End of the dive shop as we know it.

[ScubaKimmie]

. There are also the e-bay idiots who bring in their deals from e-bay to be serviced and you cannot get parts for the gear anymore.

Or they bring it into a dive shop only to discover that it was stolen and now they get to talk to the police. Beware of ebay the most.

I support a couple of dive shops that treat me well. I find it hard to believe there isn't a decent shop near everyone.

 

[spectrum]

A related question: Do you think divers are a cheap bunch by and large? A lot of it seems to boil down to price. Do you ever just pay more at the LDS because you like them and want to support the business? Or is price everything?

Cheap, no. Value conscious and frugal sure.

Let's face it, it's an expensive sport as pastimes go. Many of us are making room in limited budgets and can only invest so much in a relationship.

I frequently buy items locally for more than I'd pay online. This is particularly true when there is value in having sizes to try, an item demonstrated, there will be an ongoing service need or other value is delivered.

Pete

 

[ScubaKimmie]

A related question: Do you think divers are a cheap bunch by and large? A lot of it seems to boil down to price. Do you ever just pay more at the LDS because you like them and want to support the business? Or is price everything?

Yes I am willing to pay "more".

Then again if there is a problem "more" because quite the bargain

 

[JRScuba]

Yes I am willing to pay "more".

Then again if there is a problem "more" because quite the bargain

I agree. I look at some internet prices and then go to my LDS.
Their price is as good or better then the internet.
When you factor in the price of shipping and the wait time, I'd rather pay
a few dollars more. Bottom line I have what I want now. They will
take care of me should it break, etc. Best of all I like the people
there.

Fair pricing and good customer service will get me everytime.

 

[wedivebc]

By the way, right after I returned from Thailand, I learned my "primary" LDS was going out of business. The two experiences have changed the way I view the industry.

.

Did you go to Koh Tao? How many LDSs did you see there?

 

[pfriedel]

Yeah, I'll buy random "crud" off the internet (Yet Another Octopus Carrying Doohickey That Will Change The Way I Dive, etc), but for most of the bigger purchases, I've gone to the LDS. (I bought my BCD online, but I got a hell of an upgrade for my money..)

Most recently, we picked up Al80's for about $200-ish. I could have picked 'em up off the net for about $60 less, but that difference is eaten up pretty quickly - after I get the valve mounted, a viz done and pay for shipping, I'm within $30 or so. Once the LDS throws in a year of free fills, I'm sold. I got accustomed to the pricing difference and I've found that my LDS isn't that much more expensive than the reputable online shops like Scubatoys. (Doubly so now that I have the "loyalty" discount at my LDS for buying regs there - flat 10% off most items.)

If I had to buy a compressor + filters to continue this sport, I'd be in a bad way. Thankfully I can think of 7 or 8 dive shops I've been to in town, and they all seem to have found their niche. And Milwaukee isn't _that_ large of a market. Maybe that's what is helping keep our stores cheap and divers well served.

 

[cerich]

Yes I am willing to pay "more".

Then again if there is a problem "more" because quite the bargain

Kimmie, you are 100% correct.

 

[Carolina Diver]

I buy some gear from my LDS if I can justify the higher cost to myself, I book trips with them, and have taken all courses through them. Do I feel I "owe" my financial support. No, certainly not. The same way I do not owe my Chevy dealer to perform over priced
oil changes. I go somewhere with a better deal. I like the people at my LDS and they do a great job, but they understand business as well. They have reduced their inventory of merchandise and increased business in other areas. That's what good business owners do. You can't expect customers to overpay for goods because they should feel like they owe it to you. I "owe" financial support to my family.

It is especially difficult when you are always buying in pairs. That $400 reg just became $800! I just purchase two new reg setups on-line and took it to my LDS so he could check it out. He did it with a smile because he knows I will alway use his shop for maintenance and other services. I also purchase the small things there that he carries.

It is the relationships that count, but the business owner can't stick their head in the sand either. There are many businesses that have had to change their strategy due to the internet. Diving is no different. For those that don't mind spending an extra 30 -100% more at their LDS, good on ya. I can't reconcile that in my mind (or my bank account!).

 

[langs15]

I think, if you are a scuba diving freak, you'd rather go to your LDS instead of the internet, you make friends, get more help, so many more things too. I am young and I know my LDS owner and a nother one just from my dads and it awsome.

 

[leadweight]

My Thailand trip was to Phi Phi and a Live Aboard (West Coast divers) to the Andaman Sea. I liked the place so much I would go back in a heart beat even though it is half way around the world from here.

By the way, I don't think divers are cheap. It is just that a large slice of LDS revenue is going away because a changing world is pushing the rent or buy decision in favor of renting for the new casual diver. Those who get hooked get their own gear, usually. I did meet a fellow who did one major trip per year each year for the last 10 years. He had invested heavily in now obsolete underwater camera equipment, but did not even own a mask.