Online scuba stores

[driftwood]

I am a new diver and looking into purchasing recreational scuba equipment. I see the online stores are just so much better than LDS in price. What are the pro and con of online stores?

Thanks in advance

Thanks for the OP, it been a hoot so far! One thing about this thread that has disappointed me is that no one has brought up 'where are you going to buy air?'. Seriously, the mask I use goes for $140+ with taxes at my LDS, the exact same mask is $59.95 with shipping from Leisurepro. Bought my first mask from the LDS, but I just don't see $80 of value when I decide to replace it. Lot of stuff that does not need fitting or warranty service that you can buy online and save money.

 

[wb416]

What'll probably happen with gas fills is that they will no longer be a "loss leader" and you'll have to pay for the time/labor/equipment to pump it.

 

[GatorJoe]

i was in sales for 5yrs and i plan on doing what people did to me all the time. they would pump me for info and then go buy the stuff online or at costco...if LDS's didn't mark up their stuff so much that it's insane, i may be loyal but a lot of stuff i've seen so far is like 60-70% higher than it is online...that's just crazy. my local LDS is a bit of a joke, everytime i go in that place i see ways they could be making money in other ways. guess they spend too much time uw.

 

[jlbdiver]

I think it all comes down to knowing what you are getting into. I totally agree with the comment regarding LDS and getting to know them. Most, not all (I taught for one that treated all customers like crap) are very giving of their time and it's hard to put a value on that.

Service after the sale is a great thing if you need it. If your buying something that is either a throw away when it quits or doesn't have moving parts your safe buying online. The only problem is if no one buys from the LDS then they will go out of business and the community that develops within them will also go away. All in all dive shops are good for the sport.

 

[ScUbA DiVeR]

Being an "Authorized Dealer" has everything to do with pricing. LP is not authorized of some MFG's because they go below MAP pricing. Now LP can send a Wisdom computer back to Sherwood because, where do you think they get it from? Are you so naive to think Sherwood does not stock them with all of the Sherwood equipment they sell.

 

[llqwyd]

biggest pro: price
biggest con: no "try before you buy"

very simple. don't waste your money on gear you cannot touch. also...bad etiquette to try from a local dealer and then buy online-

 

[Dive-aholic]

biggest pro: price
biggest con: no "try before you buy"

very simple. don't waste your money on gear you cannot touch. also...bad etiquette to try from a local dealer and then buy online-

While I don't disagree with your statement about bad etiquette, how many people go to a local store to check out electronics, computers, etc and end up buying online because it's less expensive and don't think that's bad etiquette? I've always handled buying scuba gear the same way I handle buying anything else. I shop around, both locally and online. Granted, I've never gone in and tried on wetsuits or masks and bought them somewhere else, but I will go in and handle regs and fins and just like I'll go to an electronics store to look at stereos or computers. Then I compare prices. The business that offers a combination of a great price with a warranty and great service is the place that gets my money, no matter where it is located. This is not just for scuba gear, but for every major purchase I make.

 

[Sinbad the Diver]

I think trying to define a retailer as an LDS or an internet retailer is not always a valid distinction. I deal with a retail dive center that sells products on line as well, I'd refer to them as a DDS (distant dive shop). There is some value in touching a feeling items or trying them on, but there are a lot of items where that is not of any value. The LDS that I do business with only carries certain reg product lines and they are the all high end price points. I asked them about other lines that I had found on-line and they said they could get them special order but there would be a wait and the cost would be MSRP (they'd give me a package discount if applicable). If I ended up not liking it when it came in (I'm still buying sight unseen) it would be no different than buying it on-line.

I'm sending my regs to my DDS for service with shipping it's going to cost a couple bucks less than if I took them to my LDS, though the LDS doesn't service my computer so I'd have to go to another one. Turnaround door to door is the same, but I save 2 trips accross town (UPS from work, deliver to home).

I bought my wetsuits from my DDS because they carried close-outs and previous years models that were 1/2 the price of the new ones, only difference was color scheme. They also understand their market and have an if it doesn't fit, we'll swap it with no shipping cost. My LDS only stocks the current stuff.

There are items I will buy from the LDS like tanks. The price is the same as anywhere else and they have a fill card with purchase, so I get a better overall deal.

The point I'm making is, I don't look at it as a LDS vs DDS winner takes all. Each major purchase is a unique transaction. I search a lot of sites and talk to the folks at my LDS, try to understand the market for each item and make the best overall value decision based on the info I find. If I found something at my LDS that I decided was the right product I would absolutely give them a chance to be price competitive and would factor in the other values they bring into what that price had to be.

 

[Twistedarts]

How they do this is beyond me because they are not an authorized dealer for Sherwood.

Actually they are Sherwood authorized. Just an F.Y.I.

 

[Twistedarts]

I think trying to define a retailer as an LDS or an internet retailer is not always a valid distinction. I deal with a retail dive center that sells products on line as well, I'd refer to them as a DDS (distant dive shop). There is some value in touching a feeling items or trying them on, but there are a lot of items where that is not of any value. The LDS that I do business with only carries certain reg product lines and they are the all high end price points. I asked them about other lines that I had found on-line and they said they could get them special order but there would be a wait and the cost would be MSRP (they'd give me a package discount if applicable). If I ended up not liking it when it came in (I'm still buying sight unseen) it would be no different than buying it on-line.

I'm sending my regs to my DDS for service with shipping it's going to cost a couple bucks less than if I took them to my LDS, though the LDS doesn't service my computer so I'd have to go to another one. Turnaround door to door is the same, but I save 2 trips accross town (UPS from work, deliver to home).

I bought my wetsuits from my DDS because they carried close-outs and previous years models that were 1/2 the price of the new ones, only difference was color scheme. They also understand their market and have an if it doesn't fit, we'll swap it with no shipping cost. My LDS only stocks the current stuff.

There are items I will buy from the LDS like tanks. The price is the same as anywhere else and they have a fill card with purchase, so I get a better overall deal.

The point I'm making is, I don't look at it as a LDS vs DDS winner takes all. Each major purchase is a unique transaction. I search a lot of sites and talk to the folks at my LDS, try to understand the market for each item and make the best overall value decision based on the info I find. If I found something at my LDS that I decided was the right product I would absolutely give them a chance to be price competitive and would factor in the other values they bring into what that price had to be.

Well said. Thank you.