| Joined: | Mon Apr 2nd, 2012 |
| Location: | South Lakeland, UK |
| Posts: | 4066 |
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This is just the nature of business, it's been going on since time began?
The big difference now is the internet, apps and aggressive promotion from certain quarters. Bricks and mortar shops are under huge pressure, especially if they refuse or seem unable to adopt the internet. No matter their pedigree, the buying masses will go where the best deals seem to be, frequently to box shifters and high volume sellers who give not a care about the products they sell, they are simply there to satisfy their shareholders dividend expectations.
The lack of personal interaction, which is the norm with internet transactions, the lack of care and interest on the part of the bulk sellers will eventually eliminate the traditional, caring competition. The mass buying public don't care so long as they save a few pence or cents, but for people like ourselves, who appreciate any shared interest and personal contact one gets when you are dealing with a person directly rather than via the keyboard.
Small local camera shops are almost non existent now, the larger ones are dwindling. Eventually it seems we will only have Amazon and fleBay, The latter is becoming a nightmare experience for buyers and small sellers due to their big brother approach and their restrictive policies. In the early days I made good friends with some the sellers one or two of which I am still in contact with, now it's almost impossible to speak with the sellers, generally they are actually big businesses which care not a fig for the buyers. It seems fleBay don't want small individual sellers who take an interest in what they are selling, they want maximised profits.
The internet isn't going to go away so the trend will continue, who know where? Perhaps some bright spark will think of some way of stopping this downward spiral to an undesirable low base and find some way to reintroduce the personal touch.
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Robert.