The difference between "Cheap" and "Value"

I'm prompted to write this after seeing several recent threads lately complaining about a level of service that someone has received.

In many of these cases, people have opted for the best up front price of a commodity. The thing that many people fail to take into account is the long term cost of that decision. The level of service your purchase comes with and other factors are what determine the value - price isn't the overriding consideration.
A few suggestions to keep in mind that help determine value:

- Item comes with free shipping
- Retailer has a generous return/exchange policy
- Prompt service whether asking a question or making a purchase
- Good warranty
- Free assembly/testing

This isn't written to incite another LDS vs. online retailer debate. Rather I'm hoping that people will share stories of things that help them determine when a deal is the best value and save others some headaches. It's also worth noting that the same concept can apply towards instruction as well.

In most cases, I simply am looking for the best price.

Shipping and other incidental costs like sales tax are just part of the best price.
I am not too sensitive to return policies, however, I do find the "NO REFUNDS - STORE CREDIT ONLY" a negative.
I don't pay extra for service unless I need it. I often get better answers on the internet than from a retailer.
1-year warranty is nice to cover lemons - but not with a sizable price increase.
I do my own assembly and testing.

When it comes to scuba I tend to favor large savings with used products. Even with the occasional deal that turns out to be a disappointment, I'm still very happy, overall, with my used gear purchases.

If I need instruction to gain knowledge and understanding then I look for a good source and price is secondary. If I just need the card, then I am looking for lowest cost.

Everybody will have to decide for themselves how much risk they are willing to accept if going for the "cheap" items.

As awap stated, I too will buy used to save money. I have been burnt a few times, but in general, it is a risk/reward that works out for me.

Sometimes there is added value to purchasing locally, but recently I have found less and less reason to do so. I will tend to order online even if it costs me more, just to avoid certain businesses.

I bought relatively "cheap" items. Most were also "value" items, because I did significant amounts of research before buying used gear (and some semi-expensive new gear) and then had my LDS check out some of the gear.

The only gear I'm not completely happy with so far is my used fins, mostly because I didn't do enough research and testing to check what I really wanted. However, they are still pretty good. Also, if I had to do it again, I wouldn't buy a jacked BCD; I'd buy a back-inflated one.

eBay is my LDS.

The classifieds on SB, TDS, DMX are my LDS.

I value real gear at unreal prices. No traditional LDS can offer that.

-K

"value" is something you buy somewhere when it is cheaper than another retailer. Sale items come to mind. Everybody loves to find the exact item they want when it is on sale or get a discount. Package deals are similar. Throw a bunch of items together and save vs buying them all separately.

"cheap" is when one item cost less than a similar item but is of inferior quality. I'd rather spend extra cash up front for something that last longer rather than buy several items over and over.

One scenario comes to mind right now as I'm in the market for a new dive light. LED lights are more expensive than halogen/xenon bulbs. You'd save money right off the bat buying the halogen light. But LED lights don't use up batteries as quickly with their longer burn times. You make up the difference in cost after a few battery changes.

As for value, I'm currently shopping around town at the local LDS and on line to see what is the best deal and who is having a sale.

It isn't just "goods" that this applies to.

Have a look around this forum and you will see plenty of "Where is the cheapest IDC", "I want a cheap DM Course" threads.

Value is one thing, and we all like value for money, cheap doesn't always get you that value

Some types of items lend themselves to shopping with price as the biggest consideration. For me exposure gear (other than dry suits) fits into that category. So do small lights, bags and buoys and snorkels. But when it comes to regulators, BC's and masks- things I really want to keep me alive, safe, AND comfortable during every dive, price is a consideration but a much lower priority than quality, simplicity, and reliability. Fins fall somewhere in the middle. Then again, I have so much gear downstairs in the scuba room, my wife would say my primary consideration for buying and item is whether I already have it or Not!
DivemasterDennis

I'm a hybrid shopper, definitely price sensitive and favoring excellent condition/low mileage used gear (mostly via E-Bay) over new gear, where possible, but willing to buy new from a LDS or volume discounter (Leisure Pro/Scubatoys/etc.) to get EXACTLY what I want. I'm very picky/particular about my gear, so I will shop 'new' to get exactly what I want, as it can be hard to find specialized/rare items on E-Bay. Overall I'd say I'm approximately 50% new/LDS and 50% E-Bay, and I've noticed my recent pattern has been mostly 'new'/LDS expenditures. I've noticed the availability of the gear items I'm interested in on E-Bay has declined dramatically, and I'm chalking that up to the 'down' economy, meaning people are hanging onto their quality gear longer and not liquidating to upgrade to the new shiney thing as they once did (just like the prices of used vehicles have shot up dramatically since the recession of 2008 timeframe for the same reasons). When the recession of 2008 first hit, there was a TON of good stuff available on E-Bay, as the least serious/most financially-challenged divers flooded the market with stuff, that 'panic liquidation' era has passed, so now the serious divers still remaining in the sport are saving their pennies by keeping their gear longer and not listing on E-Bay so much anymore. Upon examining my present gear wish list (say projects I'm working on for the next 12 months) it's essentially 100% new/LDS items as it's mostly reg upgrade parts and dive computers that are only available 'new'.

In recent years I have gotten into buying old Scubapro regulators on Ebay and repairing or overhauling them as needed. I do my own service and Scubapro still makes parts for just about every regulator they ever made. For the cost of a few O rings I was able to put a MK3 with a 108HP and SPG into service for less then $25 and in my opinion this regulator is as good or better then what is on the market today for shallow water dives. I also did the same with a MK5 with a 109 and SPG for about $40 for deeper dives. This is about as cheep as you can get short of being given a working regulator for nothing and I believe the value of these regulators is higher then what is on the market today.