I was just wondering do you buy your weapons, sparring gear, and other equipment from your instructor. Do we as students have to buy from our instructors?
I was looking on Ebay and found the same thing my instructor sells me but at 1/4 of the price. Makes you wonder... Basically what they are selling you is a peice of foam in plastic covering. I am sure it doesn't cost very much to make them.
I am going to continue getting my stuff from my instructor. I think that would be disrespectful to buy from ebay.
I sell things to my students; I also tell them where they can buy them for comparable prices. I get a wholesale discount, and sell things for retail; the difference in price goes into the class fund and is used to buy things for the class - rebreakable boards, wood for breaking, target pads, a BOB, belts, etc. My students know I do it, and they know why - they buy most things from me, but if I don't have something, I will help them find it, like one of my students who wanted purple sparring gear; it's not something I keep in stock (I usually only buy black), but I helped her find some gear through Century that she liked, and her parents bought it directly from them, as I don't have an instructor's account with them.
If this is his livelihood, or if he supports his school this way, then yes, you are supporting your instructor and school by buying from him/her; if your instructor is doing this to raise extra funds for personal use above and beyond running the school... then you need to decide for yourself if that's what you want to do. Lots of stuff is cheaper on eBay - that's why many people buy things there. Whether or not buying from other sources is
disrespectful depends on why your instructor's purposes in selling equipment, and what your instructor would think if you bought elsewhere; there are some facilities where you
must buy from the instructor/school, while others recommend it (I do - as a way to make sure that sparring gear meets our requirements - but I'll also help students who want something I don't have), and some don't sell anything themselves. It all depends on the situation, and each one is different.