It's not that bad for off line dealers. Infact, I know of a few mom & pop dealers in my area that do business with 3rd party on line distributers to get a share of the on line business. This way they only exist to the distributers and not the general public including the manufacturers. This reminds me of the baseball owners of the past who would rake in all of the money and pay little to the players. Now like all things, what goes around comes around and look at the salaries of today's sports stars. In this case, look at the prices these guys sell their gear for and look at the money that they've made. I say the internet is the great equalizer and the true power to the people. If it's about cash, the mom & pop stores who want to survive will survive and do what's necessary to adapt to the world of the internet.
Will Internet Distroy High End ?
The internet has been a godsend to those who wish to trade used equipment. It has also been ok for those dealers who care to do internet business. In the long run however, I don't envy local high end dealers. As more people jump on the used equipment bandwagon it may have a serious detrimental effect on new equipment sales. That in turn may distroy or shrink the cottage industry we call "High End Audio." We would then be left with all the mass merchandisers who want to reduce us all to mid-fi garbage. What do you think ?