It depends. A lot of Amazon companies are fairly small entities that would need even more support than "reef industry orgs". I assume "supplies" here refers to consumables (e.g., KZ products, bulk chemicals, food) and not things like lights, tanks, so on. For me, it's based on a few factors:
(1) I almost always buy from BRS or Geo's store.
(2) However, I generally optimise w/r/t total price or speed, based on need.
(3) As someone I believe to be a "high volume" consumer buyer, I don't feel Geo or Ryan would be upset if I bought things from other places too.
For things that aren't consumable (e.g., LED strips) I generally buy from BRS or Geo. For parts that could be part of anything (e.g., fittings), I opt for McMaster-Carr, Amazon, or Home Depot.
Whatever the case, I'm a "high reliability" buyer, so I always go for certain brands that reflect this need.
I think it's really just necessary now more than ever, regardless of where one spends, to spend more. Spend or die, economically speaking.
(1) I almost always buy from BRS or Geo's store.
(2) However, I generally optimise w/r/t total price or speed, based on need.
(3) As someone I believe to be a "high volume" consumer buyer, I don't feel Geo or Ryan would be upset if I bought things from other places too.
For things that aren't consumable (e.g., LED strips) I generally buy from BRS or Geo. For parts that could be part of anything (e.g., fittings), I opt for McMaster-Carr, Amazon, or Home Depot.
Whatever the case, I'm a "high reliability" buyer, so I always go for certain brands that reflect this need.
I think it's really just necessary now more than ever, regardless of where one spends, to spend more. Spend or die, economically speaking.