JJ I've noticed that aquascapers tend to say this and it's so true. However, I feel that 90% of the market out there don't consider themselves aquascapers and normally don't re-do their tanks. So, hardscape becomes much less important after the initial buy.
You all have confirmed my suspicion that plants is what most people purchase. So, if I were an entrepreneur in the US, I would be looking at setting up a good online store that sells plants. With all due respect to all of those that do it today, I have yet to find a brick and mortar or online store that consistently has a good selection, especially of tissue cultured plants.
The last time I was in the market, I went to all the ones you can think of only to find a large variety that was mostly out-of-stock. I ended up having to piece together my initial planting from 3 online stores, Facebook sellers and a couple of eBay sellers. And, I still had to make compromises due to lack of availability.
Don't get me wrong, it's far better than it was in the past. However, we are no where near where Europe or Asia are. This is why I'm so anxious to promote good companies on this site.