That's the truth. I'm all for buying locally as well, But finding a dealer nearby that sells what I specifically want is basically impossible.
A close friend of mine owns a shop nearby, and is an authorized Pioneer dealer. When I was shopping for my P99, he tried to get me one through his channels, but Crutchfield was the ONLY place even authorized to sell it.. too bad for him, but he understood. I also drove 100+ miles to Philly to a shop for my Hertz components. (that's only because I'm a lunatic, and wanted them in my hands that day) or I would have bought them online.
Point is, not everyone has access to a local shop that carries anything worthwhile. And although if I need something that is carried locally, I don't mind paying a little extra, but Most high end stuff is special order, so you need to wait for it anyways. Why am I paying local shop guy a markup to place the order for me? That's just foolish.
I'll always buy my produce from local sources.....anything else is up for grabs.