Buying Scuba Gear online: A simple guide
by: ThePope
Word Count: 1355
Buying Scuba Gear online: A simple guide
The purpose of this article is to introduce you to the pros and cons of buying scuba equipment online. It is written for Lakenorforkscuba.com, but is intended as a general purpose article to anyone who is interested purchasing scuba gear online and has questions, concerns, or just needs a good place to start.There is a lot of money to be saved by purchasing over the internet, but there are also some special considerations that you may or may not be aware of. Either way, I hope you enjoy this article.
Online Diving Gear 101
Ok, let's face it. The age of the internet is here and these days you can find products cheaper online while getting a wider selection to choose from. The world of scuba is no exception to this, and we all know that the equipment we use in our underwater adventures does not come cheaply.
When diving, your equipment really is your life support system. That is why it is so important to know that you are buying the right equipment from the right people. At the same time, nobody ever said that scuba was the cheapest sport ever invented. Better deals on scuba can be found on the internet that will save you time and money if you play your cards right.
First things first….
What's different about Buying Gear Online as opposed to at a dive shop?
There are a few special considerations when it comes to buying your gear online. Like anything, buying gear online has both drawbacks and advantages.
Advantages:
There are two advantages of online shopping that come to mind.
Probably the greatest advantage of finding your gear online is easy… Price. The bottom line is that most of time you can find things cheaper when you shop online.
Another advantage of online shopping is selection. The chances are pretty good that you will find a much wider array of products to choose from when you shop online.
Disadvantages:
Of course, like anything, online shopping has a few drawbacks, but these can be minimized, if not completely negated with a little consideration.
The biggest drawback to shopping on the web is that while most online retailers offer you pictures, the ability to actually see or try a piece on just isn't there.
Unless you already know the model and size that you are looking for, there is no way to know if a piece fits. For this reason, I recommend taking some time and do a bit of homework before hitting the "buy now" button.
Look before you leap. That's my motto.
Types of online Diving Gear suppliers
Most online diving retailers fit into four categories:Scuba Shops - These are pretty straightforward. This is just a regular scuba shop that at some point has developed a web site to sell merchandise from their store. Lakenorforkscuba.com (this site) fits into this category.
Most of the time, these shops can compete price-wise with the large warehouse type companies.
It is my honest opinion that you are likely to get the best service from a retailer in this category. I'm not just saying that because I'm writing this article for the Lake Norfork Scuba web site, the simple fact is that when you deal with a retailer on this level you are dealing with someone who has built or maintains a business by being good to their customers and treating people right.
In addition, whomever you speak to will usually be an experienced diver that will be able to give you some insight to any questions you may have about a particular piece of equipment.
One final bonus is that this level of merchant is most likely an authorized dealer AND service center, so if there is any sort of problem or your equipment needs service, they can help. You might be surprised at the number of online retailers that will not service their own products.
Large Warehouses: Once again, these guys are pretty straightforward.
You are dealing with a large volume operation that sells thousands of pieces of scuba gear to all levels of clients.
These are a viable option for purchasing gear. Don't expect a lot of service, but these guys do deliver.
Auction sites: I said sites with an "s" just to be fair to the little guys, but really these days "auction sites" just refers Ebay.
I freely admit that I love Ebay. It is a great place to find all sorts of stuff and you can usually get it cheap. It's a great place to find a vintage Beatles poster, but when it comes to scuba equipment, BUYER BEWARE.
There are a lot of good things bought and sold on eBay all the time, but there is also a lot of crap and faulty merchandise there as well. If you buy a cd player from an auction and you get it in the mail and it doesn't work, no big deal, but remember your scuba gear is your life support system under water. I don't like to take chances with that.
Fly by night: One problem with the internet is that anyone can build a web site and sometimes it is hard to tell a good business from a less than acceptable substitution. To determine a fly by night scuba operations from a good dive shop, follow the steps in the next section about site security and trust.
Site Security & How to measure trust
Be sure to take a good look at any site you are considering buying from. Here is a simple, minimal checklist of things to look for when considering purchasing from a web site:Does the site look professional? This can be deceptive, but most of the time this is a fairly good indicator of how legitimate an online retailer is simply because if they are willing to invest a lot of time and energy into their web site, the chances are good that they are willing to invest a lot into their customers to keep them happy.
It certainly isn't the only thing you want to look at, but it's a start.
Is the site secure? What you want to look for here, is that during the checkout process, you should see "https://" at the beginning of the web address. On some browsers, you will also see a small padlock icon at the bottom of your browser window.
What these indicators mean is that the data you are sending to the site is encrypted and safe for transfer over the internet.
You will not see these things on the normal pages of the site, only during the checkout process when you are entering in your personal information. Most pages on the internet do not have the "https" or the padlock, and that is ok. The only time that they are necessary is when you are sending personal information (like credit card numbers) that must be kept safe.
Another thing to look for is that the web address does not change. Even if the padlock and "https" can be seen, if you started at "joesscuba.com" and end up at "e-wallet.com", you might want to rethink your purchase.
Here are two more that are pretty straightforward:
Does the site give a physical address?
Is there a contact phone number on the site?
If a real scuba shop is represented by the web site, they should not have any qualms about stating their contact information.
If in doubt, just keep shopping.
Conclusion
Shopping for scuba gear online has its strengths and weaknesses, but can also save you money and time if you find the right online scuba shop. I hope this article helps you do just that.
There are a lot of shops on the internet and is important that you know the key signs to look for in a quality online scuba store.
I can personally vouch for Lake Norfork Scuba because I've seen their location and seen how well Dave and his employees take care of their customers. I've also seen a lot of people that have had some bad experiences online with other online scuba suppliers. (not lakenorforkscuba.com!)
Good luck and may you be blessed with great diving!
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by Phill Gentry
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