wetsuit sale?

Go for last yrs models. You can save a lot that way. They havnt changed all that much. I always do that. Theres a couple of good shops in Rhode Island.. Narragansett has a terrific shop. check them out.

 

bad idea

unless you drive an electric car/hybrid, you'll blow any savings you get on gas $$ driving to shops in central nj from ct. save the coin & buy yourself a top-end suit from your local surf shop.

 

go to your local shop to check the fit then find the suit on ebay for less. Driving to a sale is going to cost you $50.

 

departmentofgoods.com
i scored a hooded 5/4/3 for $130 earlier this year.
they have a nice 6/5/4 on there for the NE

 

Dude, that's a **** move. I mean, I'm not buying $50 trunks at my local shop, but if they're gonna to stock essential gear at a fair price, you should really get it there. They're doing you a service by stocking it for your convenience.

Last time I checked I couldn't get wax for my board shipped overnight when I just realized I ran out, I can't run down to the ebay shop and pick up a leash cause I just broke mine, and last time I asked ebay which local spots break best at certain tides and wind direction, they were completely clueless. We all gotta save money, but I find that most shops are pretty resonably priced and competitive on essential gear that you need and we need them for a bit more crap than we give them credit for.

 

Also check out Whiskey Milita and www.wetsuitwarehouse.com and www.backcountryoutlet.com as well

 

Go ahead, big money! Last time I checked, a decent suit runs upwards of $400 in shop. Same thing can be scored on whiskeymilitia or ebay for less than half that. Wetsuit prices are almost comical in stores. MSRP is for suckers.

 

You can get a decent suit for 219.37 . Thats what I paid for my 5/4/3 Hyperflex Flow last fall and it was just like all my other Hyperflex suits Trouble Free. Sometime spending more is not always means you get the best

 

I have bought many wetsuits using the internet - you have to know how each manufacturer's cut fits your body style (for instance Rip curls don't fit me well but Xcel, oneill and Quik do)
Also you save sales tax and in some cases get free shipping

wetsuit warehouse is a good source, also for winter suits Oregon Surf shop has been a good source for some suits on sale (they had 4/3 hooded Xcel Drylocks for $275 a week or so back)


If guys want to go to shops and pay their prices thats fine, I much prefer online shopping- saves me time and money
Jim

 

Sorry if I insulted you bro. If the surf shop wants my business they will lower their profit margin on suits and boards. Yeah I will hit them up during a 50% off end of season sale (usually they only mark suits down like 10% during a sale). for some clothes or drop in to get a leash, wax or some fins (that's where they make most of their money anyway) but I'm definetely NOT going in there to spend retail just to "help" them out. How about they help me out by giving me a competitive price?

There is nothing wrong with buying on the internet to save a few hundred bucks. The last surf related item I bought was a track pad. I looked at them in the surf shop for $40. But couldn't spend that much on a piece of foam and glue. Got one on Whiskey for $1.50 plus shipping.

BTW: in the area I live, the surf shops are NOT hurting for business. All the grom's moms go in their and buy everything off the shelf before they even get tags on it. I know the owners and I know they are making bank off of that $450 suit.

Now if it was a small operation, just starting out and just trying to hook some surfers up then that's a different story. But when you know the owner is flying all over the world to surf and drives a $70K car (all the power to him) I don't feel obligated to buy there and support him just because he's the local surf shop. More money in my pocket.

 

i'm with wally. why the f**k would i spend close to $400 on a suit when i can find the EXACT one on whiskey for more than half that price? if the prices were competitive, that's a different story. it's nice not to have to wait for something to ship, which is the obvious benefit of buying something in store. bring prices down on certain items and i'd be happy to pay a premium to have something now - but if the item is going to cost 50% less online, then there has to be something wrong w/ you not to buy it there. that is, unless you like convulsing money.

 

Do not blame the pricing on the shops.

 

I'v seen distributers catalogs and everything you see is marked up AT LEAST 100-200%. I know you have to keep the lights on and the bosses benz lookin good, but I think its up to shops to price them competitively, meaning below msrp. Thats the only way to keep business in store, especially on the money items. These shops are well aware of whiskeymilitia.com and similar sites.

Surf gear in general has gotten out of hand...i.e. I paid $3 for a bar of wax at a shop in obx recently and asked how that wax crisis in the middle east is working out. The kid just looked me like my fly was undone. even at $1 shops make a killing on wax. $3 is just greedy.

 

Yeah because the prices are set by.........
The wetsuit cartel !

The shops are trying to earn a profit, the consumer is trying to get the best value for his money. Information via the internet has tilted it slightly in favor of the consumer. This is capitalism in action.

I don't assign blame, I just do some research and spend my $$ where I feel I get the best value.

 

although that may true for all soft goods and accessories, that margin is impossible for actual wetsuits (rash guards, boots, gloves, hoods - yes). Like board margins, wetsuits are only able to handle 20-40% along with the shipping costs to be competitive and to not sit on the rack for 2 years or more. (coming from a shop manager/employee/buyer for over 15 years)

 

Ok, let me clarify. **** move to waste the shops time and an employee's time for you to go in and size yourself up. If you buy online, make sure you follow the chart and take the chance, don't waste some shop owner's time to be your custom tailor. I've yet to have an issue where my shops aren't pretty close to what the going rate on a wetsuit is online, excluding whiskey. And from what I understand whiskey's wetsuits are models from 2 years ago and are really prone to dry rot. I don't know, haven't bought one so I can say personally, just what I hear.

 

Oh yea, and if you do shop at small shops, frequently, you get the hook up.

 

prone to dry rot? give me a break.