I was just thinking. If the car stereo shops go down so will the audio companies they represent. But then I realized what it will take is for them to sell online to survive which I see as doable. I mean in a sense yes ebay is bringing the shops down but if im seeing this right what is actually happening is a restructure to what I just suggested. The only problem is then you dont have custom install shops surviving unless they can join in on discounts below the online pricing structure. Am I right here guys? Is this the future?
after I wrote the post I thought of rd audio but there's nothing you can do when you have poor customer service in your company....except fix it that is
well nowadays [like the past 10yrs] everything is internet so the ole timers & new comer companies alike will also have to push a certain amt of net sales if they want to survive
brick & mortar shops will still survive though since there are ppl who will pay for installs since they rather a "expert" handle it or they just dont have the skills , tools or space to DIY so that shop & the audio companies will benefit from sales of products the shop carries as well
but imo yes alot of what will happen depends on the net , because with a few clicks of mouse a product can viewed , reviews read & it lands at ur door step because now there are ppl who are willing to attempt to DIY since there is a ton of info online in forums ...
I agree Rovin, a few years back if you couldn't find anyone who knew something you were screwed and you had to pay a pro. Now with most things you can research things online and get help from others so quick and easy if it's worth it people will save the cash rather than pay someone.
well u know ur all being kinda hypocritical cuz most of you are the big posters and help everyone trying 2 DIY, but i 2 am 2 blame since i dont wanna pay for pro service and ask how 2 do things
well u know ur all being kinda hypocritical cuz most of you are the big posters and help everyone trying 2 DIY, but i 2 am 2 blame since i dont wanna pay for pro service and ask how 2 do things
THAT'S what the net does. Making everyone smarter and poorer at the same time.
The problem though with internet is that at the end of the day a noob will usually always be a noob and no matter how much he reads on the internet, be able to go to a shop and getting stuff proffesionally sometimes can never match what someone can do themselves. I think the major problem right now is that nobody has the cash to spend on a sound systme for a car. Crap how many people you see in your town driving sh!t boxes because they dont have money to fix them or dont want to bother so how can we expect people to buy systems.
I never said I didn't take advantage of it. From a consumer point of view there are many reasons why it's a good thing. Internet business may be destroying jobs in 'real' business, but they do create technology based jobs.
There is very little difference between real audio shops and internet forums though- often it's the blind leading the blind.
I once found myself angry at a local shop for charging so much for their products when I could buy the same thing for half price online. Then one day I had a local shop ask me to list some of their products online to help their sales, but after checking ebay listings I found the same products for less money shipped to my door than dealer cost. If a sub costs a dealer $100, but is on ebay for 80 shipped how can they compete?
And as a consumer that didn't like most of the local shops why would I waste money?
u all can see when i signed up to E : a few yrs b4 i didnt know sh1t but that thanks to the internet i found out about brands other than main stream brands .
Never knew about stuff like RE or ascendant audio & about 100 others - all i knew was what i have seen in stores like rockford , jbl , kicker etc
& the immense amt of knowledge from sites like www.bcae1.com & www.the12volt.com which easily has 100 times info than a book or magazine...forums thought me ALOT too so now i know what to look for & can buy my stuff online too ...thank goodness for the internet !...
If a sub costs a dealer $100, but is on ebay for 80 shipped how can they compete?
I understand that pont troy but since you live in the us its easier for you. If you have a problem just send it back to the manufacturer. For me if i have a problem I have to ship it back to the u.s. which will cost me more than the 20$ difference that it would cost me if i had just bought it at a shop.
Only prob though is since i live in Canada, companies like RE, Zapco, AQ, DD, Image dynamics are not really sold here. I can get alpine, jbl,sony pioneer, rf, infinity etc... 1 shop will carry audison, another hertz, another arc, another jl so i'd have to go to about 10 different shops to listen to high end equipment which will all be overpriced but again what other choice do i have, especially since i hate buying stuff with no guarantee and that I have never listenend too.
I took the chance with the idmax and zapco because of what i read but let me tell you its scary to order stuff that you've never heard, cant bring it back, have to pay an arm to ship back if its defective and pray to god that you'll be happy with or your f@#$ing screwed and might have to take a loss.
I've always heard that the subs/amps etc you see online are the last year, or older, models. They sell them at a discounted price to move out the old stock and make room for the new. Kind of like how car dealer ships do. So you're getting a good deal on a product, the company makes enough to break even make a little product, and the cycle starts all over.
