For the most part, if it's available from a US vendor, it's probably available at some shop in town, which I prefer. I like to inspect what I'm buying before I pay for it, and if it's a commodity, I want to just go get it, not wait for it to show up. So far, (aside from some cat ears - yes, cat ears) the stuff I've bought on line was not available from a US vendor - local OR on line. Like just now, looking for shoes: it seems Sidi have a new model, Kaos, that features the same closure as the Wire model, but no where near as expensive. Can't seem to find a US vendor that carries it - it's either the top-shelf Wire or something else that uses velcro for at least part of the closure.
Last edited by kbarch; 10-04-14 at 11:18 AM.