My old dealer is long since gone. He got into home theater and interior design for a while when hi-end sales started falling and finally just closed the door. There are currently NO high-end shops within a 100 mile radius of where I live. About a year ago I visited one to hear a pair of speakers I was interested in. Problem with this guy is he tried to do the hard close on me and I really got annoyed. If indeed I were going to purchase those speakers, for the time and effort he gave to set things up properly, which he did quite well, I would certainly have purchased from him.
Now I try to get a feel of products from internet sites like Audiogon. I can generally get a good sense of the sonic characteristics I am looking for. Some posters are very good at communicating this and I feel good about their recommendations. I then buy used and if not satisfied will re-sell. I would never use a dealer that would spend the time with me to demo and then purchase at a lower price elsewhere. I would however try to get a discount price from him but recognize the fact that these guys have overhead and expenses and they also have to make money to keep the doors open.
I found a guy fairly recently that is a retired doctor and sells gear out of his home at good prices, amazing actually. I suspect this is what will happen long term with the smaller dealers to keep their overhead cost down. With the internet, a store front isn't as necessary as it once was and they won't have to sell at retail. The manufacturer's won't like it but too bad, they can just sell to the big boys that will continue to sell at full retail. Maybe when I retire I may do it myself to support my hobby. Then again with the slow demise of hi-end it may be a moot point at that time.
Now I try to get a feel of products from internet sites like Audiogon. I can generally get a good sense of the sonic characteristics I am looking for. Some posters are very good at communicating this and I feel good about their recommendations. I then buy used and if not satisfied will re-sell. I would never use a dealer that would spend the time with me to demo and then purchase at a lower price elsewhere. I would however try to get a discount price from him but recognize the fact that these guys have overhead and expenses and they also have to make money to keep the doors open.
I found a guy fairly recently that is a retired doctor and sells gear out of his home at good prices, amazing actually. I suspect this is what will happen long term with the smaller dealers to keep their overhead cost down. With the internet, a store front isn't as necessary as it once was and they won't have to sell at retail. The manufacturer's won't like it but too bad, they can just sell to the big boys that will continue to sell at full retail. Maybe when I retire I may do it myself to support my hobby. Then again with the slow demise of hi-end it may be a moot point at that time.