Rick:
I understand what you mean, but in the end you the manufacturer or dealer can control this by only selling to hobbyshops and eliminating the middle guy which would drive far more people to pay the extra money and support their local hobbyshop. I realize also that some people don't have the means to travel far distances to get to their nearest hobbyshop and may very well never see a track and this in turn motivates them to only order. It just seems to me manufacturers could set up direct ordering only through their company. If a hobby establishment were to order they get the discount, if it's consumer they pay the normal retail. Eliminate the big mail order houses all together then you will have plenty of Hobbyshop support. I am willing to pay more for parts, tires, etc. to support the Hobbyshop, mainly because these are time frame based items, in that if you break a part and need it of course you will buy it at the counter, but when you start getting into highend like radios, car kits, electronics the price gap starts to increase dramaticaly. I have bought some car kits through the hobby shop and some through mail order. If the manufacturer only sold through hobbyshops or at retail through their own location, odds are the hobbshop would be the better deal and I would only buy through them unless I needed parts they didn't have! To me it just seems like it is something that could easily be controled, everyone is to hppy with the way things are now and just don't want to admit it!