Never bought anything at an LDS. All my gear was bought either from a supplier with a website or on Ebay. The closest ocean to me is 600 miles away and too cold to dive in so I end up in Florida/Keys which is 1000 miles away. The airlines, car rentals and motels get all the money. All the LDS's around here are just that with nowhere to dive. They only sell their over-priced services and/or products. They seem to be doing OK since the most popular one just built and opened up a very nice and expensive shop with pools and all right off the Interstate.
Buying gear online: good or evil?
- Thread starter Rhone Man
- Start date
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randy54
Registered
you should add another option to include those of us who cann't buy local.
blainer
Registered
Being a business owner myself i try to shop locally for most of my shopping if it is within a decent percentage. When i purchase locally i know i will get good service and easier warranty repairs than buying online.
However there is no full line LDS, and i have visited both of the closest ones, one is 110km away and one is 260km away. THe closer one did not have the line of products i was looking for, and the further one while it was a large shop the customer service was horrendous and the prices were ridiculous.
I had walked in there with a pretty good idea of the brand and models of equipment i was looking for but the sales persons insisted on pushing me away from one major brand name (that they sell) to another much more expensive brand name. Even when i insisted on one certain brand name they poopoo'd some of the models and tryed to push me to the higher end model. Having read every forum, review and manufacturers website i could find i had a pretty good idea of what i needed for the type of diving i was going to be doing. Having priced most of that equipment online before leaving i had an idea of what i should be paying. ( $1100 online including shipping and full warranty from an authorized dealer) Pricing out the exact same equipment at the store it was $2350 plus tax! ridiculously overpriced. If it had been within even $300 i would have probably bought it there just for the local service and warranty help.
Now i can see why online retailers are becoming so much more popular. In my business we compete with some of the largest internet retailers in the world and we do just fine. Our pricing is usually very close to most online prices and if you have any trouble with any of our products you bring it back to the store and we exchange it with one off the shelves. For this type of service most people including me dont mind paying more locally.
I have no idea what online retailing is doing to LDS but i cant imagine any "retail" store that gives good service and has a decent price point going under from online retailers alone.
However there is no full line LDS, and i have visited both of the closest ones, one is 110km away and one is 260km away. THe closer one did not have the line of products i was looking for, and the further one while it was a large shop the customer service was horrendous and the prices were ridiculous.
I had walked in there with a pretty good idea of the brand and models of equipment i was looking for but the sales persons insisted on pushing me away from one major brand name (that they sell) to another much more expensive brand name. Even when i insisted on one certain brand name they poopoo'd some of the models and tryed to push me to the higher end model. Having read every forum, review and manufacturers website i could find i had a pretty good idea of what i needed for the type of diving i was going to be doing. Having priced most of that equipment online before leaving i had an idea of what i should be paying. ( $1100 online including shipping and full warranty from an authorized dealer) Pricing out the exact same equipment at the store it was $2350 plus tax! ridiculously overpriced. If it had been within even $300 i would have probably bought it there just for the local service and warranty help.
Now i can see why online retailers are becoming so much more popular. In my business we compete with some of the largest internet retailers in the world and we do just fine. Our pricing is usually very close to most online prices and if you have any trouble with any of our products you bring it back to the store and we exchange it with one off the shelves. For this type of service most people including me dont mind paying more locally.
I have no idea what online retailing is doing to LDS but i cant imagine any "retail" store that gives good service and has a decent price point going under from online retailers alone.
ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
I think that this is a huge probelm as well for any person that walks into an LDS with an idea of what they want. My LDS sells many names HOWEVER will never sell you anything without complete insult unless it says MARES on it. In theory I have no issue with Mares as a manufacturer but if it is shoved down my throat, I will walk away. I expect that an LDS is going to impartially (I know this is not entirely possible) answer my questions with facts as they know them and let me decide on what to buy. If they insist on being a high pressure sales person, I will gladly take my dollars to the internet (or another shop) because they just proved that they are not interested in my money.
imasinker
Contributor
This thread is much like the GREY MARKET thread posted awhile back.
It is true there are not as many Dive shops are per say car dealerships to chose from. If you have a bad exerience with one dive shop you may not be able to go elsewhere other than online. It is true some shops tend to push certain items or try and sway a customer to buy something other than what they want. This can and does happen. Again the problem is there are not near as many dive shops to choose from and some LDS tend to play on that. Bad Idea I say! If I were in this position I would go online if that were my only choice, I mean what other choice would one have. Just think of it this way, If a pushy sales person at a local LDS forces you to walk away, all likely hood say's your not the first or last and they will likely end up out of busness anyways. I guess i am lucky my LDS will order in a product they don't stock if that's what i want, and that's why I continue to shop there.
It is true there are not as many Dive shops are per say car dealerships to chose from. If you have a bad exerience with one dive shop you may not be able to go elsewhere other than online. It is true some shops tend to push certain items or try and sway a customer to buy something other than what they want. This can and does happen. Again the problem is there are not near as many dive shops to choose from and some LDS tend to play on that. Bad Idea I say! If I were in this position I would go online if that were my only choice, I mean what other choice would one have. Just think of it this way, If a pushy sales person at a local LDS forces you to walk away, all likely hood say's your not the first or last and they will likely end up out of busness anyways. I guess i am lucky my LDS will order in a product they don't stock if that's what i want, and that's why I continue to shop there.
R
redacted
Guest
Obviously, the market can not effectively be balanced by all current LDSs establishing a major online presence. But it is also obvious that all LDSs can not expect to make it with gear sales being a major profit leader if the prices are not somewhat competitive. Perhaps it is time for struggling LDSs to give up some of their independence and collaborate. Perhaps some should collaborate with established successful online suppliers. Smaller LDSs can then focus on training and service while they refer gear sales to the larger suppliers. I'm not sure what the sales tax implications might be from various possible levels of collaboration and support.
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