Online retailers. There are a ton of them. There are a few "prominent" chain/franchise retailers that get most of the buisness. Those are actually the ones to avoid. Cabelas and Bass Pro are hands down the most expensive when it comes to the products they offer. If a manufacturer lists a product at a recommended price you can bet that price is exactly where those two retailers will list it. However, the manufacturer is listing the price to drive customers to the retailers. Some manufacturers will sell directly to the public and some don't. They understand their business is driven by retailers selling to local customers. The local retailer has to have the edge in pricing, which is why that recommended price is set to be higher than the retailers should be charging. Not at Bass Pro and Cabelas. They charge as much as they can get away with. For example Cabelas and Bass Pro charge $160 for the new Shimano Baitrunner 4000D at Digital Dagger and Haddrells Point it's $139.
On top of the high prices those two retailers also have the highest shipping rates in the industry. They charge on a "how much you buy" scale. The more you buy the more you pay to have it shipped. Most online retailers now charge a flat fee and if you buy at a certain level, usally $100 to $250 depending on the retailer, the shipping is free. To be fair the high end guys only ship via UPS or Fedex. The mom and pop outfits primarily use USPS priority mail. That same Baitrunner D ships from Cabelas for $17 and $15 at Bass pro. Two Day priority at Digital Dagger is about $8 or $9. Out of your pocket we're talking $177 vs. $148. That's a $29 difference for the same product.
One note: If you want to buy from your local B&T (Bait & tackle) there is no shipping but do consider the sales tax. Rounded to the nearest whole dollar it's $10 on $140 product and $11 on a $160 product at Floridas 7%. Don't be afraid to negotiate either, but come armed with the knowledge of what it's selling for at the online stores. If I were to go into a local B&T I would want to spend no more than $148 on the Baitrunner 4000D but would compromise on $155 because of convenice (I can get it today); and the relationship (I can go to them for advice and information). So I'd say give it to me for $145 plus tax and you have a deal. They'll usually agree, especially now in these tough economic times. They have to move product to stay in business. Consider what they paid for the product and what they're selling it for: How do we know what they paid for it? You can never truly know but you can get a really good idea by paying attention to prices of items that you notice are discontinued.
When a model is discontinued the price will drop and be at or very close to what the retailer paid for it. They just want to sell it at cost instead of taking a loss. The new ones are coming and they can't put the new and old side by side. Just like buying a car when the new models come in it's the best time to get deals on the old models. A few years ago Shimano discontinued a bunch of their reels and came out with new models. I bought the discontinued Shimano Spheros FA which was being replaced by the FB. It was being sold for $110 I got it for $60. I'm guessing but I believe the actual cost to the retailer was still $5-$20 less than that. At $110 we're talking 50% mark-up. There's definitely room to negotiate with your local B&T.
No single retailer offers the best prices across the board. When you find a product you want definitely shop around. The online retailer with the best prices on most gear across the board is Digital Dagger though you can't actually order online from them. You have to find the product you want on their website and either email or call them to place your order. They are a day or two or three slow in getting your order in the mail but if you can tolerate that then they are definitely a store to check everytime you want to buy fishing gear.
Other retailers that I would shop first are:
Tackle Direct - biggest thing about them is they will probably have what you're looking for. Don't know how big they are but I can count on them to have it. Their prices are fair, they will also have unbeatable deals from time to time. I bought my 11' Lamiglas Surf King from them. At Lamiglas it's $160 I got it a few years ago for $115 shipped. Today it's $129 shipped.
James Tackle - the guy is very friendly, someone you'd enjoy fishing with, but sometimes forgetful and slow to do buisness with; but the prices are great. They will also put your name or boat name on any rod for a flat $15.
East Coast Tackle - first time I ordered from them they were selling out of their home. Very friendly and top notch service. Got my rods quickly and it was around Christmas.
Alltackle can "almost" be placed in the same category as Bass Pro and Cabelas, however there are a few products that have substantial discounts. I'm looking at getting a 12' Shimano Tiralejo Casting Rod for my birthday in April. Most places are charging $350 plus shipping. The Alltackle price is $330 shipped free. Part of that is supply based on what these retailers sell to their local customers. Limited supply higher price, sell a ton to the local people have a lower price. Alltackle also has some hard to find items. They have a highspeed mechanical spooler that is tough to find anywhere else. If you have a lot of reels and don't want to pay or do the work to have each once spooled alltackle has it in stock (at $950).
Shop around for the gear that you like. You'll start to find retailers that are more favorable for what you're buying. You'll also save a bunch in the process! Hope this helps keep more money in your wallet!
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