Handling LDS fee?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Yup, and a good small bolt snap costs us $6. Guess what the markup is on a scuba tank? Lol

Wild guess...40%? I honestly don't know.

To tell you the truth, I've never bought a new tank....way to expensive for me.

Edit: I think Pirahna and DGX have bolt snaps for cheaper than $6...in case your looking for a different source:D
 
That’s embellished, and as far as I can tell, simply not true in most circumstances. Especially if we’re talking authorized retailers. Except for a few product lines, I get best pricing on everything we sell. There is one product that comes to mind that has a super secret price list that doesn’t even exist to most dealers, cheaper than “platinum” pricing. But, even though they are getting product 10 or even 20% cheaper than I am, their website still lists the item for sale at MAP.

I can compete with that. Yes, they are making more money than we are, but if you wanted to get rich in the dive industry, you’re not a brilliant business person.

Did you see my post about LP50s? The small dive shop that I give most of my in person business these days quoted me a price of $399/each. The owner told me anything from Blue Steel (the distributor) is very expensive to them. The LP50s were a bit more than $250/each from DGX.

By comparison, someone I know bought a custom DUI FLX Extreme at a large dive shop last year. His price was only $100 less than my suit, with the same options, that I bought from the small dive shop, last fall.
 
After reading all of the misgivings that people have toward their local dive shops, it just reinforces how incredibly lucky I am. There are several dives shops within about an hour drive from where I live, but two shops really stand out, one in Kitchener/Waterloo, and the other in Oakville. Both shops are far more interested in cultivating a long term relationship with their customer base than they are in making a huge score off of a single sale. Both shops are willing to say "Yeah, that'll work, but I think this would be a better option and it'll save you a little money compared to what you were looking at." Both are willing to say "No, I don't think you need a new __________. Give me a couple minutes & let me replace a part & let's see if that fixes your problem." (And I wind up buying a $10 part instead of a new piece of gear.)

This business model may seem foolish to some, but it keeps the customer base loyal. I would not hesitate to recommend either of these shops to people looking for an LDS. (In fact, at one time or another, I have recommended both of them here on ScubaBoard.)

So, how do I deal with online prices? I will research what an item costs online (converting that price to $CAD). I will then print out the page and take that into my LDS and ask if he is able to come close to the online price. In some cases, the answer is "No, Hoag, I can't touch that price, but thanks for checking with us." Sometimes the answer is "No, I can't match it, but I can come close. Here is the best price I can do." Sometimes, the answer is "Ya know Hoag, that's a fair price, but I think I can do a little better."

After that conversation, the ball is in my court so to speak, and I have to decide how much I am willing to pay to have the convenience of buying it at my LDS and maintaining that relationship.

I have a similar situation with my LDS; They couldn't match some prices but came close enough to buy through them. They don't flat charge tanks for fills, you pay by cf as the owners believe you should end with a 1/3 of your gas and their method promotes that idea. As a Canadian, I do the same because with exchange and duty, the prices on line from the USA aren't always great and Canadian prices seem pretty consistent regardless of region.
 
So a naive question: do the online stores actually have stock that they ship, or are they drop shippers, or are they ordering from the manufacturers when you order from them and then shipping it to you when they get it?
 
Wild guess...40%? I honestly don't know.

To tell you the truth, I've never bought a new tank....way to expensive for me.

Edit: I think Pirahna and DGX have bolt snaps for cheaper than $6...in case your looking for a different source:D

Not all bolt snaps are created equal.
 
Did you see my post about LP50s? The small dive shop that I give most of my in person business these days quoted me a price of $399/each. The owner told me anything from Blue Steel (the distributor) is very expensive to them. The LP50s were a bit more than $250/each from DGX.

By comparison, someone I know bought a custom DUI FLX Extreme at a large dive shop last year. His price was only $100 less than my suit, with the same options, that I bought from the small dive shop, last fall.

Yeah, he didn’t want to order them for you. Lol
He could have beat their price and still made a little money. Worst pricing is still better than DGX
 
So a naive question: do the online stores actually have stock that they ship, or are they drop shippers, or are they ordering from the manufacturers when you order from them and then shipping it to you when they get it?

Big stock. Moat companies won’t drop ship
 
So a naive question: do the online stores actually have stock that they ship, or are they drop shippers, or are they ordering from the manufacturers when you order from them and then shipping it to you when they get it?

All have stock that they ship but some, like Leisure Pro, do have items that are also shipped directly from the manufacturer that they do not keep in stock.
 
Not all bolt snaps are created equal.

And not all dive shops are created equal. 100% markup on anything feels like highway robbery to me.

Again, I don't own a dive shop, I don't want to own a dive shop....maybe that's what it takes. I don't know.

I have bolt snaps from both places and they've held up great for over 3 years now. And I don't just dive in crystal clear water. Absolutely zero issues. Heck DGX has even sent me ones that were engraved for free.

So if I bought 10 bolt snaps from an LDS that's $120. 10 from the other places ~ $42 and at least DGX is free shipping. Is there really a $8 difference between the 2?

I'm not arguing with you, just talking. I value your experience and knowledge (you're way wiser than me).
 
100% markup on anything feels like highway robbery to me.

So you don't buy clothing or shoes or coffee or dine at resturants? The dive shop business is the least "net profitable" business.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom