# Ridiculous Goldfish prices!



## Mr. fish

Can someone please explain this to me, because I'm lost and don't understand why people actually pay Top Tier prices for some Goldfish?

I've been on a few Goldfish Auction sites and noticed they go anywhere from 49.99-299.99 for one fish?

Does this fish come with a pedigree? lol I'm assuming they are show only fish but really?

I see the same Orandas at my LFS for 29.99 tops. Also I just purchased a Calico Ryukin for 14.99 then saw the same one that looked very identical on a auction site for 129.99?!

Can someone please break this down to me.. I'm just no getting it.


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## egoreise

Those are special fish. They do your laundry, teach your kids how to play chess, pull your dog from a burning house, and occasionally stop a bank robbery in progress.


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## emc7

Most of it is that pricing/availability is local and national or international auction sites will sell to people who don't have those fish locally or at a have them locally only at a much higher price. So you will see the highest price anywhere on an international auction. And be our low currency value relative to other currencies is raising the prices. Part of it may be 'eye of the beholder' type value. Fish from known prize-winning lines do have a sort of pedigree and are worth more. Maybe there are show fish traits that a trained eye sees in the picture. Something like straight, parallel fin rays or nice head shape. But there could also be weird things, too. For example, lucky numbers of spots or marks that look like kanji.

Value is all what people are willing to pay.


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## Mr. fish

egoreise said:


> Those are special fish. They do your laundry, teach your kids how to play chess, pull your dog from a burning house, and occasionally stop a bank robbery in progress.


Shoot he better do more than that for 300 lol



emc7 said:


> Most of it is that pricing/availability is local and national or international auction sites will sell to people who don't have those fish locally or at a have them locally only at a much higher pric So you will see the highest price anywhere. Or it could be our low currency value is distorting prices. Part of it may be 'eye of the beholder' type value. Fish from known prize-winning lines do have a sort of pedigree and are worth more. Maybe there are show fish traits that a trained eye sees in the picture. Something like straight, parallel fin rays or nice head shape. But there could also be weird things, too. For example, lucky numbers of spots or marks that look like kanji.
> 
> My personal opinion is that those warty, for-shorted, double-tail, deformed fish should be worthless culls, not high $ prizes. Fish should look like fish.


Yea I was reading over one of the forums they had for the auction and the guy spent 240 for a black oranda... One of the guys came in and was like thats a perfect shape and has a lot of potential... i'm like huh? Looks just like the one i seen down the street for 20 bucks lol

These people are crazy... I mean they had some really nice Goldfish but theres no way i'm paying nearly 300 dollars for a fish, even if he could clean the tank himself lol


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## emc7

You stay in any group of people long enough and you will find specialized obsessions. I would rather take the $300 and buy a big tank and filter and a pair of $10 fish.


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## Mr. fish

emc7 said:


> You stay in any group of people long enough and you will find specialized obsessions. I would rather take the $300 and buy a big tank and filter and a pair of $10 fish.


Exactly what I was thinking... SMH @ dumb people


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## Betta man

at my petco, they sell show goldfish for 4 bucks!!! i'd way rather buy a male betta for 300 bucks! they sell 15 cent feeder fish that look pretty good!!


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## humdedum

emc7 said:


> You stay in any group of people long enough and you will find specialized obsessions. I would rather take the $300 and buy a big tank and filter and a pair of $10 fish.


Or get busy on Craigslist and score two big tanks and then find free fish.


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## lohachata

in 2000 someone paid $500,000.00 for a koi......
300 bucks ain't nothin....lol


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## egoreise

> Shoot he better do more than that for 300 lol


Cheap.


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## Mr. fish

lohachata said:


> in 2000 someone paid $500,000.00 for a koi......
> 300 bucks ain't nothin....lol


Was it to prove a point? lol



egoreise said:


> Cheap.


Like you'd spend 300 on a fish lmao... A tank setup yes, a single fish, no.
:fish: (buy me, buy me... I'm only 300 dollars!)


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## TheOldSalt

Breeding fancy goldfish isn't as easy as breeding fancy guppies, although the basic principle is the same. If you were to cross two of those $30 goldies you'd wind up with a lot of feeder-grade junk. Cross those linebred $300 ones, though, and you'd get a bunch of $30 fish.


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## lohachata

yes it was in a way...like i have said..i am still kind of a rookie at all this fish stuff...but there are a few things i have learned in my 35+ years in the hobby...there are many things that we don't know of and don't understand...and maybe don't even care to..
goldfish and koi are like watches....some folks are happy with that $4.00 digital and some want a Muller..and then of course there is everything in between....
there are a few fish that i would pay big money for..not many ; but a few...but they would be for breeding purposes...there is always a risk of them dying or turning out to be all males..(many of the rarer pecos tend to have spawns with a sex ratio of 20 males to 1 female.)
$150-$300 for a goldfish isn't that bad of a price..i have seen them sell for quite a bit more..$500-$2000 for a good quality 10-18" koi is fairly common..
americans do not view goldfish and koi properly...we put them in aquariums and view them from the side..the proper way is to view them from above..better view of body and tail conformation ; colors and patterns...
many prize goldfish and koi are passed down from generation to generation..careful breeding and selection of high quality offspring will bring large amounts of income..


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## PhsychoFish

the little ones at pet stores are only a couple bucks... if you want pretty 300 dollar ones i say either breed them or buy a pretty little one because they grow REALLY fast


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## TheOldSalt

Just like a guppy, the beauty of an individual specimen is not what determines it's worth. It's DNA determines it's worth. Does it have the genes to crank out subsequent generations of pretty ones, or did it just turn out nice on a stroke of luck? The expensive goldfish are from those proven lines which are known to produce high quality fish.

As such, buying a pretty goldfish in the feeder tank and letting it grow to a pretty adult will give you a pretty adult, but it won't be a $300 wonder.


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## Mr. fish

I guess I didn't think of it like that...

If you're breeding then yes, you want a good fish with a good extensive pedigree and you'll make your money back in no time. But, to pay 300 just to own it...naaaaaaaaaaa


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## rgordon82

It's hard to breed a fancy gold fish I think maybe that is why.


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## Mikaila31

Its all about grade and quality. I can see me spending a lot on koi when I get around to owning a pond. The bettas at petsmart maybe $6 a show betta maybe $50. Both are bettas, both are worth their said price. Its no different with any other fish or animal. The value is in the pedigree as well as the animal itself.


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