The best place to buy online!

Buying online, or from a non-authorized dealer is not always the best idea (or economical).   

If you go to a car audio shop and audition speakers give the salesmen an opportunity to sell you your gear.!!  (but I can get them so much cheaper on ebay, or amazon, or craigslist or sonix's) I know, I know but I have several great reasons why you should give them the opportunity (I will explain the opportunity in a second but first lets look at why you want to buy local).

• Warranty, Warranty, Warranty.  All the really good stuff is serial number tracked and they do not authorize internet sales (but why don't they sell on the internet?? I will get to that next).  Good car audio gear is expensive and if it blows up you will often have to buy new gear again. A speaker is a moving part (stretching) in extreme environments. Hot/Cold/Dry/Moist etc. No matter how nice the car is (Maybache, Bentley, Rolls, Lambo) no car (or car door) is 100% sealed are you are subjecting your speakers to elements that you would not subject a dog to (or better not). Then we run huge amounts of current through them and want them to to live for ever, some die and when they do you want a great store and salesmen to say "let's get you in here and swap it out for you." Best case scenario, if an online guy does warranty it, you have to uninstall it, reinstall it and ship it back to them, then they ship you a new one (some down time in shipping), then it has to be re-installed now you have paid for all that labor again! 
• Counterfeit product (1st reason why manufactures don't want the dealer to sell on the internet).  I have seen tons of counterfeit product lately, JL Audio, Audison, Hertz, kicker, and even Rockford Fosgate. If a manufacture can not hold a dealer brink and mortar (physical location) dealer responsible for the product they sell they don't want to do it.  I have had someone call me on the phone and tell me they where the "source" manufacture for Hertz and wanted me to buy direct form them (not Audison). They sent pictures, they looked very similar but you could tell that it was fake (we are not the only ones also see Florida SPL Forum). JL has had its own issues (see JL Audio Mexico signature series on JL's Facebook page). I could go on and on.  Bottom line if it breaks no one will fix it and you get product that sounds inferior.
• Manufactures also want an authorized dealer to install it or at least oversee the install. If it is installed properly they will have less defective returns and the manufacture improves its bottom line (more money for research and develop new and better product). Think what the shipping fees are alone for a woofer company that has to ship woofers back, not to mention the repair.
• The local shop wants you to be happy. If you buy something online and they install it and it doesn't sound the way you want, or something blows up or burns up you are not going to be happy, and chances are its not the install shops fault (if it was they wouldn't be around very long). They want happy customers, if you spend money there they want you to tell 10 friends what a great purchase you made at Electronicsdepot or where ever. Happy customers keep a shop in business, unhappy ones hurt that shops business. You immediately but an install shop in a bad situation if you bring them product. They want you happy, but its not worth the $65 or what ever it is to install your supplied radio if you are not leaving a truly happy customer.

         - I have had a customer bring me a radio they bought on Crutchfield, and after it was installed cussed me out that it didn't come with an Ipod Cable, have Bluetooth, or support Pandora.  He did not mention that he wanted any of those features to me when he dropped it off, nor could I modify the radio he already purchased to have those features. He was an unhappy customer, and the only thing we could do to make him happy is offer him a discounted rate to remove it, and re-install the new radio that he got back from Crutchfield. After paying overhead we lost money and a business can not survive losing money. A good local retailer wants happy customers, but they have to pay its employees, rent, insurance, licensing, tax and lots of other stuff.

• If you don't buy local you will not have a shop to go to (they will and have been going out of business if you don't buy from them). They love you and want to give you advice, and demo speakers for you and talk about installations, but if you are not going to give them the opportunity to sell you the product they will not be around to help and inform you. You are not doing them a favor they are performing a service.
• What is an opportunity to sell mean?   Talk to them, let them know where you found it on line and how much it is? Add up all the shipping charges, and figure out the bottom line, it will probably be close to what the local dealer pays (but how does the online guy make any money if that is cost? His over-head is likely a garage, or storage shed and his employees pack boxes they do not have intimate knowledge of car audio or your needs, no insurance, no licensing, and he buys and sells in a huge bulk. he buys it 10-15% cheaper and has less overhead). A good shop will usually take that amazon number and be a little higher (remember overhead) is it worth it for warranty? is it worth it to make sure its real product? is it worth it to know its new and not referb or used? I think if you give the shop an opportunity they will make it worth it.

   What secrets will I reveal next? you will just have to check it out and see!!