let's talk cash

[sdexcalibur]

Ok where do you people shop on-line for the BEST discounts. I've tried Divers discount, divers direct, and leisure pro. Which I must say the last has the best deals so far. I know supporting your LDS is important but when I can buy a pair of boots for 27.00 on-line and their selling them for 69.99 where do you think I'm going to shop? Looking to buy some gear in the next few days so let's here them. Besides theirs plenty of gear to go around:sharky:

 

[wch]

Try DiveInn

http://www.scubastore.com/eng/index.asp

Know what you mean about the $. I really like my LDS, but.. I would not have the amount of quality gear I have if I only went there. Not to say they don't sell quality, just at twice the price. They have worked with me on a few items, but like you said, some of the mark up is way too much.
Regards,
Bill

 

[O-ring]

I have bought repeatedly from both and have had good prices and service from both...

 

[DaveDog]

Just bought a new mask and snorkle at the LDS. Leisure Pro has them for exactly half. Its tough to support them. They will need to charge more for services and gas and drop prices for equipment if they are going to survive.

Dave

 

[Lemonade]

scubastore
leisurepro
sportextreme

These are the stores I have bought from repeatedly, and purchased gear and service were as or better than expected.

As for some other places…
Not all on-line stores are created equal.

 

[Luv2dive]

My husband and I both have gear now. Mine was not from the LDS. We just bought my husbands at the LDS for $500 more than what we would have paid online. Buying two sets of gear in 6 months at the LDS would not have been possible . I feel like we did our part in supporting the LDS. I hope they feel that way.

 

[chrispete]

This is an interesting discussion - it has a very heavy parallel to another industry that had to wrestle with these questions about 10 years ago...

When I was a computer consultant back in the early 90's, the local computer shop was really the only place that you could get a decent machine from. The local shops tended to be high service, high quality, and high price. If you had a problem with your computer, usually the shop owner would either head out there himself or send a tech out to help you with your problem.

Then came the oober-mega-whiz-bang-superstores, selling mass produced machines, which were rather high quality, for a good price. Everyone loved them and stopped buying from their local comp shops. Most of the old-timers in the computer shops simply closed their doors and walked away.

Then it started, the megastores began to degrade the quality of their service to the point that if you have a minor problem with your computer, they have no tech on duty and they have to ship it to Suchandsuch, CA - turnaround time, 8 weeks min. So why not just run to your local computer shop and have it fixed? The ones that are still in business usually won't touch a mega-store machine with a ten foot pole, and have to charge a small fortune to make the repairs if they do because they aren't selling any more computers, so they have to make their money in the repairs.

Now everyone is pissing and moaning because they didn't support their local computer shops.

 

[Douglas]

It was not just the supermarket-style selling of computers,it was also the configuration opportunities. On-line retailers like Dell and Gateway could get a machine configured just like you wanted - offering features that the shops hadn't available - all for cheaper.

In the dive world, I battle with the best dive shop in Paris because they only know about what they sell. Their range is limited due to the shop space and anything new or alternative is foreign to them.

The online shops can offer choice and good price and be at the cutting edge of technology as they are looking at a world wide market - not just concentrating on a local clientele.


Doug

 

[Welshman]

www.simplyscuba.com

www.sebascuba.co.uk - good for Italian manufactured equipment

www.divingshop.co.uk

www.divingdirect.co.uk

 

[MNScuba]

I will just add one thing and then shut up...

PLEASE don't let price be your only deciding factor on where you get your gear. If you MUST buy online, the three I have had positive results from are:

DiveInn
www.diveinn.com

Leisure Pro
www.leisurepro.com

ScubaChick
http://home.ec.rr.com/tholt/

Obvious things to consider:
Warranty
Turn around time
Who's working on your gear
Customer reviews
Service

After all, this IS life-support equipment you are counting on. You used boots in your example, so you will probably be ok no matter where you go. Just for future purchases I hope this gives you something to think about...

In the end, we (at least I hope) dive the way we feel safe. whether you're DIR or whatever. Just make sure you are 100% confident in yourself and your gear before getting in the water no matter where you got it from.

There are quality online shops and there are quality local shops, unfortunately the reverse is also true.

As the old saying goes, if it seems to good to be true... it probably is.