Opinion on packages

[scottbeach]

What's the group's opinion on packages? LDS', mine included, LOVE to offer complete gear packages, supposedly well discounted below retail 30-40%. What's the catch? Are poor selling/outdated products being pushed or is it truely a deal?

I need to buy 2 full sets of basic rec gear (tired of renting), and I don't need anything fancy whatsoever.

 

[waterdogs]

Scott, any of our LDS here are going to charge the following for the basics:

Fins, mask, snorkel, boots - basic $200 per person, TOL $250-300

Online - $100 per person.

Reg, BC, Octo, Computer - LDS $1600 per person

Online - $1100 Top of the line stuff

I did however catch one of our LDS on sale during christmas and got top line fins,mask,snorkel, boots for $190 pp saved about $90

Try online for your basics then scout around at LDS and online for other gear.

waterdogs

 

[scottbeach]

Fortunately we've had good snorkel gear for a while. Time for the $$$ stuff now, BC, regs, wetsuits, etc.

 

[trymixdiver]

only thing i dont like abou tpackage deals is that i never like the entire package. I like to customize my equipment to what i like, not what the LDS wants me to buy. i may like the Mask, reg and BC but cant stand the other items. So for me i perfer not to buy a package, but to get exaclty the items i want. i find plenty of equipment i dont like anyway, why pay for it.

Andy

 

[Jonathan]

When I baught my first kit I baught a scubapro package and was/am very happy with it. Scubapro for one actually put these packages together from time to time and not the dive shop and they usually have different ones for different pockets.

I personally think this is a good way to buy a set of recreational gear - and I am sure most decent LDS will let you swap some items, especially the low price ones like masks. Scubapro normally do BC/Regs/Computer packages.

Happy shopping.
Jonathan

P.S. I am not a scubapro salesman, it's all I have knowledge of in the package lines, I am sure other manufacturers do the same.

 

[Ari]

Some LDS's may let you build your own pacakge and discount it as a whole. It just makes more sense for them to make a big sale to a client, rather than having him buy an item here and the next one there.

In any case, it depends on the package and some are better than others. I will not rule this out, but you really have to know what you need/want in advance, and maybe even prepare a list of alternatives.

As for buying online, I am basically for it. It really saves a lot of money. There are some very good, solid, reliable offers on the net. I would, for sure, at least check this out.

Ari