How much are you willing to pay your LDS over online?

How much markup is too much?

  • I always purchase online!

    Votes: 10 7.9%
  • 1-10%

    Votes: 47 37.3%
  • 11-20%

    Votes: 44 34.9%
  • 21-30%

    Votes: 9 7.1%
  • 31-40%

    Votes: 5 4.0%
  • 41%+

    Votes: 2 1.6%
  • I always support my LDS!

    Votes: 9 7.1%

  • Total voters
    126

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I prefer the LDS route. I like to hold stuff in my hands for fairly similar prices. Also I like Aqua Lung Regs and you cant get them online.
 
I will pretty cheerfully pay 10% over on line cost to buy something from our local shop. I will also buy from them on things where fit is important and I want to be able to try something before I buy it (bought my Fusions through the shop). I also buy from them where you can't buy on line (we bought three scooters through the shop, but we also got a very good group buy discount on them). But for most big-ticket items nowadays, I'm either buying on line or buying used.
 
I myself will pay 21 - 30% more at the LDS. The reason I do this is because I am a National Sales Manger of a company that build aftermarket performance parts in the auto industry. I have major online/catalog companies that buy our product for up to 30% less than the Jobber or Local Speed shop can buy at. This is due to extensive advertising and amount of parts that can be moved in a quarter. There is a lot more to it. But basically a manufacture has to give these discounts to the online/catalog companies.

I have found that the big online/catalog companies have actually forced 45 year old speed shops out of business.

I would assume this is going on in the SCUBA industry as well. So this is why I buy LDS. Just to keep my money in my community.
 
I myself will pay 21 - 30% more at the LDS. The reason I do this is because I am a National Sales Manger of a company that build aftermarket performance parts in the auto industry. I have major online/catalog companies that buy our product for up to 30% less than the Jobber or Local Speed shop can buy at. This is due to extensive advertising and amount of parts that can be moved in a quarter. There is a lot more to it. But basically a manufacture has to give these discounts to the online/catalog companies.

I have found that the big online/catalog companies have actually forced 45 year old speed shops out of business.

I would assume this is going on in the SCUBA industry as well. So this is why I buy LDS. Just to keep my money in my community.

Tresguey, as someone who's worked in a similar industry have you seen any LSS's find viable ways of competing with the online market without relying on the goodwill of their regulars to part with their money? For those that have succeeded, was their success really isolated to their own circumstances such that they were the only ones that could pull it off? Or is it really only a one way street to the demise of all local shops?
 
I'm willing to pay a premium on those things that I can get elsewhere to keep my LDS in business. But I'm not willing to allow myself to get robbed. My LDS has been, with a few notable exceptions, within the 10% range of online. So if they can stay in that area I'm fine. Those purchases, along with those things I can't get online (instruction, fills, VIP, etc) should be sufficient to keep them in business.

-K2
Bull?@! on instruction, fills, and VIP keeping a dive shop in business! Instructors get most of the fees on instruction - not the owners. Most dive equipment bought online comes with no warranty. If you don't support your LDS, who is going to service that life-support equipment you need to depend on to keep you alive??? ... of course, this is my opinion ....
 
My local dive shop has a very substantial online presence and doesn't bat an eye price matching anything i find online.

It usually doesn't come to this though as i think they monitor online prices and price their gear accordingly. I just bought a wetsuit from them and it was 40 bucks less than what LeisurePro was doing on the exact same suit.

I don't understand the protectionist mentality that i read about on here when my experiences tell me that this debate is a non starter.
 
Why can't you local dive center and your online dive center be one in the same? We are, and amazingly, our prices are identical, on line and in our store. Doesn't need to be any more complicated than that.
 
My LDS already closed down. When i first started, i bought everything from them. Also took classes from AOW to DM and MSD with them, plus specialties. Also took a trip to Bonaire with them.

I'm in the market now for all new gear. I still have my old fins/mask etc, but i want new. Nearest LDS that carries most of what i want is an hour away. Easily reachable, but when I see the prices online for the big stuff...$150 savings on the BCD give or take. $60 plus on the Slingshots. This isn't chump change. Even that $60 is significant to me.

I want to support local..but there's a limit. I've no problem tipping $5.00 on a $10.00 takeout order if i have the money but that's about it. I'll support the LDS by classes, small ticket items, and perhaps a trip or two. About the only thing that would make me go LDS is warranty.
 
Bull?@! on instruction, fills, and VIP keeping a dive shop in business! Instructors get most of the fees on instruction - not the owners. Most dive equipment bought online comes with no warranty. If you don't support your LDS, who is going to service that life-support equipment you need to depend on to keep you alive??? ... of course, this is my opinion ....
I don't know where you got the idea that most dive equipment bought online comes with no warranty, that simply is not true, most on-line retailers either are dealers for the gear that they sell or offer an in-house warranty that is equal (or better) to that of the manufacturer.
 
I have purchased all of my big ticket items from my LDS...of course they BEAT online prices on these items.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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