sissylala69s said:
No, I haven't gotten one yet
I just got to Ok Tuesday and have been seeing family the last couple of days
I'm hoping to start shopping for one this weekend
Any suggestions on specific stores or search terms to bring up local stores w/out having to weed through all the online sites?
I know I can get one online but I'm more of a "hands on" shopper
Oh, and I'm in Podunk, Ok aka BFE
Closest decent sized town is 2 hours away but there's a couple of big name Sporting Goods and Dept stores w/in an hour
There are not a whole lot of metal detector stores out there, if you are lucky you live near one with a knowledgeable owner and decent stock but most in this country don't have one handy.
Some drive hours to get to one, many wouldn't do that if you paid them.
Some smaller businesses might have some supplies, a pawn shop near me bought good and silver at a decent spot price and he also sold a couple of detectors and a few accessories but that is rare, too.
You have but his stores, Costco sells at least one, Wal-Mart sells some as does some sporting goods stores and places like Cabela's but you never have anywhere a full choice of what is out there...you have to pick from what they have.
Maybe at an actual detector dealer store you might get a chance at some hands on shopping, some let you hold them, listen to them and even have areas on-site you can actually hunt to see how they handle.
At big box or most other stores that sell a few brands of models you usually don't have a shot at handling them before you buy, just standing there holding a sealed box won't help you much.
Since you live in a small town you might not have anything close to you at all.
If you order online you will have a choice of a few different kinds of sites.
Many brick and mortar stores also have a website, they would love if you came in but if you can't the good ones will actually spend as much time as needed talking on the phone or messaging answering questions and try to sell you the right machine, not just the most expensive.
Lots of competition online, the smart ones know if you equalize most other factors most everything is about customer service...that is how to get...and keep loyal customers.
The sponsor list below has many dealers like this.
There are dealers that don't have a physical store, everything is online and depending on volume you might get a discount because these types don't have the brick and mortar costs.
Some still give great service online and over the phone, some don't...you just have to call them and see or look to reviews to narrow it down to the best ones.
There is a Feedback Forum here that is used for just this purpose.
Like in the real world there are good dealers/businessmen out there and there are bad ones.
Word on the bad ones travels pretty quickly.I
Ordering from dealers online you have a few advantages.
Better service before, during and after the sale than many physical stores...and way more knowledge.
Most ship free if you hit certain price points.
$200 should do it.
No sales tax, no shipping costs...I consider that a discount.
Discounts...an often asked question.
Physical stores, the price marked is usually it unless you but a sale.
Online stores, the prices you see advertised on most models are usually all exactly the same...have you noticed that yet?
Some gussy them up with packages and throw in some accessories, (which range from useless to decent), most sell just the unit by itself like a la carte and then you buy any anything extra on the side.
The thing to know is those prices are all the same for a reason...The manufacturers demand they do it that way.
MAP...minimum advertised price.
Start advertising anything below this price disrupting the market and you will usually not get any more product sent to you.
HOWEVER, CALL THEM OR CONTACT THEM DIRECTLY AND THEY ARE FREE TO DISCOUNT AS MUCH AS THEY WANT TO GET YOU AS A CUSTOMER!
Some will throw in extra discounts, some won't, you just have to call around and see.
Here is the way I look at this.
If I had an actual, decently stocked physical store with a knowledgeable and honest hunter/owner near me that would be the place.
I would pay the price he asks if it was fairly competative, I would pay the sales tax and everything else.
I owned a retail store, I want this guy to make a profit to pay to keep his doors open so he will be there for me in the future.
I want him to make a little for himself, for many it is a labor of love but they deserve some reward for helping others as long as he is not screwing me over.
Online usually has a price advantage but sometimes the lowest price isn't always the best deal...especially if something goes wrong and you are dealing with company that doesn't understand what good service means.
Online I go with the dealers I have seen great feedback about it ones I have already dealt with in the past.
Good price, fast, free shipping, in stock and available, this is what I look for.
Big Boys Hobbies http://www.bigboyshobbies.net/
This is Bart, just one guy off the list below that I know is good because I have gotten a few things from him.
I swear he must have a post office in his store because I get notifications of the item being entered into the system before we even get off the phone.
He is in Oklahoma by the way.
All the dealers in that list have many, many loyal repeat customers.
Hands on is good, I prefer that myself, but in this hobby the bulk of us don't have access to a good, local store.
So we call around and try to find someone that listens to what we think we need and gives us good advice.
With luck we get a decent, logical, capable detector at a decent price without being oversold and then something happens that is not fun, can be frustrating as heck but so many of us have gone through it.
We call it The Wait...harder than you might think but we usually get our stuff in a couple of days.
Remember how hard it was to wait for Christmas morning back when you were a kid, yea, like that.
Maybe worse.
I would much rather check things out thoroughly as I could and find the best one for me possible than buy just anything to get going immediately.
As a newbie and staying in the lower entry level price this is most important...it is possible you can get a great detector at a lower price but you also can get junk.
I do this hobby for fun, I don't need extra hassles.
Waiting a few days is important if it gets me something I can enjoy, ending up with one you are not happy with because it was the only thing on a shelf I would not enjoy...but that is me.
Some have gone out and bought the first detector they came across and it worked out so that is also possible.
This all becomes easier as you gain knowledge and get ready to buy your next one.
Yea, that is very common in this hobby, after you swing for awhile you learn things about yourself....what features you like, what features you would like to have, weight, tones, programming coils...you know much more about all of that so you can choose your next one much easier.is
If you stay in the hobby because some do and some don't for several reasons.
Good luck!
Backwoods Detector Sales http://www.backwoodsmetaldetectors.com/
Big Boys Hobbies http://www.bigboyshobbies.net/
Coiltek Manufacturing http://www.coiltek.com.au/
DeepTech USA http://www.deeptech-bg.com/
Fisher Metal Detectors http://www.fisherlab.com/
Garrett Metal Detectors http://www.garrett.com/
Indian Nations Detector sales http://www.indiannationsdetectors.com/
JMT Metal Detectors http://jmtmetaldetectors.com/
Kellyco Metal Detectors https://www.kellycodetectors.com/
Metaldetectors.com http://www.metaldetectors.com/
Minelab http://www.minelab.com/
Nokta/Makro Detection technologies http://noktadetectors.com
North Georgia Relics http://northgeorgiarelics.com/contact-us/
Reilly's Treasured Gold http://rtgstore.com/morescoops.htm
River Team Six Metal Detectors http://www.rt6detectors.com/
Vance Metal Detectors http://www.vancemetaldetectors.com/
Windycitydetectors Sales & Rentals http://www.windycitydetectors.com/
XP Detectors http://www.treasurehuntingoutfitters.com
Welcome to the forum... Check with one of the sponsors..They can advise you..or if there is a dealer near you stop by look at all the detectors and then make your choice..... Click on the banners at top of forums..Read about their products... I am still working on getting my detector to bring me a beer and dig up the target.... Oh make sure you do buy a good digger when you get the detector...... and consider a pin pointer too...
