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I still want service after the sale!

If you can try the item out in your home for 30 days at no risk, how can you go wrong? Today, it's about the only way to find a good variety of gear. I have had no problems dealing with online vendors.

I have bought mail order from places like Music Direct over the phone several times. However, I have not bought over the Internet to date. I do not have anything against the idea. I feel sure that I will one day.

no intermediary is great!!!!

Yes. Good reviews and associated positive forum comments and with the opportunity to return goods if not satisfied will get me to participate every time. I have gotten some remarkable buys on contacts on Audiogon.

Product availability and sometimes price.

Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and no appointment necessary

I have golden ears, not a golden wallet. My taste in equipment far exceeded my budget a long time ago. All of my equipment comes second-hand now, thanks to Audiogon. If I had the cash, I'd gladly buy new, but the prices some of the equipment manufacturers demand are too much. The other problem is that only a in-house demo will let you know how something will truly sound. The nearest high-end dealer is over three hours away and they really don't care about a single speaker purchase when they are selling $50k complete theaters to the rich who turn it on maybe once a year.

I'm making more purchases online in general; audio is just one more area. My last component purchase online was a near perfect buying experience, except, of course, that I did not get to audition the product before I bought it. But, as finding dealers willing to allow a proper audition without huge pressure to buy on the spot is getting harder to do (at least around here), it was as good as I could ever hope for.

buying used gear online from dealers mostly, some individual sellars

eBay, baby! I've purchased thousands of dollars' worth of equipment for only hundreds of dollars via eBay. Never been burned. I've bought so much, I'm planning to start selling the excess on eBay.

I won't purchase on line unless I am absolutely certain of that I want, and then, only if I am unable to locate a retailer within a 250 mile radius of metro Buffalo, NY. Moreover, I won't even consider a speaker purchase without an auditon. Basically, unless I feel that a reatailer is not working to a realistic profit margin or that he/she is giving me a line of crap, I will buy from the retailer who has put in the effort and provided the demo. After all, without an honest dealer, how will I know what I am buying?

Not online actually, but I do find out about out of state dealers often online and use e-mail to converse. But the actual purchase is done on the phone talking to a real person in the know. I need that voice to make sure all is set up to my satisfaction. Then the deal is done verbally.

Yes, I choose to purchase from Internet dealers. More high-end dealers are taking advantage of the larger market by selling online. This is advantageous to both the dealer and consumer, because each has the opportunity to either reach a larger market or the consumer has a greater choice of new, used or demo equipment. Both sides are in a win/win situation. In fact, the Internet sales will continue to expand as dealers fall out of the high-end market place or change to home theater shops. It could be the natural evolution of market forces working in the hi-fi industry.

Used stuff, baby. Used stuff at 50% off and less. While the dealers go more and more into "by appointment only," I go more and more into the used market. Does anyone over at Harbeth in the UK know how hard it is to hear their speakers in the Los Angeles area? By appointment only, 60 miles inland? Audiogon to the rescue. Used baby, used. Thank God for the Internet.

I live in Mobile, Alabama and there are very few dealers of audio equipment within 300 miles. Also, one can find a cornucopia of used equipment online.

I get treated worse at audio stores than by the surly kids at CVS.

I've been on a tight budget, and new equipment is out of the question. Ebay is the way to go whether buying or selling. I've bought some nice DACs on eBay, and, thanks to back issues of Stereophile, I can read reviews and make informed decisions about the quality of certain components. I really like Audio Alchemy items, even though they are no longer manufactured.

Audiogon has proven itself to be the used equipment super, super store, and a source of everything high end.

I have been making more audio purchases online—all accessories so far. With most items, I first tried to find them in the city

Almost everything I have acquired in the last three years has been on eBay, in fact. The downside to this is, of course, that I have bought a couple of duds, but, for the most part, it has been fine

I get offers from Internet shops. I then take the print outs to my local dealer (who lets me listen to the equipment) and we bargain. Crude, yes, but usually effective. I end up paying less and he gets the sale (and remains in business). Unless there's a really big price difference, I don't buy online.

In addition to all the reasons that others might buy more online (local shops dying out, etc) I have been building my own equipment lately and nothing about this aspect of the hobby is local.

Yes, if I'm sure of what I want. However, many times I need to audition a piece. If I do, and the dealer is kind enought to let me audition undisturbed, I will buy the piece from them. I live in Manhattan, so I do have a few choices in the city, which is good.

There is only one high-end dealer in Nashville, and it has a limited amount of product. I have no choice.

Yes. It is more convenient, more pleasant, and less expensive (even if there is no markdown, the 8.5% savings on state taxes can be a lot of money, especially on $5–10k purchases). I won't buy, however, without a return policy. Also, the dealer and manufacturer must have my absolute trust and confidence. Audiogon reader comments, by the way, are excellent resources for rating unfamiliar dealers. Isn't it strange that online dealers all too often have more liberal in-home auditioning and return policies than their brick-and-mortar counterparts? You'd think that the latter would be increasingly sensitive to customers' needs, in order to lure them back into the store—but you'd be wrong. I have found the exact opposite to be the case: Online dealers are courteous and helpful, generally, while brick-and-mortar dealers seem to be getting snootier, crankier, and less accommodating as time goes by. I was interested in buying a $7000 speaker system from a Legacy dealer, a few months back, and I couldn't even get him to move them across a 25' x 15' listening room, so I could hear them in a set-up closer to what mine would be. I was the only listener in the place and had driven 40 miles in freeway traffic. Bah! May the snot from a thousand camels grease his way to hell. I (and, I believe, most others) will continue seeking out service, courtesy, and value for the dollar.

I buy almost exclusively from internet direct dealers. I find that I get much better service from online dealers than any brick-and-mortar dealer I have ever been to. I also feel that I get much better value in the equipment that I do buy online. All good online dealers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee and it is invaluable to audition equipment in your home with your equipmnet. You do risk the potential return shipping charges if you don't like the gear but depending on where you live, that could well be less than any 15% restocking fee a brick-and-mortar dealer might charge you. With some truly excellent online companies like AV123, Audio Concepts, and Ascend, in addition to others, the days of the brick-and-mortar store are numbered. If B&M stores can begin to offer the same value for equipment, provide more knowledgable and helpful salespeople that are fun and easy to deal with, and provide more opportunities for in-home auditions then they stand a chance of survival. Based on the many higher-than-thou, snobby attitudes I have come across in B&M stores, the world will be a better place without these jerks.

I do not because i only get tempted with brands non existant in my country, even then i know support will be an issue. Other than that the prices are much, much better.

I'll make some purchases like cables, and tweaks online. But i like to make any major purchases from a brick and mortar dealer. Just to make sure im getting what i paid for, and its nice when you are paying X- thousand dollars for something that you have a name and face to goto if you need anything.

Yes, for several reasons: 1. availability--no one sells what I want in my area 2. price--stuff online is cheaper than most people can sell for locally, assuming they have what you were looking for 3. convenience--what's easier? you can get online just about anywhere and shop around during your coffee break at work or if you're stuck away from home in a hotel room. it would be nice to hear the stuff, though!