OPINIONS NEEDED: Buying Online vs Buying from Ski Shops

Canaidan

Canaidan

Member
Staff member
Sup guys,

I'm writing an article for my contemporary business class on distribution methods in the ski industry. Specifically, I'm comparing the traditional method of selling skis through sales reps and ski shops, to selling direct to customers online and cutting out the middle man (J Skis for example).

If anyone can do a quick 15 minute interview talking about their experiences buying through ski shops vs buying online send me a DM or discuss in the thread!

If you need probing questions here are a few:

Do you prefer buying direct online or through shops?

What are the advantages of buying online?

What are the advantages of buying from shops?

What kind of reassurance would you need to buy directly online without feeling the actual product?

Thanks in advance for any help!
 
i always buy skis online or through a site like craigslist. Shops usually dont have the selections of skis that i want, park to twintip all mountain. its easier, i click a few boxes and the skis arrive at my door, dont have to wait for shop to restock.

Buying in shop supports the local shop and im a fan of that, i buy boots and bindings at shops
 
14016968:pbs said:
i always buy skis online or through a site like craigslist. Shops usually dont have the selections of skis that i want, park to twintip all mountain. its easier, i click a few boxes and the skis arrive at my door, dont have to wait for shop to restock.

Buying in shop supports the local shop and im a fan of that, i buy boots and bindings at shops
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Do you ever have concerns about buying online in terms of quality when you don't actually get to feel/flex/look at the product before it arrives to your house?
 
14016969:Canaidan said:
Do you ever have concerns about buying online in terms of quality when you don't actually get to feel/flex/look at the product before it arrives to your house?
Click to expand...

i usually only buy skis that i have seen the quality, ie; seeing people in the lift line and asking them questions, or i go off of reviews from roofbox/blister or other reliable sources.

also dm'ing pros about durability, most respond if its a valid question, if they can go hard all season, then i can ski my 40 days a year.
 
For some things, online

for things like boots and skis, in store is the best choice

even though it tends to be more expensive, i like supporting local businesses

**This post was edited on Mar 26th 2019 at 7:36:48pm
 
if its not too much extra, I always buy local

local shops always bring together a great community centred around a common love, opposed to going to sportchek for skis
 
Online, end of season or mid summer. Cheapest stuff available.

Proform access for industry people isn't what it used to be and industry people don't make enough to to buy anything even close to MSRP from shops.

I'd love to be able to buy stuff right off the shelf but I've gotta drive an hour to find a shop with the type of stuff I'd buy just to find it hanging there at MSRP.
 
Do you prefer buying direct online or through shops?

What are the advantages of buying online?

I like buying from shops and supporting the local stores but buy almost all my gear online. I've had trouble finding boots in my size at shops or they didn't have the boots I wanted. I ride wide boards and though shops are better at carrying them some don't really and other don't necessarily have the board I want. I'm kinda fussy about boots/boards bindings. I could buy gear at the shop but rarely buy new stuff and when I do it's if I come across a random sale. Working in the ski industry is tough to survive sometimes. I gotta roll pretty cheap and if I can get something for 20%+ more off than a shop it's hard to say no. Things that I know are carried and are the same price I'll always try and buy in a shop.

What are the advantages of buying from shops?

Supporting your community and local ski scene. Talking to real people. Being able to physically touch or try on an item.

What kind of reassurance would you need to buy directly online without feeling the actual product?

None. I'm pretty used to it not. I guess you do feel a little bit of a gamble but have been pretty confident.
 
It would take me a long time to decide which method I prefer. Both have their pros and cons. Online is great because you have all the time in the world to choose the right gear, with zero pressure from salesmen or friends or anyone, and access to way more reviews and opinions than just the dude at the shop who could very well be trying to up-sell you on the expensive shit. Although, it can be hard to beat the knowledge and vibe of a ski shop. You can see the skis before you buy them, possibly mount into them, try on boots and fit them, see how they feel and get a rough idea of how they ride rather than taking someone else's word for it. You may not have as much inventory available as an online shop, and you may feel pressured into buying something because you came all this way, as previously mentioned... It is probably best to go look at skis in a shop, but try not to buy them there unless they have a better deal than online. This way you get an idea, but then can have a lot more time to think about it rather than a couple of minutes.
 
I buy my skis online because vishnu (if a ski shop in New England sees this plz talk to Emmett and carry vishnus), as well as most of my gear. However, I will always buy my boots, gloves, and poles in a shop. For some reason I need to see them in person before I buy them. Also, I still need ski shops to mount my skis so I always feel guilty buying too much stuff online. Additionally if anyone has a pivot/fks jig they wanna let go of on the low pm me
 
As a shop employee, my opinion is defiantly bias haha. But I will say, the older guys who work at a shop are a testament to the fact that you can make skiing your life if you're willing. I think there's kind of a magic that takes place in a ski shop when everyone just starts geeking out about gear haha. It's defiantly more of an experience, which I love!
 
Shops can fuck off. They NEVER have the gear I’m looking for or want. And service? Newsflash.... mounting bindings isn’t some mystical science that only shops can do. I learned to do it my self, and will never pay a shop another penny for that service. The internet can teach you how to service your gear and gives you absolute choice to gear and brands. Not just the 5 brands some 40 year old, fleece vest wearing, shop owner decides to carry. Shop owner-“ you know, they put “recommended” as a mounting point because it’s the best spot. “Core center” will make the ski feel awful and hard to turn!” Fuck off and go sell another Spyder jacket.
 
14017584:teamdummy said:
Shops can fuck off. They NEVER have the gear I’m looking for or want. And service? Newsflash.... mounting bindings isn’t some mystical science that only shops can do. I learned to do it my self, and will never pay a shop another penny for that service. The internet can teach you how to service your gear and gives you absolute choice to gear and brands. Not just the 5 brands some 40 year old, fleece vest wearing, shop owner decides to carry. Shop owner-“ you know, they put “recommended” as a mounting point because it’s the best spot. “Core center” will make the ski feel awful and hard to turn!” Fuck off and go sell another Spyder jacket.
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Seems like you've had a pretty bad shop experience. I have a local shop that I trust mount for me cause they'll mount for free if I drop by with a 6 pack later. Most shops will mount where you tell them if you ask for them to measure for the center. Most knowledgeable techs will also know that it's pretty common for the top sheet "recommended" point to not be exact, or to be different from the other ski. I wax my own skis, but if I need a base grind, I'll have the shop do it because I don't have the expensive ass machine that they have. I made my own jig out of lexan and just clamp it over a ski if I need skis mounted fast, but if I paid more than $500 for the skis, it's nice to know I the shop will replace the skis if they brutally fuck up the mount.
 
Online for a lot bc its cheaper for most stuff. But I buy skis in person so I can see them and ask questions. Also end of season sales are way better in store
 
I'm 15 and buy all my gear, so paying full retail at a shop? Ya not gonna happen. Although, my town has this play it again type shop (used gear), but they are strictly like mtn biking and freeride skiing, and I've found some super good deals there. If that counts as a shop than ya i like shops, but i stay away from basic ski shops unless i need some planks mounted.

**This post was edited on Mar 28th 2019 at 9:39:13am
 
Online - mainly due to lack of selection in the retail stores where I live. I'm not concerned with not being able to see the product before I buy, i'm pretty familiar with the manufacturers rep and quality, not to mention any warranty issues usually have to be done directly with them and not the shop.
 
I prefer to buy skis online as it has every brand out there and ones shops don’t have, like ON3P. Also online you can buy used skis for really cheap from ns and other sites that you couldn’t find in stores. It would be a cool concept though to open a used ski shop where you can sell your skis to the shop and they sell them, almost like a season round ski swap.
 
I personally feel like it's much more convenient to shop online. I have brands I trust, so I don't feel the need to physically touch the product. I also use online reviews a lot to make buying decisions. I think it's even more valuable to see feedback from people who used the product than touch the product myself.

So all in all, I only buy in ski shops if it's something I need urgently, otherwise it's all online for me. Easier to compare prices between marketplaces too, just an overall much easier experience.

But I think this isn't exactly your point here. You're confusing me because the title is "buying online vs ski shops" then you talk about cutting out the middle man. Evo or backcountry.com are online, but still resellers/middle man. Buying online doesn't necessary mean cutting out the middle man.

Regarding the middle man, they need to add value. Just like the ski shop doesn't add any value to my shopping experience vs. shopping online, I can go to either direct or a reseller depending on where I get the most value.

My buying pattern is usually doing research to find the product I want, then I go find the best price for it, and I don't care where that is. I have 0 loyalty.
 
14017628:Monsieur_Patate said:
But I think this isn't exactly your point here. You're confusing me because the title is "buying online vs ski shops" then you talk about cutting out the middle man. Evo or backcountry.com are online, but still resellers/middle man. Buying online doesn't necessary mean cutting out the middle man.
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I'm speaking mostly about companies that sell direct to customers online (JSkis/Vish for example), not resellers like evo/backcountry for example. When I talk about cutting out the middle man I'm talking about sales reps, sales managers, and ski shops and selling your product direct to the customer through your online store.
 
14017708:Canaidan said:
I'm speaking mostly about companies that sell direct to customers online (JSkis/Vish for example), not resellers like evo/backcountry for example. When I talk about cutting out the middle man I'm talking about sales reps, sales managers, and ski shops and selling your product direct to the customer through your online store.
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Precisely. And I think you should make the title clearer because most of the answers you are getting here are for online vs. ski shop, not direct vs. reseller. People aren't really answering your exact question.
 
14018149:weiler said:
Always from a shop. You buy direct you’re killing off ski industry jobs/careers. That shit is sad.
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Virtually every problem the ski industry faces is completely self inflicted. I don't feel bad for buying online at all.

Buying a pair of skis from a shop at msrp so that I can pat myself on the back is completely illogical.

The industry in its entirety is doing a fine job of killing itself without any additional help from you or me.
 
14018132:Monsieur_Patate said:
Precisely. And I think you should make the title clearer because most of the answers you are getting here are for online vs. ski shop, not direct vs. reseller. People aren't really answering your exact question.
Click to expand...

This, there's really three separate options now. In person, online retailers like Evo, and then direct to consumer like J skis. At that direct to consumers also sometimes sell at Evo and other stores, even locally so that adds more options.
 
Its definitely up for debate. I both work at a shop and have bought online.

The guys that run the shop are great guys. Always help out when they can. Return customers are treated very well for sure. On the other side of that theres always a negative comment made when someone brings in their skis for a mount when they didnt buy their skis/boots/bindings there.

But, as most have said, online is definitely easier. The products you want at better prices. Hard to beat that.

Where shops succeed is from people who are newer to the sport. Obviously most people on here are competent and know what they're after. People who are more recreational need some help, and that's where the shops are neccessary. Same goes with mounts and tuning. Most people don't know how to to wax and sharpen, so they rely on shops.

Theres a place for both variants of ski sales in my opinion

**This post was edited on Mar 29th 2019 at 8:28:32pm
 
As someone with a full time job who is essentially a weekend warrior, I'm all about online shops. I'm basically committing an entire evening if I have to swing by a shop after work. Also, I'm not about to walk into a clusterfuck of a ski shop on a weekend during peak season either.

For better or worse, the internet has equipped me to be educated enough on gear to make an educated risk of purchasing online. Do your research; find shops that price match, offer free returns, sales tax vs. no sales tax, etc. (it's 2019 so I'm guessing this is pretty common knowledge) and it makes more sense to buy online.

As for brick and mortar shops, there will always be a place and need for them (boot fitting, rentals, wax and tuning, demos, binding mounting, etc.). Sorry not sorry but I also try to educate myself as much as possible to minimize my trips to the shop for the mentioned services to save time and money. Unless it's bootfitting. Don't be that guy who tries on 10 different boots only to go home and shop online for the cheapest price.
 
Boots always in shops. Skis, it's tough to find what i want so most of the time online. Bindings, I have so many pairs I don't need to buy them. outerwear, depends on what I'm looking for. I like to try clothes on before I buy so most likely in store.
 
All depends. If I go into a shop and feel like I know more about the gear than the people working there, I don’t want to buy something there because they just want your money. And there isn’t any shops around me that carry the brands I like, so for skis, online.

Boots are always bought in a shop but like I said before if the person working at the shop doesn’t know what they’re talking about I’m not buying anything from that store. I’ll search for a shop with a reputable bootfitter and go from there.

Bindings are meh, can probably find a better deal online.

Outerwear is tricky
 
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