Could you say which manufacturers? Or is it just really obvious when checking prices? I personally prefer to shop locally, and would like to support manufacturers who don't screw the local merchants.Originally Posted by Stormed1
At the Mission seminar they told us that all the Eonite family (columbia,Hammer,Ebonite and Track) . Plus AMF/Global. Looking on the online sites Storm?Roto are still at wht pro shops pay for them. I'll have to check Brunswick when i go to the shop tomorrw
Still love the game but had to quit because of my left leg amptation
High game 299 x 5 High sanctioned series 805 (1989)
I think $50 plus tax is a reasonable price for drilling. You're paying for a professional service by someone who knows a trade that not very many people know. When someone buys a ball online I'd say 95% of the time they aren't going to purchase grips/slugs online as well, so shop owners will get the sale on those. Then add the $50 for drilling you're making $60-65 profit from one ball with barely any cost. That's a pretty darn good deal for the shop owner. If the driller knows what they're doing and take the time to really help the customer their business will be fine. It's the shop owners that expect business to be there just because their doors are open that are going to suffer. Sometimes online sales could help the shop. They don't have to take the time to "sell" a ball/product to the customer which saves them time and it's all profit. And they can use that extra time to go out and find more customers. Sounds pretty good to me.
Thanks for the info. In an odd coincidence, every ball that I own is from the Ebonite family. I started with an Ebonite Signature that my dad bought for me in High School. I then bought a used Track when I went lefty two years ago, a used Hammer Black Widow when I started bowling right-handed again, and finally a Columbia 300 White Dot when I dawned on me that my fingers hurt from throwing the old Ebonite at spare leaves.
I've bought almost all my equipment thru online retailers and classifieds like Craigslist & Ebay. The pro shop I go to charges me $43 out the door for drilling and finger grips. They do a good job and will make any small adjustments as a courtesy. Online drilling doesn't seem like the best way to go about it and most people probably don't have a ball spinner to properly resurface a ball. My thought is as long as people need there balls drilled and maintained, pro shops can't go out of business.
P.S.- The only thing I won't pay the pro shop to do is oil extraction...I have a perfectly good oven and dishwasher for that.
Hi all,
I work in a Pro Shop and I can give you my 2 cents worth with an example.
At Bowlingball.com the Storm Prodigy sells for 126.99 with free shipping. You get what they send you (i.e. pin in, pin out) so depending on the layout you want, you may not be able to drill that particular ball.
Bring it to my shop and you will be charged $50 for drilling, $15 for thumb slug, and $10 for inserts. That brings total cost to $201.99.
Now if you come into the shop and tell me "I can get that ball for $126.99 online, what can you do for me?", I will usually offer a deal like $200-210 out the door, and hope you become a return customer. Plus, I can order the ball with the specifics you want (pin distance, top weight).
It's been my experience that I may have to eat a few dollars here and there but it pays off if customers come back.
On bowlingball.com there's a section on the checkout page where you can request the top weight/pin distance you want.
Virtual Energy
Shock Trauma
El Nino X-It
I think ultimately it all evens out. If a person is getting a ball for $100 online and taking it in to get it drilled. They will pay $50 to &75 to get it drilled. Nearly all profit for the pro shop, if he bought it from the pro shop he would pay $150 to $175 in that though the proshop has $100 cost so it ends up the same for the most part. I think pro shops that are not part of the center or stand alone pro shops would have a tough time making it right now. My dad owns a proshop inside his bowling center but his shop business is great. He just made the pricing so that ultimately the person is paying the same through him as they would if they bought the ball off ebay or somewhere else online and brought it in to him to get it drilled.
Ultimately it's just another option for the consumer. It all depends on who your Pro Shop is. Mine stocks cyclones, white dots, t zones, and the occasional revolver.
They care about the 8 for 8 leagues and the youth bowlers. They just dont stock what i want. Plus if you make an order the staff screws it up.
All in All it's a frustrating experience. So I drive an hour away and have a friend drill a ball I buy online. Or i buy directly from him because he stocks a ton of different items.
I would always go local if the lanes cared enough to respect my business. Thank God for the internet.
I have bought offline and gone that whole route, but as it's been said on here several times it's just about the same - maybe a few dollar swing. If I can support small business owners, I'm going to do it. The guy at my local Pro-Shop is just that - a regional pro. Granted he's out a lot on various tournaments and what-nots, but when you get a ball from him, he gets you a lane - listens to what you want, and watches you throw the ball so he can tailor it to you. You usually end up getting a small lesson out of it in the mean time. Why not?
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