Fair prices

[scubaboy]

Hi, ALL

Been looking around into buying my first set of diving gear...
I looked at about 5 different LSD and the on-line sites, what a difference... I noticed that Rodale's prices are about the same as the most LSD... My question, is there a site or a place a diver can call or write to get the manufacturers price on the items before buying overpriced gear???

I would love to support my LSD, but not made of money and buying my first set of gear could cost me around $1,000-$4,000...

Thanks, scubaboy...

 

[cybordolphin]

You may try places like "Scubastore.com". They are in Spain.. but have excellent prices. Shipping is fast (cheap too). Others including me have had good luck with them.

I think LDS's are going to go through the same agonizing adjustments as many BM stores. The net is a 2 edged sword so to speak.

Good luck!

 

[Scubaroo]

Hi scubaboy,

I buy a lot of gear online, and it's a good way to save money, but you can still support your LDS (Local Dive Shop) by buying any gear from them you need to get fitted for size- i.e. wetsuit, booties, gloves, fins and mask, and maybe even your BC. Plus you can often negotiate a bit of a discount by buying packages from the store, or get a discount on further training, etc, something you can't do online.

A lot of people say they won't buy "life support" equipment online (usually regs and BC, but isn't most of our dive gear life support?), and some manufacturers won't honor warranties on goods bought online (my personal peeve), but that's a whole other can of worms that's been beaten to death elsewhere on this board, and doesn't need reopening. Just don't rub it into your LDS face when they quote you $200 for a piece of gear that you could buy it online for $100 - you're going to need them down the road for tank fills and maintenance.

Not all ODS (Online Dive Shop) are created equal though - so if you decide to buy anything online, shop around! I just bought a wrist mounted Suunto compass online - one store was selling it for $60 + p&h, I ended up getting it for $36 posted.

Back to your original question though, not a lot of scuba manufacturers websites offer recommended retail pricing, so Rodale's, and your own shopping around, is your best bet for this type of information.

good luck, and welcome to Scuba Board!

Ben

 

[diverjohnz]

hey whats up
frist becare what you buy online I hear some come with little or no wariunty Me I like to try out some of the gear I buy, thats a little hard over the net I do buy gear over the net so dont get me wrong. dont forget when you buy bc's & regs all major brands are wariunted for life if you keep up with the services at the lds's
the biggest thing you get what you pay for and siting in 130 ft of water, well no worries............................. diver johnz

 

[Lost Yooper]

Buying quality gear like Apeks and Halcyon makes a big difference.

Mike

 

[budgy]

Hi, Scubaboy,
The mark up on dive equipment is also cruel in the U.K.
I hear some club organisations in the states have had some success getting block discounts, if any of you know more about this tell us.
Club members over here can borrow from their club everything but fins mask and suit, some clubs can even lend suits.
The more we deal with internet suppliers the more the local has to charge for his services.
Dive show prices are normally the best we can get, but if anything goes wrong who do you contact.
If you shop around on the net you can sometimes save more than 50% on the recommended retail price.

 

[Ferrara]

I will try to be short because I am probably beating a dead horse. However, I have never seen a dive shop owner respond to such a question. I am so I will. On line yields the best price not always the best value. The fact is that some products are sold online for nearly what I pay for them as a dealer. A good shop provides services you can't get online. Many of the services are at no charge. In theory you pay for it when you buy equipment. Not that there are that many good shops! I let people know what the mark-up is and better customers get better prices. Also after two years in business I have yet to take a paycheck. Another fact is that in my area we break even on classes in the hopes of selling some equipment. For the loyal folks who come to us for air and service - My compressor (at the volume of air we pump) will never yield a profit, it is a service we must provide to be a dive shop. Service is not much of a profit center unless we sold the equipment we're servicing. Then there are the people who spend many hours with me deciding what to buy, then buy online. Online sales will certainly cause dive shops to change. Maybe all retail sales will go online. I love to teach but hate retail sales anyway. Then we can charge reasonable prices for instruction, service and consultation. In defense of the online shoppers I will add that the reason I opened my own shop is that there weren't any around that I liked. I certainly was not happy teaching for the other shops. The whole industry will change. What is a fair price? The answer is, it depends on what you want.

 

[Bob]

Scubaboy,
When I get ready to buy new gear, I check out http://www.leisurepro.com and look at their prices. I always ask my LDS if he will match that price. Most of the time he will. He just matched leisurepro on a BC I just bought. I always give him first chance. Look closely at the cost of shipping, it might end up costing you more to buy online. In general, you need a good relationship with your dive shop, buy all you can from them. :tree:Bob

 

[cybordolphin]

Hmm..

That's one of the reasons I use the net... I don't have to be a "better" customer to get good prices. The worse thing for a retailer is getting into the business of negotiating prices. Just look at cars sales. They have spent YEARS trying to reverse that trend (with little success).

Someone needs to come up with a solid marketing direction for all LDS's to follow. I hate to see them suffer. Not drawing a check for several years.... is not good. And when the LDS's or being responsible for the safety of others (providing air and training, etec)..... it actually makes me nervous.

It seems like it will be a matter of the "strong will survive". This could mean stores like Sport Chalet will be dominant. That just sucks.

But when I can buy an ATX200 regulator for $275 to $325 online... and my LDS wants $800 for the same setup... well I don't have the answer... but I don't have time to fool around to get a good price. In fact it does not take long for me to make that decision.

Its going to come down to volume selling in order to make a profit. Now how the heck can a LDS find a way to do that? Maybe the net.... but even that will require keen business savy.

It kinda sucks.

 

[Ferrara]

I agree. The fact is instruction and service is given away to sell equipment. And with low volumes we don't get the price ourselves. I couldn't match online prices even if I wanted. Each part of a business needs to be a profit center, but that’s not how things have evolved. Do you think the market will pay realistic prices for training and service? How much per hour is a good instructor or technician worth? If we go to online sales we spend our time managing computers and warehouses. Here is a question. If the industry needs pros, and maybe it doesn’t, how does it support them? Many of the best instructors I know have stopped teaching. Why? Because they refuse to deal with abbreviated pool schedules or in the case of more advanced training they refuse to hand cards to (or even conduct the class for) people who are not ready. The shop owners won't tolerate that. The companies dealing in volume appear to be doing well. Maybe that’s why it’s so rare to see a good diver. Maybe that’s why if you put 5 divers in a quarry with 50 ft vis for 5 min. the vis is then 5 ft. But I agree when you buy a reg you should pay for the reg not someone else’s training or service. Why have we married retail and training? Maybe good retailers are not good trainers. Maybe good trainers are not good retailers. Should they be? Just posing questions, it makes for interesting conversation.