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What Are Your Audio Morals?

Assuming:

A. We all want to audition equipment before we buy it;

B. We all want the most for our money;

C. We all can find the same equipment cheaper on the Internet than from high end dealers;

D. We all know that you can't audition equipment on the Internet.

Therefore, the question is: How can you morally audition equipment at dealers when you know you won't be buying there?

After all, the dealer is giving you his time, his advice, the exclusive use of his listening room (all at the expense of customers who may actually biuy from him), a pro-rated percentage of wear and tear on his equipment, and a pro-rated share of his rent, electricity, salaries, advertising, taxes, maintenance, etc.

What do YOU do when you want to audition equipment? Do you:

1. Use your local dealer and buy from him?

2. Use your local dealer and buy elsewhere?

3. Don't use your local dealer, but buy elsewhere as long as you can return it?

4. Take a chance and just buy based on reviews, thinking maybe you can sell it if you hate it?

5. Other?

BTW, I am not a dealer. I'm just aware that if we all use dealers as free audition services knowing we'll buy elsewhere, local dealers will soon be extinct.

Maybe that's OK. Perhaps, with the advent of the Internet, local dealers serve no purpose anymore. That may be a future topic of discussion.
plasmatronic

Showing 1 response by garfish

garfish
1,840 posts
 
Fpeel-- such language :>) What did we do before the advent of the internet? Personally, I've only used i-net purchasing for the last year and a half or so. Prior to that, I used a combination of a good local dealer (and their annual 20% off sale), and mail order dealers.

In those not so distant days, I paid much more for audio gear too. I think the real issue is can "brick and mortar" high end audio dealers stay in business without using the internet? And how will they compete?

It's my feeling that it's going to be really tough for them. I personally think that only those manufacturers and dealers that can find a way to compete with/in cyberspace are going to survive. My local dealer has survived by getting into HT like so many others-- and inevitably they are carrying less pure audio gear.

As to this specific topic, I use a combination of a local dealer and the internet for my audio purchases. But I don't abuse the dealer. Cheers. Craig.
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