When Do Swim Spas Go on Sale? A Complete Guide

“This looks great. Does it ever go on sale?” is something that anyone who has ever sold anything is asked. And more than that, it’s something that anyone shopping has asked!  

We are asked about sales and best prices all the time at Hydropool. “Is this the best price?” is a common question and many variations are on the same theme, including "when is the best time to buy a swim spa?"

We understand why. People want and deserve the best price possible for swim spas. One of their greatest features is that they are cheaper than pools to install, so we know that saving money is important for many of our customers.  

We also know that in some industries, sales are rare events. In others, they are common. The hard part is knowing which sector you are shopping in!  

Well, we would say that swim spas are one of the sectors where sales are common. That’s why in this article we will: 

• explain why swim spa sales are frequent in this article 
• explain when swim spas typically go on sale  
• what to look for in a good swim spa when you buy 

Hopefully, by the end, you’ll have a better idea of when swim spas go on sale and how to make the most of it! 

 

 

Why Do Swim Spas Go on Sale so Often?  

The biggest reason why swim spas go on sale often is because of a gap between demand and production.  

Hot tubs and swim spas are built on assembly lines. It’s very hard to speed up an assembly line. You can run it day and night, for example. But you can’t make it run any faster. So it generally produces at a set rate.  

The problem is customers don’t buy at a set rate. In some months, swim spa sales go up. In some they go down.  

What many companies do is continue to build, even during times of low sales, knowing demand will spike again.  

• If you don’t do that, you risk not having products when people are shopping.  
• You also frequently have to lay off staff and then try to re-hire them, which isn’t practical, because the quality of your product would sink.  

Matching up swim spa production volume with customer demand is very difficult for manufacturers. What they are mostly worried about is not having enough swim spas when people want to buy. Because when that happens, they know they risk losing sales to competing manufacturers. 

So the tendency is for companies to make sure there is sufficient supply. That means increasing production beyond what the market usually requires.  

When that happens and the gap becomes too big, companies have sales. It’s possible you’ve heard the phrase “overstock sale” when shopping for swim spas. That’s most often what actually happens.  

What Are the Best Swim Spa Sales?

The best sales happen when the market slows down suddenly and without any forewarning. That means production levels have been kept high. Production doesn’t stop and start as fast as the market can. So when the market stops buying, production usually continues ... and then often there is a glut of swim spas available. That’s what creates the biggest sales. During Covid, sales of swim spas and hot tubs were high, as people were kept at home and wanted the sense of luxury or escape that a hot tub or swim spa offers. Whatever the reason, sales went up! 

The problem was that no one knew when they would stop going up. They did so after Covid. But manufacturing couldn’t stop in time.   

That meant the magic condition had happened. So 2023 featured a host of sales from many manufacturers, which have too much inventory on hand.  

We know that happened in hindsight now. People didn’t predict it beforehand. So what’s a consumer to do on the lookout for sales?

How Do I Find the Best Swim Spa Sales?

• Normally sales start in spring for spa retailers. This is the start of the main selling season. It’s usually the best opportunity to get the exact swim spa you want, but not often the best price.  
• By mid-summer, sales are in full swing and this can be a great time to buy to get the most selection. It is peak shopping season for most people.  
• In the fall, the quality of sales will depend on how busy the summer was for most manufacturers. If you’re less picky about specific models, this can be the best time to buy, as companies with surplus inventory will be offering discounts. 
• In the winter, look for last year's models or discontinued models that didn’t sell or leftover floor models as the best deals. You might not get your perfect swim spa but you'll get a good one. 

What to Look for in a Good Swim Spa?

We recommend you read the complete buyer's guide, below, before you start your shopping. It’s our best look at everything you need to know before you buy.  

How Do I Get the Best Deal on a Swim Spa?

We think most people’s goal shouldn’t be to get a swim spa for the lowest price – the risk there is that you’re getting a swim spa that will just break down over time or won’t have the features you want so that you use and enjoy it. Or it’s going to be built poorly.  

Instead, we hope that people get a good swim spa for a good price, from a good retailer, so that you can get service and support for as long as you own the swim spa.  

We hope this guide gave you a breakdown of why swim spa sales happen so frequently, and how to make the most of them as you shop. Swim spas can be bought on sale, and we strongly urge you to look for the best deals out there! 

If we missed anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our local retailers who could explain to you in detail how sales work in their specific area.