I wish you were right Bob, but in reality a lot of guys CAN afford to pull into Des Moines on Sunday if they want to and hang there all week buying & selling. After the merch has changed hands 5 times, it's out of sight for the new guy anyway. The vendor to vendor biz is where the money is.
From my own experience and what I hear from other dealers, it seems like to me most have their own "new" retail customers that they deal with that wouldn't even dream of going to a show. They just wait for their favorite dealer to go to Des Moines or Columbus and load up, then they buy it all over the phone. Then they didn't have to worry about when to be there & they didn't have to go trailer chasin' & divin'!! Like I said, I have no side on this issue, just giving my .02.
