I know this has been argued many times and this thread too will soon die, but as a person new to scuba I want to add my $.02 for any retailers who might read this. I value small businesses and local stores. This is true for electronics, cameras, sporting goods and yes, scuba. I resent that my LDS charges pretty much full retail for almost everything, from a McNett microfiber towel to a mask to regulator or BCD. The mask they sell for $63.00 I can buy online for $29.95. Hey, if I don't like it I can throw it in the trash and order a different one and still come out ahead. This means I buy almost everything online. I may buy a regulator locally due to servicing, but more likely will just buy the same brand they sell, but online. I will gladly pay a premium of 10, 15, 20, maybe even 30% for the benefits of advice and actually trying or touching something before purchase. For those things that require fitting or modifications or instruction, etc., I'll pay more. If you maintain demos I can try in your pool, I'll pay a higher premium. But most of the time the premium gets me little or nothing. "All sales are final" or "May be returned for exchange or credit only, no refunds" is what gets printed on my receipt. "Sorry, we don't have one you can try in the pool" or "Sorry our insurance won't let you in the pool unsuspervised and I don't have anyone available that can supervise you this afternoon" or "I don't have it in your size but can order if you want one" is what I hear if I want to try fins, a regulator or BCD. So where's the big benefit? Heck, I can order it in my size without you. "All of our staff are certified instructors who can help you make the right selection" is what you say, but the reality is "All of our staff are underemployed instructors working on commission who want to sell you the most expensive stuff we carry so they can pay their rent next month."
Now maybe for those shops and customers where tank refills and inspections are valuable that service justifies some higher prices, but where I live few of us own our own tanks. I can understand why you have a somewhat limited selection on hand and only a few brands while the online shop offers 8 different brands of regulator, but that should cause you to be more competitive, not less.
Online means you have to wait a week to get it but you save gas and tax and can probably return it if you don't like it. Local means double the price, plus gas, plus tax, plus a hard sell to get the more expensive model plus no return for $ if you don't like it.
I don't need you to match online prices but you need to be competitive. Give me SOME reason to shop with you, please. Sure, I'll pay more for a factory warranty, but that isn't hard to get online either. How about you offer to order it in my size so I can try it BEFORE I agree to buy it. How about saying you'll call the distributor and locate one tomorrow instead of telling me there is one coming in on the next shipment in a few weeks? How about telling me not to buy something because the improved version is coming out in a month or you know there is going to be a promotion next week. I'm sorry, but I can't pay $629.95 for a regulator that I can buy online for $399.99 and I won't even pay $459.95 unless you can provide something of added value for the money. Free classes? Discounts on trips for customers based on dollars spent? viewing me as something other than a transport mechanism for my credit card? Something?
Rant over.
So now we're going to saddle the LDS with yet more debt servicing overhead in order to flood the market so that we can pick the bones of the dead when they go belly up?? Interesting...
