Best place to buy archery equipment?

aoraki

Hi folks,
just recently caught the archery bug, did a beginners course last Oct/Nov, and bought a low poundage (24lbs) wooden take-down bow to continue shooting with since then. Seriously enjoying the sport so am strongly thinking of taking it to the next level and buying a beginner/intermediate ILF rig. However on the online sites I'm looking at I'm noticing a big discrepancy in the prices and range of gear available.

I've looked at a couple of Irish suppliers and in the main their range is not great and the price of the gear seems to be way more than the uk based sites for example, even factoring in the shipping costs.

Even on the uk based sites, there seems to be big discrepancies in prices, Quicks for example being way more expensive than the likes of Merlin Archery.

So I'm just wondering where the more experienced archers on here buy their gear from?

greysides

Essentially the choice is between a pure internet webshop where you know what you want and you shop around to get the best price (Include shipping into the price).....Or, you need advice on what to buy or perhaps would prefer to try the kit before you choose. In this case you have to accept that the facility to do so is not without cost to the supplier and you will need to be willing to pay more. Also, if the kit is on-site to try you can't expect to find less common kit to hand.

Even the sites like Alternative Sporting Services will have to back order less commonly requested kit and there will be a wait.

Don't want to wait.....? Try a local supplier but accept the choice will be from the most commonly used equipment. As said before you will probably get good advice and this may well save you money by not buying the wrong thing. Arrows in particular need to be matched to your draw weight and draw length. Buy the wrong shafts and you still need to buy the correct set. Local suppliers are also the people which sponsor the sport locally.

Quicks are cheaper to buy from the internet than to visit a shop and this reflects what it costs them to supply a shop and staff.

Basically that's your choice.

To answer your exact question, I mainly buy from the internet as I'm not near archery shops but where practical I will buy from local suppliers. I have also bought second-hand. As a barebow archer, some of my requirements are not standard fare and I buy what I need. So no clear-cut answer there.

aoraki

greysides wrote: »

Essentially the choice is between a pure internet webshop where you know what you want and you shop around to get the best price (Include shipping into the price).....Or, you need advice on what to buy or perhaps would prefer to try the kit before you choose. In this case you have to accept that the facility to do so is not without cost to the supplier and you will need to be willing to pay more. Also, if the kit is on-site to try you can't expect to find less common kit to hand.

Even the sites like Alternative Sporting Services will have to back order less commonly requested kit and there will be a wait.

Don't want to wait.....? Try a local supplier but accept the choice will be from the most commonly used equipment. As said before you will probably get good advice and this may well save you money by not buying the wrong thing. Arrows in particular need to be matched to your draw weight and draw length. Buy the wrong shafts and you still need to buy the correct set. Local suppliers are also the people which sponsor the sport locally.

Quicks are cheaper to buy from the internet than to visit a shop and this reflects what it costs them to supply a shop and staff.

Basically that's your choice.

To answer your exact question, I mainly buy from the internet as I'm not near archery shops but where practical I will buy from local suppliers. I have also bought second-hand. As a barebow archer, some of my requirements are not standard fare and I buy what I need. So no clear-cut answer there.

Hi Greysides, thanks for the response. Like yourself, I am nowhere near an archery supplier, so the most convenient way for me to buy things would be from the internet. I am a member of an archery club so if a current member has some gear that I would be interested in buying, I can try it out at the club and shoot a couple of ends. There are quite a few intermediate shooters at our club, so there are people with Samick Visions, SFs and intermediate Hoyt bows that I can try out. The club have also measured me for arrows, so I will be ordering those through the club.

The sites I've been mainly looking at are Merlin Archery, Bowsports, and Alternative Archery Services. Quicks as well, but they seem to be way more expensive, even their online shop. Are there any other good ones that I may have missed? I am reluctant to consider Ebay as there's an element of doubt about the condition of the gear.

greysides

Aoraki, you've listed the main ones there. There would be others Clickers Archery and The Archery Company come to mind. There are European shops also. I tend to shop around a little more than otherwise as I often want to get fairly specific barebow equipment or parts so I've used 3Rivers in the US or Arcosport in Italy.

I've bought through Ebay. It is slightly risky but the 'reputation' of the seller is a help and at the end of the day you do decide how high you are willing to go for equipment that is used and not being bought new. You might decide, say, 50% or so of a comparable new piece, then stick to it. My attitude is that I don't worry about scratches or dings in second-hand stuff- saves me doing it. Limbs I like to buy new but risers I'll take a chance on but only to small amounts of money. Smaller bits of kit I'll buy new. I fail to see the point of buying any plunger, other than a Beiter, second hand, for example.

Buying through a forum where you may have a fair idea of the character and reputation of the seller after some time spent on it, is a help too.

Ultimately you have to do what you feel comfortable doing. If you are buying through an internet shop try to find out the reputation of the company when it comes to problems.... and bits have to be returned. Reputable dealers will look after you properly as their reputation is at stake. It is worth paying a little extra for that peace of mind. If you are researching dealer reputations online, exercise the usual internet caution, there are two sides to each dispute.