Are any Model Railroad Retailers doing an on line sale worth looking at?
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-Kevin
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I tend to buy what I need or want when I need or want it. That being said if it is a more expensive item like a locomotive or two, I make an offer and negotiate and usually get a better price than you will find at the sales throughout the year. On small items, I don’t waste their and my time trying to save $5.00 on a $30.00 freight car.
I get the usual online flyers in the E-mail box and may have a quick look, more just to see if there are new products I haven’t heard about.
I find being a low maintenance customer brings its own rewards.
I have also found that an online store with an easy to navigate ordering system, lets you see what has been on the shelves for quite a while. I got my BLI C&O 2-10-4 for a song because I was well aware of how long it had been sitting in their warehouse.
Sales! We don’t need no stinkin sales![(-D]
You can see how long an item has been on Walther’s shelves? Where do you find that information?
That only stands to reason because that $5.00 saved will be ate up in shipping.No savings there. However,if you order several $30-40.00 that discount can add up.
I find talking to some LHS owners is akin to talking to a brick wall when it comes to a measly discount at check out. My guess is they would rather set on their stock while cussing the Internet instead of jumping at the chance to sell it. I have no loyalty or sympathy for those shops.
OTOH if a shop offers me a discount at check out I could become a very loyal customer.
As far as detail parts I order several at a time along with other items.
I have no doubt I have saved money by shopping on line.
If the site tells you if the item is in stock or not in stock, that is a good indicator as to the situation. Generally, if we follow what has been produced and when. You Google the item and see how many are available at other stores we can surmise that certain items are starting to collect dust. The one or two stores that still have one have had it for a while most likely and that is not good business to have money sitting on the shelve not working for you.
Another way is if the item has appeared in the Walthers Monthly Flyer again…
and again…
ad infinitum—
Same with the “Bargain Basement” and “Last Call” listings
Well,
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I searched and shopped all day. I dropped about $500.00 at BattleFoam, about $200.00 at Miniature Market, and a littlr less than $150.00 at Noble Knight Games.
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All wargaming, almost no model railroading. I did spend a few bucks in the Kalmbach store. The other best I could find was 5% off on detail parts at Kadee. No sale.
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Maybe next year the model retailers will jump on the bandwagon.
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-Kevin
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Sorry I didn’t see this earlier – Trainworld had a 10%-over-$100 off sale through today (Saturday). I used it to grab an engine that was already on the Specials site. I’m sure they’ll have another sale (either free shipping, % or $ off) soon. Stuff on their Specials page seems to stay there a while.
Walthers had a couple of Black Friday deals, but really not much – just 5 items or so, IIRC. The HO Proto Hi-Level Diner, Amtrak Ph1, an $85 car that they’ve already marked down to about $21, was selling for $18. I didn’t pay much attention to the others.
On discounting in general – I regularly peruse the Walthers On Sale pages, and my LHS will match the prices (although they offer club members a 20% discount off MSRP or marked price, which is sometimes less than the Walthers sale price). The tax usually offsets the shipping (or vice-versa), but if it’s a couple of bucks one way or the other, I support the LHS. They don’t make much profit, but it helps them keep their order totals up and they appreciate the business. (I see it as a mutual favor.)
I regularly peruse the specials at TrainWorld and also HogTrainz – the latter often has ridiculously low prices on their closeout/sale page and their shipping is cheap, though the selection is limited. Stock often disappears suddenly, so don’t hesistate. (I made this mistake and now only have one of a trio of locos I wanted. 
HTH
Aaron
Whoops, somehow I missed the first email – Hogtrainz does have a Black Friday sale, which runs until midnight EST Sunday (in other words, today):
http://www.hogtrainz.com/BLACKFRIDAY.html
Aaron