Jeez, what a bunch of whiny b1thches! You guys need to grow a pair and put on some big boy pants.
I'm not going to defend uber-priced cartridges. I will say that if you can make a top-flight MC cartridge for less money, please go ahead. And I won't defend the distributor/dealer system, which certainly contributes to higher prices. But without it we wouldn't have an expansive audio business in the U.S. Why do you guys think that distributors exist? They put up capital (lots of $$$) to have products that you want to buy readily available. Manufacturers and dealers both rely on distribution for most products, and without a robust distribution network there wouldn't be a retail audio business.
As a former audio dealer myself, I am going to defend dealers. Why doesn't one of you brave commenters put your time, money and reputation where your mouth (actually, fingers) is/are and become a dealer for, let's say, twenty audio products that would constitute a complete audio system: turntables, tonearms, cartridges, phono stages, preamps, amps and speakers. Then add (at least) fifty other products that you need to carry in order to complete the sale. Remember, you will need at least one to show and one to go for each product; probably more. You have a nice space to demo your gear, right? And insurance, an advertising/marketing budget and at least one under-compensated employee on salary, right? And if you are lucky, only every fourth or fifth customer will want to return a brand new product (after you have spent hours demoing the product in your demo room and maybe in the customer's home) just because he decided that he didn't like it after all and the CC company says that he can return anything for any reason within the first 30 (or sometimes 60) days. So you now have a new product that you have spent what, ten hours or more trying to sell, that you now have to sell as a dealer demo or maybe a used product at par or a loss.
Do you really believe that you will show what anyone would consider a reasonable profit after the first year? After the second? Ever?
Audio dealers are not angels and not all dealers are for all buyers. But before you criticize you should walk a mile in their shoes. As the guy who has to pay the bills and the salaries of the poor mistreated employees.
I'm not going to defend uber-priced cartridges. I will say that if you can make a top-flight MC cartridge for less money, please go ahead. And I won't defend the distributor/dealer system, which certainly contributes to higher prices. But without it we wouldn't have an expansive audio business in the U.S. Why do you guys think that distributors exist? They put up capital (lots of $$$) to have products that you want to buy readily available. Manufacturers and dealers both rely on distribution for most products, and without a robust distribution network there wouldn't be a retail audio business.
As a former audio dealer myself, I am going to defend dealers. Why doesn't one of you brave commenters put your time, money and reputation where your mouth (actually, fingers) is/are and become a dealer for, let's say, twenty audio products that would constitute a complete audio system: turntables, tonearms, cartridges, phono stages, preamps, amps and speakers. Then add (at least) fifty other products that you need to carry in order to complete the sale. Remember, you will need at least one to show and one to go for each product; probably more. You have a nice space to demo your gear, right? And insurance, an advertising/marketing budget and at least one under-compensated employee on salary, right? And if you are lucky, only every fourth or fifth customer will want to return a brand new product (after you have spent hours demoing the product in your demo room and maybe in the customer's home) just because he decided that he didn't like it after all and the CC company says that he can return anything for any reason within the first 30 (or sometimes 60) days. So you now have a new product that you have spent what, ten hours or more trying to sell, that you now have to sell as a dealer demo or maybe a used product at par or a loss.
Do you really believe that you will show what anyone would consider a reasonable profit after the first year? After the second? Ever?
Audio dealers are not angels and not all dealers are for all buyers. But before you criticize you should walk a mile in their shoes. As the guy who has to pay the bills and the salaries of the poor mistreated employees.