[/quote]As a small time dealer, I can't compete with online merchants. I'm happy to take $20 for a transfer and save you money by referring you to an online seller. Easier on my end and cheaper on your end means we're both happy. The margins are too small anymore unless you're dealing 100+ per week.[/quote]
years ago my father and uncle were in the office machine business, back when calculators were mechanical and had a paper tape. When the first electronic calculators came out, they were $2400 and did nothing more than you can get in a $.99 Dollar Store model nowadays. Technology cheapens things and it killed the office machine business. I would bet that once things like 3D printers and such come into wider use, it will put a big hit on the price of firearms. Basically, technology and Walmart eventually drives the margins out of everything, and the small fish can't survive. I think it's because we aren't wiling to pay for service, only to pay a cheap price. But when the item goes bad, we don't want to pay to have it fixed, so it has to become a throwaway. Laser computer printers now are like that. Costs $150 for a decent quality laser monochrome printer. When it breaks, you throw it away and buy a new one because it's not worth the price of having it repaired, even if you can find someone to fix it.