There are two owners of Tropical Fish Outlet....you can call the number and find out if interested. I do know who the owners are, but I don't know if that information they would want posted... If anyone is suspecting this company is owned by SDC....it couldn't be farther from the truth. We have seen what happens when wholesalers involve themselves with etailers and it's not a direction we would want to mess with.
I will mention this to their attention...I am sure they will appreciate the publicity.
Best regards....
I will mention this to their attention...I am sure they will appreciate the publicity.
Best regards....
Its also surprising that the website only sells very specific corals. No acros, montis, euphyllias, most hard corals, but they have all the soft stuff.
As a wholesaler, i find myself ending up with the very same corals at the end of the week. Mostly because corals are highly regulated, and only certain types are in high demand.....mostly hard corals. Selling fish doesnt create the same type of problems because of abundance of supply and the fact that permits are not controlled through a quota system.
If i could wish for one thing, it would be a magical outlet for all of my left over corals and to fetch top dollar for my extensive line of fish.
As a wholesaler, i find myself ending up with the very same corals at the end of the week. Mostly because corals are highly regulated, and only certain types are in high demand.....mostly hard corals. Selling fish doesnt create the same type of problems because of abundance of supply and the fact that permits are not controlled through a quota system.
If i could wish for one thing, it would be a magical outlet for all of my left over corals and to fetch top dollar for my extensive line of fish.
Its also surprising that the website only sells very specific corals. No acros, montis, euphyllias, most hard corals, but they have all the soft stuff.
As a wholesaler, i find myself ending up with the very same corals at the end of the week. Mostly because corals are highly regulated, and only certain types are in high demand.....mostly hard corals. Selling fish doesnt create the same type of problems because of abundance of supply and the fact that permits are not controlled through a quota system.
If i could wish for one thing, it would be a magical outlet for all of my left over corals and to fetch top dollar for my extensive line of fish.
As a wholesaler, i find myself ending up with the very same corals at the end of the week. Mostly because corals are highly regulated, and only certain types are in high demand.....mostly hard corals. Selling fish doesnt create the same type of problems because of abundance of supply and the fact that permits are not controlled through a quota system.
If i could wish for one thing, it would be a magical outlet for all of my left over corals and to fetch top dollar for my extensive line of fish.
sdcfish":32bcixkd said:
sdcfish":32bcixkd said:
I'm dense, so bear with me. If you don't deal with dropshippers or etailers. How do "their" flyers get in your boxes of fish? Are you dropshipping? These guys have there own holding facility? Buy off your stock list at wholesale prices [before or after stores get orders filled]. Are they jobbers filling retail orders weekly?
Spawner,
I always have said we sell to retailers and etailers....I have never kept that a secret nor am I ashamed. We support retail sales....whether it be etailers who have retail stores, or just etailers. What we do make sure of is that that everyone is on a level playing field. Actually, we add fees to every order that is shipped for an etailer so they are paying much more per order than a brick and mortar.
We absolutely do not sell to jobbers....that has been our policy for over a year now. This policy was made to make sure that the retailers and our customers got the best product that we have available. We definately make sure every customer gets their share of the "cherry" products.
What we absolutely don't do is offer deals and special prices to etailers to give an unfair pricing advantage. There are also some guarantee issues dealing with etailers that are much stricter than a retailer.
Any retailer could have an internet site, and promote their fish via etail....and I have suggested that many times to people on this forum.
So...If you are trying to put me down for selling fairly to etailers, then I appreciate your view....but from our position, we continue to support both stores, maintenance service customers, Educational facilties, Public Aquariums, etc... if their customers are the same, and we make sure etailers never have an unfair advantage.
This seat is hot! Good thing we aren't hiding anything....come on down!
But best regards for asking anyway
I always have said we sell to retailers and etailers....I have never kept that a secret nor am I ashamed. We support retail sales....whether it be etailers who have retail stores, or just etailers. What we do make sure of is that that everyone is on a level playing field. Actually, we add fees to every order that is shipped for an etailer so they are paying much more per order than a brick and mortar.
We absolutely do not sell to jobbers....that has been our policy for over a year now. This policy was made to make sure that the retailers and our customers got the best product that we have available. We definately make sure every customer gets their share of the "cherry" products.
What we absolutely don't do is offer deals and special prices to etailers to give an unfair pricing advantage. There are also some guarantee issues dealing with etailers that are much stricter than a retailer.
Any retailer could have an internet site, and promote their fish via etail....and I have suggested that many times to people on this forum.
So...If you are trying to put me down for selling fairly to etailers, then I appreciate your view....but from our position, we continue to support both stores, maintenance service customers, Educational facilties, Public Aquariums, etc... if their customers are the same, and we make sure etailers never have an unfair advantage.
This seat is hot! Good thing we aren't hiding anything....come on down!
But best regards for asking anyway
Post edited for violating the User Agreement Addendum; The Industry Behind the Hobby Forum. Futher violations may result in the revocation of posting privileges.
The content of your post was fine, the way you chose to express that content wasn't - Thales
The content of your post was fine, the way you chose to express that content wasn't - Thales
sdcfish":23mgy29g said:Spawner,
I always have said we sell to retailers and etailers....I have never kept that a secret nor am I ashamed. We support retail sales....whether it be etailers who have retail stores, or just etailers. What we do make sure of is that that everyone is on a level playing field. Actually, we add fees to every order that is shipped for an etailer so they are paying much more per order than a brick and mortar.
This seat is hot! Good thing we aren't hiding anything....come on down!
But best regards for asking anyway
So do you tell your B&M stores that you are a dropshipper as well? If so what has been the reaction to that?
I haven't read TFO website, but do they at least tell the customer that shipments are shipped directly from one of the larger supplies in LA. I'm not saying any of this is wrong, as long as you disclose the method the fish routed.
QM has been doing it for years and their etailer now at least tells you how your getting your fish. Not sure how many of the B&M stores know that QM ships the largest etailers fish around for them.
Eric, what do you think the reaction of the B&M stores would be? Maybe most don't care as long as they can get a good quality supply and selection, maybe they do. Thanks for the posting some information.
We have always had the retailers in mind and ran our business for their best interests. We have never "sold out" to the etailers like others who sell mainly to etailers and given them lower prices or more than their shares of the best products we have to offer each week.
We know who makes up the majority of our business, and we constantly work hard to support that retail sector.
We do not hide that we sell to etailers, and if you walk into our warehouse, you would know right away that we are not hiding anything.
I still truly believe, that retailers can compete with Etailers if they know their market and what the trends and popular items are. SDC makes 100% sure, that pricing is fair, and keeps everyone on that same level.
Etail or retail...they are both selling to the same market. If we give each level, the same pricing, which isn't even the case because etailers actually pay more for each order than a retailer due to the volumes of each order, then we feel we have done a good business transaction.
I am sure that some retailers would not like it, but I hope they would rather have us handle these orders and keep it ethical, than let a more "loose" company offer specials and direct their marketing towards the etail market which has never been an option for us.
We are always open to ideas and change....but this is our position at the moment. This really is a tiny fraction of our business.....it's nearly insignificant.
Best regards,
Eric
We know who makes up the majority of our business, and we constantly work hard to support that retail sector.
We do not hide that we sell to etailers, and if you walk into our warehouse, you would know right away that we are not hiding anything.
I still truly believe, that retailers can compete with Etailers if they know their market and what the trends and popular items are. SDC makes 100% sure, that pricing is fair, and keeps everyone on that same level.
Etail or retail...they are both selling to the same market. If we give each level, the same pricing, which isn't even the case because etailers actually pay more for each order than a retailer due to the volumes of each order, then we feel we have done a good business transaction.
I am sure that some retailers would not like it, but I hope they would rather have us handle these orders and keep it ethical, than let a more "loose" company offer specials and direct their marketing towards the etail market which has never been an option for us.
We are always open to ideas and change....but this is our position at the moment. This really is a tiny fraction of our business.....it's nearly insignificant.
Best regards,
Eric
The discussion isnt about selling to etailers so much as it is about dropshipping!!
There is no level playing field when you do this....how can there be? Unless your charging the etailer(in this case TFO) retail price.
Dropshipping livestock is bad for the trade. I am in the trade, i am wholesale, and i know that what you are doing is not acceptable....not to me, or to customers we share. Are we(tradesman) not supposed to be a little torqued up when companies like yours dont mind taking money from retailers, but also dont mind stabbing them in the back?? It doesnt take a genious to figure out what your motives are....youve kind of touched on that already by stating that you charge a markup. This markup cant equal what a retailer pays through his freight bills and overhead therefore you and the dropship company make more money and the retailer gets shafted. You can keep trying to act like honest abe, changing the direction of the discussion, but fact of the matter is that you dropship. Your company stuck flyers in the wrong boxes. The only reason flyers for another company would be packaged into a shipment leaving your facility, is if the shipment was going direct to the hobbyists. This discussion wouldnt even carry on, accept for the fact that you havent said yes, we drop ship. Instead you keep flim flamming around, acting like a politician.
Hopefully this wont get nuked. I wont comment on this anymore.
There is no level playing field when you do this....how can there be? Unless your charging the etailer(in this case TFO) retail price.
Dropshipping livestock is bad for the trade. I am in the trade, i am wholesale, and i know that what you are doing is not acceptable....not to me, or to customers we share. Are we(tradesman) not supposed to be a little torqued up when companies like yours dont mind taking money from retailers, but also dont mind stabbing them in the back?? It doesnt take a genious to figure out what your motives are....youve kind of touched on that already by stating that you charge a markup. This markup cant equal what a retailer pays through his freight bills and overhead therefore you and the dropship company make more money and the retailer gets shafted. You can keep trying to act like honest abe, changing the direction of the discussion, but fact of the matter is that you dropship. Your company stuck flyers in the wrong boxes. The only reason flyers for another company would be packaged into a shipment leaving your facility, is if the shipment was going direct to the hobbyists. This discussion wouldnt even carry on, accept for the fact that you havent said yes, we drop ship. Instead you keep flim flamming around, acting like a politician.
Hopefully this wont get nuked. I wont comment on this anymore.
Tropic,
Your comments are duly noted. As I said many times before, this is a level playing field. We don't treat any etailer any different than a retailer regarding prices.....
Freight on 1 fish or 1 box of fish is completely a different playing field than when a retailer receives their fish at the airport.
Also....you can imagine how much more time it takes to pack a 1 fish order, than a 5 box retail order....and we realize those expenses and have fees to compensate.
Also, Also.....we offer the same service to any one of our customers. If they want to start an etail business and have us ship for them, then there are fees involved and they are free to do so. We welcome and urge retailers to do this if they feel it's in their best interests.
Overall, drop-shipping for us is done on a very small scale....unlike our competitors where it makes up a large percentage of their business. I do feel that between more retailers realizing that they can do the same thing as an etailer....or add that sector of their business to their plan, they can easily compete, and increase their sales. Actually, any retailer can match or beat online prices if they are "fair" prices to begin with. That's all we can do is make sure every customer has a level playing field, unlike drygood manufactures that sell etailers at distributor level. If you have a bone to pick, look at that! I can't tell you how frustating that whole thing is.
If we felt this program would hurt our overall business.....we would not hesitate to stop, but that has not been the case....and this is more a reality than something retailers should avoid.
Anyway.....we will do what's best for our business and our customers. Like the industry, we are constantly evolving....and will do so in these cases too.
Again....thanks for your comments....
The politician remains.....I will continue to do so as I come here to share information, enjoy the boards and I hope that continues.
Another topic that might give you more to consider, are the transhippers across the country. If you are a wholesaler....would you not worry more about transhipped fish to your retailers than some fish drop shipped to hobbyists at retail prices or more! The percentage of that happening is of much more concern in my opinion than the other....and it's much more damaging to the brick and mortars that support wholesale ethics.
Your comments are duly noted. As I said many times before, this is a level playing field. We don't treat any etailer any different than a retailer regarding prices.....
Freight on 1 fish or 1 box of fish is completely a different playing field than when a retailer receives their fish at the airport.
Also....you can imagine how much more time it takes to pack a 1 fish order, than a 5 box retail order....and we realize those expenses and have fees to compensate.
Also, Also.....we offer the same service to any one of our customers. If they want to start an etail business and have us ship for them, then there are fees involved and they are free to do so. We welcome and urge retailers to do this if they feel it's in their best interests.
Overall, drop-shipping for us is done on a very small scale....unlike our competitors where it makes up a large percentage of their business. I do feel that between more retailers realizing that they can do the same thing as an etailer....or add that sector of their business to their plan, they can easily compete, and increase their sales. Actually, any retailer can match or beat online prices if they are "fair" prices to begin with. That's all we can do is make sure every customer has a level playing field, unlike drygood manufactures that sell etailers at distributor level. If you have a bone to pick, look at that! I can't tell you how frustating that whole thing is.
If we felt this program would hurt our overall business.....we would not hesitate to stop, but that has not been the case....and this is more a reality than something retailers should avoid.
Anyway.....we will do what's best for our business and our customers. Like the industry, we are constantly evolving....and will do so in these cases too.
Again....thanks for your comments....
The politician remains.....I will continue to do so as I come here to share information, enjoy the boards and I hope that continues.
Another topic that might give you more to consider, are the transhippers across the country. If you are a wholesaler....would you not worry more about transhipped fish to your retailers than some fish drop shipped to hobbyists at retail prices or more! The percentage of that happening is of much more concern in my opinion than the other....and it's much more damaging to the brick and mortars that support wholesale ethics.
A little birdie told me that another “wholesaler” is on the planning state of entering the e-tailer business.
The wholesellers sells to the end-user, the transshiper sells to the retailer/etailer the Transshipper will sooner or later sell to the end-user and the END…
Of this industry as we know it that is.
The wholesellers sells to the end-user, the transshiper sells to the retailer/etailer the Transshipper will sooner or later sell to the end-user and the END…
Of this industry as we know it that is.
Yes , but who "sells" the public the idea of starting up an aquarium?
1.) the wholesaler?
2.) the drop shipper
3.) a website?
IT"S JOE RETAIL and his store front.
........the vast majority of this burden (to create new hobbyists) falls squarely on the backs of the brick and mortars.
This industry is sinking because the people who create the hobbyists are shutting down. (two more twenty year old marine stores in Atlanta just closed up) and a few more cant keep their power bills paid.
Were not gonna have anyone to drop ship to; if this trend continues.
1.) the wholesaler?
2.) the drop shipper
3.) a website?
IT"S JOE RETAIL and his store front.
........the vast majority of this burden (to create new hobbyists) falls squarely on the backs of the brick and mortars.
This industry is sinking because the people who create the hobbyists are shutting down. (two more twenty year old marine stores in Atlanta just closed up) and a few more cant keep their power bills paid.
Were not gonna have anyone to drop ship to; if this trend continues.
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