assessing fish value questions?

[hobbyorobsession]

For those of you who routinely sell fish how do you asses there value? I understand that each fish is priced differently based on its availabiity. But is there a general price scale based on fish size? Especially when dealing with sizes ranging from fry to sub adults, to adults. Does a fish being larger increass or hurt its value?

I have convicts wich i feel are easy to bread, and the market is flooded with them, so I almost give away there juvenile fish ranging in sizes from 1/2 inch to 3 inches. Should I bother attempting to sell these fish?

What would be a fair price for a breedng pair of convicts?

I am considering trying sell my silver arrowana who when purchases I payed 60 for. It's now near 17 inches in lenght, with minor scale damage. Should I expect more or less than what I payed for it?

I also keep severums who breed occassional with limited success, I just let my cat fish delete their eggs. I dont see these fish talked about on here much, would it be worth my while to seperate these for potential sale?

 

[protocl]

TBH, selling off the silver aro, would not make you any kind investment returned.
You will be making some, if any.

More so, because it is a silver arowana...not any of the very sought after asian arowana.


the...fishlore.com kind of keepers, would never buy this kind of fish. why? basically, too much 'fish' sort of speak.

 

[hbluehunter]

Well for selling fish there is no price scale, what may be expensive to you may be a screaming deal to me. So for that reason the value of a fish is the amount you can get for it and how much you wanna let it go for.
As far as convicts go they are basically worthless to sell, I have marble con's that go for quite a bit in the lfs but I could get rid of them for free, I just ended up giving them to someone to use for feeders.
Now for my favorite arowana's.. Basically as they get older the basically gain no value unless they're in perfect condition with no drop eye. Wild caughts are usually more also. If the want a aro that holds have you you're gonna have to get a Black. Lei, or African aro.. Other than those they don't gain value. I won't mention Asians being they're illegal.

 

[Fyurae]

I look at anything I am selling this way: If I had my fish in one hand, how much money would you have to put in my other hand to make me feel better about not having my fish anymore.

 

[Madness]

I look at it like this. I shop and buy fish regularly. I have a good idea of what fish go for. For example: I bought my female barred amph. xilioensis at a LFS for $12 @ 3". She is now 6". 6" xilo's are going for about $25. If I was going to sell her I would ask $20, maybe dropping to $15. I make a bit and the buyer gets a deal. Or my 10" wild caught Midas I would sell for $30-$40. Why? He is wild caught, and Aquarium Paradise is selling a 12" for $50.

So kind of base it like that. Make someone want to buy yours, instead of paying more at the LFS. If anything at least try and break even.

 

[hobbyorobsession]

thank you for the input everyone