Mail order vs dive shop?

[Primus67]

i'm buying a lot of equipment as i'm new to diving and need basically everything. i've bought a lot of smaller stuff from local dive shops, but i noticed that most everything is way cheaper from online places like leisure-pro. any thoughts why? besides losing the lifetime warranty.

 

[PhilEllis]

i'm buying a lot of equipment as i'm new to diving and need basically everything. i've bought a lot of smaller stuff from local dive shops, but i noticed that most everything is way cheaper from online places like leisure-pro. any thoughts why? besides losing the lifetime warranty.

Or get the best of both worlds.....go to one of the several local dive stores who operate online click and buy stores AND offer a full manufacturers warranty on EVERYTHING they sell. There are several. I am partial to one in particular. Thanks.

Phil Ellis

 

[scubadale]

Or get the best of both worlds.....go to one of the several local dive stores who operate online click and buy stores AND offer a full manufacturers warranty on EVERYTHING they sell. There are several. I am partial to one in particular. Thanks.

Phil Ellis

Which one? Scubatoys?? :no

To the OP from my viewpoint Phil runs a fine operation and he is active on ScubaBoard, as are the other guys.

I am all for supporting your LDS if the LDS treats you like a customer not property, AND if they will match online prices. If they can't use Phil or other online guys that offer MANUFACTURERS warranties.

 

[jimdiverman]

i'm buying a lot of equipment as i'm new to diving and need basically everything. i've bought a lot of smaller stuff from local dive shops, but i noticed that most everything is way cheaper from online places like leisure-pro. any thoughts why? besides losing the lifetime warranty.

Primus,

You are asking the right question at the right time in your dive equipment buying life. Also think about the type of diving that you are going to be doing in making expensive diving decisions. For instance, have you purchased a computer or bottom timer yet? Do you think you will want to dive Nitrox? Maybe you don't know what Nitrox is. For a few dollars more, you can get a computer that supports Nitrox and not need to buy another computer in maybe just a few months.

You should at least be armed with the knowledge you need to make good buying decisions for what you want now, and not have to find out later that you made a purchase less than a year ago that now needs to be replaced because you didn't know that you could have gotten something that you need now for a few dollars more.

Dive safe!

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I've been burned a time or two online so I'm done with that. Plus I want to go into a dive shop and not only try it on but test dive it. I'll look for someone who can offer that. If a shop doesn't have their own pool they use a pool off site so they should be able to bring some gear for you to dive.

IMO the online shops are killing diving rather than helping it. 20% of dive shops are closing every year. I'm glad the lousy ones are shutting down but I hate to see good ones go. Get involved with a local shop and support them as best you can.

 

[Oxy]

I have flooded myself with info regarding buying new equipment. I want to buy from a shop where I can try/fit and support. But the prices online scream WHY?, you can get more, cheaper, better. I even found one online dealer that promised 30 day returns with free ship exchanges if it doesn't fit.

Pay less online and pay more at the shop or, pay more at the shop and get deals later???????
Tomato Tomotto

 

[Primus67]

i plan on a long and involved diving future, so i AM looking for good equipment. yep, i know nitrox and plan on taking a course on it later. what i was really suspicious of was that prices online for like a scubapro bc were a few hundred dollars cheaper than what dive shops were selling it at. also, something simple like a mask at a shop went for $90 compared to online that had it for $50.

see? i'm mostly suspicious of the really big price differences here. i have to buy a lot of equipment, and saving money would be nice, but not at the cost of something i may not be aware of.

 

[scubapro50]

Most divers who worry about price are the same ones that come running back to the local dive shop when something they purchased online screws up. They don't take into consideration the extra time and effort it takes to run a local shop. I have spent a lot of time explaining the differences between equipment and finding the right balance of performance and value for a customer. Some customers will come in and spend hours trying on everthing in the store and then go order it online to save a few bucks. If they have a problem later with a product purchased elsewhere we try to help but most times our hands are tied. Explaining why their "warrenty" is only good if they mail the stuff back to the online retailers is not a good experience. I've seen too many "small" problems that a local shop could fix quickly (less than 24 hours) take 3 or 4 weeks to fix because of "shipping" and not being able to drop in and see how the work was comming.

 

[ReefHound]

I've been burned a time or two online so I'm done with that. Plus I want to go into a dive shop and not only try it on but test dive it. I'll look for someone who can offer that. If a shop doesn't have their own pool they use a pool off site so they should be able to bring some gear for you to dive.

So then, being a fair minded person, I'm sure you would have no problem with someone wanting to have nothing to do with any LDS because they were burned a time or two at a local shop? That is actually what is driving the increasing sales from online retailers and the declining sales from local retailers.

 

[nereas]

Or get the best of both worlds.....go to one of the several local dive stores who operate online click and buy stores AND offer a full manufacturers warranty on EVERYTHING they sell. There are several. I am partial to one in particular. Thanks.

Phil Ellis

I agree with Phil on this. It is also what I do at my local store.

I will start by doing some internet searching to begin, and then quiz people on ScubaBoard and some other scuba internet sites.

Then I will visit my favorite dive store and see what they have got. They will then search their own internet resources of suppliers (Deep Sea Supply, Extreme Scuba, and Oxycheq are examples of excellent popular resources) and then they will order the product for me, normally giving me a significant discount off the retail price.

That way, I get the best of both worlds, as Phil said.

Also, I am supporting my local store, and they support me back, with equipment maintenance, upgrades, and repairs. The best of every possible world.