Pepere Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 (edited) $4.99 flat fee shipping. You know? This is a screaming bargain! And free if you do $79.99 of order… I was at my local Petco yesterday and happened to glance at the fish food prices… If I buy two canisters of Fish food from the co op, I still save money with the shipping cost over getting it at local Petco…. And that is before I factor in gas, wear and tear on vehicle and time driving to Petco… The Co op deserves a shout out of thanks… My only regret with the co op is that they dont carry more of the things I want…. I would so prefer shopping there over any of their competitors… Edited March 19 by Pepere 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miska Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 My preference is: LFS or Local Breeder Aqua Co-op and Aqua Huna Big Box Fish/Pet Store Amazon/Walmart/Etc I am thankful to Aqua Co-op because they provide quality and are ethnical about their treatment of animals. I am not a big you tube watcher person (I am a tired mom). But I will watch Irene or Cory any day of the week. And they have taught me more as part of my education: Reading, Youtube, Talking to the folks here, and talking to other hobbyists at clubs and stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted March 20 Administrators Share Posted March 20 It's true we don't carry everything. But to make it work we need to be selective so we can buy in large quantities and get shipping right to keep costs down. There are items that just don't make sense for us unfortunately. I do hope over the years we can supply items to retail stores that don't make sense to ship to individual houses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllFishNoBrakes Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 @Cory is pretty transparent that at times they take losses, other times they make pennies, and when the stars align they make a few dollars. There’s a reason I chip in $5 every month as a member and support them as much as possible. Now, I’m thankful and grateful to be surrounded by LFS’s but they simply don’t carry Xtreme foods and other needs, so that gets fulfilled by the Coop. If I can support a LFS I do that, then the Coop, then other means like Amazon for the odds and ends that I can’t get at the prior 2 but can get delivered to my house in 2 days. It’s all about priorities and who has what I need at the moment. A big shout out to the Coop for being the company that they are! I LOVE my job and where I work, but I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times where I just wanna record what Cory says and force the owner of our company to just listen and ponder, lol. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 I get it @Cory small business compared to the likes of Amazon, Chewy, Petco etc. Warehouse space is expensive, inventory etc… I was blown away at the cost of a canister of food at local Petco, and the fact that just the savings on buying 2 canisters would pay for the shipping to deliver to my doorstep. Every bite of food my fish have eaten has been shipped from Washington state. I never really gave the cost itself consideration before, it just never registered. And I dont think I have payed for shipping very often from the co op…. I usually just add on a few more items to get to minimum order… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 On 3/19/2023 at 8:47 PM, Miska said: My preference is:LFS or Local Breeder Aqua Co-op and Aqua Huna Big Box Fish/Pet Store Amazon/Walmart/Etc I am thankful to Aqua Co-op because they provide quality and are ethnical about their treatment of animals. I am not a big you tube watcher person (I am a tired mom). But I will watch Irene or Cory any day of the week. And they have taught me more as part of my education: Reading, Youtube, Talking to the folks here, and talking to other hobbyists at clubs and stores. I have a good bit of store credit at an LFS that sells ACO merchandise, so it's a double win. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miska Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 On 3/20/2023 at 10:18 AM, JettsPapa said: I have a good bit of store credit at an LFS that sells ACO merchandise, so it's a double win. That is so amazing!!! The closest store to me that sells it is like an hour away, but they also had nothing when I went in. I am so jelly!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 On 3/20/2023 at 9:19 AM, Miska said: That is so amazing!!! The closest store to me that sells it is like an hour away, but they also had nothing when I went in. I am so jelly!!! That one is about an hour from me also, but the only thing closer is big box pet stores. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bev C Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 I am so thankful i found ACO and Cory ‘s videos I buy from my fish store if i go there but I live 2 hours away from a good fish store so i do most of my fish shopping online my Walmart is limited on fish supplies is only good for if you emergency hard pinch ,, I had fish for along time with no live plants.watched Cory’s videos but i did not start buying from ACO till i got into live plants .. now i go to ACO and buy there first then to Amazon .. I do not mind paying for the shipping with ACO And @Cory and @Candi and the rest of the ACO team You all have the best customer service around and online that is why i shop with you first I appreciate you all’s knowledge and help with the videos and blog and Candi is a gem she is helping me as i speak with a power head with no cord she did not question anything and I told her i had no idea how it happened she is helping with it she is gold .. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knee Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Their repashy is also cheaper compared to amazon 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted March 20 Administrators Share Posted March 20 On 3/19/2023 at 8:12 PM, Pepere said: I get it @Cory small business compared to the likes of Amazon, Chewy, Petco etc. Warehouse space is expensive, inventory etc… I was blown away at the cost of a canister of food at local Petco, and the fact that just the savings on buying 2 canisters would pay for the shipping to deliver to my doorstep. Every bite of food my fish have eaten has been shipped from Washington state. I never really gave the cost itself consideration before, it just never registered. And I dont think I have payed for shipping very often from the co op…. I usually just add on a few more items to get to minimum order… Thank you for ordering from us. I think most people who don't look under the belly of these big businesses don't realize they aren't profitable. We've been in the weirdest business climate for years. Lots of investors for money, with the dream of the next "Amazon" running at losses for years. Chewy for Example, Loses money every year. They sell billions, but it costs them MORE billions to sell them. Whats crazy is so many companies want to be the next Amazon, when amazon itself is no longer profitable. If you just look at the overall company. All the money is made from their business servers they rent. The actual thing people know Amazon for, selling stuff on the website loses money. Last year the website selling part, lost them 2.7 billion. Now they can easily change some things and become profitable again. As has remained constant the last 20 years or so, the race to the bottom is still going. Who can sell a product cheaper with less support. I think most people would say successful companies should turn a profit to stick around. These zombie companies that keep getting funding injected until they can make it have certinally made the business market weird the last 5 years. Uber is another example, it's never been profitable yet. Good news, Aquarium Co-Op is profitable. With some luck and continued support from people we'll get to stick around for a while longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 personally i have ordered lots from ACO in the past. however recently ive been making an effort to buy from my LFS, and have been buying from them and not ACO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 On 3/20/2023 at 1:14 PM, Cory said: itself is no longer profitable. If you just look at the overall company. All the money is made from their business servers they rent. The actual thing people know Amazon for, selling stuff on the website loses money. Last year the website selling part, lost them 2.7 billion. I worked as a Customer Service rep for years for a big outdoor equipment and apparel company with a reputation for outstanding customer service. It has been years and years since they turned a profit on what they sold. All of their yearly profit after expenses came from their company branded credit card, which was not insubstantial….. And it indeed caused senior management a lot of concern.. privately held Family owned business, no investors flooding them with money… Every year the kept churning trying to reinvent themselves, reducing skus which meant paring away size offerings that were not profitable, trying to appeal to younger generation which alienated existing customer base, reducing items to core items that were highly profitable but made the brand less relevant. Every year no improvement… And if you cant turn a profit you cant continue…. So while I would love to be able to buy all my fishkeeping supplies from the co op, I would much rather see the Co op be a viable entity… As to buying locally my nearest mom and pop fish store is 40 miles away… I have a local Petco… thats it in a community of 60,000. They get fish deliveries on Thursday and Saturday morning have hardly any livestock…. Every time you go in the fish supply aisles are blocked by pallets of dog food…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doberman Mom Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 I'm hoping Canadian shipping will be in your near future 😞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 On 3/20/2023 at 2:04 PM, Doberman Mom said: I'm hoping Canadian shipping will be in your near future 😞 you can get ACO stuff from Aprils Aquariums in Canada 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doberman Mom Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 omgosh thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted March 20 Administrators Share Posted March 20 On 3/20/2023 at 10:20 AM, Theplatymaster said: personally i have ordered lots from ACO in the past. however recently ive been making an effort to buy from my LFS, and have been buying from them and not ACO. Good, local stores need support! Maybe one day they'll carry our products, but as a retail physical store with live stock, it's a tough business to do right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bev C Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 (edited) i agree support the local fish stores if you can specially if you love their fish i buy from them when go there 2 hours away but ACO is my other stop before the big stores i wished there was more fish stores in the united states like i seen in other countries on video the other countries more supplies and fish selection then the big stores here Edited March 20 by Bev C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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