There is the retail market for selling HL, and there is the after-market. Should the buyer of lighthouses support the retailer over the after-market.

I think this poll could be more clearly defined. Are you looking for information on purchasing HL's as they first appear on the market, as you try and fill the holes in your collection (play catch-up), or as you are seeking harder to find retired pieces that your dealer doesn't have in stock or cannot get any longer.
I am sure, that like me, other collectors tend to make different choices as the lights age.

I agree with Jim. This is why I voted for the best deal option.

New come from a dealer older or retired come from the best possible source.

Dennis

I guess money talks these days. Most people will go to the best price be it ebay or secondary markets. I think the secondary markets are a great place as of now to shop, especially for us newbies.

A new collector is one of the most important people to a collectible line. New collectors bring interest and enthusiasm with them. They will take the time to search out the pieces they need. They will buy more pieces than the average established collector who basically finds themselves in a maintenance mode.

The dealer's dream is the "catch-up" people. Those new collectors that are trying to add as many different pieces to their collections as they can. Unfortunately, most dealers cannot provide all the different pieces the new collector seeks. When this happens, the collector seeks other sources to find those desired pieces. Whether it be the secondary market sellers via ads in the New Marketplace or auctions such as eBay, the new collector will soon learn where he or she can get the most value for their dollar.

In most cases, most everyone has a particular dealer they go to for their new releases. After that it's wherever the best buy can be found. Just be careful to deal with reputable people. Don't let a bad experience with an unknown seller sour your total HL experience.

Bob

Bob M. makes some good points. Most people new to the hobby first go to a dealer of current Harbour Lights pieces. Once the newbie learns that the this dealer only has current models and that there are older pieces that he/she wants, then the newbie has to go to a secondary market. This may consist of dealers who have some retired/older stock, or it may be the electronic auctions such as e-bay. By following Lighthousekeepers.com, one can develop an excellent sense of the marketplace and what's availble in retail (the dealers of current pieces) and the secondary market (retailers of older pieces and e-bay). In many cases, especially with special pieces or pieces that are not "run-of-the-mill," I prefer to work with the retailer as they come out. When these sources do not have what I want/need, then I try to work with retailers on the secondary market that I have dealt with before. My next resort is e-bay, and since joining this forum and reading a lot of the information scattered around the Harbour Lights site, I've become better at knowing what questions to ask when it is not clear what actually is being offered. I've had pretty good luck in all three areas (retailers, secondary market dealers, e-bay).