Because this one--cent discussion needs 2 more, I will add.
I bet most of us have bought from both. They inherently have pros and cons as both have been well discussed. I bet we are close to, if not at, the equilibream. I bet that the death rate of Brick and Mortar (B&M) stores has flattened, and the boom of online stores is also flattening out. It is important to note that some on-line operations are B&M stores as well. They will tell you that the on-line prices are not available in store.
Then there is Apogee. They are mostly/completely an on-line operation, but there prices are MSRP, or even higher. I have seen some kits go for more than the manufacturer's MSRP. But, I can't think of any on-line rocket store that offers the kind of service and education that they do. Raise your hand if you ever watched a tutorial from Tim (bet a lot of us did). In fact, he says so on his site. His prices aren't the best, but I have had great service (only bought once), watched many videos, and learned a lot. When you go to the discount sites, the description is usually cut and paste from the manufacturer site. Apogee, gives you a lot more info, often from first hand experience with the product, and maybe a tutorial as well. Name an online discount retailer that has actually built and flown most of the kits on multiple motors?
So what's my point? Different strokes for different folks. You get what you pay for. If you want to charge me full MSRP, you better back it up with knowledge and service (on-line or B&M). But if you drop the price, I don't expect you to know more than the description on the box.
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Mike, it's ....!
