Do you still buy hardgoods from local shops?

[Zimmer]

I always try to give in-person business, but I don't know if I can do it anymore! I went to 5 different shops looking for plain 149 thunders, nothing all of them tried to get me to buy different types of hollows, and one guy had the audacity to claim "148s are pretty much the same thing"!

Pretty much the only thing I think I'll still buy in person is decks. Wheels, trucks and such are too much trouble.

[mattchew]

Almost exclusively in person, with the rare exception of buying a board off here every now and then if it's from a company I have skated a bunch.

[le88]

i would love to support a local shop, but where i am they are charging Regular 149 thunders for almost 50 bucks. so why would i even bother when they are 33.95 on tactics

[Tracer]

Mostly no, sales or on the road for sure.

It's like why doesn't McDonald's deliver? Dominos delivers, everyone delivers, why would you keep coming back for product that isn't authentic to the shop?

[Yu Dum]

Now that I have a shop that I can actually go to, I buy exclusively from them. Before that, the only shop that had anything worth buying and in my size was a fucking Zumiez and I'm not proud to admit that... When I had the extra cash and time to wait for a new board, I would order from Plus Skateshop down in Ft. Walton, FL, but even that was kind of a hassle at times due to my impatience with wanting to skate and not being able to see the product in person before buying. I'm too picky for that shit now.

[TwisT]

not a fan of the shop up the street. The 2 shops I kind of like are across town. They never have the random shit I want, nobody had ace trucks now, autobahn, consistently stocks JK/Hookups.

They can't compete when these large warehouses have clear inventory. Plus I shop online for almost everything but food, and essentials. Condoms are cheaper on Amazon as an add-on item

[Zimmer]

Now that I have a shop that I can actually go to, I buy exclusively from them. Before that, the only shop that had anything worth buying and in my size was a fucking Zumiez and I'm not proud to admit that... When I had the extra cash and time to wait for a new board, I would order from Plus Skateshop down in Ft. Walton, FL, but even that was kind of a hassle at times due to my impatience with wanting to skate and not being able to see the product in person before buying. I'm too picky for that shit now.

This is why I'm so conflicted, I'm too picky to settle for what the locals have in stock, but not being able to see stuff in person bugs me. Maybe I just don't have that great of shops around me..

[IcanthelpitImfromMilwaukee]

Almost exclusively in person, with the rare exception of buying a board off here every now and then if it's from a company I have skated a bunch.

Same, though I'll admit it, I rarely buy trucks nowadays, at least compared to wheels/decks, which as the OP alluded to, are way easier to find. I've never had too many issues recently, though there was a period in the early 2000s where it seemed shops around me always carried complete garbage (think back to that time period, you know the brands). Usually I just asked a homie at a shop in Madison order them a month or so in advance, and pick them up when I was free.

But seriously, no 149 Thunders?! That's one of 3 types I still see in shops.

[Zimmer]

Expand Quote

Almost exclusively in person, with the rare exception of buying a board off here every now and then if it's from a company I have skated a bunch.

[close]

Same, though I'll admit it, I rarely buy trucks nowadays, at least compared to wheels/decks, which as the OP alluded to, are way easier to find. I've never had too many issues recently, though there was a period in the early 2000s where it seemed shops around me always carried complete garbage (think back to that time period, you know the brands). Usually I just asked a homie at a shop in Madison order them a month or so in advance, and pick them up when I was free.

But seriously, no 149 Thunders?! That's one of 3 types I still see in shops.

Seriously! 5 shops.. The only ones I could find were variations of hollows/hollow lights. Only one shop had regular solid 149s, and they were blue with white base plates!

[Carrolls Chesthairs]

Yes. Exclusively.

[Paco Supreme]

The last time i physically walked into a skateshop was maybe january, before that i couldn't tell you the last time. When i had more time in life i'd go out of my way to a shop because of the interaction you get with the dudes working there, now when i need/just feel like buying a board or wheels or whatever it's done late night usually on my phone from some online place.

[jpmulls]

Yes. It's a luxury having Orchard, Eastern Boarder and Max Hesh to order from. If none of them have what you want, wait a week or two and one of them is bound to get something good in.

[fulfillthedream]

I live overseas and the owner of the shop can't move boards bigger than 8.125 so it really sucks that i have to buy boards online. Otherwise I do get wheels, hardwear and most soft goods from the local here in Guangzhou called Hero.

[Cherb]

I'll try to buy boards and wheels but the two shops here don't really carry anything I'm into. Lots of dwindle and Welcome. A few AH and some Krooked and real price point shit. One shop carries The Killing Floor but I've yet to see one there that was a size I wanted.

[20matar]

Decks and assorted stuff that's not worth shipping.

[sk84fun]

seems pretty hard to support local shops unless yr buying boards. anytime i go to skateshops to look for something fresh, shit is always disappointing. is anybody else sick of fuckin graphic tees? especially ones with the lil logo on the front and the big one on the back. idk why those irk me these days. 30 bucks for some dumb ass low quality tshirt with a rose on it. hate to say it but at least when it comes to shoes, zumiez has the best in store selection. they even have the fat ass shoes from the 90's/00's. just recently went to active i was just like "wtf happened?" skate shops used to be so much more exciting, now id rather just shop at fucking macys

[Willie]

Decks - always. (Except for one time I bought from the old CCS because no local shops had a fucking 8" deck in 2005)

Bearings - back to local now because I got burned on fake Reds from eBay.

Wheels and Trucks - Maybe local, maybe not. If I want to buy local I usually need to buy at whatever moment they have what I like, which is invariably months before I actually need something. If I'm looking for something specific within a short time frame, the local stores are guaranteed not to have it.

Also, I concur with truck prices usually being 30% higher locally than I can find online. That's just stupid.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

not being able to see the product in person before buying. I'm too picky for that shit now.

THIS! is my internal struggle. Having said that I live in a rural area so I have to wait till I go to the big smoke for work before I get near anything that actually resembles a skate shop.
For this reason I tend to shop online these days but sometimes I feel contacting these sites and being like, "yo, can you tell me the color of every single ply on this board I want to order because I have an irrational dislike of certain colors of wood?"
Probably why I should just stick with magenta decks; the wood is quality, the shapes/ concaves aren't too wacky and I know they'll never use some gaudy color on their plys. Wheels and trucks I'm pretty much fine with these days though...

[gub]

of course

[expired]

All hard goods i buy are from my local shop, I'm lucky to have a great shop a couple blocks away from my house and skate and hangout with the owner, they also carry hard good brands i like to skate.

[N.L.]

I'm trying to rotate between three local shops but its hard when online places like Tactics have such crazy deals (Two boards shipped with grip for $80...?!) Anyway, I decided to pay $55 for a board with grip at my local yesterday instead of seeking a deal... b/c ultimately the local shop makes the scene tick and they're nice fucking people I can chat to.

[kook nukem]

Yup. I like Deluxe shit and Indy, and that's what my shop is about. Easy.

[Roisto]

I live in Finland , in a pretty small town (comparing worldwide). We have two shops that sell skate stuff and neither of them mostly carry what I want. I've tried to compromise and buy from the shops, but I just can't do it anymore. If I'm not stoked on the gear I have, it fucks me up. I still try to get some random things from them every now and then, but 90% of my skate gear comes from online shops, like with almost everything else I buy, except groceries. I try to order from Finnish shops mostly or shops that are cool instead of the big ones, but sometimes selection and good sales win. When I'm traveling, I like to buy stuff locally, so I'll usually go check out what the local shops have to offer wherever I am.

[mynameisnotjeff]

Pretty much the only thing I think I'll still buy in person is decks. Wheels, trucks and such are too much trouble.

This, kooks run all of the shops I have local up in college and back home. I got a Black Label and a Bacon board recently and while I liked the Label board, in person I would've been turned away and the other board feels so-so.

As for everything else Skatewarehouse has my wallet, especially when we get a code.

[yapple dapple]

just be lucky you have a shop. We have nothing in the East bay..

[Krooked antihero]

I live in Finland , in a pretty small town (comparing worldwide). We have two shops that sell skate stuff and neither of them mostly carry what I want. I've tried to compromise and buy from the shops, but I just can't do it anymore. If I'm not stoked on the gear I have, it fucks me up. I still try to get some random things from them every now and then, but 90% of my skate gear comes from online shops, like with almost everything else I buy, except groceries. I try to order from Finnish shops mostly or shops that are cool instead of the big ones, but sometimes selection and good sales win. When I'm traveling, I like to buy stuff locally, so I'll usually go check out what the local shops have to offer wherever I am.

I live in same town, and I can't remember last time when I ordered hardgoods on internet...Different strokes for different folks I guess. My setup is pretty generic, indys,bones wheels & bearings and generator wood so it seems like every shop in world carries those brands  Shoes are different story tho, those shops don't carry any cupsoles and I can't just skate vulcs anymore. Oh, and btw, bit offtopic but did you know that RCM is closing down soon,there's gonna be new shop in same location.

[Nosferatu]

just be lucky you have a shop. We have nothing in the East bay..

510?

[Hefe43]

I made the trip down to socal skateshop the other day to zone out on the cool shit but they were under construction. They had some stuff out but only a fraction of what they actually have available. I should've ordered online, it was a wasted trip.

Usually I just hit a val surf near me and try my hardest not to go to the mall although Mickey Reyes did stop by boarders in the mall personally to deliver f4s when they first came out...maybe they get a pass?

[Thomas]

I used to buy everything online because the shops in my town were horrible.
Now we have a proper shop, the dude skate and own a nice french skate mag so I buy everything here.

The only thing is he doesn't carry Ace trucks because this brand isn't very famous here, but I'm pretty sure he would order some if I asked.

[Roisto]

Expand Quote

I live in Finland , in a pretty small town (comparing worldwide). We have two shops that sell skate stuff and neither of them mostly carry what I want. I've tried to compromise and buy from the shops, but I just can't do it anymore. If I'm not stoked on the gear I have, it fucks me up. I still try to get some random things from them every now and then, but 90% of my skate gear comes from online shops, like with almost everything else I buy, except groceries. I try to order from Finnish shops mostly or shops that are cool instead of the big ones, but sometimes selection and good sales win. When I'm traveling, I like to buy stuff locally, so I'll usually go check out what the local shops have to offer wherever I am.

[close]

I live in same town, and I can't remember last time when I ordered hardgoods on internet...Different strokes for different folks I guess. My setup is pretty generic, indys,bones wheels & bearings and generator wood so it seems like every shop in world carries those brands  Shoes are different story tho, those shops don't carry any cupsoles and I can't just skate vulcs anymore. Oh, and btw, bit offtopic but did you know that RCM is closing down soon,there's gonna be new shop in same location.

Yeah, I've always been really particular about what I like, with anything, not just skating related stuff. Since I was a kid.  Now traveling and the internet has absolutely spoiled me and I more often than not end up liking something I can't get locally.

Had no idea RCM is closing down. Is the new shop gonna be skate related?