Originally Posted by
koiman1950
Price and "quality" don't always go hand in hand. Also, PLEASE, don't compare the prices of mutt koi at a Pet Smart or fish store as they are marked up way over the value of the fish. Also, you have to learn to understand that in small fish, you won't see the quality, such as that Kohaku, later on as the beni is quite "hard" and the shiroji is already too finished. The "return" on investment is hardly ever there with regard to koi. You do have to buy what you like, but you also have to have a "goal" in mind as to whether you will enjoy your purchase for the short term or the long term. Then you can begin to try to learn about what qualities you're looking for or want. I will guarantee ANYONE one thing. The more you learn about quality, the more you will begin to see the inherent flaws in a fish, and your price point for what your new "eye" sees, will increase almost exponentially.
Russ made a very good point about all this in his remark about what his pricing for this quality level used to be. Most dealers use price points below $200 as the "meat and potatoes" of the business model. The larger the fish for this price point, the less quality the fish will be. Many times it has to do with the "left overs" that the dealer can't even break even on anymore, considering how long they've had the fish, and they just want to move it out in order to make room for new seasonal stocks which they can sell for more money. In some of these, you might be able to find something that was missed previously, and end up with a rather nice fish for less money. But don't think you're going to walk in to a dealer every time and find these "diamonds in the rough". Dealers usually know what they have and will price accordingly. Big box and privately owned pet/fish stores don't care nor do they understand koi quality usually. They buy cheap mutts from their fish distributor, don't care really where they came from or how they were kept (qt'd). Many of these small fish will be purchased by them for no more than $1-$2 and marked up to anywhere from $3-$25 or more depending solely on size. So, if that's what tilts your kilt, then fine. But when trying to learn about what "quality" koi are, don't start there as a mutt is a mutt and will never change for the better. It's just not in their "genes" to do so.