Have you ever wondered why speaker manufactures do not consign speakers to dealers?


How many of you have wanted to hear a pair of speakers and the dealer only has a pair of their low end speakers to listen to?  I would say in most cases, dealers in Colorado have limited availability of speakers to listen to on their floor.  How then is it possible to purchase a speaker without listening to it first?  You would think speaker manufactures would want to sell their higher end speakers and consign at least three speaker models to dealers so they could have them available for their customers to listen to.
128x128larry5729
I don't think it's a manufacturer's job to offer consignments. It's the dealer's job to provide demos. If he can't demo what interests you, then I think you are in the wrong dealer.
In today's world, consignment would create too many satellite in-home dealers who weren't exactly serious about selling.  I am a dealer and operate out of my home, but I have also invested heavily in product and am committed to seeing returns on those investments.  This buy-in is a commitment to the manufacturers and distributors that is very much needed.

Decades ago this wasn't as much of an issue as in home dealers weren't really a thing.  Manufacturers would consign some gear knowing that the dealer would move some.  To go with that, gear also wasn't as absurdly priced as it is today and there was a larger market segment willing to pay for quality.

I've had several clients who trade gear religiously tell me they thought seriously about being a dealer without ever realizing you have to pay to play.  It's amazing how quickly their tune changes when they look around at my stock and realize I've had to invest in every piece.
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Maybe they assume people who have the funds to buy high end audio gear might travel sometimes.   I know when I travel I tend to check out local high shops.   I’ve bought cars across the country, flown out and drove them home several times.    High shops are kinda dwindling down in smaller markets, blue tooth has killed the low end / midfi market