Quote:
Originally Posted by gobytron
Guys...
this is just the thing...lol
When the bubble magus frst came out retailers and high tech hobbyist alike were purporting the age old aquarium addage of "you get what you pay for" and dismissing them as cheap, made in china crap.
Then some brave (and cheap...lol) souls actually tried this line and reviewed them and suddenly the proof was out there.
A quality product for a fair price was on the market.
How long did you think it would take before retailers realized that significantly higher mark ups would equate to significantly higher profits?
You can't escape from this cycle, it's just free market capitalism at its finest.
I wish I'd thought of ordering them in bulk or inking a contract with the manufacturer or distributor in china and marking them up to sell to all of you.
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Gobytron, that's the attitude that causes the problem. Why should we just accept it as a product of capitalism? It's up to us as consumers to vote with our wallets. We can also use this new fangled interwebs thing to spread and discuss this information with large numbers of hobbyists. If enough people complain about the pricing and buy other products then perhaps things change. Do nothing and just accept it and nothing changes.
I for one do not like to be overcharged for things and am always seeking ways to find a deal or get the best price. Ordering from China was not difficult. It arrived quickly. They provided good support for a small problem. Oh and the bonus was that the package was not charged any taxes etc (sometimes you get lucky and Canada Post doesn't charge the tax) so I saved a bunch there too.
Buying here I would have overpaid and also paid PST and GST on top of it. So I figured I saved nearly 20% on my Bubble Magus skimmer and dosing pump. If I had bought a higher end skimmer my savings would have been much larger. I would have spent about 30% ($185) less on a 180CS. $185 is a good chunk of change.
So vote with your wallets and voice your opinions. When you buy that Reef Octopus skimmer instead of the Bubble Magus (or better yet, skip a purchase altogether) tell the retailer that you were interested in the Bubble Magus and would have bought it if the price was better. The message will get across if enough people deliver it.