Do the stuff in pro shops sell at a cheaper price than online stores generally?

Well, we don't have a pro shop at all, so online is my only option.

Then I'm going to say 90% of specialty stores I've seen are more expensive than their online counter parts, so I'm going to say no.

BUT- if you have access to a pro-shop, and it's a good one, I'd consider buying from them. The few dollars you save online isn't worth the pro-shop going out of business and a valuable resource in terms of "crud, I need tights now!" and the ability to try skates on before you buy (and possibly even have someone who knows how to fit them) disappearing.

Lastly, many pro-shops ARE online shops. It would be reasonable to believe their prices are the same in either place.

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Some online discounters offer great bargains, but you have to factor in the shipping and service. You also have to know exactly what you want, otherwise you could end up with the wrong size/item.

My NY pro shop charges a little more for Jackson Freestyles, but they include sizing, blade mounting, heat-molding, adjustments and initial sharpening in that price. When you buy online, you have to add shipping plus the cost of those services. (Unless you can do them yourself.) Figure out how much heat molding/adjustments, blade mounting and sharpening is in your area. For me, it added enough to the discount online price that I only came out about $30 ahead. Nothing to sneeze at, but still it was less convenient than one-stop shopping in a good pro shop.

I never ordered skates online before, but I tried it recently and made out okay. However, one pair was discolored and had to be returned, which I would have seen right away had we been able to do a try on session. I'll stick to brick-and-mortar stores for big ticket items like that from now on.

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Umm well my dad is going to USA in a month but not me, so I thought of asking him to get me some accessories and skates there. Does it make a difference if my dad could go to a pro shop and show them the tracing of my feet rather than just ordering online?

You get the best prices on guards and stuff at a competition or show, when there are vendors with tables set up. But you're right: the base price of a pair of guards is less online, but once you add shipping, it's about the same as getting them from a pro shop.

As for the tracing of your foot, it depends on the pro shop. Some are more knowledgeable about fitting and can work with that, but you must tell them exactly which skate model to choose.

Does he know what pro shop he'll visit?

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He'll be in Charlottesville and the Ice Park there has a pro shop. I don't know how good it is, and I'm trying to find out the price. If I get my skates online, I would most probably have them resharpened. It's difficult to get a good sharpener here but I don't know how good they are there either.

Luckykid, I'm assuming you can't get the skates you need where you live? It's usually better to get a fitting, even if you do have to pay a little more for it. Your feet are worth it. You're gonna need them for like 70 more years or so.

There's only one pro shop in the whole country here, and they only have Risport. Unfortunately, my feet are wide, meaning I can't fit a Risport. So I'm looking into Jacksons, which can't be gotten from my country.

yes, it is better
Not always possible. My kids have skated for 6 year and we dont have a pro shop in state. The closest one is a 3 hour plane ride and a 500+ ticket.
We all do the best we can. If she had a place I am sure she would go

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Oh, I know what that's like. For ages, they only carried Risport and Edea here, and neither suited the particular bumps on my heels. I almost ordered Jackson without trying on myself. Eventually I got graf edmonton (way too much boot) because that was a model I could try on and I must say I've been happy with the boots despite that they're too much boot for me.

Edea is okay for wider feet too by the way, is my impression from trying them on anyway. On me, they felt like room for 2, lol.

Anyway good luck with that then. What country are you from by the way?

LOL how exactly is it that in a state like Alaska with all the free ice, there's no skating shop?! You yanks are WEIRD people, I'll tell you that.

At rinks that charge 400.00 an hour, how do you get free ice?Do you mean outside at 50 below lol
Not enough people here to have pro shop.Used to have one that just did jacksons but they went out of bussiness years ago.Even the play it again sports here no longer carries ice skates.Just hockey skates.

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Lol it's that cold in Alaska? Man it's not even that cold in Siberia. Well, not most of it anyway.

Not *real* temperatures, but with windchill it gets that cold in Iowa every winter! (And the record low is pretty close to -50 F. The record low in Alaska is apparently -80 F!)

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

I have access to a great pro shop that people drive to from all over (and they do roller too, so I get my derby skates there). But to save $$ I have ordered online before. I knew exactly what skates/size I needed because they were the same as what I had been wearing, and I saved about $80 (shipping was free, no taxes, and the boots were a little cheaper). I had to pay $20 to have blades mounted (which would have been free had I bought the skates from them), but in the end I still saved $60. I've bought blades online, too, but again, it was a matter of replacing current blades with the exact same ones so it wasn't a big deal. I don't feel guilty...lord knows I spend enough $$ at my area pro shop.

I'd be hesitant to order a new brand that I'd never tried on before, or blades I wasn't familiar with, but I guess for some people they don't have other options.

I've also bought dresses online before and never had any major issues with fit, quality, etc.

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

ot but if anyone watches Ice road Truckers tonight on the History Channel, that is where we live

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