Anyone had any experience with this store. Was looking for 3 or 4 company type houses (walthers is out of stock). This place shows item is available. When I emailed them to see if they had 3 or 4, their reply was they could not verify quantity available until an order is placed into their system. Sounded kind of funny to me. Just wondering if anyone knows anything about them. HO scale btw.
Thanks in advance
Charlie
Charlie,
I have used them in the past and had no problems with them.
Mike
sounds like “stonewalling” to me. perhaps you reached a disgruntled employee who was either lazy or having a bad day. it might not be worth the hassle but if you could make the head management aware of this, they might do something about it. on the other hand, if you got that response from the management then run away, run away.
grizlump
I would hate to make an error about someone based on a phone conversation, but in view of the nature of such a business transaction, what else should one use to make up one’s mind about the soundness of purchasing from the place? I would be very put off by anyone answering the phone for a business who declined to tell you if they had sufficient stock for your order.
If you were remodelling your home, say replacing all your main floor windows, and called a place purporting to have windows and frames for sale, and when you asked them if they had stock for your requirements, and they said we can’t tell you unless you actually place an order…would you shout, “Yippee…I’ve finally found the place to tell them my credit card number?”
Well, in case it is unclear…no, you would not.
I have had good success with this company in the past. They were real fast in getting things shipped to me promptly.
Good luck.
Will
NoviceRR,
Your posting is similar to another one currently getting activity, so you may want to review it…
Previous posters indicated they had good luck with the vendor you are checking out. I would take those positive comments and go with them. Your call to the vendor was probably picked up by a busy (or lazy?) employee who wouldn’t take the time to check out your question. Still, if this is the only place that appears to have what you want, I would give it a try.
Mobilman44
Thanks for the replies. Just to let you know, I didn’t call them, I sent an email late Friday evening, and received the reply Monday. It just seemed strange that they couldn’t check their inventory to see if an item was available. I might try a phone call and see if I get the same results. Thanks again.
Charlie
I’ve used them several times. They do not have an actual store that is why they cannot give you an answer. They take your order then order the items from their distributors then ship to you.
The biggest problem I’ve had with them is back orders. They will ship you what they can get and if you have any back orders they ship them when they come in and charge you shipping a second time.
So in the comments area you should tell them to cancel any backorderd items otherwise you will pay shipping on them when they are delivered.
I had ordered some rolling stock from them that was missing two items. Several months later they showed up at my doorstep. I had forgotten they had been back ordered. Then I found they charged me shipping a second time and wasn’t very happy about it.
Good Luck
Bill
Many small, home based retail businesses engage in a practice called “drop shipping”. They never actually have possession of the products they sell. They advertize the products and process the sale which is then sent directly to the customer from a large warehouse which is actually a separate business not owned or controlled by the retailer.
Such a business would not know the answer to your question.
Warehouse stores stock changes like the winds they could easily told you that they had 4 items and in less than a minute have sold three of them before you placed your order. So telling you they couldn’t verify what was in stock at the time was most likley the truth, however a little more information on there policies and procedures would have been nice. Remember it’s first come first served with this kind of company. They may even have 10 back orders for that very same item, who they have to fill first. these companies are at the mercy of the supplier ie Walthers in this case, if Whalthers dosen’t have it most times the store won’t have it. I’m in no way defending these companies, It’s just the way things work and unfortunetly we just have to live with it.
Charlie,When I find a new on line shop I want to try I place a small order and see what happens and how long of a turn around the order takes…To date I been 100% satisfied but, I can’t see a 7-10 day for a order to be process some e-tailers take.Most has a 5-7 day turn around…I order on Sunday and by Friday the UPS man or postman was knocking on my door…The fastest to date has to be M.B.Klein…I placed a order on a Sunday and the package arrived Wednesday by USPS…That remains a record for any order I recieved…
novicerr is obviously over a barrel on this since he is trying to buy some items that are evidently not available everywhere. therefor what i am about to say may not be applicable in his case, but i try to deal only with companies that have a live, order taker on the other end of the phone who has some idea of what is going on. i use MB Klein and MRPO for most of my mail order needs and they always check their stock and confirm on the spot that i will get my order filled right then and there. when you order over the internet, or if the company has a remote order taking service this may not be the case. i mention the two above companies only as an example of my personal experience and am sure there are others that operate that way too. these days a phone call may only get you some guy in Bangladesh or a part time order taker who dropped her ironing to answer the phone. another sad result of the demise of local hobby shops.
grizlump
Wasn’t really over a barrel, but needed 3 or 4 company houses. Walthers is out of stock, but go hobbies showed they were available. Just was a little leary of them not knowing they had at that particular time. I realize they could have 10, and sell them all the next minute, but expected them to know their inventory. As was stated, they might just be middlemen in transaction, and not actually have a brick store.
Anyway, I went with others replys, and ordered some, with note to not backorder. Will see how it goes. Thanks all for the replies.
Charlie
Just a quick update. Got an email from gohobbies. Item I ordered is out of stock. Order cancelled. Sorry about all the fuss, but thanks for the help. Will continue looking for the houses.
Charlie
Charlie,
It sounds to me as if they don’t have a warehouse or inventory on hand. Maybe they do a drop ship operation where you put the order into them, they then put your order into their supplier and the supplier is actally the warehouse with inventory. Therefore they probably WOULDN’T know or as many have said wouldn’t take the time to check their supplier’s inventory to answer your questions.
Dealing with Internet suppliers is difficult, but the advice you get from here is usually pretty good. That being said, if you get enough green lights from guys on here I’d say you’re pretty safe.
$.02
My experience has been that most online retailers/wholesalers do not carry large inventories. The item listed as “available” is "available’ for order to them from some supplier who may or may not also have a “in stock” or “available” to them from a manufacturer.
Walthers may have been out of stock and their supplier IS Walthers, so if Walthers doesnt have it, they can’t get it for you.
I have visited some “warehouse suppliers” and they only have a small actual store and inventory. The rest is shipped to them under the JIT {Just In Time} plan.
Only online retailers/wholesalers who have an “in stock” or “next day shipping” marking for an item actually possess it in their hands. Even then an order placed just before yours could take the item to “out of stock”.
Many cannot tell or won’t tell you if they can actually get the item for you unless you do place an order with them, then they place their order and find out then themselves if they can get it for you.