|
I buy most of my stuff from my LDS. But I also have a great shop. I recently bought a whole new set of gear, all the way from computers to regs to fins. At the same time, I bought a BP/Harness/Wing setup. I paid top dollar for the computers and reg (Scubapro...basically fixed pricing from authorized retailers).
After chunking down $3K on a reg and computers, I told them that there was no way in hell that I was paying manufacturer mark up on a piece of steel (backplate) and a nylon bag (Wing), and they gave me a really good deal. Much better price than I could have gotten the same rig for online.
When I went back to sign up for Nitrox, they gave my fiance and I half price.
Did I save as much as if I bought everything online? No. On about a $5K bill, it was about $700 more than online prices. But I know the guys I bought it from and they know me and that means a lot when it comes to things like servicing (which I do religiously).
For what it's worth, I buy all my reef stuff locally for the same reasons.
And here's a tip for you...there are credit cards that have price match policies and will honor prices against printed mail order catalogues. Every year I max out my AMEX limit ($1K). It usually comes close to making up for the price differences.
__________________
Matt
|