buying online

[DiveCaptDean]

You guys are forgetting the FACT that dive stores do not control their pricing.  The Dive industry is one of the few industries in which the dealers control the pricing on the shelves at dive centers.  There is a very little wiggle room which is controlled to the point that if a center sells you something below that price, they risk losing their product line from that dealer.  Most dealers do this and most certainly all of the major brands that you all use do. 

Please keep in mind that companies such as LeisurePro do not have sales contracts with most dealers.  They get their product through illegal means( according to the dealers) or when a dive center decides to close their doors, leisure pro will offer to buy their product if they would be willing to place a series of large orders through their vendors so they can have their product to sell.  They are very good at it and offer to pay shop owners 10% over cost.  We were asked to put in an order of over $100,000.00 to Oceanic alone.  we declined to do this as we felt it is bad for the dive industry over all...

If you all could come up with a way to take the price locking away fromt he dealers and to allow the shops to control their pricing...well then i would agree with you...shops would have to utilize the internet and work their already JUST SKIMPING BY business to make a go of it....but this has been tried and it has failed to this point.

So.....i dont agree with you on this topic...you all need to frequent your dive centers and purchase your gear through them...i know some folks stop in to their LDS and try on the gear...get a feel for it..and get all of their questions answered regarding it..then jump online that night and purchase it via the internet at some discount website...I could just BITCH SLAP them. 

I know many of you do not and understand that you have to support them to keep them andi hope you chose to do so..

Deano

[Hydro]

theres quite a few industries that have dealer controlled pricing... generally if a retailer says "authorized dealer" or something to that effect its the case... another industry like that is cameras, (and cars?)