Wow - lots of interesting responses here, and from various points of view.
The old school approach where the dealer holds all the responsibility from inventory selection to pricing to returns/repairs seems to have fallen by the wayside.
On on the other extreme, the new approach of " I don't really need the dealer, just give me the lowest price and I'll go to the manufacturer with any problems " seems to be growing.
If this is the direction the hobby is headed, which manufacturer will be the first to abandon their dealer network, sell direct to the customer and control their own pricing?
