> There's a concept of "value-add" intermediary, and it pretty much universally means reducing value for the customer. Car dealerships are a typical example. T

> There's a concept of "value-add" intermediary, and it pretty much universally means reducing value for the customer. Car dealerships are a typical example. That nonsensical. Dealerships of course add value, they allow you to actually see and test drive the car, they physically deliver the car, and they fix the car. You could argue that the value is not worth the cost. Maybe so. But middlemen almost always add some value. And that’s independent of the more meta-value, which is providing a check against the market power of manufacturers.