When buying and selling full set up tanks, is there a per gallon rule of thumb? For instance, if I were buying or selling a 35 gallon tank with heater, substrate, filter, et al, what is a reasonable price? I know it depends on a zillion things, condition and age of the tank, with or without fish, pick up or delivery, etc etc. I'm just looking for a market clearing price. Because I AM selling my tank (moving out of the country), and in 5-6 years I may be looking to buy a larger tank. Having absolutely no luck on Craigslist. Thanks all.
Rule of thumb for buying and selling fish tanks
- Thread starter Joe_Schlabotnik
- Start date
it depends on location a lot. generally for used tanks most people get $1 a gallon if its really nice with a stand maybe $1.50-$2 but normally $1 a gallon. used equipment 50% of online retail or less substrate not really worth anything. the cheaper you ask the higher chance of getting rid of it.
Most people do. I used to buy used tanks and restore/repair them for resale. I'm having trouble getting broken tanks at a good price.
I recently sold about 40 tanks. For the most part I was getting around $0.60-0.70/gallon on the tanks alone. Wood stand is worth more than metal stand usually. If you have everything but fish, I would say list for $60 and hope you get $50 for it. That would be about $25 for the tank and $25-35 for stand and equip. I would still pass it up at that price, but you may get a few bites. If you don't get any bites after 4 days, relist $10 cheaper.
To compare, I just picked up a 38/30g combo (30 needed resealed) with metal stand, substrate (which I won't use), heaters, two air pumps, 6 nets, a hand full of sponge filters, air stones, 3 50lbs buckets of slate and tufa rock, a box of terra cotta pots and pvc, light strip, glass tops and a whole box of assorted filter media, parts and all kinds of stuff all for $50.
I would say that $1/Gallon rule really only applies to tanks 55 gal - 200 gal.
Bigger than theat and they get pricey. Smaller than that and they arent worth much used, unless they have accessories and a stand.
at least around here anyway.
Bigger than theat and they get pricey. Smaller than that and they arent worth much used, unless they have accessories and a stand.
at least around here anyway.
Thanks Pierce and Zigman. Mine is a 35 gallon hex, fully equipped, with 10 cardinal tetras and a plecostamus in it. Plus I'm willing to throw in some drift wood and extra charcoal and foam filters. But the tank has a small crack in it that the kids did somehow when I wasn't around. Happened in the last month. Tank isn't leaking, crack isn't expanding, but surely this is scaring people away. I listed it at $50, didn't get any bites. Changed the price to $20 (I have to get rid of this fast), got one bite. I'm hoping the guy will take it at that price.
$20 is much more reasonable since the tank has a crack. I wouldn't pay anything for a small hex tank with a crack.
Depending on if the tank needs a new pane or can be patched and where the crack is located, it might be ok for a reptile tank as is. With that in mind, I think $10-$20 might be ok. Without the crack I wouldn't pay more than $35 used, complete. Substrate, fish and filter do nothing for the price unless it was a rare or uncommon fish and an expensive filter.
This topic has come up before & someone started a thread about it awhile back. I found it useful, hope you do too. http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?221170-CL-Used-Aquarium-Pricing-Guide