schmit.paul 0 #1 February 11, 2009 Hi guys, Considering starting up the demo program at Square3 at CK in Jersey (for anyone unfamiliar, you put a deposit down toward new gear and can jump rental gear for free for up to 6 months, so there's no rush to put in a new gear order). I am a little curious what their mark-up is for new gear. I'm sure a lot of you, especially more experienced jumpers who have gone through a number of rigs and know what they like, order new pieces of gear straight from the manufacturer. So my question is, purchasing new through a third-party company like Square has GOT to add some overhead to the cost of new gear, but how much typically? It seems like most canopy/container manufacturers are hesitant to put factory-order prices in clear view on their websites, so it's hard for someone green like me to assess the situation. Nevertheless, I think the benefit of having plenty of time to try out lots of demo gear for free before purchasing a specific rig will outweigh whatever cost savings come from piecing together a rig purchasing from individual manufacturers, but this is something worth knowing down the road...."Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than knowledge." ---Charles Darwin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #2 February 11, 2009 Most manufacturers will not sell direct to the public and will only deal with dealers. Square 1/2/3 is one of the larger dealer networks in the US and tend to have very competitive prices since they pass some of their dealer discount on to the consumer. The demo program that they run is excellent if you want to buy new gear or want to avoid rental charges while you decide what you want. You will find a few manufacturers that will sell to the public but for the most part they will refer you to their dealer list and tell you to order from one of the dealers. Consider used gear also. It is cheaper and you won't feel near as bad about selling parts of it off if you want to get a different main down the road since it didn't cost you new price to buy it.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigway 4 #3 February 11, 2009 Square 1-2-3's mark up on gear is next to nothing. I am suprised how they manage to have this demo proggramme and i think it is more about helping jumpers than them making money as it sure would take a chunk out of any profits. If i was you i would not look at it the way you are looking at it. They are the some of the cheapest gear stores on the planet and it would cost them ALOT of money to run the demo thing. Think about it, you losse a main canopy, and they loose a fortune. You drop your handles or loose the free bag, there is MOST of their profit from the fulll sale of a rig gone. Dealers, do not have a very high mark up. Though at the same time, dealers are alot cheaper than you would ever be able to buy direct from the manufacturer for as dealers sell below the manufacturers MSRP in most cases except for a coupld of brands. Sounds like a good idea for you to do this deal they have. I wish i could offer it to my customers .Karnage Krew Gear Store . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #4 February 11, 2009 Retail pricing on equipment in this industry is set by the manufacturers. The wholesale is a discount level set by the manufacturers to each dealer usually based on one or two levels of volume. The maximum discount I've seen dealers offer manufacturers is 35% and that's rare. 25% is far more common. When you factor the "trunk" dealers with no overhead selling at levels around 5 to 10% over cost, that limits what a "real" dealer who will be around to support you after the sale is able to charge. Dealers with shops on DZ's often survive more on the t-shirt and rubber band sales more than rig sales. Try to select your dealer based on how much support they seem to offer, what their history is, and how much help they give you during the sale. Based on personal knowledge I'd recommend you look at some of the following: www.square1.com (and your local shop Square 3) www.actionair.com www.gravitygear.com http://www.chutingstar.com---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
schmit.paul 0 #5 February 11, 2009 Thanks guys for the follow ups. I wasn't aware most manufacturers don't do direct sales...I guess the couple of websites I went to where I happened to be looking for it had "order online" links, but perhaps those links would have forwarded you to the geographically nearest dealer with online ordering options... I'd consider buying parts and pieces used, except that then you don't qualify for the demo program. Considering I intend to get my money's worth out of the program before I place an order ($75/day rental fee times as many days I can get in during the allotted period of time = at least $1000 in waived rental fees), it may be just as frugal to buy everything new. I suppose I could put together a new rig without an AAD and buy a used AAD separately and have a rigger install it, but that's about as much as I could finesse the system."Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than knowledge." ---Charles Darwin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ghost47 18 #6 February 11, 2009 QuoteThink about it, you losse a main canopy, and they loose a fortune. You drop your handles or loose the free bag, there is MOST of their profit from the fulll sale of a rig gone. At least in my Square One shop, before I could rent a rig, I had to sign an agreement saying that I'd pay for anything that was lost, and also that I'd have to pay for a repack in case of a cut-away. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kmills0705 0 #7 February 11, 2009 Yes, if you try to buy direct via website of a manufacturer you will get a list of available dealers. I bought a new canopy last fall (to put in a used container) and shopped around for the best discount. Call dealers and see who will give you the best deal. Mike from Chuting Star was able to give me the best discount on an Aerodyne canopy. The only problem I had is one cell (which happened to be a white cell) of my canopy was very sticky. I reported it to Mike who in turn asked Aerodyne and they said it had extra silicone on it. Well, it has yet to "dry" up and every little thing clings to it. It has me frustrated. I think I will post asking if anyone has had this issue. Good luck. Buying gear is both stressful and fun!Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigway 4 #8 February 12, 2009 QuoteQuoteThink about it, you losse a main canopy, and they loose a fortune. You drop your handles or loose the free bag, there is MOST of their profit from the fulll sale of a rig gone. At least in my Square One shop, before I could rent a rig, I had to sign an agreement saying that I'd pay for anything that was lost, and also that I'd have to pay for a repack in case of a cut-away. Alright, well that makes alot of sense. .Karnage Krew Gear Store . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RoryJ 0 #9 February 12, 2009 I did the demo program back in the day and I was very happy with how it worked out for me. It got me to about 100 jumps and I jumped that gear for 100s of jumps, in fact I am still jumping the same container today. They did also have the deal where you could buy a used rig from them if they had something that would work with a surcharge of $400 or so. Tell Pam I said hi.Not again! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
