DO YOU PURCHASE MOBILE AUDIO PRODUCTS ONLINE, AND IF SO WHY?

[FocusOn20s]

If the store had an online store where you could give a best offer and not have to deal with the sales staff would you be more inclined to purchase locally?

That's how it is with Soundqubed. On their website, you get the SQ1200 for 269.

On their eBay page, you can do a best offer. Well could anyways. Believe they sold out atleast, what it says on the store.

I buy online, mainly because it's cheaper, and I don't have to deal with that dealer markup mess.

Straight from the manufacturer to my doorstep, cheaper, and faster sounds like a win to me.

[TCooper]

A lot boils down to the nature of retail in general.

Back when there were no "online" stores it was big warehouse catalog stores that were cutting into the local mom and pop stores business. Going back in the way back machine, I had a friend who owned a bike store. I used to frequent the place to support him, but then a couple of large catalog sales companies came out that you could buy everything from MUCH cheaper. Their volume allowed them to sell some things lower than my friend was paying to purchase items to sell from the manufacturer. He just did not have the volume to get the pricing, the customer base to support stocking everything with limited funds (local instead of national so you have to choose where to best invest your inventory dollar) and his overheads were a larger portion of his business. Ended up closing.

Zip forward. With online retailers you have an even wider gap and many more factors to deal with. Online sales have the potential for global compared to the local mom and pop's local area market that may be dictated in scope (territory) by the brands they carry. Same sort of story though. Only x amount of funds available from their volume to invest in inventory compared to many online sellers, so they are going to either choose what they think their market will buy regularly or get advised by the local rep on what mix accounts for 80-90 percent of sales movement. Also, ask some shop owners and their installers what they spend most of their time selling and installing. Not top of the line huge systems. Those are few and far between. Most is going to be a basic/budget HU and/or speaker swap in stock locations. Maybe add a sub type deal. The total gut a car custom systems with all the best products are rare. Sales wise then I'm not even counting the differences between online authorized, non authorized, shady MAP dealers unloading inventory to online liquidators to get volume targets, refurbs passed off as new etc. etc.

Am I saying it is okay for a local dealer to charge over suggested retail for something, NO. Am I saying that I understand why they are generally more expensive than most of what you find online, yes. Those that are hugely gouging on price over retail will eventually not survive in my thinking, unless they have other qualities that make it worth paying so much extra i.e. show quality award winning installation, setup and knowledge and will take care of you no matter what. Even then, way over msrp for product would be iffy unless their labour rates were reasonable or they were in a top flight niche and you just had to have the best. If they have no knowledge, iffy installs, no idea on how to correctly set up a sound system, poor service then....... As far as price match to online, that can be a useful tool for a store and my stores used to do it regularly, but it has to be apples to apples. Might say that goes without saying, but having been in retail for decades I can tell you that many consumers do not have that concept. A price is a price to some, regardless of if the place selling is a liquidator with a 14 day warranty or someone selling B stock out of their garage with a one page website with no warranty and no returns, compared to your authorized first line full warranty piece. Just how it is. Of course, price match assumes that their purchase price is not like my bike dealer friend and they have the room to discount.

I do have to disagree with what is keeping the brick and mortar stores open. I'm in the over 50 category posted about above and have been into car audio since the 80's and have no problem with computers at all. Even my father, who is in his 80's uses the computer frequently and orders things online.

I frequented car audio stores when I started out (obviously no online then) and gravitated away from the same lack of knowledge stores that people are finding now, so some things never change. I eventually found a quality installer, became friends and learned about installs, equipment etc. and my interest in car audio grew. I moved (just the same really as people do now) into doing my own builds and have been doing so ever since. I find that the majority of those I've seen in stores, when I've visited, tend to be those that do not have the ability, knowledge, skill or time to do their own audio work or those that have attempted an install with limited quantities of the afore mentioned items and are in to have the system fixed or some combo there in.

That all being said, to the poll itself (which I've participated), I tend to buy everything online. Unless I need something quick to finish something or want to demo some equipment, I hardly ever go into a store now. I research, plan, design etc. until I know what I want and then start buying. I go authorized on items that are of a concern to me. Like an expensive processor or something. Items that are lower value or less of a concern to me then it comes down to service and price from the seller.

Sadly, and of course I'm not helping them by buying almost everything online, I think more mom and pops and small chains will go as more and more people move toward online retail.

Enough of my endless soap box spew. Just my opinion and you know what they say about those...........

[SlamminBeats]

Why i buy online? because shops try to push sony and JL.

Sorry those brands arent the best things since sliced bread ill take my business somewhere else.

[Motorboat KER]

I shop online for pricing and the items they have. My local stores (Mickey Shoore) want like 20 to install low level converter 45 to run the damn RCA cables and other shit. Way over prices

[Jskiles]

There is basically only one shop where I live besides best buy. They never sell anything I'm looking for and don't get me started about asking them about batteries.

[corona_jeff]

A few problems I have and why I hate store front shops. There's no knowledge. 20 years ago, every install had some sort of certification, granted that means jack shit, but it was something that showed he has some sort of educational knowledge. Now I see young kids and even owners, that can't do simple math to find airspace of a sealed enclosure, yet they expect to work on a 50,000 land rover. Also there more concernd about the quick Money. They want to charger damn near full msrp and throw it in a prefab and get it out the door. Why not spend more time building a loyal customer, instead of raping him on the first chance you get.

[jakmagic]

One thing that bugs me a little bit is that, yesterday I called my local dealer and asked about some prices on a bunch of stuff, and told him I'd come and pay cash on Friday. Am planning on ordering $1500+ worth of stuff on Friday, never mind the $500 worth of stuff I ordered two weekends ago. Yesterday he said he'd call me today with the price on one of the things I needed. He never called me today at all! He didn't even call a week ago when my amp came in because he said he lost my number. Well I regave him my number again yesterday so he better not use that excuse again. Anyways I still plan on ordering that stuff on Friday but after this, if the stuff I am looking for is online, that may be the way I am going to go.

[jakmagic]

It seems like my local dealer is more interested selling push button starters and super cheap alpine decks with install for 200$. Lol.

[garychurch84]

Pioneer 80prs

$400+ local

$250 online give or take a little

[Deeznutz]

If the price is right, I order on line.