In recent years, changes in American retailing have hit the hobby industry particularly hard. Some folks have blamed companies like Walthers that have become increasingly vertically integrated with putting many of the small suppliers and Local Hobby Shops out of business. However, the retail trends were more the result of the evolution of mail-order into on-line retailing and less from direct marketing by distributors. The large distributors like started on-line shopping sites more as a response to large internet retailers bypassing traditional distribution chains. Walthers has made efforts to protect their network of small local retailers by using MSRP on most products on their websites which allow the small retailers to remain price competitive.