Buying fish for show, then returning it to the dealer if it doesnt win.....

[aquitori]

Buying fish for show, then returning it to the dealer if it doesnt win....It seems a dealer in SoCal has this policy, but I was wondering what affect it has for the koi show it was in and the hobbyist who returned it. Is there any morals in this?

[CarolinaGirl]

Does the dealer deliver the fish to the show and then take it back to his facility? Or does the koi at any time go into the buyer's pond, and then get returned because it did not do well enough at a show?

[KoiCop]

Quote: Originally Posted by CarolinaGirl Does the dealer deliver the fish to the show and then take it back to his facility? Or does the koi at any time go into the buyer's pond, and then get returned because it did not do well enough at a show?

Cindy . . .

I've heard that it goes like this: Dealer A tells prospective buyer B that for no $$, they'll take the koi to the show and enter it under buyer B's name. Then, if it doesn't win, there's no sale and the fish is returned to Dealer A's store; if it does win, only then will the sale be consumated.

I've further heard that this dealer and two hobbyists entered fish in the San Diego show with such brokered deals.

No morals apparent here: If true, the dealer is gaming the amateur hobby and the 'hobbyists' are colluding to destroy it.

[Meg]

don't get it...
if the fish doesn't win, no sale.
so the fish must be being sold for a healthy price.
why wouldn't the customer just buy a champ ? bragging rights?

something smells fishy
doesn't sound ethical to me

[111whalen]

There are corrupt politicians and koi hobbyists (and dealers). What a shame.I heard this same rumor and I hope it's not true. If it is, should the hobbyist or dealer be banned? Very interesting.

[JosephandGabby]

Having never entered any Koi in a show myself, I'd definitely feel a bit cheated if I spent time and $$$ raising a Koi in my pond for years only to have it lose to a ringer that had never actually been in the "owners" pond. Did this actually happen?

[koiczar]

Quote: Originally Posted by JosephandGabby Having never entered any Koi in a show myself, I'd definitely feel a bit cheated if I spent time and $$$ raising a Koi in my pond for years only to have it lose to a ringer that had never actually been in the "owners" pond. Did this actually happen?

This aspect of the hobby happens all the time, especially in Japan. Fish are kept at the breeder's or dealer's facility, and then brought to the show on behalf of the owner. The only difference here is that the fish is OWNED by the hobbyist. They also pay for the service, so no collusion there (usually). These fish don't usually touch the hobbyist's pond, ever.

What Antonio is stating is just plain "game playing" with the rules of the show. I don't know about blaming the hobbyist, it's a good deal for them, but the dealer and his fish should be banned from shows as this goes against the grain of the "hobby" and the amateur show, as these fish are not "owned" by amateurs until after the event or judging is over. This is exactly the type of thing that gets JR's hackles up. Surprised we haven't heard from him yet on this issue?

Mike

[Jimbo]

Hey that sounds great where do we all rent fish for the show How did the fish perform at the show or can we still see them at the dealers place ? Hope we don't see the same fish with different owners at Gardena show.

[koiczar]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jimbo Hey that sounds great where do we all rent fish for the show How did the fish perform at the show or can we still see them at the dealers place ? Hope we don't see the same fish with different owners at Gardena show.

It's certainly possible

[KoiCop]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jimbo Hope we don't see the same fish with different owners at Gardena show.

We just might -- since one fish that won a major award (but not the GC) in the recent SD show is back up for sale on the dealer's website?