Major Industry Change re: Online Scuba Sales....

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"This post is like an arguement between Republicans and Democrats."


Yes it is and just as in politics both sides have valid opinions and points and just as recently seen in the elections, change is inevitable.

N
todays gear is way over rated, live free and dive vintage, it is the future of diving.
 
WesTexDiver:
This post is like an arguement between Republicans and Democrats.

You're missing the big important difference - the voting is done by way of our wallets, and with that perspective in mind, voter participation is almost universal.

No hanging chads or recounts.

If you stopped to buy fuel at a service station with mechanic on duty, maybe even at a slightly higher price than at the Mega-Low-Mart with 36 pumps out in front, and were berated for buying your vehicle battery at Mega-Low-Mart and your tires at Spam's club by the service staion owner, telling you you're the kind of individual who's hurting his/her business, how many repeat visits would your wallet make to that location?

Maybe that's a bit more clear analogy than bookstores? I don't know if books could be described as 'life support equipment' in and of themselves, but I can personally see tires fitting that description if you're operating an automobile.
 
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.
 
Out of curiousity, how many online retailers don't have brick and mortar stores? I know that Leisurepro is pretty much a warehouse, but they do have a storefront. How many absolutely do not deal with the public face to face at any time?
 
Penopolypants:
Out of curiousity, how many online retailers don't have brick and mortar stores? I know that Leisurepro is pretty much a warehouse, but they do have a storefront. How many absolutely do not deal with the public face to face at any time?

That would be interesting to make a list. I don't know for a fact that Joe Diver America has no physical store in suth Florida but I scoured the website and could not find a physical address or phone number anywhere.

I know ScubaToys has a store. And Divers Direct. And Scuba.com.
 
More and more stores are comming to grips with needing to reach out to an international customer. Someday Aqualung and Scubapro are going to see the error and give in. It will probably take some turnover in the upper eschelons, but it will happen.

I feel confident in stating that a huge majority of online retailers also have a brick and mortar store.

There are other ways of attracting business. From diversification (Scubatoys also does paintball) to partnerships.

TwoBit
 
Something rather telling in this trend is the number of software companies and web companies represented at DEMA with turnkey web store add ons for traditional brick and mortar stores.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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