Originally Posted by
nycphotography
Because the hand wringing over the death of the LCS (local camera shop) ended 20 years ago. B&H and Adorama had pretty much driven margins to sustenance levels through camera magazine ads and telephone sales long before the internet and internet politics even started to come into play.
The LBS and distribution channels are still trying to defer the realities of disintermediation for as long as possible. Ultimately, the will fail, at least with result to commodity product fulfillment. Meanwhile we will see lots of wierdities, like sram for 20% below usa dealer cost when bought gray market.
So, honestly curious, what's the state of affairs for the LBSs in Europe? ie. where these online retailers reside in their own backyard. Are prices for a Tacx trainer out of an LBS in the UK or Germany, the equivalent to what US retailers are selling them for? The plight of the local store is evident vs. eg. Amazon here in the US, but even for groupsets and these trainers, Amazon isn't any differently priced really than the LBS's I don't think.