# aquabid?!



## kiddomagic (Jul 20, 2010)

i'm thinking of getting a halfmoon betta on aquabid. has anyone tried that before? was the fish still alive once you got it?

and, is aquabid a safe site?  and, how do they arrive? on your door? in the mail? PLEASE HELP!


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## RandomFish (Jun 16, 2010)

kiddomagic said:


> i'm thinking of getting a halfmoon betta on aquabid. has anyone tried that before?


Yes. The total cost was about $50, including the price of the fish, paying the breeder to mail the fish, transhipping fees, and Express (overnight) delivery.



> was the fish still alive once you got it?


Barely. Most of his dorsal fin was ripped. 



> and, is aquabid a safe site?


If the seller has good feedback (lots of positives), it's pretty much a safe bet to buy from them.



> and, how do they arrive? on your door? in the mail? PLEASE HELP!


Yeah, in the mail (it's strongly advised that you pay the extra for Express service and make sure you're home the next morning to receive the package), unless you live close to the transhipper and he or she agrees to let you pick it up.


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## FloridaBettas239 (Jun 29, 2010)

Aquabid is really safe because you pay with pay pal and can cancle payment if something bad happens. You still want to look at the seller and there is a feed back spot on the site where you can check to see if he/she is good. 
The fish are 50.00-60.00 for a pair and then once they get to your trans shipper you pay 4.00 each fish for handling, and that price. Depends on the trans shipper. And express shipping is 32.00 so it ends up costing 80.00-100.00 to get a pair on you door step.

They arrive usps from you mail person and I suggest you are there.
The fish are packed good and can not see each other. 

All my fish have arrived in good shape, and back to there selfs in hours. And look like the happy fish in the photo when I bought them. I haven't had a problem.


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## Zoelie (May 14, 2010)

Yes, I just got my first Halfmoon by aquabid last week. In total it costed me about $61 including all the shipping and price of fish. He arrived healthy, with no nips or anything out of his tail/or fins. They arrive in an insulated box to your front door  If you choose express (you should) you should have them in one day after the transhipper ships them out..you should also be sent a tracking number to the package, and when they arrive you have to sign for them, so make sure to be home ^^


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## kiddomagic (Jul 20, 2010)

whoa! $80 for a fish?!  uh...
how long does it usually take?
wow. $100?! omg...
any sites that are cheaper?


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## kiddomagic (Jul 20, 2010)

ooh! i found another website... 
http://www.siamimbellis.com/
has anyone ordered anything from there? how is it?
and the price is ok. $20-$40. or something...


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Your not going to find it cheaper unless you get a fish from the US and still its going to be around $50.

The average cost for a male is around $20 plus $35 for shipping and right there that's $55. In addition to that if you get a fish from over seas your looking at $5 to get the fish to the US and another $10-15 in processing fees for the transshipper.

Each transhipper has different schedules. Mine gets in shipments every two weeks so it depends on when the next shipment is coming in as to when you get your fish. Its possible (especially with Halfmoons) that you'll get a little damage to the fins but usually its not too bad. If the fish is DOA then you should get either a refund of your money (not including the transhipping and shipping fees) or will be sent another fish (again you have to pay shipping).


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## Jdh (Jul 5, 2010)

Hello!
I recently purchased a White Opaque Halfmoon from Aquabid with no trouble. Aquabid is like any e-commerce site in that you just have to be careful of what sellers you buy from- So make sure to check the legitimacy and reviews left on any seller you're considering buying from. (I highly recommend GreatBettas, very fast service.) Also, remember that the Express Mail Transhipper Fee, Airmail shipping fee (from the breeder), and a $20 fish price can total $50-$70. If the fish has rarer markings or green coloration, it's typically $10-$20 higher. 

I personally recommend buying from AquaBid over other online websites, because you're buying from individual breeders or small companies. This means that you'll get faster service and less errors if you buy from a good breeder. http://LiveAquiria.com is a another great site for buying live fish including Bettas, but you don't have the selection that AquaBid offers.

The last thing to consider about AquaBid is that alot of breeders aren't located in the USA. This means that you'll have to payer the buyer's preferred transhipper individually. 


Good luck! 
-Josh


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## kiddomagic (Jul 20, 2010)

convincing my parents... is HARD. 
what about petco halfmoons?


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## Welsh (Apr 13, 2010)

I can imagine ebay would be cheaper, I have had my bettas and snails off ebay with no problems or damage just make sure the feedback is 100% or something near that number and everything should go accordingly


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## Amour (Jun 26, 2010)

Since you're a beginner fish keeper, I wouldn't recommend spending $70 on a fish that will most likely not have a very long life. Then your $70 will have been for nothing.

Try starting out with a fish from Petco or Walmart or some other local pet store where the fish is under $10.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Unless you are planning on breeding there's really no reason why you can't get a fish from a pet store. Most people who get fish off aquabid are investing in breeding stock. Unless you just really want a well bred pet which is fine as long as you have the money and are willing to accept the risk involved with buying a fish and shipping it.


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## BettaBuddi1221 (Jul 21, 2010)

that is a good idea


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## Jdh (Jul 5, 2010)

If you're worried about price, you might consider looking at your local Petsmart/Petco/Walmart or mom-and-pop Petstores first. Sometimes they have Halfmoons.

Petco also has Halfmoon Bettas avaliable on their website. $11 for the Betta and overnight shipping might total to be a little cheaper, around $40 or so. 

Another option would be locating a breeder on Aquabid that relatively near your area, to avoid the cost of a transhipper.

Try calling some local pet stores first and see if they have any Halfmoons- You might be in luck!


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## kiddomagic (Jul 20, 2010)

i've heard petco does sell halfmoons. but i went there one time and there were NO halfmoons. mostly veil tails....

i need to know when new halfmoons get shipped..


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## Amour (Jun 26, 2010)

The Petco I live close to always has halfmoons. So you should be able to find one soon.


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## kiddomagic (Jul 20, 2010)

my petco is like, 20 mins away. kinda far. and no halfmoons! anyone know when new bettas get shipped?


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## Fishirila (Jul 26, 2010)

Call Petco until they either tell you when they're getting them or that they have them in-stock.


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## FloridaBettas239 (Jun 29, 2010)

If you want a nice halfmoon without spending 80 or more, but from breeders in the U.S. bettysplendens.com has great halfmoons for good prices. You can get a really nice halfmoon from here for 5 dollars more than nasty petco... Plus with bettysplendens.com If you see a fish you like but dont have all the money, You can place the fish on hold for 5 dollars then a week later pay it off..


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