I have purchased a few large items from this site for a fraction of the cost of what I’ve seen anywhere else. I was just wondering why nobody else has mentioned it.
I did have a slight problem the second time I ordered from them. I ordered an Athearn C44-9W, a decoder, and a couple Walthers freight cars. The loco and the cars were labeled “Back ordered” About a week later the decoder arrived in the mail with nothing else. After waiting 3 months I canceled the order and only then did they tell me that these items were unavailable. I wonder when they were planning on telling me. [:(!]
But other than that their service has been great and the prices are amazing!
Yes, a great place to save a few bucks! The trick is to call in your order and they can tell you if it is in stock or not at the time.
Ordered a Bachmann 4-8-2 (n-scale) lt mountain from them and got it quick and for the cheapest but the engine itself sucks. [:(!]
I bought my Bachmann E-Z Command from them last year for about 1/2 MSRP. They are a big warehouse that sells a lot of everything so you aren’t going to get the customer service or knowledge base that you would from a online business that deals specifically with trains. I guess the lesson learned here is: If they don’t have it in stock, look somewhere else to buy it.
They might be a “big warehouse” as suggested, but I doubt it. I ordered a model from them last year, and wasn’t overly impressed with their online ordering system. There wasn’t any indication or option to see the shipping type or charges until you actually go through checkout. In my case, it was a costly purchase because they shipped my order by FedEx Ground. It came in about a week, which was OK, but since I’m in Canada they charged me around $35.00 to collect the sales tax we all have to pay. If I would have had the choice I would have picked US mail, which only costs me $5.00 to collect the tax. So my bargain purchase wasn’t really much of a deal.
When i got their invoice, it was from Lenz Hobby Shop, and not Warehouse Trains. I checked out their website and it showed a storefront operation. So that’s why I doubt they are a “big warehouse” operation. It appears they are just an LHS doing business under a fancyful name. And my order took about a week or so to show up in thier system after I ordered it, so I assume they had to get my model from their supplier first, rather than having it in their “big warehouse”.
I later phoned them and asked if I ordered something else, could they send it by US Mail. I was told they wouldn’t because lost parcels in the past took too long to get the insurance claim settled. So I told them they’d just lost a customer.
I’m sure their service to US residents would be satisfactory, but to me in Canada it wasn’t.
I bought about $200 worth of electrical supplies from them that would have easily cost over $350 anywhere else. Shipping can be a little costly but if you buy in bulk its well worth it. Their site and ordering system could be better but for such a small store I think they do a pretty good job.
I’m just amazed by the prices. Everything is about a third off. I just received an Athearn Genesis SD70M that I bought for $90 that Athearn sells for $140!
They are, in fact, just a small hobby shop in Horseheads, New York.
Here is a picture of their hobby shop.
It isn’t a huge warehouse so they have to order the product from the supplier and then ship it to the buyer. How are their prices so low if they are buying directly from a company like Athearn and then turning around and selling it for so much less?
Those prices are probly about right. It is just that all the other places over charge for a bigger profit than that store. Someone should look into that. They know how to run a store.[:p]
CSXFan…
I used these people a couple of times and no more. I had the same problem as you It was months before I knew that they didn’t have the product and I only found outby calling them. They sent me the last time I bought from them a faulty turnout. When I told them they said, “Not our fault since you took it out of the package” Of course if it wasn’t taken out of the package I wouldn’t know if it worked or not. Never again will I do business with them. There are too many places that are better in the overall.[:(!]
Bill
Todd McWilliam,
Your right, they did raise their prices, a lot. They’re still the lowest out there though! MB Klein is also pretty inexpensive. They have an Athearn Genesis SD70M on clearance for $81.99! It sounds too good to be true!
I ordered my Spectrum GE 70 Tonner from them as well as a 20 pack of KD couplers.I got the engine about a week later but,no KD couplers…The couplers arrived 3 or 4 days later…Yes I will use them again.[:D] I will give them a A +.
i saw they had my kato sd80 mac i was looking for only 100$!!! you think its safe to buy from them something this expensive? becaus eit seems like a steal, just hope its not like walmart where they buy damage goods and sale them for low prices
Decent prices but the note I have next to it says “very slow to ship”. I have an outstanding order from all most nine weeks ago. They are very slow answering email queries about orders if they answer at all. I don’t plan on ordering from them again. I have placed probable four orders with them up to this point always the same. The low prices seemed to bring me back to them.
Terry[8D]
I’ve had the same experience as Terry and others above… they ship part of your order, but rarely seem to have all of it in stock. I’ve had them ship me a $6 blue-box kit “back-order” with $8 shipping. Yesterday I got some “back-orders” that were part of stuff I ordered back in December (5 months+)! This time, though, they charged no shipping. I think if you use them, you need to call and try to verify if they actually have what you’re ordering.
