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If I have good local shops available, should I restrict my purchasing?

So, the title of this post is a bit tendentious — I'm actually interested in a canvas of the ethical landscape. Let me explain….

A few different reviewers I like (Guttenberg, others) have made mention of how important it is to support one's brick and mortar shop, should one have one near enough to visit. I actually have several, though a bunch of them are actually installation businesses that also sell gear.

As I've spent time in these shops listening and learning, I've also gained an amazing education online (thank you Audiogon, YouTube) about the variety of audiophile gear out there — including older gear, and gear made by small, independent artisans. They too deserve support and patronage.

What I'm struggling to determine is how to spend as ethically as possible. Assuming (1) a reasonably good selection and (2) reasonable prices, what do you think is the ethical thing to do as regards audiophile equipment? (I am NOT talking about major manufacturers such as Denon, Yamaha, etc.)

Here are some options, placed roughly on a spectrum. Where would you place yourself?

(a) "Totally limit to the local shop." All purchasing of audio would be restricted to what is available locally. No buying of gear auditioned locally online or used.

PLUSES: supports the local merchant and a place to hear new gear while providing the listener with products that meet the threshold of good audio.
MINUSES: Costs more, limits brand options, cuts out many small makers who sell from far away.

(b) "Partially limit to the local shop." Some (not all) purchasing of audio would be restricted to what is available locally. No buying used or online what is available locally. Exceptions would include products from small makers who sell direct.

PLUSES: supports local merchant, but not as much. Expands brand options, supports small makers. May influence local merchant to carry more artisanal lines (assuming they get the message somehow).
MINUSES: Costs more, less support for local merchant.

(c) "No limits where to buy, but truly audiophile-level products available new should be bought new." Purchasing could be done anywhere, but avoiding used versions of products that are presently available new would be prioritized to support the manufacturer and/or dealer carrying them. This could include the local shop or the online dealer.

PLUSES: Supports makers and those who carry new, good gear. Vintage gear is still ok to buy.
MINUSES: Costs more, reduces support for those making deals and discounts available.

(d) "No limits, period." Any product can be bought anywhere. You can go listen in your local shop and then surf online to buy it discounted or used. If this continues the trend of the disappearance of brick and mortar stores, that's fine. The number of direct to consumer companies will increase, and that model may be the next evolutionary step.

PLUSES: Cost savings (discount, used, etc.); flourishing of new direct businesses; continued health of used markets; increased importance of online reviewers (professional and amateurs).
MINUSES: Traffic and pollution from even more delivery vehicles; demise of curatorship role in audio stores, and the face-to-face relationships they foster. Demise of place to see gear simultaneously and do comparison listening.

This is just a sketch of the ethical landscape. I undoubtedly left our options and supporting/detracting pluses or minuses.

If you've thought about the ethics of your audio purchasing and have some thoughts, I'd like to hear what you take to be ethically relevant.

128x128hilde45
wspohn's avatar
wspohn
597 posts
 
We all have an interest in keeping the local dealers around for when we might need them, so auditioning gear there and then asking what they can do on price is fair game.

I once bought a pair of speakers that the local dealer didn't carry in stock (he had another of their products) and asked for a discounted price but still above what I would have paid going direct. I figured that having someone to stand behind the  product locally and arranging to have it shipped via their regular shipments was worth me  paying a premium so I would have support and come back locally. They were happy as they made a bit of money on something they didn't keep in stock.

Going direct to save a few bucks can result in local dealers going broke and leaving you on your own.
thosb's avatar
thosb
204 posts
 
I love going to a local high end audio shop and want them to do well, but the truth is I can't afford most of what they sell.  I can afford past models, used and second or third hand, but have leaned on the shop for service and advice, and happily listened to their product offerings for polite lengths of time, but always felt guilty because I had no intent of buying anything, and was always up front about it.  One Saturday  it was just me and the owner in the store, he asked me about my system, where I bought the pieces and why, declared me to be thrifty, and then proceeded to suggest some possible improvements including what he thought were fair prices for used equipment with which he was familiar.  When I asked if he minded dealing with pseudo customers like me, he said not at all, he'd rather encourage the hobby than always worry about the next sale.  Then he sat me down with the latest Quad ESLs, a stack of cds and the remote, listened to one song with me, waxed poetic for a few minutes, then said he needed to make some calls and told me to stay as long as I liked, and closed the door behind him on the way out.  I left 30 minutes later, totally blissed out, he was still on the phone, I assume with real customers, maybe someday I will be one. Another lesson in stop worrying and just enjoy the music.  
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,974 posts
 
@thosb I like that story, and clearly the owner is creating a relationship with you. That’s good for his long strategy, as long as folks like you -- once they acquire the means -- are going to come back and spend a bit more with that store.

For me, here’s a tough case:

Let’s say a store nearby gives me a chance to audition two speakers:
Pricey A & Affordable B.
I like them both, but I like A more than B.
If I go online and buy direct or used, I can afford Pricey A. Otherwise, I can only afford B.
I ask the store for a better deal, and they cannot get close to the online price point.
If I buy A online, I get the preferred speaker. If I buy B in store, I get a speaker I still really like.
If I buy A, I do not support the store. If I buy B, I do support the store.
Without the store to audition these, I’d never even know what they sound like, that I like either, or which I prefer.
Also, without the store, I have no one local to stand behind the product if there are issues.

It’s a hard call for me, because a lot of this audio journey is to find the best sound for my ears. Clearly, purchasing a speaker I like less to support the store feels like I’m not doing it right. And yet, without that store, I’d not know anything about either speaker. That tilts me back toward a more holistic appraisal -- it’s about supporting more than my individual preference, but the conditions which make that preference possible. (In this sense, it’s like vaccines; no one likes to get a shot, but herd immunity doesn’t come about if enough people opt out.)
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