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also the ability to RMA faulty gear, get support, yell at someone to send you stuff faster, although ... judging from the comments in this thread, maybe not.

fwiw, nobody in this space really gives a shit about you unless you're spending $50k or more, and realistically $250k or more on an ongoing basis. you're better off going to fry's or buying from a used gear vendor if you want small quantities.

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There are plenty of smaller companies you can buy from to act as intermediaries. My experience (in the UK) is that you pay a small premium for it over the larger providers, but you certainly can get providers where you deal with someone who'll remember your name and actually answer the phone/e-mails even if you only order a single server here and there.

we buy from a tiny company located literally down the road from the building where the servers get shipped in from the port.

it cost us a considerable amount of money and time finding this vendor, so i consider it a trade secret (and the oem too). fwiw, their website and marketing are atrocious but they deliver product on time every time. i've been in business long enough to know how these things work.

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