DCSki Forums

johnfmh - DCSki Columnist

December 11, 2004

Member since 07/18/2001 🔗

1,993 posts

Tromano:

Ski companies think that most people only buy skis before Christmas, so they want potential buyers to have the earliest opportunity to try skis. The problem with that approach in this region is that we often don't have much skiing before Christmas. People therefore buy skis based on reviews and demo experiences during the past season. Popular skis often sell out by Christmas.

The ski business in this town, in general, is a boutique market. We have a very small number of venders and deep discounts are rare. It's not like New England where you can find deep discounts at places like SKI MARKET and REI. REI stopped selling skis in the DC region years ago because it was not profitable. I don't see the situation changing much over time.

tromano

December 11, 2004

Member since 12/19/2002 🔗

998 posts

John,

My understanding of the economy as it is right now (for most niche consumer markets like skis sold in this area) is you B&M retailers and you ahve online retailers. Basicly B&M can never compete on price w/ online because of their invantory and the limited size of the markets.

However local B&M have a great advantage in terms of service and support for their products. This is where people are wiling to pay more for products because of value added from the retialer that is above and beyond the value of the product in its self. I am one of those BTW.

Every one I talk to here and on epic basicly say you have to demo. However, as I have noticed over the years the demo options in this area stink. So I have to ask what level of service I am getting for my dollar. And what precisly am I paying for? If you look at the online competition, you have a ton of options. Ebay / REI.com and reioutlet.com / evogear / copola (maybe not so good any longer...) wherever... for 2/3 the price of local retialers (or less).

It is true that the "best" skis seem to sell out quick. But thats not a good reason to buy a product that the customer doesn't even know what it is and hasn't tried it out. Ski Center seems good and I have some loyaty to them, but I am not going to be bullied into buying a product if the only reason is that it might sell out. There are other places and other stores and it is much easier to find a ski that you know you want than it is to remedy the situation after you ahve skied it and found out that its not what you wanted.

My idea of the best option is to find a ski you think you will like and guess a good size. Then buy the ski if you think it will sell out (ski only and save that reciept) if you think it will still be arround then you have nothing to worry about. Then don't drill and them and try to demo that same ski later on. If you don't like the ski after all you can sell it as new on ebay and lose a small fraction and if the ski did in fact sell out probably make a little. If you decide you like it you can go back with bindings to skicenter and they will mount 'em for free. It is a total PITA... but you do what you can.
--
Tim

johnfmh - DCSki Columnist

December 11, 2004

Member since 07/18/2001 🔗

1,993 posts

Quote:

John,

My understanding of the economy as it is right now (for most niche consumer markets like skis sold in this area) is you B&M retailers and you ahve online retailers. Basicly B&M can never compete on price w/ online because of their invantory and the limited size of the markets.

However local B&M have a great advantage in terms of service and support for their products. This is where people are wiling to pay more for products because of value added from the retialer that is above and beyond the value of the product in its self. I am one of those BTW.

Every one I talk to here and on epic basicly say you have to demo. However, as I have noticed over the years the demo options in this area stink. So I have to ask what level of service I am getting for my dollar. And what precisly am I paying for? If you look at the online competition, you have a ton of options. Ebay / REI.com and reioutlet.com / evogear / copola (maybe not so good any longer...) wherever... for 2/3 the price of local retialers (or less).

It is true that the "best" skis seem to sell out quick. But thats not a good reason to buy a product that the customer doesn't even know what it is and hasn't tried it out. Ski Center seems good and I have some loyaty to them, but I am not going to be bullied into buying a product if the only reason is that it might sell out. There are other places and other stores and it is much easier to find a ski that you know you want than it is to remedy the situation after you ahve skied it and found out that its not what you wanted.

My idea of the best option is to find a ski you think you will like and guess a good size. Then buy the ski if you think it will sell out (ski only and save that reciept) if you think it will still be arround then you have nothing to worry about. Then don't drill and them and try to demo that same ski later on. If you don't like the ski after all you can sell it as new on ebay and lose a small fraction and if the ski did in fact sell out probably make a little. If you decide you like it you can go back with bindings to skicenter and they will mount 'em for free. It is a total PITA... but you do what you can.
--
Tim

I agree with the value of service (mounting and advice) at B&M stores and that's why I buy my equipment at Ski Center--excellent sales staff and service. I try to demo equipment whenever I can--whether I am in the market for skis or not. It builds my knowledge base re equipment.

JohnL - DCSki Supporter

December 11, 2004

Member since 01/6/2000 🔗

3,570 posts

Quote:

However local B&M have a great advantage in terms of service and support for their products.

The level of service needed for boots, in particular, is very high, so I would never contemplate buying boots from a non-local store. Especially since we have several very good options to choose from in the DC Area. I would also throw in helmets into this category.

Another reason for choosing a Bricks & Mortar store is convenience. This is why 7-11's exist. If you need the product right now, you can walk off with the merchandise today. If you need new skis mounted right away, you can generally negotiate a very quick service period instead of the oft-quoted 1-2 weeks. If you need to return the product, you can do so in person, instead of having to mail the product back.

Demo'ing is by far the prefered method of buying skis, but it is not the only option. As long as you choose the right category of ski, any one ski you choose in that category will be a very good one. On impulse, I bought a pair of last year's Vokl race skis from Ski Center earlier this fall. The price was very good, and you can't go wrong with Vokl for race skis. I would have to have searched very hard nationwide to be able to demo the skis.

I also bought a pair of Atomic SX-9's from Ski Center last year. I had demo'ed the skis at Jay Peak, but the on-mountain ski stores were very pricey. With my trip logistics, I wasn't able to check out Vermont ski stores such as Ski Rack in Burlington, so I decided to buy the skis locally. The price was better than the on-mountain stores (this is not always the case), and I needed the skis within a week or two. Didn't have the option of shopping around via the Internet.

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