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

[Mrfish55]

- how perishable the item is (fish/coral/frozen food)
- fragility (how easily something is broken during shipment, regardless of whether or not the vendor replaces the item)
- 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)
- ease of shipment (the higher the weight/size of the item, the more it'll cost to ship, ie. salt)
- availability (obviously, if the product is only available at a local shop, or only online, you'd only buy from there)

I try and buy as much as I can locally so I get the help I need when problems arise, I like to deal face to face especially when spending lots of $$ and I really do not like to buy livestock without seeing first hand the size and condition.