Posted by T.O.O. on September 12, 1998 at 14:02:46:

I'll assume that you have all seen the Summit ads, and you understand that both they and Jegs put SuperShops and almost every other speed shop out of business.
They're coming after this market, and while some of the really hard core businesses may survive, many dealers are going to go under. Although many major Japanese aftermarket manufacturers have exclusive deals with certain US companies, the economy in Japan has been on the skids for three years now, and when these "big guys" offer to purchase the same amount of equipment in one month that is normally moved in a year, rest assured that the deals will "change". The "big guys" have the domestic market tied up, and they can easily take losses if necessary to achieve what they desire, and they desire this market.
The winners will be the customers, as prices for components will be less than jobber, and there will be no sales taxes. The losers will be the small shops that currently support this movement. I fulley realize that it isn't fair, but they did it to the domestic shops, and so they aren't simply picking on you.
We are in various ways "connected" to the "big guys" and, as they currently have no knowledge of our involvement in the import scene, we are able to get a fair feel for where and when things will happen.
I'm not trying to piss anyone off, as I've got a lot of friends in the import arena, but in an effort to see that there will be minimum blood loss, I'm preparing a proposal that would make everyone feel as good as possible. I've not failed to provide my best honest answers to your questions, and other than schedules, I've tried to educate everyone so they can make accurate judgements. My intentions are to make this market better and not simply something that people who do not understand the true motivation of you enthusiasts will take advantage of. I'll keep you guys posted on current affairs.
........................................The Old One ......................................