The AquaBid Thread!

[katmandew]

I just came across Aquabid last night and this thread this morning. I had planned on asking if anyone used Aquabid or Ebay to purchase Bettas. I've seen some really nice fish on Aquabid. Can anyone tell me their experience with purchasing Bettas on either site?

[Phaydra]

I use Aquabid. I prefer Aquabid because the tends to be less stock photos of bettas and I feel the bidding is more controlled there. Ebay tends to get more bidding bots and scams. Aquabid is a smaller community and that means it's easier to catch the people who would use such software and tactics to increase their sells. The draw back of course is there is less variety. There are good sellers on Ebay and I have seen more then a few Bettas that make me drool. I just find Aquabid more covenant for my lifestyle.

[katmandew]

Great thank you! I may be a little paranoid buying a fish online when you can't really see them, but it has to be better than using a box store. I did notice one or two auctions listed the age of the fish while others don't really give any information.

[Signature Farms]

I've purchased a few fish from AquaBid and have never had a problem with a seller. All fish were as in the photos (one was even better looking!) and everything went just fine!

[katmandew]

Good to know thanks! I've seen some real beauties!

[Chard56]

As a seller I find Aquabid to be easier to deal with and put my auctions on. From the Bettas I've seen on ebay they are more expensive. I've listed on ebay several times and never sold a one. I got charged a few dollars for listing and like I said I never sold anything so I won't be using them again. I have sold thousands of Bettas on Aquabid the last two and a half years. I couldn't ask for a better site.

[katmandew]

I think I saw some of your posts! I looked up the seller information from different sellers and for the most part everyone seems to be on the up and up. When it's time for a new Betta (after my tank is cycled) I'll be looking for you :)

[blu the betta]

ayala i love your veiltail betta.

[PiscinePeacocks]

Just to offer another perspective on the AB vs. eBay debate:
I have sold most of my bettas on eBay just due to the fact that I was more familiar with eBay and they did seem to have more controls than AB did that I was able to tell at the time. My bettas have been reasonably priced at opening and a small handful sold at prices that were higher due to legitimate interest. I myself, would never think to use a backhanded tactic to pad my prices as this is definitely an immoral activity and I think karma will catch up to the sellers that do these things eventually. My integrity it too valuable to me personally.

I have had many smooth and pleasant transactions with customers and did achieve Top Rated seller status due to high customer satisfaction. The only time a "stock" photo would ever be used is if I was selling in lots of several fish. So the photo was of my actual fish, but a sampling to give an idea of what the fish looked like. This was always clearly stated in the listing. Individual sale fish were always of the exact fish you were to receive.
One perplexing aspect I found (and a negative) is that there were more than a few people (usually 0 feedback ratings) that would bid and never follow through. This was extremely frustrating as a seller and I could never wrap my head around why people would do such a thing. I am sure this happens on AB as well at times. You learn to spot them after a while though.

I have also bought plenty of breeding stock from eBay as well as from AB and have had for the majority, really good experiences with this with excellent sellers. So basically, I think that there are plenty of sellers on the up and up on both sites but no matter where you go, there is always the possibility of running into bad eggs as is the inherent nature of on-line auctions in general. When I am in the buyer seat I always scrutinize the seller's feedback before placing a bid.

So this is just from one sellers and sometimes buyers point of view to add to the debate. Now that I am more familiar with AB I will likely venture to sell on AB as well next batch but will also continue to sell with eBay also until one proves to be better than another over time. At this point though I think both sites have their merits and some really beautiful fish to be had :)

[katmandew]

I agree it's important to check the seller's feedback as that will give you a good idea of who's reputable and who's not. You made some good points and I guess it's what you feel most comfortable with. When I'm ready to buy a fish I'll give my feedback on here on which site I used and how the transaction went. Thanks for your input.