Internet gear question

[tobad78]

Some enjoyable comments here, obviously from people who've got no idea of what it costs to run a dive shop.

Too stupid to price the same as the internet? Can't be done. Impossible. You're stupid if you try in fact. Let's all race to the bottom of the pile.

You want service with a warranty or the cheapest prices?

Is it really cheap though? Buy your aqua-lung or scubapro online, go ahead. You won't get free parts for life will you. It doesn't take many years before that reg was acutally free. Any of these here today gone tomorrow internet thieves going to give you a free reg?

You want service with a warranty or the cheapest prices?
why not both scubatoys.com

Buy your aqua-lung or scubapro online, go ahead. You won't get free parts for life will you.
I bought 2 aqua-lung regs online. I didn't pay for parts. This is a BS answer to buy at your LDS. My (new) LDS didn't ask or care where I bought it. My old one did. I don't think Aqua Lung cares it's more to scare a person.

 

[mdb]

Many good full service stores also offer competitive pricing. For example Larry and Joe @ SCUBATOYS.COM and Jim Herndon @ SCUBA.COM offer air, instruction, good advice and are authorized dealers for every product they sell.

 

[wet]

if the dive shop is stupid enough not to try to come close to the internet price than their loss. Small shops do have a higher cost per item as they do not buy in volume but a sale is a sale and the more volume you do the better your pricing.
SNIP

Seafox69 is right. I have worked in many dive shops and although the markup on high dollar items is fairly low and you have the support staff to repair/warranty the work right there, things like fins/masks/snorkles often get HUGE markups. One shop I worked in regularly bought fins, for instance, that cost them $9-$10 and sold them for $70-$90 a pair. This is to say that many, if not most, LDSs CAN drop their prices significantly on many items, whereas, items like regs/BCDs or certain brands, such as DUI/Halcyon/etc...have low markup and they can not drop the rates.

I also agree that life support stuff should be purchased and serviced by a manufacturer trained and certified shop where you deal 1 on 1 with the people you are buying it from. I own 9 sets of regulators and although I am familiar with basics I do not service them myself because I have not gone through proper 'training.' I respect my life and that of my students far too much to worry about an extra $500 a year in maintenance with those. My BCDs on the other hand, get all the love and service straight at home, unless something is really looking wrong then they are replaced.

NO matter what...when buying online, even if the site clames to offer a manufaturers warranty, it is always a good idea to call the manufacturer with the re-sellers information to see if your waranty is valid or voided. One of the LDSs I worked for actually sold things on eBay and regularly told the people buying the gear to just say they bought it at XX Scuba Shop while on vacation if they ever have troubles. Bad karma, bad practice and bad idea.

 

[kidspot]

I've got several anwers and some info for you. Perhaps some were covered by other posters... sorry I haven't read all the replies.

1) I just received 3 custom wetsuits from Scuba-L (also known as Triple-L at http://store.triple-l.biz/index.asp? ) and was quite happy with what I got for the price. The wet suits are pretty basic but the fit is custom and the price is pretty much the same as a low-end off-the-rack brand name suit. The stitching appears solid but only time will tell how well they'll wear. The keepads frankly could be better but whaddaya want for such a low price?

Mine are holding up quite well after 50 dives on my current suit...

What happens is that you go through the normal order process on line and as you add options, the price quite increases (i.e. 5mm > 3mm, hooded > unhooded, etc.). when you get to the size option you click "custom" and then you complete the on-line order along with your credit card payment shipping address and everything. Be sure you write down the order number. Next you go and fill out their custom fit size chart page (be sure some one else can measure you. Preferably while you stand atop a chair). You include your order number on the size chart page and "submit" this separately.

THen they then match you order with your custom size chart and send you back an email in a day or two saying that shipping will be an additional $50 (for each custom suit). You email back "OK, let 'er rip!" and they manufacture the wetsuit and express it to your door.

I've corresponded with other Triple-L customers and the $50 for "shipping" for a custom suit is the same as far as I can tell for anywhere in the US. The cost is likely more than just the shipping with the extra going to pay for the custom cutting and sewing job. Calling it a shipping fee may be some sort of legal thing. But then again, they do use DHL 2nd-day express for shipping (which is from Ho Chi Min City in Viet Nam). For my three suits (one each for me and my two sons) I ordered them on June 28 this year and received them on July 6... pretty quick eh? The airbill said they left Ho Chi Min City on July 5 so I guess they really did express them. So for each 5mm unhooded jump suit I paid a little over $130. A bargain for a custom fit AND my high-priced LDS had to agree with my purchase since they couldn't offer a custom fit.

$50 for shipping via express service from out of the country is actually fairly good shipping rates - I frequently pay that for UPS/FedEx shipments from the mainland over to Hawaii ...

You should note that unlike the pictures on the web, the Triple-L jumpsuits come with zippers on the back (noth the front like the pictures) and with zippers on the arms and legs.

Actually the suits with front zips are the hooded variety and the unhooded are back zip - per their website - I used to like the front zip, till I learned how much harder they are to get out of - lol

Glad you're happy with your suits - I keep telling myself I should order a 5mil custom unhooded suit from them... one day

Aloha, Tim

 

[mdb]

Many times the LDS wants 100-120% markup. This is no longer viable when folks can find full service dive stores with warranty, good pricing, and good service, on line. Of course it is better to buy the gear at your LDS. If they start into a lecture about "It is gray market, it won't be under warranty" etc. they have their head in the sand. There are now many full service authorized dive retailers who buy right, sell right and offer very fine service. Times have changed.

 

[serambin]

I plan on buying my reg and BC from an LDS. However, the most expensive pice of gear I'm purchasing is a dive computer and on this item I'll pay almost $200.00 more locally than on line. However, I can't see why the SCUBA industry, an industry based on technology, can't find a way to support web-based business.

The other problem with the LDSs is that each is locked into only a couple of "lines" of gear so that I can't purchase a Wisdom computer form the shop carrying the reg I want.

 

[jonnythan]

serambin, www.scubatoys.com is the perfect example of the dive industry succeeding online.

 

[McDiver]

serambin, www.scubatoys.com is the perfect example of the dive industry succeeding online.

Wow it's really gonna suck when the LDS goes out of business, they give me air, can internet do that? It costs around 10 dollars to fill each tank (filters, maintenance electricity, initial cost) so he's taking a hit just to stay open. Internet is a double edged sword, good prices, but kills the LDS and if the LDS start to die we wont dive, no more air fills. I guess you gotta buy at least some stuff from dive shops besides air, otherwise it wont be there. :06:

 

[Kriterian]

Wow it's really gonna suck when the LDS goes out of business, they give me air, can internet do that? It costs around 10 dollars to fill each tank (filters, maintenance electricity, initial cost) so he's taking a hit just to stay open. Internet is a double edged sword, good prices, but kills the LDS and if the LDS start to die we wont dive, no more air fills. I guess you gotta buy at least some stuff from dive shops besides air, otherwise it wont be there. :06:

Or the dive shops could just step into the modern age and sell on the internet too. Scubatoys does a mighty fine job of doing both and they seem to still be in business. In fact they have the biggest shop I've ever seen.

The whole "where will you get air" argument is getting old. If an LDS goes under because it can't keep up with the internet prices, then another one with halfway decent business sense will.

 

[kidspot]

...The whole "where will you get air" argument is getting old. If an LDS goes under because it can't keep up with the internet prices, then another one with halfway decent business sense will.

Or more and more divers will start buying their own compressors, the prices on compressors will drop due to the increased sales, the increased demand will make them invest more R&D into them, creating a better more reliable product...