2. misc-audio
  3. 1236540339

'In Home Dealers' are the future?

Seems there is growing trend for various distributors to be doing business with 'in home dealers'. These appear to be audio hobbyist that are selling factory product from their homes, at 20 to 25 percent off list. Certainly not fair to the dealer network, but it seems to move additional product, especially at these soft purchasing times. Your opinion?
buconero117

Showing 2 responses by sns

sns
3,600 posts
 
I've noticed an increase in home dealers and decrease in 'brick and mortar' dealers in my area.

I would think home dealers are the future, they should be able to offer lower prices vs. the 'big' store dealer because of lower overhead. This should serve them well in a 'downsized' economy. Still, I'm sure there will always be exceptions, local stores near me survive by catering to home theatre enthusiasts and wealthy audiophiles.

I am also starting to see more discounts of 20-25% off list, wonder if futher discounts will become the norm.
sns
3,600 posts
 
I get very little above 10% discount at B&M. I once tried to negotiate a +10% with the store manager at a local B&M, got totally berated in front of other customers. During this negotiating I offered to pay more than my other sources for same equipment. Needless to say, I've never done business with them since. And this is after paying near list for several items previously. Too bad for them, they could have had subsequent sales to me.

The other problem with buying from local outlets is state sales taxes, 6% here, local B&M and home based outlets suffer greatly here! I bet many sell more out of state than in state.
More to discover