What are good prices for a newbie?

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TravisT

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Hey guys, I currently live in Oklahoma and will be starting certification classes in a couple of weeks. I went to a local dive shop here and although they are giving us a discount, i still feel as though he's attempting to make quite a bit off of our lack of knowledge of the equipment.

I was told by several people that you can usually get all your equipment for about $1200 or so.

I am wondering if someone could throw me some reasonable price quotes out there and maybe some other good websites to go to with good prices.

I will be purchasing some of the stuff within the next 2 weeks for my certification class, which includes a wet suit, fins/blades, boots, a mask, and a snorkel.

I will need to buy eventually my own, BC, tank, regulator, ect ect... but am only looking to spend around $600- $700 for the rest of this... can someone who has experience in purchasing equipment lead me in the right direction? Are there any good places online? For a newbie poor diver such as myself, what kind of equipment would you suggest, i don't need 'top of the line' everything. Thank you in advance!

EDIT: Just a little FYI, the guy talking with us about equipment from him, after doing some of the math after spending 2 hours with him, we're looking at around $2000 per person after it is all said and done. Out of our price range to say the least.
 
Well, I just recently geared up for about $1,200, here in N Alabama (minus tanks). However, if I read your statement right and you feel $1,200 is fair per person, that means you've already spent $500 for just suit, fins, booties, mask, snorkle? ("only looking to spend around $600- $700 for the rest of this"... which includes as minimum; BC, regulator w/1st stage, octopus reg and gauges, and you say you want tanks in that price, also????) If so, based on your current rate of spending, I'm thinking you're budget isn't going to make it. (I spent ~$350 for suit, fins, booties, mask and snorkle,,, most expensive part being the Henderson Hyperstretch suit,,, fairly "top of line")

You may wish to consider renting your hardware until you have some bucks put back for buying your own. JMHO! Good luck in your shopping and classes!
 
Firefilly:
Well, I just recently geared up for about $1,200, here in N Alabama (minus tanks). However, if I read your statement right and you feel $1,200 is fair per person, that means you've already spent $500 for just suit, fins, booties, mask, snorkle? ("only looking to spend around $600- $700 for the rest of this"... which includes as minimum; BC, regulator w/1st stage, octopus reg and gauges, and you say you want tanks in that price, also????) If so, based on your current rate of spending, I'm thinking you're budget isn't going to make it. (I spent ~$350 for suit, fins, booties, mask and snorkle,,, most expensive part being the Henderson Hyperstretch suit,,, fairly "top of line")

You may wish to consider renting your hardware until you have some bucks put back for buying your own. JMHO! Good luck in your shopping and classes!

Well, i haven't arleady bought anything, but up until speaking with someone else through a series of Private Messages, I wasn't aware i was getting 'the shaft' on the basics up until now.

From my understanding the $300 for my basic equipment should be about $175, excluding my wet suit which will also be a Henderson Hyperstretch for a 7'0'' guy such as myself. :wink:

I do feel that $1,200 is fair per person, but I was not looking to spend $2000 as this dive shop feels I should. Sales people, ugh.

Would it be reasonable for me to go into this dive shop and say 'hey, i have $1200, i need all the equipment, what can you get me in?'... if you did it, surely this dive shop can too.
 
TravisT:
Would it be reasonable for me to go into this dive shop and say 'hey, i have $1200, i need all the equipment, what can you get me in?'... if you did it, surely this dive shop can too.

What I did was research everything I wanted online. I already had a Mares Abyss reg, which I paid $200 for so needed a BC, octo and guages (wound up getting new suit and stuff but we worked the deal on the hardware package, first)

I had picked the middle price range Tusa BC for females, a Mares octo and Tusa three gauge console. Luckily, the first thing the salesman gave me to try on for a BC was the top of the line Selene. I oohed and ahhed and then sighed saying I must not have picked that one for my list since my total had come to $580 while pricing online (at his store's site, http://www.divesports.com) and the Selene was going for $416 all by itself. He returned by saying that, if he could get the whole package, including the Selene to $600 would I do it and I instantly said "deal"!

So yes, definitely haggle when getting complete packages at one time :D
 
Yeah, sounds as though you have a pretty good understanding of what you are looking for. I think this guy realizes he may be able to take advantage of us since we're not familiar with the scuba brand names or average pricing. Which is why i was here, i didn't want to look on a website online at scuba equipment that was marked way up from somewhere else. Although I think i'm on the right path. I really do appreciate your help!
 
Sure thing :) Though the reason I went there was I found that their online prices were pretty much in line with other online prices (a little higher but they beat the britches off the other dive shop in town I priced at AND it's local to me so I get their great service, too :)

A little research definitely goes a long way and a lot of research (I compared models and prices on-line and in stores for about two months before "diving in",,, that's a lot for me) makes for miracles (If I would have bit at the prices at the LDS nearest to me,,, I'd still be renting most of my gear and saving for the next piece :11:

edit to add: or I would have gotten geared up with "bottom of line" stuff for what I just paid for very nice stuff :(
 
Find out what is included in the "packages" that he is offering you, and check his prices versus the online stores. Don't forget to lump some shipping costs in there as well. If all else fails, you can come back to him with the "online" prices and negotiate from there.
 
Morpheus:
I purchased alot of my gear off Ebay... you can find alot of stuff really cheap..Brand new not used..Fins.mask,regs,computers,
Good point Morpheus. I got my mask, snorkle, fins set there.

Really liked getting the good deal at a LDS for the hardware, though,,, anything goes wrong I have my full warranty and a place to take it for servicing,,, just something to keep in mind for someone that may not be up to servicing their own (like me!) or too impatient to wait for mail off and return (also like me!)
 
Well, as I begin looking around and talking to others, it may not be that he's marking his products up, it's just that the only thing he says is 'worth looking at' is all the most expensive products. For example, atomic split fins.... they look nice and all and I've heard they are great fins, but I can't really afford to buy top of the line products with my target price range.
 

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