Worth paying local dive shop prices?

[TSandM]

In my limited experience, masks and exposure suits are two things that I can't imagine buying on line, unless one already knew exactly what sort fitted perfectly. I've tried on probably a couple dozen masks, and only one or two will seal. I can't imagine the frustration of ordering on line and returning a couple dozen masks . . .

 

[wcl]

Hi,

For my part, my LDS is excellent. Good training, good products and advice, good backing for what you buy (they have excellent relations with their OEMs, and go to bat for the customer), good local charters and dive trips, and over time good friends.

We do buy some things online, particularly when it comes to product lines our LDS does not carry ... usually small things that don't require serious maintenance servicing.

I've poked a nose into other local shops, and chatted with others ... some are also good, some would definitely drive customers to shop online!

Anyone who wants a Chicago-area (North) reference, I'm happy to recommend!

Cheers,
W

 

[jafoca]

Hello again,

Let me just add this:
I certainly can understand shopping at a LDS for things requiring a good fit, which is most of what I allready bought. The reason I am asking for this advice is for future purchases. Things I will buy in the future will likely require less fitt and trial, aswell as have more drastic price differences. We did get something of a package deal, with a free mesh bag and 20$ off of a 50$ snorkel.

We'll see

 

[Stu S.]

Welcome to diving. If I had to start again, I would have asked the dive shop's instructor if buying elsewhere would make him mad. I did not want (or afford) Scubapro brand at full list price, and went shopping elsewhere. And, part of my reason was that "learn to dive for $75" was not all-inclusive as it first appeared. Well... the instructor was not so nice after that. That was 1977, and the basic dive course was eight weeks long. Although I saved money, looking back, it was probably not woth the grief.

 

[wcl]

Hi,

It's the same commerce evolution discussion that's been around since mail order / discount retailer / on-line / etc. have been changing the face of buyer-seller interaction for the last century.

The value equation to understand is straightforward, if sometimes somewhat difficult to quantify: The price differences for the different commerce models pay for the people and service they provide differently in each channel.

The principle complicating factors are
- Subjectivity of value ("service" can be harder to quantify than cash value)
- Variability of value (different instances of the channels vary widely)
- Uncertainty of value (the service in question is often realized only in the case of problems that service personnel help to resolve)
- Time-value of service (service value often is realized best over the course of a longer relationship).

If the market value solution were trivial, either all small clothing shops would be gone, or all Kmarts would fail ... both exist in dynamically changing balance, so ...

It comes down to the most fundamental driver of market economies: "What's it worth to ya?"

Cheers,
W

 

[reefugee]

I agree with you. If a LDS offers me excellent service, I will purchase from that place even if it costs more.

With that said - I have purchased almost all my stuff from my LDS. It also allows me to build a relationship with my LDS. I did order my boots online though because my LDS did not have any boots that fit me well.

Minh

The one thing I do ask as a courtesy to your LDS, is don't use them as a fitting room/ info center, then go and buy the stuff off the internet. If you go to the LDS to look at masks, find one you like, buy it at the LDS, don't go home and buy it off of the internet.

 

[Splitlip]

the only thing you really need your local shop for is for equipment maintenance
and refills. they'll do those if you pay them, even if you don't buy anything from them.


one thing: if you buy regulators online, make sure that there's a local shop that can maintain that brand of regulator or you'll have to send them in for repairs. also,
many online sources will give you full manufacturer's warranties, while others will only
give you store warranty (i.e. you'll have to send them in to get worked on).

Something else though.
How long will the LDS stay in buisiness if we don't purchase from them? Then a lot more of us won't have one in the area I suspect.
Three in my area went under in the last few years. Staff at two of them told me they could not compete with Leisure Pro.
I think if you build a relationship with your LDS, you will see the discounts. Not as much as the online folks, but I think the service and advise is worth it. When I purchased my ScubaPro reg from the local shop, they loaded me with enough air fills on my card to make it well worth it.
Having said all that, I have purchased from ScubaToys, because they could provide what my LDS could not on occasion.

 

[AlexMDiver]

The vast majority of scuba classes require students to have their own mask, snorkle, and fins, these items are often referred to as "personal gear" because in many places they simply are not available for rent.

The online vs LDS debate has gone on ad-nauseum, but in a nutshell:

on line---------------------------------------LDS
***************************************************************
lower prices----------------------------------higher prices
order from a picture and description-----------try it on
operator is just an "order taker"---------------staff will usually help fit you
days to weeks delivery time-------------------walk out with it today
problem have to be solved through shipping----problems solved face to face

All true, but a big pro argument missing in the on-line option:

1) Online you of course have a huge selection of gear, you are not limited to what the dive shop has or recommends. If your LDS is stocked with poor brands, it will still tell you it is great stuff, but then this is not an advantage to you. On-line shopping is much more un-biased. Many on-line shops in Europe are also LDS, just that they also sell on-line and ship anywhere fast. So you do not have to have a bad conscience that you are not supporting the small dive business. Just not the one round the corner with bad gear and advice.

My advice to you is: Get the basic ABC gear at your LDS to pass your class. Try not to buy the most expensive stuff, because as you get more experience you might find out that you prefer other gear than that of your LDS (or not, in which case your LDS will likely give you good deals for upgrades). After some dives under your belt, you can then put together your dream gear by researching Scubaboard, looking for good deals on-line and in your local dive shops.

A.

 

[AlexMDiver]

Something else though.
How long will the LDS stay in buisiness if we don't purchase from them? Then a lot more of us won't have one in the area I suspect.
Three in my area went under in the last few years. Staff at two of them told me they could not compete with Leisure Pro.
I think if you build a relationship with your LDS, you will see the discounts. Not as much as the online folks, but I think the service and advise is worth it. When I purchased my ScubaPro reg from the local shop, they loaded me with enough air fills on my card to make it well worth it.
Having said all that, I have purchased from ScubaToys, because they could provide what my LDS could not on occasion.

Shops stay in busines if they provide enough customers with what their demand is.
I think you should only support shops that provide you with want you want, not for the sake of supporting a local shop. If the local dive shop density is too high, then that is unfortunate. If the local shop cannot compete with on-line prices, then perhaps the shop could also sell gear on-line, thus selling more and being able to lower prices. In Europe there are lots of small local shops that ship anywhere, because the density of dive shops is low in many areas. Also small shops can survive if they are smart and have a good business model (like the air-fill example you mentioned). Dive shops that throw out customers because they bought on-line or gear elsewhere should not be surprised if people stop going there. They should be happy you did not buy a tennis racket instead and binned diving completely. Buying scuba gear, no matter where, is good for the sport and the industry.

Worlds change and businesses need to adapt with this change. It should be focused on what the market it and what the customer wants. I do not believe in supporting shops because otherwise they close. Makes local people feel guilty for getting the best deal for them.

If you are worried about getting an air-fill: Most places I dive at have one or two air-fill stations close to the dive-site. Much more convenient. Why do people need the air-fill stations close to their home?

 

[Splitlip]

Shops stay in busines if they provide enough customers with what their demand is.
I think you should only support shops that provide you with want you want, not for the sake of supporting a local shop. If the local dive shop density is too high, then that is unfortunate. If the local shop cannot compete with on-line prices, then perhaps the shop could also sell gear on-line, thus selling more and being able to lower prices. In Europe there are lots of small local shops that ship anywhere, because the density of dive shops is low in many areas. Also small shops can survive if they are smart and have a good business model (like the air-fill example you mentioned). Dive shops that throw out customers because they bought on-line or gear elsewhere should not be surprised if people stop going there. They should be happy you did not buy a tennis racket instead and binned diving completely. Buying scuba gear, no matter where, is good for the sport and the industry.

Worlds change and businesses need to adapt with this change. It should be focused on what the market it and what the customer wants. I do not believe in supporting shops because otherwise they close. Makes local people feel guilty for getting the best deal for them.

If you are worried about getting an air-fill: Most places I dive at have one or two air-fill stations close to the dive-site. Much more convenient. Why do people need the air-fill stations close to their home?

Some good points. As I said, I will buy on line if I want something the local shops don't stock.
I suppose my rationale is location specific. My dive sites are close to home as are the shops. And the shops are where we get our fills. Locally, the shops do offer essentially every manufacturer's product.
Guilt has nothing to do with it for me. For all the reasons I and others have stated, saving $10.00 on a $100.00 purchase is not worth it.
On occasion the person working in the dive shop will by chance be diving with me and very often end up meeting me socially. Maybe it is a community thing.