The scuba industry could learn a few things from the golf industry....

[chris3536]

I would just like to preface this post by saying this is my rant for this evening.

As I was saying, the scuba industry could learn a few things from the golf industry. I have been diving for a year now and I really enjoy it. It is great escape for me.....very peaceful and relaxing. As a new diver, I really take alot of pride in the new equipment that own. I have started except the fact that I am an equipment junkie. For guys like myself, I wish the scuba industry had more demonstator programs for retailers to help sell there products to consumers. A great example of this is the golf industry. As a PGA Golf Pro, you can come in my golf shop and try over 80 different drivers to see which one is right for you! (Especially before you lay down $400 for ONE of them!) For instance, I have been diving for about year now and I currently dive the SeaQuest Pro QD+. Since February I have lost a significant amount of weight and my needs have changed. I can still wear my SeaQuest because I was diving with a cumberbun extenion, but I am interesting in purchasing a Zeagle Concept II. Before I lay down the money for the BC I would really like to try one to see if it is right for me. I tried a back-inflate BC when I was OW class and was always "spinning" in circles. I think I'm a better diver now and would to give it another chance, but my local dive shop doesn't have any to try.

I have been very loyal to my LDS over the past year and asked the owner if manufacturers let you buy "demonstrator" models at a reduced price.....she laughed in my face. She told me these companies don't do anything like that to help out dive shops or to help provide better service to consumers.

At the start of my year, I can purchase all my "demo" drivers from all my manufactures discounted 50% off the wholesale price. These companies are more than willing to do this because it helps me sell more of their stuff! Why doesn't the scuba industry do any of this?

Just my two cents

[bwerb]

chris3536 once bubbled...
Why doesn't the scuba industry do any of this?

Just my two cents


Simple mathematics...how many golfers are there? How much does it REALLY cost to make a club? What is the mark-up on clubs?

Compair to the number of diver...hmm...aha! When Scuba diving has the hundred million divers and three dedicated cable channels with billboards promoting the latest clothing line, then you might see a similar trend...until then...welcome to the world of relatively obscure sports.;)

[LUBOLD8431]

chris3536 once bubbled...
As a PGA Golf Pro, you can come in my golf shop and try over 80 different drivers to see which one is right for you! (Especially before you lay down $400 for ONE of them!)

Why doesn't the scuba industry do any of this?

Just my two cents

They do... its called the keyman program. Most manufacturers have one. Its for divemasters, Instructors, and key dive shop personnel, like owners, and store managers. You can get a great deal on equipment.

As you said in your above post, this "demo" thing for golf, applies to all PGA Golf Pro's.

Become a Pro in Diving, and you can have the same benefits...





(Well, sort of, you do have to pay for it, just not retail.)

[Big-t-2538]

bwerb once bubbled...

Simple mathematics...how many golfers are there? How much does it REALLY cost to make a club? What is the mark-up on clubs?


same amount it takes to machine a back-plate and sew a plastic bladder inside some material then call it a wing.....

You're stronger argument would be the number of divers vs. number of golfers.

[JCKCSYCMD]

Big-t-2538 once bubbled...


same amount it takes to machine a back-plate and sew a plastic bladder inside some material then call it a wing.....

You're stronger argument would be the number of divers vs. number of golfers.

Agree on number of golfers...the ratio must be very significant. It is also rather easy to test a club vs logistics of diving. I was also suprised that no one had offered up the item of liability insurance expenses for dive equiment, along with demo or 'used' gear and it's relation to liability?

[bwerb]

Big-t-2538 once bubbled...


You're stronger argument would be the number of divers vs. number of golfers.

See paragraph two ;)

I do think that the cost per unit of wings/plates vs. clubs is an issue...if you make a 100,000 club shafts vs. 1000 bp/wings it is definitely going to cost more to set-up your manufacturing runs and pay for all your r/d etc.

[MikeFerrara]

hehehehehehe

The equipment manufacturers do want us to have stuff for you to try. Many have as part of their dealer agreement that we are required to have their products represented in out rental stuff. They also have in the agreement that we have to have their products (in some cases they stipulate the whole line) displayed in the shop. Of course all this must be done at OUR expense. They supply nothing on their nickle. They take Zero risk. They truely have no clue. They all want us to buy oodles of their stuff every year but we don't sell enough of any one brand to get a decent price on anything.

The enforcement is rather loose and they mostky use the wording in the dealer agreement to threaten us when the rep comes to visit. If they see to much of some other manufacturers stuff they threaten to cut you off. Funny how LP has plenty of everything though. LOL

The manufacturer would love for us to do what you suggest and even try to insist on it but we have to pay for it and the line of divers waiting to buy the stuff from us is short.

[FLL Diver]

JCKCSYCMD once bubbled...

I was also suprised that no one had offered up the item of liability insurance expenses for dive equiment, along with demo or 'used' gear and it's relation to liability?

Really. I'm sure DUI Drysuits has a different perspective on demos after the accident ay Gilboa this past weekend when a diver demoing one of their suits drown.

Marc

[jplacson]

Hmmm... I don't think a golf club qualifies as LIFE-SUPPORT equipment... I haven't heard of a defective club causing the death of the golfer using it... :lol:

I wouldn't trust my life with golf manufacturers...or home-made BC wings. Maybe some of you feel differently.

Golf manufacturers can give big discounts because they have huge mark-ups! That goes the same for some dive manufacturers as well... Mares & Scubapro are some of them. These guys inflate (pun intended) their prices so that LDS can offer "huge" discounts and make you feel like you're getting a great deal.

Besides, why bother buying "demo" gear from a dive shop? Just buy used gear from divers who want to upgrade... it's much cheaper...and usually in better shape.

I personally wouldn't trust my life on "demo" gear. I'd rather buy used gear from a good diver who takes care of his/her gear.

[jbichsel]

rotate their rental/student gear on a fairly regular basis. Get to know several LDS that are carrying the gear you want and tlak to them about buying equipment that has been lightly used. You can sometimes get good to great deals on this type of equipment. Some shops will even treat it as their own for annual maintenance.

I used to work as a DM for one that did this. We had a hard time keeping enough equipment in the store for classes and rental. He now sells a BC after roughly 6 months to one years of service.

[jrg]

If the little dive store doesn't let you try the equipment before you buy it, what's the advantage of buying it from them instead of from your favorite online store?

Some LDSs do rotate their rental equipment and will let you try anything you want, despite the manufacturers lack of help. Some LDSs will not do this for you.

[DA Aquamaster]

Most companies do offer demo equipment or discontinued equipment at very attractive prices to dealers. Some dealer use this as a means to offer lower cost equipment to divers they would otherwise lose to another shop or to online sales. Unfortunatetly some shops just use options on discontinued equipment as a means to get low cost equipment that they then sell at full retail price to improve their profit margin.

Used equipment is a very good option particulary as much of the used equipment out there is used very little. Rental equipment is usually upgraded every couple of years to correspond to changes in the manufacturers product line or in response to a dive shop changing dealers.

The discounts to dive professionals are a double edged sword. You can get cheap equipment, but in exchange you end up having to dive what the shop sells. I have managed to snag a couple of really good deals on Scubapro regs (example: $125 for a nearly new MK 25 D400) from hard pressed and low paid dive instructors who had to buy new equipment to pacify the shop they worked for. I essentially got their "old" but better SP regs for their cost of upgrading to less capable but new Dacor regs.