Buying Gym Equipment Online Guide
Buying gym equipment online is pretty much going to be the main option for most Australians, and probably the rest of the world eventually. You see gym equipment is such a niche item that it is going to be hard to maintain a network of retail outlets with so much competition. But that is not always a bad thing.
Yes it is always great to go and jump on and blast a few reps before buying gym equipment. But in Australia this is becoming a luxury that comes with a price tag. With real estate prices driving rents through the roof and some of the highest wages in the world, having a showroom is an expensive operation. Plus finding and keeping motivated people that can actually show with passion what a great machine can do is also becoming difficult.
So for most Australians they will have to take a leap of faith and buy their gym equipment online. Buying anything online has it’s dangers, but none more so than with gym equipment. It can look great in photos, and have specs that read like it’s bulletproof, but the fairy tale ends when a piece of junk rocks up at your door! We have decided to put together a guide which will help you get the best gym equipment to suit your needs.
1) Established brands and businesses with great reputations – The easiest and safest way to get good quality is to stick with established brands that are popular. This is one reason why we only sell our international brands – Barbarian Line, Powertec and Ironmaster. Nearly all the fitness equipment that you will look at will be flat packed and come out of Asia. A lot of commercial fitness companies are now manufacturing out of China. So you can get really good quality these days. But you can also get some disasters!
Since the start I have always used these international brands because I know that they have buying power – they can demand good quality at a decent price. The Australian market is tiny compared to the rest of the world. These companies are supplying markets in excess of 300 million.
Plus more importantly when someone rings up and ask if Powertec, Ironmaster or Barbarian Line are any good I always say, don’t ask me, check out what other people have to say! Better still you can see it with your own eyes. We have the luxury of showing a Dutchman squatting 210kgs on a Powertec Power Rack, Mr Universe pressing 140lbs Ironmaster dumbbells or German powerlifters training on Barbarian squat racks.
2) Product Information – Kitting out a home gym is a big expense. It is a complicated decision making process. To make the best decision you need to have quality information. That is why we have invested loads of time and money accumulating product information in various forms. If we don’t have the information on hand, we can get it for you. For example, home gyms are getting tight on space, so people are looking to utilise every square inch. So a customer wanted to know the footprint of the compact LeverGym when the bench is not attached, but leaving enough room for clearance when there is a pair of 20kg plates. No problem!
Plus we have so many videos with training information in different forms – youtube, our gym equipment app, and on the product page – you can browse practically anywhere. If we don’t have the video you are after we will film it for you.
Our product information is so good, we are helping people from overseas with setting up their gyms…….
Hi Sam,
Just another follow up email. Thanks to you and your operation I (along with many friends), have home gyms completely outfitted with Powertec and Ironmaster equipment.
Your YouTube videos along with your site information were absolutely invaluable. Being in the USA there was really nowhere to test drive all the products. I mentioned to both companies, as well as other vendors, that without Sams Fitness I would not have made one purchase. Your knowledge, helpful attitude, and commitment to your customers is second to none.
Lee Priest is also exceptional, there is not one of his videos that I haven’t seen. He is a huge asset to your business. I enjoy every one of the videos that you do with him. I wish there was more I could do for you directly, but I guess I’ll just continue to spread the word, and hope you are appreciated by the powers that be.
If you at least had t-shirts I’d buy and wear them with pride. Keep up the great work, all the best with your family and business.
Thanks again,Kurt
3) Certification – There are no specific standards for gym equipment in Australia. People can call a power rack made from tin foil commercial. They can publish load ratings that are provided by the Chinese factory that are fabricated or totally irrelevant. Of late there is a fascination with loading up a machine with weight plates and taking a photo accompanied with a report claiming a pass at some ridiculous weight load. Read the fine print. The people paying for the test are determining the goal posts.
Nearly all of our range has passed the testing mandated by the European community – a requirement for selling gym equipment in Europe. These tests require the equipment to survive 10,000 cycles at designated loads. They require the equipment to be stable when weight is loaded at the weakest point. You can use the equipment with the weight it is rated for – not just have it sit there and take a photo!
What is even stricter than European standards are dodgy US lawyers. If a piece of equipment fails under a published load capacity there will be lawsuits flying thick and fast. So reputable and established companies selling in the US are always very conservative when working out their load capacities.
4) Warranty – Like load ratings, warranties are easy to make bold claims, but a different kettle of fish to back up. Our competitors promise the world but fall well short – how do we know? Since we listed our range of gym spare parts we get calls from our competitor’s customers looking for spares – even for products backed by lifetime warranties!
Once again we have the luxury of the backing of our international brands. They have the resources to back their warranties with real parts and service. Plus we have been selling the same range for years, so if there is something wrong we know the best way to fix it to get you back training again. Once again, don’t take our word for it……..
hi Sam ,
i recieved the replacement parts today ( Barbarian leg extension / hamstring) ,took the old parts off , replaced them with the new stock,
Bang! it all went smoothly together , fits like a cock in a sock ! thanks very much for the first-class service,
much appreciated .wally
5) Customer Service – the easiest thing you can do when shopping around is to pick up the phone or fire off an email. If you can’t get a straight answer in a timely fashion before you get your wallet out, good luck if you come across a problem. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – after all it is weight training equipment. If the person doesn’t seem to enthusiastic about selling weight training equipment I am not sure what will get them enthusiastic.
Summary
If you are looking at buying gym equipment online make sure that you do your research first. Hopefully the points above will give you a starting point. Sometimes spending a little bit more up front to get a better grade of equipment will save you loads of money in the long run. My own gym has equipment ranging from 2006 – 2010, and it still functions perfectly. It will last me forever! But if you get it right, and have the motivation, training in your own gym is one of the best past times around. You can see the passion that goes into setting up many of our customer’s home gyms that we have posted up. Check out Boydy’s below.
Update – here is another overseas customer we have helped get set up.