I know a lot of hobby shops owners and a lot people from this hobby who are working at the shops just as a sales persons - the excellent people, and their businesses are strong. Will always prefer to deal with such people. But I've got your point of view, John, regarding "good for business" remarks. You are right, unfortunately. To be very, very successful in business you have to be impudent, unscrupulous, cruel and vice versa. I know that. I am working now in the one of tropical Asian countries, and the people here are very successful in business, country is very prosperous, but the way they are earning money - it is not for me. I know what stress is, and do not like the idea to spend all my life taking stress every minute. Especially, I do not like to have stress each time I visit the hobby shop. It does not have to be this way.
As per beginner, who have asked a lot of questions and turned to e-bay, e-bay is also a business, and it does prove that they proposed a better deal. If somebody goes to e-bay to buy things, not to you, even with shipping, handling fees and with risk involved it only proves that something wrong with yours, nothing else.