Market Research: Buying local vs. online. Please help!

[lastlight]

- fragility (how easily something is broken during shipment, regardless of whether or not the vendor replaces the item)
- how perishable the item is (fish/coral/frozen food)
- ease of shipment (the higher the weight/size of the item, the more it'll cost to ship, ie. salt)
- technical aspect of the item (how beneficial would it be to buy local so that you can get some local technical help, the Neptune controller comes to mind)
- availability (obviously, if the product is only available at a local shop, or only online, you'd only buy from there)


- technical aspect of the item. My BubbleKing SM250. Bought in Calgary rather than J&L because I want support if something breaks.
- availability. My light had to be purchase from a vendor outside my city. It's sold my no-one else. My 60" bulbs. Regardless of how much you beg they just aren't stocked anywhere. Ordered from US vendor knowing they are very fragile. Had no choice. BRS for sch 80 fittings since it wasn't easy to get local. To be fair I never looked very long as I'm impatient.

The other 3 haven't mattered to me yet. I've paid huge shipping bills, shipped fragile items in the case of my bulbs to get exactly the ones I wanted. Livestock I have only bought local but I plan to buy a few fish that may be ahrder to find. I will purchase online if need be. So really the two I've mentioned are the only ones mattering to me. I'm particular about what I want and only those 2 have influenced me in getting just what I've planned on getting.

I think I'm rambling. May or may not help you!