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Best Online sites for cheap gear?


David_Parker

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I've had good luck with TP also, and jumar.net (waiting for my latest order, shipped out from Italy on Tuesday via the nicely priced airbourn mail - $7 - waiting to see if it really takes a month to get here) They filled the order and shipped it in 2 days, despite the warning that it can take up to 2 weeks or thereabouts.

 

Another I've had success with;

 

http://www.climbaxe.com

 

[ 07-13-2002, 11:12 PM: Message edited by: icegirl ]

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I'll second the vote for gearexpress.com. Great prices with a great selection.

 

Climbaxe.com website is also a good deal however I personally find the selection somewhat limted. if you are in the Portland area you are better off making a trip to their retail shop.

Another shop similar to Climbaxe is Acmeclibing.com, they both specialize in euorpean gear. Acme carries alot of Lanex ropes (real good buy), Rock Empire harnesses and cams, Faders biners and check out the CM Quark "knock-offs" (Demon Pro)made by Raveltik out of Poland for $160

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In stead of buying online go to your nearest cutting edge\on the edge climbing store and usually they will match on line prices and the tax is less than the shipping.I have got items on in store close out sales that online could not even come close to and if they did they would be out of stock.

Hey the\we dirdbag climbers that work there need your support.

Hea!if you keep buying online where are you going to try on those just come out rock shoes or that new pack.

Your cutt'in into my [big Drink] money

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If a local shop can just come "close enough" to online prices they've got my business.

 

Just picked up some offseason/closeout skis at a great price locally that could not be matched by foreign retailers - not even close. But when the shoe is on the other foot....

 

[big Drink]

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So richard noggin, are you willing to sell (2) 8.5 x 60m, dry 1/2 ropes for $164, tax (shipping) included? If so perhaps on my next biz trip up north I will be checking in with you.

 

Don't get me wrong, I agree that a good local shop has it's place. Down here in Portland I shop @ Climbaxe, US Outdoor Store, The Mountain Shop, Next Adventure and yes even the "Evil Empire" but I also order shit from Mountain Tools, Mountain Gear, Northern Mountian Supply, Campmor, Sierra TP ..... etc, etc...This whole internet thing is really no different from the mail order issue which started taking off in the mid/late seventy's... tax-no tax ... shipping cost... what if it does not fit..... As for shoes and clothes, if they don't fit send them back, pretty standard routine.

IMO the Euro mfgr's trying to get gear into the US have been getting #$%@'d for a long time by our country's trade tarriffs. Ever travel up to Dru's neck of the woods and buy gear at MEC? Same story. Years ago you could buy (mail order) CM Lasers from MEC for $33 USD, ... not anymore.

I have a pair of LaSportiva Nepal Tops I bought in Europe and payed $220. I can mail order them today at near the same price. Why would I pay US retail for them @ $350-375? You want to run me a deal on those as well?

One thing that really burns my ass is BD telling someone like Barrbabes that they can't sell back into the US market. It is pretty clear BD tried to "buy" some European market share by dumping product at a low price and it boomeranged on them. It's very similar to the Camp-Chounard (now BD) connection ... why would I pay $12.00 for a BD LA when I can get a Camp LA for $6.00? They are made in the same facility in Italy.

My point is that you and the shop owners are somewhat stuck in the middle between the price savy consumer and our current government regs and the US manufaturers/distrubution network. I do not doubt that you mean to serve your client well and I hope your shop prospers.

 

Sincerely,

 

Wes

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Hey I have a mouse and know how to use it,I have been known to order online and even buy from the evil empire (REI) even they have climbers on the payroll, but I have found for most gear I can go to a local shop and they will match the online price and I keep my money close to home.I do like the online family owned Shoreline

 

Chub is back [chubit]

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Hmm... I'd love your advice on which shops in my local area will "match price" on non-close-out items.

 

I've tried, even batted my eyelashes on occasion, and they all say "fine, order it from ______".

 

Perhaps if I were a smelly just off the mountain looking like a bearded billy goat, in my blue long johns with tattered shorts over them climber dude, it might work better...

 

As a side note, when I owned a scuba diving shop, and whiny divers would come in saying the same thing (that joe-schmo's shop would sell it to them for such and such) I'd tell 'em to go for it! Though I'd also tell them that they'd always get better service from me than a mail order catalog when their regulator was misbehaving.

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