yukoneer:
Hey all! I am researching extensively for prices, stuff, etc.. I just got my certification and searching all options out there to buy equipment.
So far I have found:
www.scubatoys.com
www.scuba.com
www.leisurepro.com
www.diversdirect.com
www.diveus.com
www.divers-supply.com
www.piratescuba.com
www.123scuba.com
www.scubastore.com
any other suggestions? any other places?
3 of my LDS are ripoffs with prices, i'd save hundreds and hundreds of dollars by ordering online even with shipping.
www.tgidiving.com , Italian company, i have bought some stuff from them, nice to deal with. Really glad you brought this up.....where i live, a trip to a dive store aint a 10 min drive in the car...180 mile round trip ( on Irish roads !) to the one i use and do 90% of my diving with,so i only get a chance to check stuff out , hands on, before or after a dive, i will use the internet to research prices and stuff, and if they cant do a deal...i will go elsewhere....period !no hard feelings, nothing personal....My money after all, no fear of them going out of business because of loosing my sale....and if they were concerned.....would give me a reasonable price, which they have done in the past !....One example....a few weeks ago i was getting prices on 12L tanks, wanted 9 of them, for me and some friends, one dive shop i rang(after not replying to email....), 4 times in total.....could not find a price for a 12L??asked me to ring back tomorrow, ring back tomorrow....when i finally got a price he offered me a 15euro discount, not bad i said....15 off each tank aint too bad....wrong ! 15 euro off a sale of over 2100euro..."not much mark up on tanks" was his reply, went to my usual dive shop and got them for 1750euro, with them making a mark up.....why lie ?
anyway.....my advice, compare prices.....online and dive shops, hey, if u want to try something on and he wont give you a good price...go somewhere else, you will hear the "its nearly a deadly sin to try something on in a shop and buy online"...does that same sin apply to trying in one shop and buying in another ? or is it just online? i dont know....but i doubt it.....and does it apply to test driving a car in one garage and buying from another ? and the "cant buy air online" LOL....if you are serious about diving and your local shop wants to overprice....let him go under, you will always find someone with a compressor, be it friend or otherwise, if your local dive shop does not appreciate your custom by overpricing....his loss in the end !
Post Script.....this is from an irish perspective...i am sure there are a lot of compeditive shops all over the world....just sick of getting it both ways over here...
oleras