I don't think my uncle has purchased a guitar from a store since the early 80s. He has purchased two epiphone semi-hollows, an ovation legend, a parker fly, and a carvin (which I in turn bought from him) through either catalogs or online, and he has never had a single problem with any of his guitars.
I was actually all set to buy my Ibanez online last May until I found a store near me that carried it.