Catalog purchases are the way for me unless it is something that I want to look at and hold first.

The convenience of purchasing online/over the phone vs. burning gas driving across town and paying a sales tax is worth the S&H.

Of course in the day and age of Google, one can pull up several places that have an item. In fact, I did that just yesterday with some fish pimp indicators. H&H doesn't carry them, Dan Bailey stopped carrying them, BUT Google found a place that did! I guess I'm gonna be getting ANOTHER catalog now!