Another potential downside of Tract's model is that their forum representative's behaviors reflect directly on the company. If I buy a Leupold at Sportsman's Whorehouse, and the obnoxious counter guy screws around for twenty minutes bringing the scope out of the back, and then shows up with the wrong scope, I don't blame Leupold for the poor service, the blame is laid at the foot of Sportsman's. With the direct to consumer model, any poor interactions with the salesman results in blame placed on the company...cough...cough.....Trevor.

So a factory rep has to navigate the nuances of internet land, trying not to fall in the myriad minefields, while maintaining good rapport. Doug from Cameraland should teach classes on internet sales, as he's the master of navigating internet forum sales. And Tract should send all their internet guys, whether "testers" or whatever they choose to be labeled, to Doug's class.