My LHS, such as it is, doesn’t carry a certain item I’d like to get from Walthers. I see that you can order directly from them but evidently it is shipped to the LHS, not to me. How does this work?
Does Walthers ship to them and then they, the hobby shop, contact me that it has arrived?
Do you pay Walthers or the hobby shop?
Does Walthers include the item in the hobby shops next regular shipment?
JaRRell
when you select “order” on a walthers webpage , the next page it takes you to allows you to choose if you want to order from a hobby shop , or order direct . if you order direct i’m pretty sure they ship direct to you . haven’t tried it myself , i enjoy the visit to my LHS so if i need anything from walthers i order it from my LHS
I have ordered directly from Walther’s several times, and it has been an pleasant experience each time. Their customer service is world class. One of my orders was either lost by the USPS or stolen, and after contacting Walther’s in an attempt to track down my order, they replaced my order free of charge and only asked that I return the original order if it ever showed up, which never happened.
One thing though, if your hobby shop orders it for you, they pay the shipping, so consider that.
I’ve ordered from Walthers directly to my home with no problems. My LHS has also told me that I can order anything in the Walthers catalog from them - I’m guessing that I could get a lower price that way - also may not have to pay shipping because the LHS would likely be receiving other merchandise in the same shipment. Talk to your LHS, but don’t be afraid to order direct - just may be a bit more costly.
Jim
I’ve ordered directly a couple of times and each time was happy with the results.
I have ordered direct from Walthers with good success in the past. The do ship direct to you. The only drawback is the shipping costs. As Jim mentioned above, if you have your LHS order it for you you will save the shipping, which can be a considerable percentage if you are ordering only a small amount of merchandise.
Ron
I have ordered direct from Walthers too…Never a problem and always friendly people.
I also get a sales flyer in the zmail every so often. They have things even cheaper than some of the large outlets and at times pay the shipping too.
Thank you all for the information. I’ll contact my LHS and see if they’ll order it for me since I’m in there at least once a week spending my childs inheritance anyway. I’m guessing that since Walthers currently has the item ‘on sale’ that is the price the hobby shop will charge me for it since just about everything in the place is at or right on full msrp.
Much obliged for the help and opinions!
Jarrell
I order things from the Walthers catalog at my LHS all the time. No extra shippign costs, and with most lines I get 20% off. The train guys at the LHS even have an order form they made up, put down my name and phone number, and the Walthers number for the items I want, they call the order in and when my stuff comes in they call me. Couldn’t be easier.
–Randy
While I don’t know for sure, I don’t believe that all Walthers distributors are required to honor the sales flier price. You might want to make sure before you order.
Discount Trains Online at http://www.discounttrainsonline has most of the stuff that Walthers has, and it’s generally cheaper, even for Walthers own stuff. I’ve ordered from them a few times. They do take a while to get stuff out the door, but other than that they’ve been just great.
Mister Beasley,
I’ve had the same experience with discounttrainsonline and hold the same opinion that you do.
Call Walthers directly at 1-800-487-2467 and place your order directly with them. I’ve done it a number of times.
The best thing about ordering directly from them is you get on their mailing list for their monthly “Sales catlogue”, which lists everything they have on sale for the month. It is usually about 60 pages and I can spend and hour or two just browsing through the thing, plus they have LOTS of good stuff on sale every month.
Ken
Wait, I’m not the only one that spends hours going through train catalogs and fliers?
I guess I’m not that weird afterall!!
I was by my LHS this afternoon, the manager wasn’t in so I left a note with my name, phone etc (he knows me) the item I wanted and the fact that Walthers has it on sale. We’ll now sit back and see what happens… 
Maybe I’ll get lucky!
Jarrell
I avoid the manager - even though I know him (and the owner) well, I was one of their early customers when they first got started, and the manager was just another one of us guys that liked to hang out there. This being during my brief fling with RC cars, and he didn’t have much railroad stuff at the time. The reason being, he doesn’t give a discount to ANYONE. But a family friend works in the train department and he gives us the 20%. [:D]
–Randy
I have purchased several times directly from Walther’s. They are, as has been said, “First Class” to work with. They do charge shipping on the order and, other than sale items, only sell at retail. I order through my LHS so he gets a cut and he discounts regular customers 10% which more than pays the tax. He gets in orders from Walthers every week, so it usually arrives just as fast that way. If you can’t order through your LHS, I would order direct from Walther’s with confidence!
I will say this about Walther’s shipping, once you start recieving their fliers that are addressed to you, there is a code on the back that you can use for free shipping for orders over a certain amount, unless that has changed. I just got my new monthly flier and will check it out when I get home.
Yes, you get great service from Walthers, but as several folks pointed out, other than sales, they charge full retail. Most of the online stores routinely discount, often even below Walthers sales prices. I’ve checked many of the online stores, and for most things find 1st Place Hobbies has the best prices, good service, etc. http://www.1stplacehobbies.com/default.asp
Buy by all means, if you’re lucky enough to have a good LHS (I’m not), consider them as well. Compare prices at the online stores, too. Most have good to excellent service, or they wouldn’t still be around.
I’ve ordered from Walther’s direct to my home. Shipping can be a little steep, but it’s fast and the customer service is great.
I also order from my LHS and have it shipped there. No shipping cost, plus the shop’s 15% discount. I stop by about every two weeks, so what I order one trip is usually in for the next trip.
Nick