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Which of the following is the best 3x3?


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If we are going to put links to where to buy the cubes, we should think about more than just price. Even if we don't add links to where to buy, we should still think about more than price when we make our buying decisions.

I'm of the age where I remember shopping in toy stores where you could really see what you were getting before you had to buy the toy. Then Toys R Us came along, undercutting those stores on price, and everyone bought at TRU. Eventually, we had to buy toys based exclusively on looking at the box at TRU. Then Amazon came along, and everyone saved a couple of bucks off the TRU price, and TRU went away. Now I'm a dad who has to buy toys for my kids blindly from the web.

There are no local hobby shops with RC tracks anymore, because an RC truck from a hobby shop in China was $50 less than the local toy store. Therefore there is no local RC racing anymore.

There is no local hobby shop with model rockets anymore, because model rockets were $2 cheaper online than in the hobby shops. So now there is no hobby shop to organize model rocket flying events. So there was no hobby shop owner to inform people to go to the city council meeting about rule changes in the parks. So now you can't fly the model rockets you order online in the local public parks.

What cube stores support your hobby? Who donates cube covers, mats, giveaway swag, and marketing support to competitions in your area? Which cube stores write descriptions you trust of the products and make videos that help you make an informed purchase decision for a product that you can't hold yourself before you commit to buy? What cube stores will take another one apart to sell you a cubie or a center cap when you lose one? What stores ship within a day or so of getting your order via a shipping method that reliably gets the cube to you within a couple more days? Which cube stores can you be confident are buying from the actual manufacturer and not reselling counterfeit products? Which cube stores host in person and online events that allow you to meet either in person or virtually people who share your interest in cubing?

These factors are worth a few dollars a few times a year compared to compared to supporting an unknown seller that might be selling counterfeit, stolen, or factory backdoor product who does not reinvest in the hobby.

I'm not so rich that I don't like to get the items I buy at low prices. But I have been around enough hobbies for long enough to know that if we don't support the stores that support our hobby, those stores will die, and they will take the hobby with it.
@pjk has links to all of that stuff, why don't you all use that thread here?

Also, that post was legendary. GJ.
 
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
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Hong Kong
WCA
2023FUKU01
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Messages
3,424
Location
Hong Kong
WCA
2023FUKU01
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