Who is the "best" often depends on what you're looking for and whether you
are willing to trade convenience for price. Moss is a good place to find
something with little effort, but Moss has to get their stuff somewhere!
Often if you can find Moss's supplier you not only get more personalized
service but much better prices. Moss has to make a profit, so when they
buy from that supplier they mark it up for their profit, plus the carrying
cost of keeping the thing in inventory. For example, they sell a body tub
for a TD for about $8,000. They buy these things from England where there
are several suppliers. If you buy it yourself straight from England you
may have to wait a few weeks for delivery and take the risk of an
international hassle if it's not right, but you can get it for about half
of the price, including shipping. Similarly, Clarke Spares has a large
number of esoteric MGA parts and is a big supplier to Moss. However, I get
much better prices and service from Clarke, because he is not so large and
I am "buying direct".
Personally, I try to spread my business around as much as possible. I
would hate to see Moss become any more dominant than they are, because then
you would really see prices escalate and service deteriorate. Not because
Moss is evil, but just because monopolies naturally evolve that way. Have
you dealt with your local cable TV company lately}:(
David "competition GOOD, monopoly BAAAD" Littlefield
Houston, TX
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