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Go Back   WakeWorld > >> Wakeboarding Discussion Archives > Archive through February 24, 2008

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Old     (x_rated)      Join Date: Dec 2007       02-06-2008, 4:57 PM Reply   
Just so you know I Do run a Pro Shop however a lot of our sales come from the internet. I wanted to know from the general public what their thoughts on the two are? Thanks and be honest Pro and Cons WELCOME!
Old     (flatcher)      Join Date: Feb 2008       02-06-2008, 5:04 PM Reply   
Proshop thoughts

Pro's:
Advice
Confident fit
hands on evaluation
instant gratification (you buy, you have)

Con's:
Price (esp. tax break)
multiple input from reviewers who bought
No travel time/expense
Shop when you want any time of day
The wait for shipping

I'm about 60% on pro shop purchases and 40% online purchases. 2 out of 4 wakeboards in shop. Vests, ropes, handles are half and half.
Old     (trickyboarder08)      Join Date: Jul 2005       02-06-2008, 5:13 PM Reply   
Well, I haven't bought anything from a pro shop, everything I have comes from online. This is because there are not any convenient places near me that sell wakeboards, other than Raquet and Jog, and I do not consider that a pro shop, as the people do sell top of the line equiptment, but they will tell you anything in there to get you to buy. Nothing against pro shops, I just wish I had one closer.
Old     (sinister_designs)      Join Date: Feb 2008       02-06-2008, 6:40 PM Reply   
not sure about the states but in australia a lot of the pro shops let you buy your board boots and ride them if no good they let you exchange them for something different, not sure how many times but took me 3 boards last time to find the one i liked,
can't do that online. I like online for old season closeout stuff because you a bigger choice i guess.'


just my thoughts
Old    walt            02-06-2008, 6:57 PM Reply   
I've bought online before but I try to stick with the pro shops now. When ever I've had a problem the guys at Ultimate have really taken good care of me.
Old     (player138)      Join Date: Jun 2007       02-06-2008, 7:01 PM Reply   
I agree that online is great for getting last season's closeout gear. If I'm paying the same price for it either way though I'd rather go to a pro shop where I can try things on and make sure everything fits and is comfortable. I also tend to feel bad if I'm getting a huge deal on something in my local pro shop since I know the guy who owns it.. but getting good deals online is a lot less personal (especially since I know that the deal isn't just being cut for me like in my local shop).
Old     (mucktoerider)      Join Date: Jan 2007       02-07-2008, 5:25 AM Reply   
old skool.....I like the pro shop. I like seeing the gear up close and personal....reviewing the quality etc. etc. etc. Plus...it truly is fun to BS with the guys that work there. It's like chattin it up while getting your lid trimmed. I like the personal interaction. Plus my pro shop (Wilson Marine in Brighton Michigan...yhea I am giving them a plug..they deserve it) always looks to see what the online retailers are charging...and then beats their price. I have checked on line...and other local pro shops...in the end I saved between 289 to 320 bucks on my new rig. So if you find a great pro shop that will work with you....I personally like that route better. Plus if you have any warranty issues....you can usually get them immediately resolved.
Old     (wakereviews)      Join Date: Sep 2006       02-07-2008, 5:40 AM Reply   
love the pro shops, just don't have one anywhere close at all. However, everytime I manage to get into a pro shop I end up buying something, even if it's just a tshirt or a hat.
Old     (romes)      Join Date: Sep 2006       02-07-2008, 9:02 AM Reply   
i'm very interested in this as well...i'm in the process of taking over a proshop with a friend of mine and we're going to go live on the net as well. but i'd like to basically create a virtual pro shop...where people can interact with us and ask us questions ab product and we can answer them...kind of like how Dogfunk does their online retailing(they dont have a physical shop as far as i know.

i think thats the best way to do it...
Old     (zirb3l)      Join Date: Jan 2008       02-07-2008, 9:40 AM Reply   
I would love to work with a pro shop but the only one in this area is a joke... I need to move to Australia
Old     (hal2814)      Join Date: Feb 2006       02-07-2008, 10:21 AM Reply   
My biggest problem with pro shops is that they're not anywhere near where I shop. They're all out near the lake. If I'm out near the lake anyways, I'd rather be wakeboarding than shopping. I understand the reasoning behind the location but for me personally it just doesn't work. The only things I buy near the lake are gas and beer (and once I bought a prop when I destroyed mine).

I'm also a big buyer of used gear and I find very few brick and mortar stores who can compete with the likes of eBay or even the for sale section here at WW in that arena.

I do like actually seeing boards up close at the pro shops. I'm no scientist but I do have a decent idea what to expect from a board by looking at it and it's kind of hard to do that online.
Old     (electricsnow)      Join Date: May 2002       02-07-2008, 3:25 PM Reply   
I like supporting my pro shops because they help support the scene. Both of the shops in the state that I go to have put on competitions, clinics or demos that I've gone to since the mid 90s. It meant a lot as a young rider to get a chance to see some high caliber riding when the scene wasn't as accessible. I actually want to add that in 2002 both of these shops brought brian grubb in because of those hyperlite tours that used to go on, and I attended one of the stops. That one definitely stands out in my mind as a great experience because it was really rare to see any good wakeskating going on in person (in wisconsin). It was just a good day with some good people and it made me love wakeskating even more.

Hey, I will give props to fort fremont marine and redline watersports.

Because I can. Anyway...

Like many others, I also love checking out the gear in person, and your pro shop is going to be the best at dealing with warranty issues.

However, I love the net in that it makes everything accessible. If there's a pair of boardshorts or something like that that I really want, the net will likely bring that to me if my local shops don't have what I'm looking for.

but since I'm sassy, one thing I don't like about the internet is the way the strictly online shops can undercut the physical store locations. They aren't having to worry about store overhead, numerous employees, etc etc, and that's why they can get away with charging what they do.

Oh, and I want everyone to know that I'm not a scientist either.

(Message edited by electricsnow on February 07, 2008)
Old     (keith2002)      Join Date: Apr 2006       02-07-2008, 4:01 PM Reply   
JR - i see in your profile you are from Tracy. What pro shop are you taking over?

I'm about 50/50 pro shop and on line. I prefer to buy all my bindings and vests at a pro shop there is no substitute for being able to try them on.

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