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I myself will pay 21 - 30% more at the LDS. The reason I do this is because I am a National Sales Manger of a company that build aftermarket performance parts in the auto industry. I have major online/catalog companies that buy our product for up to 30% less than the Jobber or Local Speed shop can buy at. This is due to extensive advertising and amount of parts that can be moved in a quarter. There is a lot more to it. But basically a manufacture has to give these discounts to the online/catalog companies.
I have found that the big online/catalog companies have actually forced 45 year old speed shops out of business.
I would assume this is going on in the SCUBA industry as well. So this is why I buy LDS. Just to keep my money in my community.
Bull?@! on instruction, fills, and VIP keeping a dive shop in business! Instructors get most of the fees on instruction - not the owners. Most dive equipment bought online comes with no warranty. If you don't support your LDS, who is going to service that life-support equipment you need to depend on to keep you alive??? ... of course, this is my opinion ....I'm willing to pay a premium on those things that I can get elsewhere to keep my LDS in business. But I'm not willing to allow myself to get robbed. My LDS has been, with a few notable exceptions, within the 10% range of online. So if they can stay in that area I'm fine. Those purchases, along with those things I can't get online (instruction, fills, VIP, etc) should be sufficient to keep them in business.
-K2
I don't know where you got the idea that most dive equipment bought online comes with no warranty, that simply is not true, most on-line retailers either are dealers for the gear that they sell or offer an in-house warranty that is equal (or better) to that of the manufacturer.Bull?@! on instruction, fills, and VIP keeping a dive shop in business! Instructors get most of the fees on instruction - not the owners. Most dive equipment bought online comes with no warranty. If you don't support your LDS, who is going to service that life-support equipment you need to depend on to keep you alive??? ... of course, this is my opinion ....