>>2865951It's not just about making up for it though is the thing, the more places you sell, the more places it's advertised/the more exposure to potential customers it has. Not everyone browses the same sites, just like some people shop at walmart, some shop at Target even though the stores are right next to eachother. You could find whatever you needed (say, a bottle of mustard) at either; usually even the same brand, at different prices. If the mustard distributor has sold to both these outlets, they have money to add to the economy of the company to continue producing all of their products regardless of the speed at which the mustard is sold by stores to the customers. Meanwhile, one could also just buy directly from the distributor, and it would actually be cheaper if you were to buy a few thousand bottles of mustard (the same price Walmart and Target payed) but if you're going to cause the company to pay all of the fees associated with shipping handling, customer service, and everything else etc that normally the store itself would have to pay for and deal with, rather than the distributor themselves over a single bottle or two, it's going to be more pricy to cover the expenses. Once again, this doesn't cover everything, it's just one small of the many reasons, but I hope that helps clear up the bit you said confused you.