[Sangreaal]

Okay, here is an example of what can happen if you buy from a "reputable" dealer that you don't know but came with good references:



The koi in the blue tub is the picture I went on to choose the fish. There was only one pic offered and no others were forthcoming. The inset pic to the right is the fish I received. Are they the same fish? Yep they are. Lighting and angle on this ginrin made for the misrepresentative pic. Would I have bought the fish had I seen a more natural representation, or met it in person first?

Nope. Someone hit that koi with an ugly stick.

Now that I'm stuck with a bum-ugly koi, I'm making the best of it. Gonna grow it out and see what the ugly duckling turns into. It's an interesting shade of green and bronze, and from my experience with goldfish, this color usually blooms into shades of orange or red. We'll see. I have no illusions at all about this being an olympic hopeful for the shows. Ain't never gonna happen. And it sure isn't worth the money I sent off for it. Even with a return/refund guarantee like this fish had, it wasn't worth the cost of shipping back to the dealer. Nope, shipping charges aren't refundable in every case I know of. So $82 to bring the fish here and $82 to ship it back for refund just wasn't going to happen. To exchange it for yet another koi from the miscreant dealer would have cost me yet another $82 to get it here. I just cut my losses and kept the fish.

So my advice before buying a koi at any price on the general internet market by picture is this: caveat emptor--buyer beware--and know that no matter what, it IS a gamble. How much of a gamble rests soley on the integrity of the seller, whether it be auction, breeder or dealer.

Marie