Purchasing own equipment online/lds?

[retired]

We are new divers that intend to spend a lot of time in the Florida waters. We want to purchase our own BCDs etc, but found the dive shop prices in many cases out of sight. LDS price for a Seaquest Libra was $570, Leisurepro price(internet) $409. That is a big difference. I'm sure the rest of the gear would be similar in price difference. We love our LDS, the people there, the instructors etc. and would really feel bad not to buy their products, but we could do a lot of upgrading in equipment with the money saved purchasing from the internet.
Suggestions on how to approach this problem would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mikerault]

My LDS encourgages me to buy online if I can get it cheaper, they do their best to match them. Essentially if it requires a good fit, buy it from the LDS, otherwise, get it online.

Mike

 

[Cheekymonkey]

Yea, do whats right for you man, if its close alot of times its more appropriate to help ur LDS if they are cool and helpful to you. But for big gaps like this its hard to justify going to the LDS they are a buisness not a charity.

 

[H2Andy]

if you can find a great shop nearby, it may make sense to support them by buying local, especially if they are helpful and give you value for your money

if you are like most of us, with at best mediocre shops around, buying on the net makes sense. that's what i've done, btw

 

[meesier42]

I have talked to my local shop about this. They admit they don't make money on sales of gear, the volume is just too low, they also said that the only real gear sales that they have are for the nubes that are just starting OW. At the same time, they do their best for the people that are loyal customers.
According to my shop, the money that they make is on service and training. And I do my best to get all of my gear serviced annually, and get any rentals that I might need, not to mention sending my friends to them.

Although, I know there are a bunch of owners on the board and I would love to hear more info from them.

 

[h90]

We are new divers that intend to spend a lot of time in the Florida waters. We want to purchase our own BCDs etc, but found the dive shop prices in many cases out of sight. LDS price for a Seaquest Libra was $570, Leisurepro price(internet) $409. That is a big difference. I'm sure the rest of the gear would be similar in price difference. We love our LDS, the people there, the instructors etc. and would really feel bad not to buy their products, but we could do a lot of upgrading in equipment with the money saved purchasing from the internet.
Suggestions on how to approach this problem would be greatly appreciated.

I would buy the BCD at the LDS, because there you can try if it fits.
Try the BCD, bug the salesguy with 1 zillion questions and than go home and buy online is simply not fair.
But I would ask for a discount 409 versus 570 is also not fair (but spending 570 USD is cheap in compare to buy two at 409 because the first just does not fit you perfect).
I would, at least ask for a discount of 70 USD or maybe easier for them to simply add something for free in that value or a credit for a regulator service for 70 USD or anything like that.
I would try to give them a chance to make a deal with you.

 

[reefugee]

It's not fair to compare non-grey market price with grey market price. With grey market merchandise, you may not get warranty. For some stuff (such as dive lights) this may not be important. For other stuff (such as regulator or BCD) - it may be important.

I would recommend that you check some of the authorized (non-grey market) online store. Scubatoys.com seems to have a good rep. If you call them and mention that you are a SB member, they will give you 10% off.

Minh

 

[h90]

It's not fair to compare non-grey market price with grey market price. With grey market merchandise, you may not get warranty. For some stuff (such as dive lights) this may not be important. For other stuff (such as regulator or BCD) - it may be important.

I would recommend that you check some of the authorized (non-grey market) online store. Scubatoys.com seems to have a good rep. If you call them and mention that you are a SB member, they will give you 10% off.

Minh

Sure, but also depends on how much the price difference is. Sometimes they make different prices for different countries and in some countries (example Thailand) it may happen that you can buy the grey market one for half the price.

 

[plot]

Most LDS's have high prices, but are negotiable. Especially if you're talking about buying a bcd and reg combo from them.

My opinion, buy anything that has to be sized or serviced from your LDS, but only if they have what you want. This mainly applies to regulators, since you'll have to get them serviced every so often, it's nice to know you can always go into your shop and get it done. They're the ones that sold it to you, so they should be the ones that can maintenance it.

There are SO many BC's out there to choose from, that if your shop or any other locals dont have the exact one you want, then definatly go the online route. Just make sure you've tried out the BC somehow somewhere before you buy it.

 

[coachrenz]

Support your LDS. There is so much more that an LDS can do for you than an online retailer.

If you want a complete list of reasons why, search on LDS vs Online and I am sure you will find many, many discussions about the differences between LDS and Online.