Virtually everyone makes you pay shipping to them and not just in the MR business, it seems to have become standard practice in the last decade. It has nothing to do with where you bought the item, it doesn’t make any sense to boycot Athearn, unless you’re also going to boycot Walthers, Atlas, Kato, Bowser, Digitrax, BLI, NCE, etc, etc, etc.
This a very old discussion. I have heard about this Walther’s issue before the 'Net ever came to be but it does provide an outlet for Ranters.
They survive on Volume. End of story. Lets get back to working on our model railroads.
Rich
No matter what you buy, you expect it to be good. When it isn’t, the Mfr should stand by their product. They should not expect you to pay for shipping. Where did you get the idea that “everyone must pay shipping”? Is there anyone else on this thread that believes that? If I was sending the loco back because “I broke something”, I would not only pay shipping, I would pay the cost to repair. Buy when the product is defective, and it’s their fault, they should be happy to refund my shipping costs. That would be good business practice. Again, IMHO.
I don’t believe that I was trying to justify middlemen. It just seems to me that some of them are a necessity. Everyone here seems to be concentrating on what I would call big ticket items, locomotives for example, or commodity items, say flextrack for example, that you can always find a better price for if you look around.
But I think most of you have looked in the Walthers catalog at least once or twice in your lifetimes. There are hundreds (probably thousands) of trinkets, do-dads, and other esoteric items in there, all of which have value to someone. And between their catalog and their website, where they actually list what might be available and even generally show a picture, I at least have a chance of seeing what might or might not be available. Does Klein do this? No. Does Trainworld do this? No. Does anyone else do this? Maybe, but I don’t think so. I don’t think that very many of the hobby shops have catalogs from all the different vendors, and I’m pretty sure that some vendors don’t even have comprehensive catalogs available to the general public. And I think I’d be pretty safe in saying that most of us model railroaders don’t have an extensive catalog library.
You all talk about how you get all the great service from this or that internet vendor or local hobby shop. But call one of those places up and ask if they happen to carry a lift ring for a GE diesel long hood. Do you actually think they are going to spend any time with that request? On the other hand, if I walk into that shop and ask if they can get me a Utah Pacific lift ring with Walthers part number such and so, I think I ca
We’ll hope to get a reduction on the cost that they would need to add for their cut. And we’d get them from the same entity that needs them to sell in the first place…that needs a buyer.
If Walthers will sell you the single tiny lift ring for $2 plus $6 shipping, can you hope to get the same item delivered when it must be shipped to a distributor first, and then redirected to the LHS, or maybe to you? Not for the initial $2, unless the distributor is working for good will alone.
-Crandell
[quote user=“maxman”]
But I think most of you have looked in the Walthers catalog at least once or twice in your lifetimes. There are hundreds (probably thousands) of trinkets, do-dads, and other esoteric items in there, all of which have value to someone. And between their catalog and their website, where they actually list what might be available and even generally show a picture, I at least have a chance of seeing what might or might not be available. Does Klein do this? No. Does Trainworld do this? No. Does anyone else do this? Maybe, but I don’t think so. I don’t think that very many of the hobby shops have catalogs from all the different vendors, and I’m pretty sure that some vendors don’t even have comprehensive catalogs available to the general public. And I think I’d be pretty safe in saying that most of us model railroaders don’t have an extensive catalog library.
You all talk about how you get all the great service from this or that internet vendor or local hobby shop. But call one of those places up and ask if they happen to carry a lift ring for a GE diesel long hood. Do you actually think they are going to spend any time with that request? On the other hand, if I walk into that shop and ask if they can get me a Utah Pacific lift ring with Walthers part number such and so, I think I can get much better results. And I really don’t believe that the hobby shop owner is going to order that part from Utah Pacific, even if they could. They’ll add it onto their next order from whomever their distributor is. And if that distributor doesn’t happen to be Walthers, I would still bet that the Walthers catalog number would be used as a reference.
Now, I agree that many things can be bought online, in many cases direct from the manufacturer. But if I need one item from Utah Pacific, two items from Cannon and Company, some windows from Tichy, and some 0-72 screws fr
SORRY FOR THE REPOSTS, THE QUICK REPLY OPTION WAS MESSING UP NOW I CAN’T REMOVE THEM*
Hello All, The OP here:
I’ve learned some interesting things from your responses. Like I mentioned before, I see they survive on volume. As for LHS survivability, my LHS see’s me in there on two occasions: 1. When I can’t find an item on the internet. 2. When I want to chat and maybe suck it up and purchase one piece of rolling stock for MSRP. Why you ask? Because they charge full MSRP all the time. Now I think that saving money actually stimulates the economy. For example, since I had $400 left over I spent that money on some passenger cars that I normally wouldn’t have purchased. The problem with my LHS is the guy runs the shop as a hobby. All of his money is made off of real estate, he doesn’t care if you dont purcahse anything. The place is good for quality conversation though!
Hello. If you have not replied to ‘yourself’, and no one has replied to your post, you can delete them yourself. If is only in the case where someone has clicked on ‘reply’ just below your post, or quoted, that the first post cannot be deleted.
Anyway, I deleted them for you. [:)]
-Crandell
ok, thanks for your help “selector”. I did find a useful job for walthers…There is this broadway limited california zephyr dome observation car that is out of stock everywhere called silver solarium. I found a goon on ebay trying to rip people off and charge over double the MSRP for the car(and of course some genious has now bid on it). Well, I used walthers search tool and found a hobby shop that still had one in stock and I bought it for the sale price of $10 below MSRP saving myself another 80 bucks on one car versus if I had got the one on ebay. So Walthers is now off my bad boy list 
That search tool is a wallet saver. If it says an item is not in stock, click the link that says find it…It’s worth the clicking of your mouse!
I shop Walthers a lot because of their inventory and customer service. I usually only buy things on sale from their monthly flyers. Never had a bad experience dealing with them.[tup]
Second the motion. I especially like the fact that their phone rep can tell you, real time, if an item is in stock. That, all by itself, is worth occasionally paying full MSRP (less the sales tax I don’t get charged.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with a lot of ‘generics’ from Walthers)
MBKline, 1913, and Walthers 1932! Nuff said
MB Klein 1913 - that’s funny, that’s when his father started the hardware store, not when he started selling model trains out of it.
Sheldon
Sheldon - in response to your quest for specifics, I would be glad to point out every single questionable statement and figure in this post, but it’ll have to wait until I have a day off to go through this whole thread with a fine tooth comb.
My main point in making the earlier post is that some, certainly not all, customers read what is posted on these threads as fact. When they read about the wholesale discounts that we get, and if they take them as factual, then it appears that we are making far more profit than we are.
Granted this has only happened once, but recently a gentlemen from out of state came in my store and mentioned about “100% profits” selling trains. I asked him where he heard that and he said he read it on a forum.
Personally I don’t think it is wise to be posting exactly what my discount rates are. Other train shop owners don’t appreciate it, distributors don’t like it and manufacturers don’t want it out in public. It’s really no one else’s business, in my opinion.
So it’s hard to post “specifics” on a thread like this. I just thought it needed to be said that some… not all… of the things mentioned in this thread are at least questionable.
That’s probably all I’m going to say. It’s Saturday and I’m going to go sell some trains now. Hope everyone has a happy and productive weekend enjoying our hobby!
True but the statement was when they started in business, not when they started to sell trains! Shame you had to move, I liked the old downtown store.
Well actually, yes. In fact, less.
Example, The latest Walthers flyer I recieved has WS Plaster cloth roll on sale for $6.98. (no reason for that, I just opened the flyer and looked for the first item I recalled the asking price at my LHS) Which actually happens to be what my LHS sells it for all the time last time I checked a couple months ago. Paying Walthers shipping and handling, my out of pocket cost for a roll of Plaster Cloth is $15.93. At my LHS it is, including tax, $7.54. If the cloth was not on sale the selling price would be $8.99 so add $2.01 to Walthers but keep the LHS the same. I can buy 2 rolls at my LHS for the price of 1 from Walthers. Or anywere they charge retail and add shipping. Actually, any online store that charges shipping and handling, and gives up to a 20% off suggested retail, it is cheaper and handier to buy from my LHS. But ONLY because I am luck enough to have a well equiped train hobby shop within about a 20 minute drive.
Now, that is on an in stock item. As I have never had to order something they did not stock, I don’t know for sure their policy. However, since they order regularly from Walthers, I don’t see why there would be an additional charge.
I’m not knocking Walthers, and I understand why the sell to the public. To pick up the customers that don’t have access ro a LHS. And I understand why they don’t want to compete with the lions share of their customers, the Hobby shops.
THAT being said. There is a lot to be said for feeling comfortable dealing with a company you trust. If that is worth the extra to you, if knowing that you wi
Not bored with your opinion. Just think the thread has run it’s course.
Ford…local? What planet are you from? Ford’s best cars are made in Mexico baby… Can you say Tu hablo espano?
Everyone looking on, and those who have responded, I think it’s time to put this one to bed. It has largely all been said, and said nicely. Some of us should re-examine our assumptions, it seems, or at least allow that we may not have it quite figured out the way we had thought. That includes moi-meme (myself, in French).
-Crandell
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