Do Dealers think it is sinful..........

I buy and sell lots of stuff on the 'net. Like a warehouse store, the 'net offers good prices but virtually no service. I will NOT audition gear at a local retailer (or take it home for an audition) then look for a deal elsewhere, that's simply not an ethical way to do business and ultimately the dealer will end up finding another way to support his family. The dealer's time and inventory costs him money, if he invests in me then I in turn ought to be willing to do the same. I will research current pricing to use as a benchmark for negotiating a fair price, then lay down my hard earned cash. I hate being jerked around and do my best not to waste other people's time. If I want a "deal" I buy off the 'net, if I want value I buy from my local dealer. Jeff

If you "listen to equipment at your local dealer...then go to audiogon to purchase" then you are doing a great disservice to your local dealer. They should slam the door in your face and spit at you. On the other hand....If you are willing to purchase used gear without having demo'd...Audiogon is GREAT! I will not demo at a local dealer and buy elsewhere...it is sacreligeous. If the dealer does not have what I want in stock for me to hear....they had better offer me a heavy discount for the quick sale (all they have to do is order it for $A, recv. it, and resell it for $B) It is worth money to have the ability to demo prior to purchase.

Avnut....if your dealer will not offer you a discount on something that they don't have in stock and won't let you take home for demo...then get rid of your dealer. They are depriving you of two of the three things that they are able to give you (the third being advice). I have a dealer like that as well....I will not purchase from him.....he has nothing to offer me.

Avnut- I would second (or is it third?)Jef and Mfgrep. If we use the dealers as an audition source and then buy from net its totally unfair to them. On the other hand, I also agree with everyone who says avoid that dealer like the plague. He is not providing you with any value, which is the reason for buying from a bricks and mortars outfit. Best of luck. Hope you get the amps want and the service you deserve.

Avnut: You said that you agree 75%, but I would say that I agree with your last post 100%. I hope you get the good service you deserve. Cornfedboy: Are you buying your Audio equipment in the former Soviet Union? …If not, why are you paying 40-70% margin? Do you know the difference between markup and margin? If your numbers were correct dealers would be marking up goods 67% to roughly 234% - that’s a huge range. How many dealers would you say charge 2&1/3 times their costs? I’d suggest that 67% would be the high end of the spectrum (except for cables, IC’s and PC’s). You must be thinking of markup or manufacture margin. I would suggest that the only products with high margins are cables & tweaks. With regard to your question: Have I ever bought Hi end gear? Does your sarcasm imply that one must spend “X” dollars or have owned brand “X” to have a perspective? Maybe you’d feel better if I listed all of my equipment & how much I paid for each piece? You could evaluate my purchases and inform me if I’d spent enough or own equipment prestigious enough for you to respect my opinion. To give you a baseline I wasn’t talking about 100k+ systems. …More like the equivalent of Stereophile A and or B rated gear. ...I think we all are aware that as price rises margin falls, even on 20-30K systems. I’m not against discounts. If you are like me, and buy new toys to upgrade your system every month chances are you get a significant discount already. I merely take issue with folks who seem to believe they should get a discount for no other reason than that they have a pulse. I’ve got nothing against buying and selling used items online, however I see a lot of what I believe to be gray-market sleazing going on, and THAT does bother me. Dealers and manufacturers that whore their goods devalue all of our “investments”. The only thing that should cause rapid depreciation is significant technological advances or wear. But despite the lack of technological breakthrough and very low wear to gear we still see average 40-50% deprecation.