The internet is the first place I look for items I wish to purchase, that is except for SCUBA equipment. My concern is that if "click and order" replaces "brick and mortar", it will mean the end of most of the LDSs. The LDS can not pay to maintain a store, a repair facility, hire technicians to work on equipment in the shop and try to compete with a large retailer on the web that does not have to do that. If that happens, where will I find a technician to do an emerergency regulator repair before next weekend's dive trip? Where will I go to get tanks filled? What will I do if I discover I need new "O" rings for my tank valve while checking out my equipment on Friday for Saturday's dives? Sure, I can order all of this stuff on-line and ship my gear to vendors for repair but, for me at least, I want to know who is working on my life support systems. I want to get to know about their attitude toward their work, their work ethic; to speak to the tech first hand and feel comfortable that that they are are properly trained and qualified so as to be assured they will do a good job.
Granted, some LDS have prices that are way out of line for the products they sell but, having had my own company in the past, I know you make good money on some products and take a beating on offering others; the point being that the store owner, the retail sales folks, and the shop's technicians all have to be able to earn a living or do we just accept that those jobs going to shipped overseas also? Are we looking at eventually having to ship our gear around the world for service because the service centers (i.e. the LDSs) have all closed? (An example is my SUUNTO Vyper dive computer; if you need a repair (other than a new battery) there are only two full-service SUUNTO centers in the entire US)
If you don't think this will happen, you might want to reconsider. I have already seen these results in another sport I enjoy, which is target shooting. You used to be able to buy the ammunition reloading componets needed to tailor your loads to a particular match at sporting goods stores all over town; not any more. Most of the stores have stopped carrying the stuff because people find it cheaper online and do not shop at their local stores. The result is that the merchandise just sits on the shelf until the merchant decides to have a clearance sale to unload the inventory and to never order it again. Now you have to look far and wide to find stores that carry it and if you need something unusual, just forget it. The big online retailers on stock what they sell a lot of, so anything that is not sold in large volumes and moves slowly will not be sold by them at all. Can you still find these items someplace? Yes, (most of the time) but it might take a few weeks to locate, order, and get delivered. This could really kill a lot of good diving time.
I am all for ordering on the internet but I also am all for supporting my LDS. Both methods of sales and service have a place and, IMHO, we NEED both.
