Why stop at the scuba industry? Think a 100% mark-up by the end seller (MSRP for the LDS) is bad? Care to guess what a draft beer or fountain soda cost the average seller compared to what they sell it to you for? Don't drink beer or soda? Then how about that $1.25 bottle water you drank today which can cost you in excess of 10 bucks a gallon.
I don't want to belabor the point here but most of you pay more each year in mark-ups of things you never think about, then you will ever pay to an LDS in a year you make major equipment purchases. In general, scuba industry mark-ups can be meager when compared to items you buy everyday. End user mark-ups in the 500 to 1000% range are not uncommon for many products.
Now that i have your attention and probably have you pissed at me, why do you think some things are marked up that high? It's called overhead and few people who don't work in the industry who produce the product truely understand what it costs to develop, manufacture and distribute the product. Heck, most people working in any given industry don't understand all the costs.
This is not intended to defend any LDS or manufacturer in the scuba industry, just the facts as i see them. I'm like the rest of you who wants to pay as little for the products i'm purchasing as possible and be serviced well because i am patronizing that vendor. The fact remains i will never truely understand that vendors costs, because it is not the business i am in. IMHO, it is arrogant, although fully within one rights in this country, to deem a mark-up to high, without understanding the costs of the item.
I know this from experience, owning a company which is not related to the scuba industry. Trying to explain the reasons and costs, related to our mark-ups for our customers, can at times be a real exercise in futility. Few will ever appreciate what it takes to run my business until they have to pay the bills related to running it. That's just the way it is. The customer is always right, UNTIL, they ask you to do something that runs your company out of business. The solution to that "business model", should be self-evident. Otherwise, don't try to start a business.
For my part i try to patronize local LDS's as much as possible. If i feel they are not treating me fair, i move on to other options. That is sometimes a hard decision to arrive at but i almost always give the LDS a chance on products they sell. Trying to support your LDS is only good for your own regional dive industry. I believe anyone who thinks they will be better off with no LDS is deluding themselves. In the same breathe, any LDS who doesn't realize the internet has changed the industry and they must start providing more and better service, is destine to failure.
Sorry if i ranted this is a well traveled topic in my experiences.:bonk:
I don't want to belabor the point here but most of you pay more each year in mark-ups of things you never think about, then you will ever pay to an LDS in a year you make major equipment purchases. In general, scuba industry mark-ups can be meager when compared to items you buy everyday. End user mark-ups in the 500 to 1000% range are not uncommon for many products.
Now that i have your attention and probably have you pissed at me, why do you think some things are marked up that high? It's called overhead and few people who don't work in the industry who produce the product truely understand what it costs to develop, manufacture and distribute the product. Heck, most people working in any given industry don't understand all the costs.
This is not intended to defend any LDS or manufacturer in the scuba industry, just the facts as i see them. I'm like the rest of you who wants to pay as little for the products i'm purchasing as possible and be serviced well because i am patronizing that vendor. The fact remains i will never truely understand that vendors costs, because it is not the business i am in. IMHO, it is arrogant, although fully within one rights in this country, to deem a mark-up to high, without understanding the costs of the item.
I know this from experience, owning a company which is not related to the scuba industry. Trying to explain the reasons and costs, related to our mark-ups for our customers, can at times be a real exercise in futility. Few will ever appreciate what it takes to run my business until they have to pay the bills related to running it. That's just the way it is. The customer is always right, UNTIL, they ask you to do something that runs your company out of business. The solution to that "business model", should be self-evident. Otherwise, don't try to start a business.
For my part i try to patronize local LDS's as much as possible. If i feel they are not treating me fair, i move on to other options. That is sometimes a hard decision to arrive at but i almost always give the LDS a chance on products they sell. Trying to support your LDS is only good for your own regional dive industry. I believe anyone who thinks they will be better off with no LDS is deluding themselves. In the same breathe, any LDS who doesn't realize the internet has changed the industry and they must start providing more and better service, is destine to failure.
Sorry if i ranted this is a well traveled topic in my experiences.:bonk:
