I know this is a debate that has gone on for years but I’m afraid that the gap between them both is reaching a point that the LHS cannot compete at. I recently was looking for an airbrush. My LHS had the model listed for $127 and I purchased it on the internet with free shipping for $72. I thought a great deal about it before buying it. I was going to ask my LHS if they could give me a better deal but felt embarassed to say what I could buy it for on the internet.
Yes there are those that say the LHS is ireplacable but I ask you why???..For the knowledge they posses about hobbies?..but what about this very forum we are on right now. I can ask any question that comes to mind and get a response from thousands of knowledgable modelers. As far as selection goes there are a ridiculous amount of vendors on the internet that carry every thing from couplers to trees to buildings.
When it comes to price it seems they can’t match the prices on the internet. I see some people mention loyalty when it comes to paying more for items at the LHS but how much of a mark up is the price for loyalty??? 10%…25%… If we were talking about the purcahse of a car wouldn’t we do our due diligence and shop around for the best price in town?? Then why not the same when we purchase a loco or a structure kit.
Please do not misinterpret this post as an attack on the LHS. I am quite guilty of the occasional quick trip to my LHS that turns into an hour or two wandering, looking, touching, talking and buying. But how long will this institution remain especially in these difficult times when we are all trying to make our dollar go further then ever??
We have a local hobby shop 70 miles away in Tucson, Arizona within an Ace Hardware store whose prices compare very favorably with Internet dealers when you balance their sales tax against the shipping and handling fees of the on-line shops, so I purchase from The Hobby Place as much as possible. I just wish they were truly more “local.”
Any hobby shop that can offer standard merchandise at >=20% below MSRP (and they DO exist, there are 3 of them within a 30-minute drive from my house) and offers decent customer service has a fighting chance. Those with discounts who do both Internet and Brick n’ Mortar are in an even better position - example: MB Klein. Nowadays it just takes a lot more business saavy to keep one’s costs low enough to charge competitive prices and remain profitable, than in pre-Internet days.
I have a really good train hobbyshop about 7 miles from my house. I live in one state, the shop is in an adjoining state. A hop on the interstate makes it a quick trip, and I visit there quite often, and I make many purchases there. He will also take orders and mail it. However, I still use internet places for some items because they have products that the local shop doesn’t carry, or have in stock, and I weigh availability against fast delivery. I would guess one third of my diesel fleet is from the LHS, the rest mail order, mostly again because of availability in my road name.
There is also a second shop in the other state that I use because often he has what I want and he will mail it to me. In fact, have only visited his shop twice that I remember in 10 years. A phone call or an email does it.
So for me, price is second to getting the product I want as soon as possible.
Perhaps the online competition is why I’m 65 miles from the nearest hobby shop. There used to be 2 25 miles away but one has dropped trains and gone to coins and RC stuff and the other closed. I probably wouldn’t be in the hobby without the online retailers. The prices are good, but sometimes it’s worth the extra $$ to actually see what you are buying before you make the purchase.
I have several LHS near me, but I see what/who has what I am looking for. If I need something small (detail stuff, trees, etc) LHS (local hobby store). Something like a deal on track, boxcars, etc…internet.
I asked a LHS owner if he would price match, he said no but would sell me the items tax free. No way he could match what the internet price was.
I like both opitions. The local guys, and the internet.
Food for thought…If I am going to buy 1 or 2 freight cars or if I need 1 or 2 switches and other such small orders I will buy locally since he is willing to work with me on prices and by the time shipping is added I am not saving all that much.Larger orders goes internet where I can save the most money…
Usually I like to shop at the Hobby shop. There are two near me and both are first class. Taken together when considering availability items, it is like one big shop to me.
The Internet however is a powerful force when a price savings exceed discount, taxes and whatever. I dont bother to ask either shop to price match the internet. I just buy whatever is available that week or month and be done with it. Even if it means going onto Ebay.
I dont know how many more years we will enjoy hobby shops in the traditional sense. Until then we go buy train stuff and not worry about longevity.
Sometimes the net bites hard. I once bought one bottle of safeweld. Two ounces I believe from the factory. 9 bucks.
Every time I need a bottle I buy three from the Hobby shop to stock up these days.
the internet has done to the local hobby shop what walmart has done to the mom and pop grocery and it is a continuing downward spiral with both good and bad aspects for the consumer. kind of a love/hate relationship.
looks like the lhs is in the same boat as the little grocery. a good place to go when you need fresh bread and milk or you run out of something but the big guys still get the bulk of the sales.
would i shop at the local hobby shop if they had what i wanted and could be competitive on the pricing? sure i would but it ain’t going to happen around here and after all this hobby is all about me.
once in a great while i do get a chance to go to a fully stocked model railroad retailer like several in chicago and one in denver but that is a rare event. there are still a couple of wannabe train stores in the st louis area but i probably have more stuff in my basement than they have on their shelves.
Myself, I prefer the touchy-feely about buying. If I can’t have it in my hands at the time of purchase, I get antsy about it. If it’s a locomotive, will it run etc etc etc & for me, living in Canada, there’s also the duty on it as well, unless I go pick it up myself then it seems to be duty free, not sure why! Even eBay & Kijiji, I prefer to pick it up, even if it means driving for an hour to do so.
I have bought a few things online, from Walthers direct & Lark-Spur line here in Ontario, I try to figure out how much it’s going to cost to ship it then decide if it’s worth it. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.
If the LHS doesn’t have model rr material, little eyes don’t see it, little voices don’t ask for, thus parents don’t buy as their child has shown no interest. The hobby looses its future.
I try to buy some at the LHS, but the only one within an hour isn’t particularly well stocked for variety and the owner is only moderately knowledgable. When I went to the one further away they were under construction (internally) so hard to judge, will have to go that way again someday.
The only problem with this strategy is that you are taking the most profitable transactions away from your LHS. Keep doing that and it won’t be there anymore.
I have taken to buying very little on the internet, mostly out of production items on eBay. I want my LHS there for the times I suddenly discover I need a bottle of glue or paint or one more screw to complete a project. Do I leave a little $$$ on the table? Yes I do but I consider it to be a wise investment.
If you are fortunate like me and several others on this forum, you live in the Illinois counties across the river from St. Louis MO. Maryville Illinois has the simply wonderful K-10 model trains and hobbies. 4000 sq ft layout, days like today when the place was packed with kids and parents running trains, RC race track and race evenings during the Summer. Prices that are comparable to the Internet and sometimes way better, like last weeks special on Kato SD40’s ($60) and P2K Blue Boxes and Atlas Classic ($50) This hobby shop thrives by offering very fair pricing, but more importantly, by getting folks in the door. The layout is huge, but the store is small, but it packs a great inventory with lots of selection. Plus all the little nitty gritty things that you need to pick up to complete a weekend project.
If any of you subscribe to Railroad Model Craftsman, take a look at the Digitrax advert in the December issue. That’s me and the boys, proudly standing at K-10’s. If you are ever in the St. Louis area, it is well worth a visit.
If thats all you’re buying at your LHS,then you are doing them a disservice. Put your money where your mouth is and go and buy 2 engines at full MRSP. Say a BLI steam engine for $349 each. Then and only then can you feel good about yourself. Now do this 3 or 4 times a year. I bought this same engine for $199, but I’m afraid you cannot do that and still live by your principles. I’m not trying to be sarcastic, but a realist.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like my LHS. He gives me 20% discount everyday. I think the big question is, would the hobby continue to thrive if all of the LHS were gone and it was internet order only. I don’t really know. It would be interesting to find out.
I used to buy at my LHS but they went out of business 5 years ago and now the only one is HobbytownUSA, not a very good replacement. They just don’t carry a lot of what I want and am forced to go to online dealers. They only stock Atlas track and very little selection at that. I do go there at least every other week and buy some small items like paints, glue and some detail parts. I want them to survive and they probably will but not from model railroaders alone. The good old days are gone for the model railroad hobby in most towns and smaller cities.
Years ago, I resided in Massachusetts. There was a GREAT LHS in the central part of the state. I and my friends spent much $$$ there over the years, plastic models, rockets, R/C and finally trains. Owner was a modeler himself and had much to do with the local club layout. Both he and his wife were super people.
Well, time goes on and the owner decides to retire. Too bad, but nobody works forever. The shop was taken over by a fellow who appeared simply to be in it for the money. Moved to an out of the way location, and as I recall, even cancelled the long standing ad in MR.
Asking questions was like pulling teeth. Personal service disappeared as well.
Soon thereafter, I left the area and haven’t been back. Still in business? Don’t know, don’t care.
There are big box stores locally for all manner of wood, paint and adhesives. That REALLY BIG store has the same, as well as decent vehicles, from time to time, among other things.
I find the web to be well able to serve my other needs. If there’s a question, that’s what phones are for.
hobby shops are great, but i also buy online. my regular supplies i buy at a local craft store. it is fun to walk into a hobby shop and just look around. I have a favorite shop and i do buy things from them like models or odds and ends. when it comes to a large priced item, i do shop around on the internet & find the best price. i would hate to see my model train store close. so, i do my part and give them my buisness when i can; but with a mortgage and a family budget, if i can save a bunch of money buying a big ticket item online, i have to.
If I want to buy locomotives or detail parts, I rely on Internet sources. The local hobby shop simply cannot stock the variety of stuff I’m looking for.
But if I need small things like paint, brushes, couplers, scratch building materials, or there is a piece of rolling stock that catches my eye, I’ll buy from the local hobby shop.