in the price of all aquarium fish. Shipping costs more, but the wholesale price of the fish hasn't risen that dramatically. The mark ups are insane. I don't think it'll work for a nerdy luxury market like freshwater tropical fish, and I see a drop off in interest because of it. It's a very tough business here, and I doubt it has a great future. Wholesalers/distributors are shutting down, and stores are closing or barely hanging on.

I may look at a linebred Discus and think it's worth $3 in my mind, but it will sell for $50.

 

[Mazain]

I would pay a higher price for wild Discus, and wouldn't pay $6 for linebred ones. Others would reverse that. Prices on the open market are set by greed and how much sellers can get away with, and I haven't seen anyone undercutting the price of Discus.

Everyone loves the original. It's a nostalgic feeling I guess even I would like to have wild caught one's but never seen any till present.
However, in my part of the world not many WC discus are out for sale since its not been introduced to the local market.
Most of the discus that are imported are linebread from Asia, so relatively theres a comparison with the American and other markets.
So since I have not seen a WC discus, in my mind it will be the price I buy it at and introduce it to the local market. And I Agree with everything you said about the industry having high mark ups irrespective of the market.

 

[Mr Limpet]

If I were in Sri Lanka I’d concentrate on keeping and breeding Malpulutta kretseri, which is no longer being exported. Just sayin’.

 

[GaryE]

It's not nostalgia that makes me like wild form Discus. It's their beauty. A good wild discus is astonishing, although a good wild discus can cost between $500 and $1000. I've never seen a linebred discus that even got close. The linebreds have colours that punch you in the nose. You can't miss them. But they are too one dimensional to me.

But I am not a fashion influencer or a guy known for good taste. Whatever you like, keep it well.

If I were in Sri Lanka I’d concentrate on keeping and breeding Malpulutta kretseri, which is no longer being exported. Just sayin’.

In North America, Malpulutta kretseri used to be available. I saw them a couple of times. No one set up any breeding projects I ever heard of. No one seemed to even try. We just consumed them, in our usual way.

 

[Mazain]

If I were in Sri Lanka I’d concentrate on keeping and breeding Malpulutta kretseri, which is no longer being exported. Just sayin’.

We call it paradise gourami, they are mostly seen in public aquariums and zoos. The local species of fish are interest of to research centres mostly, not in the ornamental fish community. Sri Lankans love mostly Asian, African, Central and South American species of fish.

 

[Mazain]

they are too one dimensional to me

You cant blame them in barebottom tanks you only find 2 dimensional.

Whatever you like, keep it well.

This I like GaryE, I'll definitely keep it well .

North America, Malpulutta kretseri used to be available.

That's nice ro hear. A TFF delegation should visit Sri Lanka some day.

 

[Bamf Comics]

genuine fish keepers can't ignore the fact that the hobby is highly commercialised for personal gains and interest.

All hobbies are infested with people who want to control supply to jack up demand thru perceived scarcity and people who will mark items up to insane amounts knowing that eventually, that one person who doesn't want to keep looking for an option elsewhere will be along. I've got over 50,000 listing on E-Bay, a site dedicated to exactly this practice. If I have a sale or mark items down in store, resellers rush in to keep you from having a chance to get it so they can jack it up and sell it to you themselves. Sales are almost pointless now. If there's a perceived scarcity, the items will be getting insane asking prices. Just this past weekend, I listed a Stephen King Gunslinger series trade for cover price, it sells immediately. I look and the only other copy I see is asking $100+. I jacked the next copy up to $49 hoping that was high enough that I could keep it in stock until a local person showed up wanting to read it and maybe buy the others in the series. Sold in 24 hours. You just can't win. If you don't mark something up to keep pace with what others are jacking them up to, the items sell too fast and aren't available for you when you come in looking for them. When you do so you can have it on hand so they can buy it without having to pay the extra shipping cost and time delay, they think YOU"RE the crook when if you hadn't done exactly that, the item would have been sold out by the time you decided to come looking for it.

In terms of fish, the more something will sell for, the more it's worth the effort to reproduce. In other cases you may just not be aware of the hidden costs and expenses it took to have something for sale. I've got fish right now that when they sell, I'll still lose money due to loses of others from the same batch and or housing/medication costs. If you don't like a price, the tradition is to just go into the business for yourself so you can offer a better price to others and feel good. Many when they do that though, find out why some places ask what they ask. Sad reality is retail can be brutal.

 

[Mazain]

All hobbies are infested with people who want to control supply to jack up demand thru perceived scarcity and people who will mark items up to insane amounts knowing that eventually, that one person who doesn't want to keep looking for an option elsewhere will be along. I've got over 50,000 listing on E-Bay, a site dedicated to exactly this practice.

This happens in general, consumer habits keep changing rapidly on social media platforms and products and services are copied or duplicated most of the time.
GaryE said on another thread I wrote that his experience in Gabon was tied up with a whole new experience to go with and I assume price wasn't a factor in that experience.
Steve jobs said American companies pay way more on quality and marketing their products trying to achieve all the measurements, but it's the Japanese that has the best quality developed over time with experience of products and services and making them better. Example their koi farms do justice.

that one person who doesn't want to keep looking for an option elsewhere will be along

So it's not about looking any where or going anywhere in where I live. It's not finding the right fish I want for the right price I think its worth is the problem.

 

[Bamf Comics]

the right fish I want for the right price I think its worth is the problem.

Exactly, you think it's worth X, the sellers you're finding think it's worth Y and Z for reasons you may or may not be aware of. It may also only be a problem for you. For them it may be eliminating problems. On E-Bay for instance, you can block buyers if you feel they're going to be unhappy or cause headaches in servicing you may not want to deal with. Life is too short to try and satisfy everyone in every possible way. Do or offer what you're going to be happy with in a way that keeps you happy. If you're not desperately trying to move tons of product to anything that walks by, moving limited amounts of product profitably and stress free can be much more rewarding. Doing so creates opportunities for others who now have the option of going into business and offering to provide them for less, if they truly can and are willing to accept less for their efforts. That's what freedom and free market is all about.

 

[Mazain]

you think it's worth X, the sellers you're finding think it's worth Y and Z for reasons you may or may not be aware of

I think I don't understand what's in your mind.
Let me elaborate abit more, example I see on the Internet discus fish with a high grade for sale and go to purchase them at a higher price they want to sell. When I get there in person and inspect the fish they are not as close as the Internet post or spec.

 

[Bamf Comics]

So you have a false advertising issue. That's different. The choices are they are and you may or may not have a feedback option from various rate and refer the business platforms like the Better Business Bureau. The other option is they are not but you're misinterpreting the information and/or being over picky when arriving. That I can't help with other than to say if it's happening over and over again at multiple places back to back to back then maybe it's actually a case of the interpretation on your part, ie the second choice. A solution to that is to simply ask for more pictures and actual video's before making the drive to purchase. make sure they're showing you the actual fish you're coming to get and not stock images like many comic sellers use with new product to skip the work of actually scanning them. E-Bay actually encourages the confusion like this by having only a single half baked messed up listing option for "new" comics they claim are perfect but if they aren't, you're supposed to include that information in the fine print that you know no one ever reads before buying.

In my case, I'm looking at gorgeous guppies on E-bay and places and feel outraged that they want $40 to $60 to get a trio delivered. I'm not happy with the price but don't see an alternative but to pay right now but that also opens the door in the free market where I can take the trio, raise the babies, set up to continue production and then be able to offer them in my market are at a better price, no shipping needed. I'm actually setting up to do this with multiple types of fish and multiple color patterns of each. Even then, I'll have to decide if my store bred babies raised from scratch are worth what percentage of the online places asking prices. I would assume it's a no brainer that my never been thru the wholesale network/stress/extra handling/disease exposure potential fish should be worth more than what I would ask for the wholesales flown in from Taiwan fare I'd expect to loose 25% or more of before they could be safe to sell. Life's about finding that happy middle ground between the two extremes for pricing point. You can do that with your discus as well. Once you're set up, they'll be in the mood to bred at some point. Then you'll have the chance to select the price you feel is fair and swamp the listings with extra imagery so no one feels like you're advertising to them falsely.