Is Transhipping fish worth it?
Some would wonder why are prices of wild bettas so high?
Well first off, if Petco has bettas for $20-25, and some fancies going for over a hundred dollars then the price really isn't the issue. Where else would you find these interesting unique and rare bettas?
I am going to be upfront with you, you can find wild bettas cheaper overseas. As with most fish. That's a given. A pair of Albimarginatas might go for $25 only. However, that doesn't include transhipping cost. You will now pay 4-5$ per fish per transhipper. You will require TWO transhippers; one from the other country and one in the States. Let's do the math.
- Albimarginata pair. $25
- Shipment to Transhipper: Some sellers include this, I'll just assume $0.
- Transhipper Overseas: $4 per fish = $8
- Transhipper US: $4 per fish = $8
Total to that point is $41.
Now you will have to pay delivery to yourself. Which you would have to do with us anyway so we'll ignore this part of it... for now.
Easy and ONLY PRO, it's cheaper.
Now CON:
The amount of stress builds up the longer it is traveling. Now you have to take into account the travel time.
- Shipment to Overseas Transhipper: Depending on distance, a good 1-2 days might be a good outcome.
- Time at Overseas Transhippers: Transhippers usually have a deadline a day or 2 before their shipment date so they have ample time to package everything.
- Transhipper to Transhipper: 2 day flights would be good if no delays.
- Time at US Transhipper: Depending on their schedule, they may be able to forward an entire box straight to you but that's not likely the case for just a pair of fish. They will take it back, sort it out and send it to you the next business day. Usually 1-2 day turnaround for good transhippers.
- Delivery Time to you: Let's assume next day delivery.
Total Delivery Time: This will be around 7-10 days barring no delays or mishaps.
You just paid $41 + $45(Could be $50+ elsewhere) shipping = $86 for a pair of bettas to arrive in 7-10 days.
Let's compare with an Albimarginatas from us. $55 + $45 shipping = $100 to arrive in 1 day for a healthy pair of albimarginata with live arrival guarantee!
We all know the longer it is in travel, the more chances it has of something happening. Tossed around, hot, cold, etc. Speaking from personal experience, we had many DOA when we tried transhipping as well.
When the fish gets to you, it will definitely be stressed. Wild bettas in general don't handle stress very well. Stress weakens their immune system and if they haven't eaten for 7-10 days, it's only obvious that they will get weaker by the time you get them. That's when the multitude of diseases have a high chance of taking over.
It happens even when we get them in 2-3 days. They are not used to us or the travel. We certainly get some DOAs(Dead on Arrival) and we do get some deaths within the next few days due to stress or some kind of disease. This is normal for all wild bettas. However, we will quarantine them for at least a week and when we see that they're healthy and eating, we will then let them travel to you. That's like free day care for a week!
ALBIMARGINATA EXAMPLE SUMMARY
The Tranship Way: $86 shipped to your door in 7-10 days.
Order from Us: $100 shipped to your door in 1 day. (2 if UPS delays)
To top this off, when your fish arrives DOA from the transhipper, and say the transhipper does replace your fish for you. They will not replace shipping. You would have to pay transhipper costs and delivery costs to you. So an extra $56 to replace your pair of fish.
We are confident our fish will arrive to you healthy which is why we guarantee our next day delivery method. It will cost you $0 for a DOA replacement if you picked Next Day shipping. We cover the fish and the shipping!
OVERALL SUMMARY
Purchasing betta fish from overseas will yield you cheaper fish but many fail to calculate the shipping costs or the shipping time. If you're willing to take the risk, go for it. It has been done with good outcomes before as well as bad.