I think its a bit smug to say you basically use stores for demo then go buy from the net, you should come clean with them and pay them some fee for your "education" as I doubt you would like it dont to you and your business. I buy here and also pay what dealers charge and love the service and relationship a dealer offers
is audiogon good for the audio industry or bad?
I am not a dealer so my input is only based on my limited actions...but, since I discovered audiogon and became a member and active user, I have raised thousands of dollars by selling equipment that had been stored in my basement because "trade-in values" are so low that I would have rather stored this equipment just in-case I one day needed it. I then re-invested those dollars, plus other dollars and then sold equipment that I was planning on living with and invested those dollars as well to basically upgrade 1/2 my system which I had no imminent plans to do prior to AG. The result is that I have now spent thousands and thousands on equipment over the last 6-months which I would not have done without AG. Absolute Sound drives me into retailers and listening rooms, helps educate me and helps create my wish list, but, AG helps me make it a reality. The result is that I spend far more $$ on equipment...which by the way, drives me to buy absurd amounts of source material through acousticsounds, etc...