| Grant: These would not be imported from Japan because by the time a dealer covered costs and added a mark-up, the market of potential buyers is too small. So, dealers are not going to even try to buy them. The 'jumbo tosai' grown to 12" or more is where the Japanese breeders have found a market, but the pricing is $1,000 and up at the U.S. dealer. Tosai in the 7-8" size range do not sell well, except in the low priced end of the market. So, the breeder isn't going to let them go. He can get the higher price after they put on some size. You'd really have to ask Mat why he sells these. I'd guess there are several factors. One is simply to get some excitement going about what they are doing at NKF. Another is to hook some folks on getting better quality koi. Once you move up a notch, it is really tough to go backward on quality. Third, the pricing is not cheap. (Fair IMO, but not cheap.)Revenue in the door rather than value in a pond. I can't recall a local grocery excepting a bag of fingerlings at the check-out. Fourth, they sell thousands upon thousands of lower end tosai in bulk, but the idea behind NKF is to emulate the Japanese approach to culling/selection. Gotta build customer base and overcome the anti-domestic bias to support such an effort. Fifth, don't get the idea that Mat is selling off everything worth having. They have picked just 55 tosai for this. There are others you'll not see posted anywhere. They will be sold as nisai. The very best will some day be available for purchase, but in the 'price of a new car' range? Not many potential customers for domestic koi priced over $4,000. So, gotta move what you can when you can, and build the reputation, hook customers, etc., etc. It's not a business where you can warehouse inventory for very long. It's win-win for the patient hobbyist & the breeder. [The impatient hobbyist should check out the Japanese imports priced under $50. After a dozen of them prove to be a flash in the pan, then the value of patience is understood.] |