Buying DIRECT vs. Buying from a DEALER

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I shot and edited this quick-n-dirty video on the back of news that KZbin was lifting the time limit on Shorts from one minute to three. The widescreen 16:9 version was immediately uploaded to Patreon and a 9:16 vertical version cut for KZbin Shorts, Instagram Reels and Facebook. It clocks in at just over two minutes and is the perfect length for the revised Shorts format.
But there was a catch. Digging into KZbin’s announcement, I learnt that the Shorts length limit doesn't change until 15th October. But I had already made my video and there was no way I could (re-)cut the content down to one minute without losing the nuances demanded by such a sensitive topic. This video is therefore presented in 16:9 - ergo not a Short - until next week when a 9:16 upload should be possible.
Hi-fi gear sold directly to the consumer vs. through a dealer-distributor network is a multi-faceted topic but this video’s thrust is singular. Whataboutters note: I am not "forgetting" anything. I am ignoring several other issues to make my ONE point as clear as possible. I therefore ask you to pay attention to the final 10 seconds of the video before leaving a comment. Also: "less costly components" doesn't necessarily mean inferior components. They could come via economies of scale.
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[@heiko_1974]

And what if the direct seller simply adds up the distributer's and retailer's margin to its own? 'Cause he's doing their job, at least to a degree?

[@FonsVanWiemeersch]

Thank you for your insights John! I would like to add that a producer selling directly to the consumer also incurs higher costs compared to selling through a distributor and/or dealer network. Keep in mind that they have to cover their full marketing, presence at shows, logistics (small volumes with high frequency instead of large volumes with lower frequency), return and warranty policies, and sales team entirely on their own. This also affects the margin and cannot simply be compared without considering the extra costs and, consequently, the higher price...

[@matthew3770]

So basically you're saying if I see a piece of equipment i like for $500 at an audiophile shop, i should look online for a $500 piece sold directly from the manufacturer, because that will likely be better bang for my buck?

[@bassandtrebleclef]

The term value added reseller (VAR)- in my experience - is mostly untrue. With few exceptions, I don't see resellers adding much value in the hifi space.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

Being able to audition several pairs of loudspeakers in the same acoustic space, for example, is NOT adding much value?

[@andrewwilliams3549]

?? so WIIM is £349 direct and or through any Hifi store or Amazon, but what you said is the way i always thought about it, but now you have direct sales, so can you buy direct from major makers or only companies like Wiim etc?

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Both ways are fine ❤️

[@JeyDeeSweden]

Well? Simply Build It Yourself! 🙂👍

[@DarkoAudio]

Simple? Hardly. DIY means paying with time (and not cash). But time is, in a roundabout way, money.

[@D1N02]

Time otherwise spent watching stupid Netflix shows is Time well spent​@@DarkoAudio

[@Thomas_A_H]

@@DarkoAudio Correct, and that's why it might be better for everyone if the company creating the product doesn't have to spend time with selling to end customers. Depends on various factors though, e.g. number of units sold and the price per unit. Selling few high-priced units isn't too much extra work for the company, because they wouldn't sell many units to/through the distributor either. But when selling many medium-priced units or even more lower-priced units you can save a lot of time (=money) by not doing it yourself.

[@CCHLuckow]

If you are comparing apples to apples normally products in channel sales (vendor to distribution to reseller) are heavily discounted to give the chain an incentive to make money stocking and selling the product. Most vendors that want to have that channel do it because they do not have the same feet on the ground to get product promoted, serviced and so on. Typically vendors that also sell their products online typically have identical pricing, or even higher prices to protect that sales channel. Hope there will be a longer version to prove your claim - show us two identical products where one has lower quality.

[@DarkoAudio]

I think you need to listen to the last three words of this video again. Nowhere did I say „lower quality“.

[@birgerolovsson5203]

Dealer, you can get so much lower price from the dealer so buy from them. I don't know why it is like that but that's how it ALWAYS is where I live so "what's not your point of this video" is as wrong as it can bee imo.