Fish expo prices

[Scaperoot]

 I went to my first fish expo recently, and was a bit stunned by the prices of certain fish, hardscape, etc. For example; $10-13 for a single Corydora, $15 for a small piece of driftwood (even though it was marked with a lower price in Sharpie on the wood itself), etc. Are markups normal at these shows? I got great deals on plants, but that had more to do with me being a long time customer of the vendor and being recognized. I'm concerned because I'll be attending Aquashella this weekend and now I'm wondering if I'll be able to get any fish. I was hoping to get more Corydoras. I know that they're not all the same, and some are harder to find. I saw 3 types while at the show; gold laser, skunk, and Bronze. 

[Schuyler]

From my limited experience, I've seen good deals on hard to find fish that you would normally have to order online and pay shipping to get.

Were those $13 corys a common species?

For dry goods it tends to not be that big of price difference. Maybe just more variety that you normally see.

[Tanked]

I 've never been to a show, but a visit to the LFS yesterday proved that some prices are spiraling upward.  The $4. African Water Fern  that I looked at last month was now $10.  All of the shrimp were now $10. each. with no warranty.  Almost all of the fish prices had noticable increases.

[Scaperoot]

On 10/30/2023 at 10:31 AM, Schuyler said:

From my limited experience, I've seen good deals on hard to find fish that you would normally have to order online and pay shipping to get.

Were those $13 corys a common species?

For dry goods it tends to not be that big of price difference. Maybe just more variety that you normally see.

I can't complain about the driftwood I found, because no LFS near me ever have this particular type (Manzanita/Ghostwood).  

As for the Corys, I have only seen the bronze in person prior to this weekend. The fish farm I visit sells albinos, pandas, venezuelans, etc., for about $6-$8 each. I'm not sure if the skunk Corys are hard to find. 

On 10/30/2023 at 11:00 AM, Tanked said:

I 've never been to a show, but a visit to the LFS yesterday proved that some prices are spiraling upward.  The $4. African Water Fern  that I looked at last month was now $10.  All of the shrimp were now $10. each. with no warranty.  Almost all of the fish prices had noticable increases.

That's concerning. The cherry shrimp I buy are $5 each. Plants are tricky, because availability is the issue in our area. You can find almost anything online, but once you factor shipping it makes you really consider the value. There's a company (ACO competitor) I get plants from about 2-3 times a year. They offer great deals and free shipping once you pass a certain spending threshlod. If I just need one or two plants, I don't even consider ordering online. At that point, I'm at the mercy of the LFS. 

[Tanked]

The shipping threshold is usually a deal breaker for me also.  My LFS is a little quirky, but they are usually well stocked with plants even if they don't know what they are.

I'm slowly talking myself into trying to keep shrimp.  Even with shipping, the online prices will be better than what I am finding locally.