Nah. This is where the breakpoint between frugal and cheap comes in.

If it's important to you to buy local and to have a local business that specializes in what you're interested in, then you have to add that in your calculations when budgeting your purchases.

I have a few hobbies I really enjoy, and because I DO enjoy them, I'm more than happy to go to the specialty stores that focus on these areas and AM willing to pay more. I know that I can trivially save at least 10-15% just by going online. But buying it online doesn't keep a specialty store that is knows it's product, carries parts and provides specialty series running within a few miles of my home.

That extra money I spend? It's a convenience fee. Sure, in most cases I could make due without any of the services they provide. But it's nice to have the option of NOT having to.

Local game stores are a particularly good example of this, because MANY of the games thrive off of their tournament communities. Without stores, there is no organized play. With no organized play, there is no community. With no community there is no content. With no content, interest wanes. With no interest, products die.

Don't just brush this off with "Slippery slope fallacy"... because just because something is popular now doesn't mean it always will be. Lots of games- especially trading card based games- have been something huge and then died. Basements, closets, game stores... are all littered with the remains of dead games. Even strong games with significant backing: Star Wars. World of Warcraft. VS system.

If you don't keep local communities healthy, you don't have games. The way you keep local communities healthy is that you support local business.