online scuba sales

[roastbeef]

Aqualung and Scuba Pro are now allowing dealers/dive shops to sell there products online. I smell tough times ahead.

[scubamarketing]

I'm not in Canada, so I don't claim to fully understand the workings of dive equipment retail there, but who do you anticipate this being tough times for? In the US, Aqualung isn't exactly selling online and the recent change to SCUBAPRO policies seems to have raised prices online (but now with full selection and warranties) while reducing prices locally.

[Hashime]

Go to LTC scuba in concord. Leonard's prices are better than online.

[oly5050user]

Yes it will cause tough times and big changes on how scuba business is conducted.
The times of a inexpensive ow course as a loss leader for gear sales may/should possibly end. The past model of doing business for LDS cannot survive with so many gear sales going to internet retailers.This is how people shop today.On their computers.
Perhaps the future LDS should concentrate on training and forget about gear sales completely! Sort of like when Walmart gets into a neighborhood and all small retailers go out of business. Only thing is a student cannot develop inwater skills on a computer.
Charge a much higher fee for training.The cost of training has been too low now for a long time.Should be in the range of $1,000.-$1,500 for a ow class.That is without the 4 required training dives.Think about it,back when I took a class I was making $85. a week and the course was $50. Now a blue collar tradesman,lets say a person who works for Verizon,as I was, as a installer/repairman, makes up to $1,500 to $2,000. a week with overtime..thats 20 times + more than what they made when I was certified.Should not the course have gone up also because of inflation alone?
Just using inflation as a guide the $50. course of the 60's should now be a minimum of $1,000.Not even adding in any periodic increases due to cost of doing business.
Even this way has it faults.
It will cause less people than ever taking a scuba course which will lead to less gear sales for the internet dealer. Less gear being sold/manufactured means the price of the gear will have to increase due to lower volume. Diving will cease to be an activity that it is today. Perhaps its getting close to a time I should learn to play tennis?

[awap]

Yes it will cause tough times and big changes on how scuba business is conducted.
The times of a inexpensive ow course as a loss leader for gear sales may/should possibly end. The past model of doing business for LDS cannot survive with so many gear sales going to internet retailers.This is how people shop today.On their computers.
Perhaps the future LDS should concentrate on training and forget about gear sales completely! Sort of like when Walmart gets into a neighborhood and all small retailers go out of business. Only thing is a student cannot develop inwater skills on a computer.
Charge a much higher fee for training.The cost of training has been too low now for a long time.Should be in the range of $1,000.-$1,500 for a ow class.That is without the 4 required training dives.Think about it,back when I took a class I was making $85. a week and the course was $50. Now a blue collar tradesman,lets say a person who works for Verizon,as I was, as a installer/repairman, makes up to $1,500 to $2,000. a week with overtime..thats 20 times + more than what they made when I was certified.Should not the course have gone up also because of inflation alone?
Just using inflation as a guide the $50. course of the 60's should now be a minimum of $1,000.Not even adding in any periodic increases due to cost of doing business.
Even this way has it faults.
It will cause less people than ever taking a scuba course which will lead to less gear sales for the internet dealer. Less gear being sold/manufactured means the price of the gear will have to increase due to lower volume. Diving will cease to be an activity that it is today. Perhaps its getting close to a time I should learn to play tennis?

Why don't you go ahead and start charging those prices for training?

There is a new thing settling into scuba retail - COMPETITION. In stead of jacking up prices to ridiculous levels, it may be time to look for efficiencies rather than schemes and scams.

As a consumer, I like the overall direction things seem to be taking. Time for survival of the fittest.

[Starcruiser]

I think the future LDS will have to embrace the internet for sales. Advertising your gear and service online and allowing purchases online will boost sales, while having a brick and morter store will allow for repairs and 'hands on' sales. I personally prefer to buy locally if the price is close, but I do most of my research online as far as price / features. I also make it a point when I shop to check online to see if local stores (LDS and others) even carry what I'm looking for BEFORE I go in to shop.

[oly5050user]

Why don't you go ahead and start charging those prices for training?

There is a new thing settling into scuba retail - COMPETITION. In stead of jacking up prices to ridiculous levels, it may be time to look for efficiencies rather than schemes and scams.

As a consumer, I like the overall direction things seem to be taking. Time for survival of the fittest.

You are right about competition.But charging a low ball price does not pay the electric bill.LDS I am at now currently charges up to $600. for a private 1 to 1 class and $500. for 2 students.That is acad/pool only. Seems to work as I have continual clients to work with. Have a class of 2 tonight-Saturday and Sunday. Another 2 private course students on Thursday morning.Funny thing about dealing with this type of student is very often they purchase full gear kits vs the standard group class of 4 students that pays $269. for a course and purchases nothing more than mask/fins/snorkel,many times showing up with borrowed personal gear so no gear sales at all..so I can see why a facility would rather deal with a smaller client base that spends more $$ than a large one that spends little.
As a consumer initally online sales may seem a good thing,more choice! But for the industry there will be less choice on where to get training as many LDS will close shop.So less LDS around to market diving,less consumers diving, smaller market for gear sales.Eventually be a much smaller market than what it is now.Smaller market=less gear manufactured=higher cost of existing gear.

[awap]

You are right about competition.But charging a low ball price does not pay the electric bill.LDS I am at now currently charges up to $600. for a private 1 to 1 class and $500. for 2 students.That is acad/pool only. Seems to work as I have continual clients to work with. Have a class of 2 tonight-Saturday and Sunday. Another 2 private course students on Thursday morning.Funny thing about dealing with this type of student is very often they purchase full gear kits vs the standard group class of 4 students that pays $269. for a course and purchases nothing more than mask/fins/snorkel,many times showing up with borrowed personal gear so no gear sales at all..so I can see why a facility would rather deal with a smaller client base that spends more $$ than a large one that spends little.
As a consumer initally online sales may seem a good thing,more choice! But for the industry there will be less choice on where to get training as many LDS will close shop.So less LDS around to market diving,less consumers diving, smaller market for gear sales.Eventually be a much smaller market than what it is now.Smaller market=less gear manufactured=higher cost of existing gear.

I agree with your fees for small class sizes and can see higher fees for other special situations but $300 for the typical 6 to 8 student class seems about right. I passed on the $300 to $400 OW classes for my granddaughter in favor of a one week (5 days of 8 hours per day) scuba camp for about $600. I really believe that part of the problem in many areas is too many small, inefficient shops and that those areas would benefit from a good culling. I don't see the local supply of gear, service, or training as being a big problem. The critical item will be gas fills and it does not take a lot of shop to satisfy that need. In fact, as long as there are enough divers and diving opportunities in an area, folks will find a way to sustain the activity even if all the local shop close. The whole thing could continue to function based on internet retailers and service provideres, independent instructors, and dive clubs.

[roastbeef]

You all have good points but in the long run I see a few dive shop owners eating cabbage for dinner if they don't change there business plans and attitudes.

[Norberto]

Hmm, what's wrong with cabbage, I like cabbage and polish meal called bigos just in time for Christmas .
Today we have Christmas party at Aquasub so please stop by if you are in neighborhood , we are going to serve good coffe, cookies my wife made and other good stuff ( I promise no cabbage )
Merry Christmas