Online Dive Vendors/Dealers

[Web Monkey]

Everybody....
Some say that it's hurting the LDS. Guess what, America is a country of opportunity. The LDS should have the capabilities to keep up to the trends of what is going on with the customers. A LDS has the opportunities nowadays and can easily set up an online service and from there, may improve dramatically in their sales if the service/price is good. LDS that do not evolve as time goes by will be the ones that suffer the most.

You're missing the point. the L in LDS is "Local", which means that you can walk through the front door.

It's not your problem that buying online hurts the LDS. It's your problem that it hurts you.

No LDS = No shop to walk into for air fills, classes, parts and accessories that you want "now", service that you would prefer didn't take the time of a round trip via UPS plus shop time, and any number of other things that are impossible/inconvienient when not done in person.

Terry

 

[outlawaggie]

You're missing the point. the L in LDS is "Local", which means that you can walk through the front door.

It's not your problem that buying online hurts the LDS. It's your problem that it hurts you.

No LDS = No shop to walk into for air fills, classes, parts and accessories that you want "now", service that you would prefer didn't take the time of a round trip via UPS plus shop time, and any number of other things that are impossible/inconvienient when not done in person.

Terry

This may cause more trouble than its worth but I have to call Bull on this arguement. Shops do not survive on gear sales alone. As you said yourself, air fills, classes, travel, parts, etc. These items are not free. The shop makes money on all of these items. Any business class will tell you that change is both inevitable and constant. A shop either adapts to meet the changing needs of the market or or he doesn't but the results are his fault not the markets. The shop may have to adapt like ScubaToys has done or perhaps they become more of a service and instruction center. Regardless if online sales put a LDS out of business it is NOT the fault of the consumers or the online shop. It is a lack of understanding and willingness to change by the LDS. There will ALWAYS be a need for air fills, travel, and instruction. If a certain LDS does not fill that need then another shop will. Again this is just my two cents.

 

[Garyra]

Shops do not survive on gear sales alone. As you said yourself, air fills, classes, travel, parts, etc. These items are not free.

Hi OutlawAggie,

I can definately see your point. The problem with your argument is that the majority of the small LDS's make most of thier money off of gear sailes. Many of them don't have the capitol to stock the quanitity of gear that a store like Scuba Toys does. Hence, they can not get the discounts and are unable to compete with the internet. What does this mean for the small LDS? It means that the money that they are losing in gear must be made up somewhere else. They are being forced to charge more for training, fills and travel. I suppose the question is, "Would you rather pay more for your gear and get local service for it or pay more for your training, air and travel?" Either way the shap has to make enough money to stay afloat.

The shop that I go to is facing just this delima right now. Due to the drop in gear sales caused by people ordering over the web, they are being forced to raise the prices of trainign and other services. The wner doesn't want to see that happen, because it could put the cost of the sport outside the reach of many young divers.

Most of the people that frequent my LDS all know each other. We are more like an extended family than customers at a store. Personally, I would rather give my money to a friend/family member, even if it costs me a little more, than give it to a total stranger. I learned a long time ago that I should spend my money where I am being fed, and right now my appitited for diving is being fed at my LDS, not from the online vendors.

 

[RBachman]

Larry,

Thanks. I thought as much. I've been diving SP for 25 years and during that time....and very much in recent years.....I've seen them get more and more strict on their warantee and sales policies.

I could have saved around $50 (say 10% to 12%) on a recent reg I purchased had I gone to LP. The parts alone would have cost me more than that during the first year's service. With that in mind, spending the extra $50 up front will pay me back in 12 months. Where else can I get a 100% annual return on my money?

 

[outlawaggie]

Hi OutlawAggie,

Most of the people that frequent my LDS all know each other. We are more like an extended family than customers at a store. Personally, I would rather give my money to a friend/family member, even if it costs me a little more, than give it to a total stranger. I learned a long time ago that I should spend my money where I am being fed, and right now my appitited for diving is being fed at my LDS, not from the online vendors.

Gary,

Don't get me wrong. I would gladly spend my money in my LDS if its a little more. I think most of the people on this board would. I am all for keeping money in my local community but on major purchases we are talking about more than a little. For example, I am about to purchase a Oceanic Gamma II/CDX5, Octo, Zeagle Ranger BC, Aeris AI Computer. I'm looking at a price difference of over $500. I'm no Bill Gates and that is simply too much money to support my local shop.

 

[Garyra]

...I am about to purchase a Oceanic Gamma II/CDX5, Octo, Zeagle Ranger BC, Aeris AI Computer. I'm looking at a price difference of over $500. I'm no Bill Gates and that is simply too much money to support my local shop.

OutlawAggie,

I can relate. I recently bought a Zeagle Ranger BCD and Zeagle Reg and Octo. They are not cheap. A word of cuation though. A lady the other day came into the LDS's that I frequent and I just happened to be in there signing up for a class. She was telling the owner about the great deal that she got on a Zeagle and how they even sold her an extended waranty. This made the owner of the shop suspicious, because the price was way less than her price and that Zeagle has a lifetime warranty. She called up Zeagle and they had never heard of the person that sold the lady the gear and assured the shop owner that they were not dealers. Because of this the poor lady was stuck with a BCD, and Reg that she could not get warranty service on. If you do purchase any of gear from the web, make sure that the vendor is an authorized dealer before you buy. There are a bunch of peeps on the internet that are just looking to make a quick buck.

I must admit that I have putchased a few items online, mainly my wetsuits. I figure if something goes wrong with a wetsuit the worst that could happen is that I would be a little cold till i get out. However, if something goes wrong with my BCD, I could be looking at a runaway ascent or if my reg. I could have air issues. Personally, I would never buy anything that my life was dependent on over the internet. I am worth paying the extra money.

BTW if your LDS is charging you more than $700 for the Ranger you may want to start going to another dive shop. He is just ripping you off.

 

[Morpheus]

Try Ebay!

 

[redacted]

OutlawAggie,

I figure if something goes wrong with a wetsuit the worst that could happen is that I would be a little cold till i get out. However, if something goes wrong with my BCD, I could be looking at a runaway ascent or if my reg. I could have air issues. Personally, I would never buy anything that my life was dependent on over the internet. I am worth paying the extra money.

I don't believe that warranty will be very effective in slowing a runaway ascent or remedying air issues with a regulator while underwater. But I would expect it would get the repair done with less out of pocket expense assuming you worked your way through the initial problem.

 

[TravisT]

Just the way I percieve it, the store puts a price tag on their equipment. They know when they do that, however high they mark it up, that they are responsible for competing with other distributors/resellers out there. If someone has the same product, but for $100.00 cheaper, then it is THEIR FAULT that I chose not to purchase from them, not mine.

This goes with anything, if i was selling burgers for $1.50, and someone else was selling the exact same thing for $1.25, I have to resort to loyal customers for business or lower my prices....

 

[Web Monkey]

You're still missing my point.

What should matter to you is that when you need the various services the LDS provides, you may find that they either don't handle the brands/products you bought, or that if they do, that they take care of all their regular customers first.

That's also worth something, although it typically doesn't show up alongside the price on a website.

If this is OK with you, then it certainly doesn't bother me. Good dive shops will grow, crappy shops will fail. That's life. I wasn't looking to support places that don't deserve it, only noting that saving a few hundred dollars on a one-time purchase may be shooting yourself in the foot.

Terry

Regardless if online sales put a LDS out of business it is NOT the fault of the consumers or the online shop. It is a lack of understanding and willingness to change by the LDS. There will ALWAYS be a need for air fills, travel, and instruction. If a certain LDS does not fill that need then another shop will. Again this is just my two cents.