For some, the thought of buying seafood online can be a little scary – especially if it’s 1 lb Alaskan king crab legs. But having fresh king crab legs delivered to your door might change your mind. We wanted to give a more detailed explanation of per pound buying options. You can review the price grid for a quick pricing comparison across some online sellers. We will also get into pricing factors and help you decide whether to buy 1 lb king crab legs, 2 pounds of king crab legs, or 10 pounds of king crab legs.

Fresh King Crab Prices

Company Price/lb Minimum Order Shipping Order
Global Seafoods $35.00 5 lbs $16.20
Crab Place $42.29 1 lb $29.95
Fulton Fish Market $51.00 2 lbs Free
Seabear Smokehouse $63.60 2.5 lb $19.99
Cameron’s Seafood $65.99 3 lbs $39.99

1 Pound of King Crab Legs Pricing

As you may already know, king crab legs are expensive. Online king crab legs do tend to cost more. However, every extra dollar you spend reflects the guaranteed higher quality product. Shipping, sustainability, and supply chains all influence the cost of king crab. Online seafood suppliers provide the best king crab at a fair price, and here is why.

Direct Overnight Shipping

We have become accustomed (and a bit spoiled) with the trendy two-day shipping model. Fast shipping is an added bonus when you buy things online. For king crab legs, fast shipping is essential to ensuring freshness. The more time your order of 1 lb king crab legs is spent out of refrigeration, the more likely it is to arrive spoiled. So, online king crab sellers will use overnight shipping to prevent any mishaps. Overnight shipping costs more, which contributes to the overall high price of king crab. Luckily, many seafood sites will waive the shipping fee if you order enough crab or their other offerings. In this case, it will save you money to purchase 10 lbs king crab legs to snag the shipping deal.

Short Supply Chain

Related to the shipping process is the supply chain for king crab bought online versus in the grocery store. Longer supply chains often correlate with lower prices. Supply chains refer to the process that brings a product to the consumer. The supply chain for a package of one pound of king crab legs in the grocery freezer aisle involves multiple stops in warehouses and storage facilities before arriving at the store. Buying directly from online suppliers shortens the chain. The 2 lb king crab legs that you might buy online come straight from the people who process the fresh crab. You can read more about the crab fishing process in this article about a crab fisher.

Sustainable Practices

Crab fishers set the price of 1 lb of king crab legs according to the cost it takes to catch crab. Most Alaskan fishing fleets utilize sustainable catching methods that protect the environment and prevent population depletion. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has discussed why king crab hatcheries are not as effective as managing the natural population of crab. What helps most is supporting fisheries that practice environmental responsibility and provide transparency about their methods. Knowing where your crab is coming from and how it is caught is a benefit for paying the higher price for online suppliers.

Buy 1 lb King Crab Legs or More?

Some online seafood suppliers have order or pound minimums. The site may determine their pricing off 1 lb king crab legs. But, they could require you to buy more than 1 lb. Be aware of this. The price per pound can be a great price, but you may have to buy at least 2 pounds of king crab legs, if not more. You might as well buy 10 lb king crab legs. Crab legs freeze well and bulk amounts tend to be a bit cheaper. Plus, 1 lb is around 1 serving, so you will likely need more for a meal.