(Another thread asking about online buying was getting away from the intent of the OP, so I started this to continue this discussion)

  There are many, myself included, that tends to buy much of their equipment from online shops. There are still many who prefer their local shop and the service they get there. Each group has its own reasons. What I'm wondering is, WHOSE RIGHT and WHOSE WRONG?

 Virtually ALL shops who post here tout the virtues of buying from a "real" shop where you get things like advice and service. Others speak well of online shops where you get merchandise only and service may be a crap shoot. Shops posting here claim they can meet or beat deals that can be had online, but I have yet to see anyone match the deals I have made, or the prices I've paid.

 Is it just a personal choice? Or is there a REAL difference?

 Now, you shop guys, please don't just jump in here claiming to be the "end all, be all". You do have your good things, but are they enough to offset actually saving money ( and I do, else I wouldn't do it)

 And you online guys, don't just jump in claiming you save the GNP of China by buying online. I've bought enough stuff to know how it works, and how to save some bucks by doing it, but I don't have a really good shop anywhere around here for 100 miles.

 So, what is it?
--------------------
Good transactions list in my profile

 ILLEGITIMI, NON-CARBORUNDUM!

I buy all my stuff from Buddies pro shop and get them to drill it. They usually have a coupon to use that will save you 20 bucks on getting the ball drilled. I'll save anywhere from 30-50 a ball and if your like me and drill up 10 balls a year than that is a lot of savings. Buddies will also help you pick out new equipment to fit your game, you can send them a video of yourself bowling and they can match you up and make opinions on what you need for layout, if a ball isn't working for you they will tell you what surface to try on the ball.

myself i have 4 pro shops in this area. i used to buy from the 1 but then the owner past away and i the person that took it over i dont know.  I have bought a ball from 2 diff shops and had the other (of the 4) drill a ball that i got from buddies.  

I should say there is 5 being the place i got my freeze & had drilled.

Out of these places 2 of them work with the customer on drilling. The shop that i had drill my VE has the best fit of any ball i've had drilled but the prices of his makes me go elsewhere.

Also local shops don't carry polishes and or cleaners it always 2-3 of week out so why not buy on-line in that case.

I buy and trade a lot of equipment.I have one adult son who will buy at least 15 to 20 balls new every year.(I will buy more then that but a lot of mine are used)I buy from a good many people here,off e-bay,and on line pro shops. Never have I had some one to steal from me,NEVER.Any problems with the equipment that was new was taken care of with out a hassle from anyone. My son and I have saved a lot of money.                                                    There is a lot lost in doing this.                                                                          The one shop owner who could help our game will not service the equipment and really half asses what he does do, not just us, but everyone.(I was raised if you take a mans money you do the job right with out the bit$#ing.)  He figures he is not only selling the ball but all so the knowledge he has gained.If you want a ball drilled, purchased from some were else, he will put 3 holes in it for you, charge you 55 bucks and let you learn on your on.NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS.I think most of the time he's in the right.Some if not a lot of us who make a living in the world rely on what we know and can do.We are like the owners of the brick and mortar shops, we sell our knowledge and effort to whom will pay the most for it.Same as he is doing.The other owners in my small town are all right but fall far short of what he brings to the sell.Bottom line for me is if you know what you want and are caught up on the latest of what is going on in the industry by all means buy your equipment on line and save some money.If not spend the extra and buy all the help the center has to offer while you learn.       P.S. My son and I never have had one penny knocked off what we have purchased from this owner from new balls to easy slide.
--------------------
Live free or die trying.

It depends on the brand of balls I want to buy. I prefer my pro shop on balls like Ebonite, Hammer, Brunswick, Storm, etc. However, balls like Morich, Visionary, Lane 1, Motiv, etc, my pro shop doesn't sell these balls so I can get a better deal on line than my pro shop will give me plus my pro shop prefers I get those particular balls on line.

--------------------
"Whenever I feel the urge to exercise I lie down until the feeling passes away."

Brick

for bowling balls, I have always gone through the pro-shop..  

I go through my pro-shop guy now, because if I buy online.. Like i have a Invasion that i am getting drilled up saturday..  Online its 140$ plus tax, say i want insurance thats another 10$..  even with free shipping...i'm at 150$  

He uses a tier'd drilling cost.   Premium balls are 55$, Mid-range is like 35$ and low end is 25$.. plus i use switch grips, so thats another 15$ i believe for the sleeve..  So I'm basically I'm paying the same amount of $$$$  

I doubt he cares if i bring in my own ball or not, he's still getting his $ from charging me or the next guy for drilling the ball.  

I mean, if i was drilling my own stuff, hell yea, i would buy online, or if i knew how to drill my stuff, and had free access to a pro-shop, then yea i would buy online.  

for Finger Tape and other accessories yea, I'll buy online cuz I can search for what I want and pick n choose.
--------------------
" Lift Your Skirt Grab Your Balls and Learn How to Bowl "   http://coolluvr4u1976.bowlspace.com/

For my vids on youtube - search coolluvr4u1976

There is no "right or wrong."

I drill my own stuff, and here's why (and I'm sorry if this is long):

I have 2 shops that are "close."  One is about 15 miles away.  The other is about 30 miles away.  I think there may even be another about 35 miles away.  Neither of those are in a center - they are standalone shops.

There used to be 2 more that were about 15 miles away - each in a center until AMF decided against having a pro shop, but that's a different story.

So, those are my local options.  Neither shop can watch me bowl.  The closer shop did all of my drilling for about 2 years - probably about 30 balls.  In that time I bought 3 balls from the shop - 1 new and 2 used.  All the rest were either new balls from ebay or online shops, or used balls from here.  

The new ball had to be ordered because he didn't carry that brand (AMF).  At the time he only carried Ebonite, Brunswick, Storm, Hammer and Columbia300.  I also had him order a ball for the wife.  The price for mine was about the same as ordering online, maybe a little higher - $189 $130 online and another $40-50 for the drilling.  The one for the wife was higher through the shop - $150 - was about $100 online, but she throws conventional and it's only $20 for a conventional drilling.   His drilling prices are now higher.

I ended up having an issue with that ball.  I just couldn't get it to work.  I talked to him several times and got these responses - "I drilled it stacked.  That thing should hook like crazy."  "I told you I didn't know nothing about that ball when I ordered it.  It should work fine, maybe you're throwing it wrong."

I ended up taking the ball to a different center (AMF) that had a pro shop.  I asked the shop if they could look at the ball and see if there was anything wrong.  They watched me bowl and agreed - the ball looked like it was trying to hook, but never turned.  They weighed the ball and found it had 1 full ounce of side weight.  I guess I don't have enough revs to make that work?  Anyways, they took some more weight out (already had an x-hole) and that fixed the problem.

That was just one small reason, but there are others.  Every time I took in a ball for drilling (or plug and redrill) they would give me a hard time.  Good natured joking or not, I've never seen a business tell a customer to stop coming in and spending money!  They didn't stock many balls, and if they did, rarely did they have one in my weight (14).  So, I'd have an hour into driving there, ordering (or dropping off), and then going home.  Picking up the ball was at least another hour.  The ball would never be ready - you'd show up, he'd pull the measurements off of a ball you brought (he didn't keep spec sheets), then you'd have to wait for it to be drilled and the thumb worked out (usually much bigger than needed....and I hate using tape!).  

One day, just for fun, I took 6 balls into the shop and asked him to measure the spans.  He looked at all of them, measured them up and said "they're all different."  I looked at him and said "that's funny, they were all drilled here."

I did go to the other shop that is 30 miles away.  I had them remeasure me - span and pitches were just about the same as the other shop (depending on which ball you used!).  Also had a new ball drilled up, and had them plug and redrill another ball for me.  I was happy with the results, and decided that would be my new shop.  It just so happened that I ended up winning an auction for a drill press, bits and jig.   A few more auctions later and I was able to get enough tools and pieces of equipment to plug, weigh, and drill for myself.

I only drill for myself.  I don't pretend to know everything, and I'm sure not perfect at it.  The only thing now is that if the span is off or something gets screwed up, I didn't pay somebody else $60 to do it wrong!

I'm a firm believer in supporting the local shops.  If you're lucky enough to have a good one nearby that is great.  My local shop didn't carry a large selection.  He didn't care if you brought in an outside ball - he was happy to make the labor charge for a blank drill and not have to do any ordering or stocking.