Do you believe in purchasing stuff off the net?

[Dokedoke]

Simply put..

I will buy equipment from an individual, but will not buy from a business. Gotta support the LDS.

 

[glbirch]

LDS has been good to me over the years, so they always get first chance at my business. Sometimes they can't get what I'm looking for or they price it much higher than I can get it for elsewhere. In those cases, I look around. I've found companies online that have the gear I want at a good price and that have treated me well. Shouldn't I also support them to make sure they stay in business as well?

Isn't your LDS a business? It just happens to be located near you.

 

[cyklon_300]

topic of your second post and your first one is trying to sell gear on the internet...why not take it to the LDS and let them sell it for you. You could support them by letting them have a cut of the transaction...

 

[Dokedoke]

I am not associated with a LDS, I do support my LDS though. I got this equipment from a person that owed me money and just took these in on trade.

 

[Capt.Rich]

I believe its important to support your local dive shop as much as possible.
If your LDS goes out of business that internet diveshop isnt going to be able to provide air to well.

 

[justin-branam]

i will support my LDS on many of my small items i need, and for reg's and computers so i am sure to have a full warranty on them. i must say though, my shop tends to mark things up fairly high, so i wouldnt be able to afford a lot of the items i have now if i didnt buy them online. example: hid light cannon, lds=$260, internet=$150. you do the math.

 

[truva]

Why that is important is that is the only reason I have for a local dive shop. I can get the tank hydro tested through different places however that stinking VIP sticker, I just haven’t made any up yet. When I ask a price on an item in an LDS an hear something that is so far off the mark I feel like the LDS rep just called me stupid, or thinks I am. I mean who these days doesn’t check online? They should know the days of having a closed market are over and should mark the price as such. For example I have 10+ year old Eon computers that the LCD is “leaking”, that is the black spots you see on LCD screens sometimes that do not come away. I asked a LDS about repairing these. Now I know that you do not repair this stuff you replace it but there should be a maximum repair cost then you replace the item with the closest model you can. But they wanted to give me 100 dollars credit fore the purchase of a Cobra at just south of 800 dollars.

Now I just saw this new for $450 or some the night before on the net from someone that said they were a dealer for Suunto, not that it matters to me but…So I can start talking to some one that is 20% over but this is just too much so I wouldn’t say anything to the LDS, heck I figure he doesn’t care right?

Anyway, I need air and that’s about it however if they want to sell me the popet or HP valve stem for Apeks regulators then we can do business

Truva

 

[nyresq]

My LDS does the service on my first stages only, I got some training (nitrox) from one of the owners, and a few small pieces likeorings and some clips and things of that kind. I thinks its nice to support the LDS, however I don't think I should pay his kids college tuition in one sale. there are plenty of other types of business' that have been forced to face the internet competition, why should scuba stores be any different. Look at car dealers for instance, with the internet you know what the dealer invoice is and the dealer knows that; the days of $4000 over dealer cost are long gone. There is internet competition out there for every kind of business, and they have adjusted to the times. No longer can a scuba shop sell a regulator marked up 50% over cost and expect the buyer to accept that. I always show my LDS the price I can buy it for online and ask him to match it, some times he comes close enough to get my money, other times he mentions manufactures price fixing and says he can't even come close. He understands why people buy online, and knows he will get the service, so he never shuns anyone from his store for buying online.... thats why he is still in business...

 

[ElectricZombie]

I'll buy where I can get the best deal, be it online or via the LDS. I don't have a decent and honest dive shop around here so, that's not an option. The internet is great for buying gear...same product lower price. Someone will bring up the warranty issue, but that's useless to me as I service my own. Even if I didn't, there isn't a credible factory trained tech at any of the LDS's around here. You need to take in account if you are going to be able to find someone to service the gear you buy for more at the LDS. Just because an LDS sells a certain brand of gear, doesn't mean they know how to service it. They might show you some certificate, but that really does not mean anything.

The only gear I've ever had problems with came from the LDS. The regs that I had problems with were due to the LDS's poor servicing. The poor customer service came from the LDS too. The prices are higher and you don't get anything in return.

If you have a good LDS around, buy from them if possible. (If prices are reasonable, etc.) Otherwise, the internet is your friend. Someone mentioned earlier that you can't get air online. That's ok, I'll just buy my own compresser and mixing gear.

 

[ScubaK-Dawg]

I support my LDS as much as I can. Most of the time I buy from them the larger items which fit it important, since their rates are usually very competative and I am impressed by their service. However, I would have no problem buying online for some of the smaller items if I can get a much better deal. I'm not made on cash, and I need to think of my own finances first, and my LDS's finances second.