# Anyone with experience ordering a fish off Aquabid



## Guest

i have my eye on a very beautiful fish and when i contacted the seller in thailand regarding shipping he told me it was free shipping to canada and then i would pay the transhipper to overnight the fish to me ... when i contacted the transhipper he wants to charge to bring the fish to canada and then pay to ship to me within canada ... is it normal the transhipper would charge shipping from thailand when the seller said shipping to canada is free ??? i have never ordered a fish from aquabid so just wondering if this is the way it is :O)


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## CCBettas

You're buying bettas?
This is typically how it's done. It costs money to send fish half way around the world...and the costs aren't usually built into the price of the fish. The transshipper provides a service and you pay for the service.


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## Guest

i am buying a platinum crowntail ... i was just wondering if the seller says they ship to canada for free but the transhipper wants to charge for that ... i understand paying him to ship the fish to me but unsure why the charge to canada if the seller says it is part of the price of the fish ...


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## Grete_J

From my experience, after having my dog shipped from Thailand... it's not worth it. Transshipper fees sound like broker fees which add up to $$$. On top of that you pay customs fees, inspection fees etc... sounds like the seller gave you th price that 're going you charge for the betta, but didn't include the "shipping" type fees incurred when you go to pick him up.


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## Guest

wow, a dog shipped from thailand :O) the transhipper charges 40 dollars to overnight the fish plus a 15 dollar charge to ship fish from thailand ... plus the cost of the fish ... all the customs, etc, is taken care of by the transhipper ... 

btw - i continue to get compliments on my hermit crab tank :O)


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## Guest

*platinum crowntail betta*

i bought him :O) he is going in a tank beside a red crowntail (there is a solid divider) ...


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## CCBettas

Shipping on the sellers side is free. That includes them packing th fish and sending it to their transshipper in Thailand. For the Canadian side, it typically breaks down to: $5 shipping, $5 housing/care and $5 materials. 

Anyway, nice fish! Hope you bought a matching female as well...would be shame to have to imprt all over again when u decide to breed him.


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## djamm

Nice looking betta, hope it all goes smoothly....let us know when you get him...


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## Guest

oh i will be doing an unboxing video :O) and breeding !!! this is my 13th tank, now i have to get a girl one too :O)


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## Atom

Nice fish. 
Yes that is how it is normally charged. The seller in Thailand will ship to a Canadian transhipper who deals with all the customs fees and such. The Canadian transhipper then ships the fish to you. The Thai seller sometimes won't charge to ship to the Canadian shipper, but you always have to pay the person who is directly shipping your fish to your home. I have gotten aquabid fish before but sadly have had iffy experiences with fancy finned bettas.

Transshipping can get costly and will often end up more than the cost if the fish...actually always more. I tried before to see if anyone was interested in a group buy/transshipping on aquabid but there was enough interest. 

Good luck with your fish. He is a gem.


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## Teehee

so gourgeous! u found him randomly on aquabid?


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## mysticalnet

Wow very nice fish!


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## Guest

i have been looking for a platinum crowntail for almost a year ... i lost out on one on aquabid just before christmas so i am pretty happy i got this one ... i hope he makes the trip smoothly ... my white half moon came from thailand as well and he is a great fish :O) aren't they all :O)


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## Teehee

you must have been checking aquabid everyday to find him


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## Guest

i actually had a friend checking daily for me which was super nice of him :O) he found one in september but i lost out on the bidding, so this one i just bought outright :O)


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## CCBettas

Teehee said:


> you must have been checking aquabid everyday to find him


There are only 3 pages of Crowntails so it's not difficult at all.  If you develop a system and are looking for a particular colour/fin type, you can go through all the bettas in 10 mins. lol.


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## Teehee

why not just type [color] male crowntail?????


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## Grete_J

hoolagal said:


> wow, a dog shipped from thailand :O) the transhipper charges 40 dollars to overnight the fish plus a 15 dollar charge to ship fish from thailand ... plus the cost of the fish ... all the customs, etc, is taken care of by the transhipper ...
> 
> btw - i continue to get compliments on my hermit crab tank :O)


Yeahhh... I did the mail order with my pup. There's only one Thai Ridgeback breeder in Canada and she doesn't breed the colour I wanted, so I went right to the source 

I want to see more pix of the hermit crabitat!! Youtube doesn't work so great on my outdated computer


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## CCBettas

Teehee said:


> why not just type [color] male crowntail?????


Because sellers are in the business of selling...so they tend to use commercial names in order to attract customers. For instance, a fish that is genetically "metalic opaque" will be sold as "Platinum". Or a betta with tumors on it's face might be sold as "Flowerhorn" betta.

But really, it takes a few seconds to glance at the "new" auctions and scan for some key words which could be "white", "platinum", "paint", "dragon", "crystal", "opaque" or any number of imaginative adjectives. Then quickly glance at the seller, if it's not a reputable seller, don't bother looking. 
This is my "i'm looking for something in particular" system.  It took me a minute to go on AB and decide that there were no "Platinum" CT's worth buying that were posted today.
I don't buy bettas alot anymore so a typical AB visit is just look at all the new bettas posted that day. lol.


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## Teehee

lol really? i never used aquabid before  pretty smart....

whats a flowerhorn betta?


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## Guest

cool about the dog :O)






that is probably why i did not see platinum crowntails often, i just searched platinum every time and only one other i have found come up in months ...


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## Teehee

are they common?

congrats on the find hoolagirl, you will let us know when he arrives safely?


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## Atom

Teehee said:


> lol really? i never used aquabid before  pretty smart....
> 
> whats a flowerhorn betta?


A betta with an abnormal growth or tumor on his head that makes him different. Therefore it is a chance for a seller to mark him as "special" and sell him for a ridiculous amount of money even though the condition is actually undesirable and probably not a healthy fish.

Recently someone was selling a "diamond eye" betta for a lot of money on AB. This fish had metallic sheen covering their eyes so it looked sparkly in the light. This is actually not a good thing to have. The betta probably had vision problems, but some sellers like to take advantage of these abnormalities for $$$.


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## Grete_J

I'm glad to see the hermit crabs are using their second level and that all the acrylic stuff worked out for you 

Love the platinum betta!! I think I should consider one myself


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## Guest

*Snowflake arrives from Thailand ...*


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## effox

Glad he made it to your place alive!


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## BCAquaria

Beautiful.

I had one similar. The fins on yours looks much nicer










Mines dead now though after all the moving around and stress.


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## fan4guppy

Both are nice Platinum Crowntail Bettas  

A seller in Thailand on Aquabid has got White Platinum Guppies that I have been looking at ... waiting for the weather to warm up to order


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## Guest

your crowntail was beautiful ... platinum guppies sound pretty cool too :O)


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## summit

if you don't mind me asking, what did it end up costing for shipping and import when all said and done? any hidden fees? I was looking into doing the same thing but was hesitant worried I would be on the hook for some pretty large chanrges once it got here.


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## Guest

the fish was 30 dollars, i did not bid, i just bought outright ... the shipping in total with box and heat pack and customs and all that was 78 dollars ... i could have had up to 6 bettas shipped for that same cost ... but i only wanted my platinum crowntail :O)


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## iluvfsh

Wow...he is a beauty. How much did it cost you, if you don't mind me asking.....


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## Guest

the fish was 30 dollars and the shipping was 78 dollars :O)


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## Atom

He looks amazing. Glad it worked out for you. Every time I had halfmoons shipped they arrived with bad cases of finrot. Looks like this one is enjoying his new home. What was the name of your seller and transhipper?

Any names yet?


Btw, if anyone ever wants to do a group order/shipping on aquabid let me know


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## Guest

i am happy he arrived alive ... i named him snowflake :O)

DAVID at DUROCHER MONTREAL QUEBEC ([email protected] ) / Phone 514 270 8095 - transhipper 

Patsayawan - aquabid seller ... 100% positive feedback (over 600 fish sold)


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## fan4guppy

hoolagal said:


> your crowntail was beautiful ... platinum guppies sound pretty cool too :O)


yea i have some yellow platinum guppies that have some half black yellow genes in them .... which are decendents of this sellers other line.

the genetical make up of the white platinum guppy is beautiful ... waiting for weather to warm up quite a bit before i order.


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## Guest

i went and looked at the platinum guppies, they are really beautiful :O)


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## Nicole

holy jeez, im jealous :O..really glad it's in good hands and looks healthy though, congrats.


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## Momobobo

Thats a gorgeous fish, but so much money for a betta!


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## Ladayen

$100+ on a betta.. to each their own I guess lol.

I've never used aquabid myself but I hear you can contact a seller directly. It may make sense to contact reputable sellers and ask if they have specifically what you are looking for. I've heard enough stories of people doing this and getting the fish before it is even posted anywhere.


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