How come gear prices are all over the place?

[Finneli Felwitch]

Got certified in 1998, shopped for scuba gear many times, done lots of window shopping through the years. What I understand from scuba gear pricing so far:

Local Dive Shops tend to be the most expensive, even when they hold the Annual tent sales.
Gear manufacturers that have their own stores tend to price the same as the local dive shops.
Online retailers like Diversdirect, Divers supply, Scuba Toys, Leisure Pro seem to have a mixed price range. Some items are cheaper than the local dive shops, some items are priced about the same.

Then there is Dive Gear Express which has prices that throw me off completely.

An example, my local dive shop sells generic brand 30 inch flex regulator hoses for $65.00, while Leisure Pro sells them for $42.00, and then Dive Gear Express at $17.00(not on sale).

I know that when you buy from the local dive shop, you are paying for show room space, convenience, and other costs. Is scuba gear really expensive to make or are the high prices all profit?

 

[pdhenry]

Just a guess:

• LDSs are low-volume operations, not making a lot of money overall. They sell at MSRP because their margins elsewhere aren't making them much.
• Mfrs sell at MSRP to avoid undercutting the LDSs who are the most numerous retail channel. Mfrs would undercut their distribution if they set prices too much below MSRP other than in bundles or volume sales.
• Online outfits have higher volume, lower overhead (all warehouse, little/no showroom) and don't need to cover low service margins with sales markups since they either don't service or sales is proportionally a much higher part of the business (assuming some online shops have a brick-and-mortar presence with service).

As I said, just a guess. I don't think LDSs are "all profit" but instead need the retail markup to cover overall costs.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It's reasonable to believe Dive Gear Express makes their own generic flex hoses. They offer every length imaginable. Also, my understanding is that most of their customers are tec or advanced rec divers. Since Leisure Pro's customers are probably mostly vacation-type divers, I suspect they don't sell many stand-alone flex hoses compared with full reg sets. If you're buying something that is more commonly associated with tec than rec, the price may very well be higher at Leisure Pro and other big-name retailers than at a tec-oriented store.

 

[ComputerX]

I'm sure one of the shop owners will be along shortly, but while we wait you can good "minimum advertised price" for more information. Most local dive shops sell for less than the advertised price on the Web, at least for name brand gear.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[Damselfish]

Scuba gear is specialty/low volume, not mass market. That tends to make things more expensive.

Some gear is sold at essentially fixed prices because of manufacturer rules. If you're seeing pretty much the same price everywhere on something, good chance that is why. If you see the same item a lot cheaper someplace, it may be grey market. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but is something to be aware of and can have warranty implications.

If gear is not subject to price restrictions, then it can be all over the place depending on who's selling it and when, just like anything else you buy.

 

[KEdiver]

So really the question is this, do you value the LDS and the advise you get, the "Showroom" being able to see before you buy. Oh and let's not forget they need to eat and pay bills too. So unless you are one of those who think no one should make money then profit is OK. My LDS never charges me the price on the tag, because I have a buying relationship with them. Could I get it for less on the net probably but the small difference is worth it to me for them to be there for advise or just BS'ing for awhile. It is your choice. Oh by the way I am always suspect of the lowest price, China puts out a lot of crap with some good so buyer beware.

 

[dgreenh]

The mixed price with the online sellers could be that they are authorized dealers for some equipment and must advertise at MAP which is the same price you LDS can advertise if they so choose.

 

[rick00001967]

i've done a ton of shopping online for many different products, including scuba gear. i must admit, i too have always been confused as to the extreme differences in pricing. up here in canada (at least locally) it is quite common to see pricing on certain items that is 2 or 3 times the cost of the same item across the border. i know that import taxing can obviously add to the cost to the retailer, but surely it can't be enough to make the price 2 or 3 times more.
it is also the case that manufacturers sometimes have completely different list prices depending on the country. this can be the same for a number of other types of products other than scuba. this has never made much sense to me. if i make a wigget in the u.s. and it cost me X, i need to sell it for Y to make a decent profit margin. right ?? so (except for import taxes) i should be able to sell the same wigget in any country for the same u.s. list price. but that is not always how it works. sometimes the same item has a completely different list price in the u.s., vs canada, vs mexico, ect.....weird

on the other hand there are some companies that have consistent list pricing no matter where you look in canada or the u.s.

i am associated with a local dive shop now, and i have an unwritten obligation to purchase any new gear from them (we get a good discount). this only makes sense as we want to promote our own line of items we sell. so i have stuck to this policy, even if it means it costs me a bit more. but if i was a typical vacation diver, i would go where it is cheapest. that is what capitalism is all about. you must find a way to compete in your market, or get out of the business.

another thing to keep in mind is that certain retailers buy huge amounts of gear from a manufacturer when they are discontinued, or old stock ect, so they can offer extreme sales. those same large retailers also at times buy the inventory of other dive shops that are going out of business. again, this will make it easy for them to under cut most other suppliers.

 

[crosshairs]

So really the question is this, do you value the LDS and the advise you get, the "Showroom" being able to see before you buy. Oh and let's not forget they need to eat and pay bills too. So unless you are one of those who think no one should make money then profit is OK. My LDS never charges me the price on the tag, because I have a buying relationship with them. Could I get it for less on the net probably but the small difference is worth it to me for them to be there for advise or just BS'ing for awhile. It is your choice. Oh by the way I am always suspect of the lowest price, China puts out a lot of crap with some good so buyer beware.

Everyone needs to eat and pay bills...my goal is to keep as much of my money as possible to eat and pay my own bills....if some local store is selling the same items as the internet store for considerably more money, you can expect me to buy it from the internet.

its not my responsibility to make sure shops stay in business, that's their responsibility.

Also, I dont get advice from my local LDS..they have teenage retards working the store....I really hope they are not surprised when they go belly up...if so, they will be the only ones who are.

 

[Phil_C]

I think internet v LDS prices are a real catch 22.

I know people who go to their LDS to look at products and make choices and decide what they want, then go to the internet to buy at the best price they can find. I agree everyone has got to make a living, but the real conundrum for me is where the LDS's should pitch their prices.

Part of me says any sale is better than none to an LDS, so price matching or cutting would seem sensible so long as they do not make a loss. After all if they are priced too high they just won't get any sale and the goods will sit as tied up capital on their shelves.

My LDS doesn't stock the brands I like, so it really isn't too much of an issue, I use them for servicing and so on, and small items, but major purchases mostly come off the net after I have looked at them at a show if possible, unless there is a good show offer of course. - Phil