Got the new KoiNations #3....

[aquitori]

In Dick's article I was amazed to see what some dealers are charging on commission...The norm seems to be 20% to as high as 25%....mind you this price is still without shipping.

[koiczar]

Most dealers I have or dealt with, charge a 20% over fee PLUS shipping. The 20% wouldn't always cover the shipping costs depending on what dollar value was spent on the koi being shipped.

[Steve Nguyen]

ridiculous charge to say the least. maybe someday someone comes up with a flat fee commission or combo fee structure and take a big bite out of the "easy money" from other dealers.

Steve

Quote: Originally Posted by aquitori In Dick's article I was amazed to see what some dealers are charging on commission...The norm seems to be 20% to as high as 25%....mind you this price is still without shipping.

[KoiCop]

Quote: Originally Posted by Steve Nguyen ridiculous charge to say the least.

Steve . . .

Not ridiculous at all when one considers how critical an established relationship is between the dealer and the breeder when attempting to strike a deal.

Depending on the given breeder, and the given fish, a do-it-yourself buyer or a discount-dealer wouldn't even be invited to the 'secret greenhouse,' much less be tendered an offer to purchase the top koi Japan has to offer.

Now if all you're looking for is tatesorta, tateshita and chuppa, no need to even go to Japan -- just wait for it to show up at your local dealers. But if you do, I can guarantee you he'll be getting a lot more than a measly 20% markup.

[dick benbow]

When my koi Kichi and I would meet Peter Waddington in Nagaoka, we would pack in the van and discuss what we wanted to see. Peter and Dennis had already made the contacts from a month before and knew who had the best crop of showa, or kohaku or what ever you were after that year.

I remember fondly what Don was eluding to in the Daiinichi tategoi greenhouse. I spent time trying to decide between a kohaku and showa
that I liked but could not afford both. Peter got down on his hands and knees and went over both fish carefully in the pond explaining both pros and cons of both fish and talked me out of the kohaku. The showa really turned out wonderfully. I was actually leaning toward the kohaku.

I honestly could not have gotten the advice and entrance into many places without their help. That service has value.....and I can honestly say I didn't mind paying for it as I learned. It was part of my "education".......

[KoiCop]

Dick . . .

A perfect example. Thank you.

[Steve Nguyen]

well, let put some numbers out for a simple math. buy a $5k fish in japan. pay $1k for commission on top of shipping. gotta be koikichi to do that. there speculation that sakai auction fish will fetch 15k to 20k each. add 20% commission and shipping to that.... gotta be super koikichi to do that.

Steve

[KoiCop]

Quote: Originally Posted by Steve Nguyen gotta be super koikichi to do that.

Yep, you sure do.

[karipeters]

Quote: Originally Posted by Steve Nguyen ridiculous charge to say the least. maybe someday someone comes up with a flat fee commission or combo fee structure and take a big bite out of the "easy money" from other dealers. Steve

Hi, Steve.
As a dealer (not a bad-guy/girl) here is what we do...when we take a customer to Japan to buy fish, we mark up 20% above our cost and charge for freight. If a customer is spending an extraordinary amount of money, then there is some flexibility on the percentage. This is our business, it is what we do for a living, otherwise...we would not be able to take customers with us.
When we are buying fish for only ourselves, it is a faster and simpler trip. But we have many customers that ask to go, who would like to see what it is all like. (We have seen many 'ikeage', mud pond pulls, so it is not alway as fascinating for us as it is to people who have never had the opportunity to see one. We could just be at the greenhouses when the fish come in rather than spend time taking customers to famous breeder's ikeage.) But we also make sure that we host our guests well (that they are treated well; we help them with all the arrangements for transportation, hotel, and food; we do not leave them unattended; and that they can see beautiful koi in secret greenhouses, that they meet our friends the breeders: and that we all have fun.) Now that we are all lucky enough to have cell phones, we can talk to breeders and find out when they are pulling certain ponds (like #1 nisai or sansai pond) and plan to arrive when the fish arrive. These are experiences that a person travelling alone would not be able to do.
We enjoy doing this, but it is time consuming, and it is what we do for work.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration.
Kari

[dick benbow]

is definetely not inexpensive. I find it also pretty close $ wise with bonsai. I think one of the attractions to a koi and goldfish show is that a top goldfish
is a bit less expensive but then they don't live anywhere as long. I don't blame those folks being anxious about the cost of great koi. But they don't come off an assembly line then either. I hope for the hobby that folks can find the expense level they're comfortable with and as they gain confidence in their water knowledge they can progress to the next level.

To be honest, from where I've come to where I'm at now. Yes, I buy fewer fish but better but everything I've learned in 30 years points to the truth that to have less koi in a pond ( even if it means it's caused by economics)
is to allow your koi to do better in the formally crowded facility. Nothing makes me feel better than to have someone who knows koi come to my outside pond that had 2 asagi's in it (granted that is extreme) and have their breath taken away by the way they look and carry themselves.