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Re: Super-Dooper Mother of All Amazons (Swords)	Erik Leung
	Apr 15, 2003 15:55 PDT

I totally agree, best is to see the stuff in-person (i.e. at local auctions). Generally the plants on AquaBid are pretty lackluster or alternatively are priced ridiculously high, for a whopping of 2-3 stems or a small handful of riccia. There are exceptions of course, but buyer beware. Check with local hobbyists first because chances are someone will have what you want and just offer up cuttings for free or trade. People around here are growing some rare stuff that you won't find @ online stores or auction sites. And let's face it, once you start growing bucketloads a lot of it gets tossed. People are generally happy to give extra plants away. Plus, you get to know local hobbyists and build lasting relationships, trade ideas, etc. There's nothing quite like seeing another tank in the flesh, and chatting about the ins/outs of it. Additionally, packing/shipping/listing these items for sale at an auction site and dealing with pseudo-customer service issues can just be a pain. When you consider the eventual (scant) profit, you wonder if it is worth it. I personally am too lazy to box up stuff to send to someone on a regular basis (cut the plants, bag the plants, package the plants, print the label, walk package over to post office, get in line.....). I'm just not set up to do that... or more to the point, my shipping process is not streamlined for profit-making or the rigid profit margins it engenders :-p Erik Leung e-aquaria.com On Tue, 15 Apr 2003 15:35:36 -0700 Scott Weintraub <terr-@earthlink.net>; wrote:   It's the same idea as eBay, but there isn't much traffic. For most items the first bidder wins. It's a good resource if there is something specific you're looking for that you can't find locally. Price-wise it's tough to beat the deals at the auction- and you can see the quality before you buy.   Who knows what someone is going to pull out of their tank and ship across the country through heatwaves & snowstorms...   Heh.. Funny you should post that, Eric. I just discovered the site about   an hour before your message. Is this another ebay type auction where   someone will wait until the last 5 seconds and then bid a nickel higher than   you to get the item? Maybe I'm just getting too old and adverse to   surprises, but I think an online auction would be the last place I look for   fish or plants.. sure wish I was in the shipping business though.. <g>   Dennis

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