gav wrote:oh god - i just buy the ones that are ' pretty ' or ' unusual '
dumb blonde attitude me thinks!!
h xx
Ahhh ! ......... NOT as dumb as you think H
1st and foremost, there is no point in buying something YOU don't like, just because someone says it is a good one !
AND " unusual " is often good ! e.g. an " unusual " head pattern can often win a Koi show ................
where " unusual " = unique !
HOWEVER: with nisai ( 2yr ) and sansai ( 3yr ) and older, then bodyshape is the most important ..........
with tosai ( 1 yr ) it doesn't merit so much attention ....... in fact long and thin can often hint at size to come !
BUT I think the thing to understand with these articles is that a young Koi you really like now at the dealer's may in fact be " finished " .......
i.e. it may have already reached its best .......... and will in fact not improve further, and may well deteriorate over the years
We have all bought Koi we liked at the time ......... but 2 or 3 years down the line we would not have it if FREE !
This can OFTEN be the case with Sanke and Showa in particular, but also Shiro Utsuri and Shiro Bekko .................
THE REASON FOR THIS: We didn't check the bloodline to see when the sumi ( black ) is likely to stop coming ...........
resulting in our Koi which looked perfect to our eye when purchased ....... BUT was ALWAYS going to develop far too much sumi ( black )
It's likely the dealer knew this ! ........ but then he has to sell his stock ........ and he knows most customers " buy with their eyes "
just like the fruit 'n veg shop can easily sell red ripe strawberries and ripe yellow bananas ....... because most of us buy with our eyes
but if we didn't intend to eat them for 3 or 4 days ....... we may have been wiser to buy the not so ripe ones eh
So: all you have to do is decide: " do I want a Koi that looks right now ? ......... or do I want one I can watch continuously improve over the years ? "
In their defence, most dealers will not try to persuade you one is better than the other ....... they have to sell them ALL after all ! ........
so they will just say " pick the one YOU like " ......... which is fine ........ BUT it doesn't teach us anything
I find looking at websites with high class Koi is a free and enjoyable way to learn .............
even if we can not afford the Koi ........ we can see what a good Koi SHOULD look like.
In most dealers, the run of the mill Koi, that are on sale, are in fact only poor quality, and will often get much worse with age .......
many where even the breeder and sometimes even the country of origin are not disclosed
and yes, as with most things, you get what you pay for ........
BUT there are high class Koi to be found at some of the better dealers that don't cost £thousands !
I have bought Koi between £200 and £350 with full certificates stating date of birth, breeder, and the actual Oyagoi set ( parents ) and bloodline details,
and the difference in quality is ABSOLUTELY stunning
So much so, I have even had the chairman of the BKKS Section making comments, AND guessing the price wrong by as much as £1,000
In my opinion, the reason for this, is because of the way the Japanese do business .........
they are VERY much into protocol, etiquette and respect !
ONLY a very few UK dealers speak fluent Japanese,
only a very few have the knowledge of Koi, earned by working at the breeders, often for free, just to learn from the masters, the Japanese.
The rest, the vast majority, are NEVER even shown the better Koi, let alone be invited to buy them
it's just the Japanese way .........
( I know a first rate salesman, who could NOT sell to the Japanese companies ....... in frustration he asked the President of a Japanese company " WHY ? "
He successfully sold ALL over the World, except Japan ................... the reply shocked him
" The way you come here is insulting ! You have NOT learned to speak Japanese ........ you know nothing of our customs, and ways ..... that is very important to us ........ your product is good, better in fact than the one we use " ............. nearly 2 years later he returned having learned Japanese, and about their unusual customs and ways ........ he landed an annual contract for nearly a £million with the same President, was treated almost like royalty,
and was taken home to meet the man's family etc. ......... he retired as head of Sales for the far East in a huge company ! ....................
Peter
by nishikiboy » Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:08 pm 
