Even if the new Sightron scopes are 994.00 they are still a no frills functional long range scope and if the NF with all their fancy bells and whistles is out of your price range, then Sightron is a great candidate. I am perplexed at the amount of people selling their recently purchased 10-50 SIIIs. Can a 12-42 NF at over $365.00 more than Sightron really be worth a stiffer knob and reticle, or does something else play into this? I think some of that crap that NF charges you for is pointless, like the illuminated reticle for instance. That's why the Sightron is cool, your not forced into paying for features that you don't even need.
As for the business side of things I do like buying from knowledgeable vendors who are actually part of this sport. Its real nice to have the person on the other end of the line be able to assist you when your faced with a choice. You do end up paying for that kind of customer service. For the dealer its difficult to cater to customers who need entry level products or are looking for the best prices, this level of marketing is cut throat. It think it would be a stressful market to compete in.
The consumer has to stretch his dollars too. These aren't necessity products, they are luxury items. So the mark up will be greater. Shooting funds are often limited, it seems everything we buy in this sport the cost is at a premium, so most of us save where we can. If it works and it cost less money, why pay more? As a dealer you gotta know what your getting into and figure out what kind of customers you wanna cater to. Its easier to make profit off of people who actually have the money to spend, not the guy who's scraping his coins to buy the best he can as he's the one who will find the best price. I can see where being a Sightron dealer would be difficult.
