Quoted from happyhour1973:

As someone gearing up to purchase their first game, I am a bit confused by what I am reading in this thread and it surely may jut be my ignorance. I am getting the gist from reading this thread (and not just from this forum) that businesses such as Coin Taker, Tilt, Game Room Guys are considered distributors, and NOT retailers. Is this correct? Or are they considered both?
I inquire because if I execute a distributor search on Stern's website, none of the aforementioned businesses come up as distributors within their respective states. For example, I am located in Michigan. The distributor search on Stern's site returns only two "distributors" and Game Room Guys is not one of them. Therefore, shouldn't GRG be considered a retailer?
I went to the respective website of each Michigan distributor listed on the Stern distributor search result page (only two were listed) and neither appeared to sell directly to the consumer. On the flip side, Game Exchange in Colorado does come up as a distributor and they also sell games direct to consumers. Based on reading this thread, should I call the Michigan distributors to inquire about selling me a machine directly because I may receive a better price than Game Room Guys?
I hope this makes sense. I am just trying to discern the difference between a retailer and a distributor within the realm of pinball sales.