With so many things moving into the online marketplace, there are lots independently owned shops that are going out of business. I spent years racing bicycles in the SoCal area and watched many bike shops close up as people moved to buy most items online. The bike shops were usually owned by former racers and staffed with folks that really loved riding bikes and talking bikes. They gave great advice and did it because they were passionate about it. With the rise in online retailers, I would see lots of people go to the stores, ask technical questions, try things on, then go home and order online. All but the largest shops ended up closing in my local area. I fear the day when online retailers have put most of the mom and pops shops out of business by undercutting pricing and now completely control pricing - at that point we will have no choice but to pay whatever they want to charge....with no other options and no one technical enough to answer our questions. When it comes to pinball, I much prefer the interaction with individuals / distributors whether buying or selling and have learned a lot from those personal interactions. I think it is easy to forget that until it is gone.