I agree, as a small business owner in the sign business for 20 years (holy cow- that still amazes me) we cannot compete with the manufacturers selling direct or retailers selling Chinese knock-offs.
For those of you under 35-40 yo, this is what it was like in the 1960s when something marked "made in Japan" meant crap.
Even certain "retail" companies are selling $30 items for about a $4 markup. What happened to retail?
We have decided to remove many otherwise popular sign products and to sell only from reputable American and Canadian manufacturers who do not sell other than to certified distributors, like our company.
And I have my fingers crossed, if that helps.