Diving Equipment Costs

[Lou]

The problem for me isn't the "technical" kit.  That I don't mind paying for.  it is all those little bits that get logo-ed up and flogged as diving kit for a fortune.

Trauma shears seem to be the one you guys mention most often.  

Other pet hates of mine are things like fin straps, d-rings, clips, lanyards etc.  How about those pre-made necklaces.....half a metre of latex, a couple of cuts and some assembly for HOW MUCH??

Although the price of force fins has always puzzled me......surely there must be a case for profits by volume there?

[scubadog]

I use to work for Decathlon in Manchester/Stockport, in the fishing department.....Having 25 years experiance I did know what I was talking about. The diving dept was next door, and at the time only one of the three staff had passed their OW....The quality of their own brand [ Decathlon made ] in my dept was the worst equipment I had seen. As for profit, I was reduced a reel from £120 to £50....just to treat the lads that came in, we sold 80 of them in a week, making £1.50 per item.....then the store manager found out!!! [ sorry if it sounds like waffle, should have been diving today, but didn't have the cash ]

[Dominic]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Other pet hates of mine are things like fin straps, d-rings, clips, lanyards etc.  

Buying them from a dive shop gives a big hike to the price - you can get most of them elsewhere a lot cheaper. Replace your fin straps with bungee, get clips etc from outdoorsy shops, etc.

[Lou]

That's what I generally try and do, Dom.  Kind of my point really.  It is all available elsewhere for much less.  The minute it gets into a diveshop a whacking great price hike occurs.  Maybe there is some weird inflationary vortex that occurs over dive stores?

[andy2tanx]

At this point I feel I have to mention that we have a lot of Diver mags from 1990 to 1004 at work, and whilst flicking through them I noticed that kit in general has come down in price.  Diving was VERY expensive back then.  At work tomorrow I'll get an old copy and note down some prices from ten years ago and see what comes up...  if I get time.

[Jay]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Finless @ Nov. 04 2003,11:19)]I feel sure if AP could get the cost of an Inspiration down to abt £2k they would sell a lot more units - smaller margins but earning a lot more of them.

Bearing in mind AP have a long waiting list just to get your hands on a new Inspiration and that they can easily sell to the demand at the current price, there is absolutely NO incentive for them to drop the price. If they were £2k they would have to produce and sell TWICE as many units to make the same profit (not considering the additional manufacturing costs). Unlikely to happen without some stiff competition which doesn't look very likely in the short term.

[Finless]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Heads Up @ Nov. 04 2003,16:14)]

Bearing in mind AP have a long waiting list just to get your hands on a new Inspiration and that they can easily sell to the demand at the current price, there is absolutely NO incentive for them to drop the price. If they were £2k they would have to produce and sell TWICE as many units to make the same profit (not considering the additional manufacturing costs). Unlikely to happen without some stiff competition which doesn't look very likely in the short term.

Oh well - that pee'd on my bonfire.  

[Dominic]

So many good ideas have to be abandoned simply because they just won't work..

[Lou]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Diver mags from 1990 to 1004

 

I never knew they dived back then.  Imagine How much quicker William the Conqueror could've snuck up on us with an Inspiration?

[Dominic]

Of course they did: Didn't you ever see the speargun that shot Harold's eye out in the Bayeux Tapestry??