It’s getting to the point that mail ordering is a crap shoot to say the least now days. I remember a time when you placed an order and got it within 5 days and within 6 weeks if it had to be back ordered. Now days, it’s anyone’s guess when an item will be available, if ever.
I placed an order for the new Atlas GP40-2 in SP paint that was supposed to come out in December of last year. I’ve checked my porch everyday for a package and guess what? Still no boxes and no Geep. The same applies to a couple of Walthers Budd SP passenger cars that I ordered over a year ago.
I wish these companies would do a whole lot better when they announce a product and get it to market a bit faster. They now make limited runs on a product and it may be years before they will do the same run again. The way they produce our modeling products now-a-days is a wonder why anyone can stay in the hobby. It’s getting harder and harder to get products unless you get your name on a list before they produce it if they run the product at all, and heaven help us if anyone else may come along later that may want the same product. Good luck trying to find it a year later after the production run.
I’ve heard stories from: they don’t have enough requests to produced it yet to how it’s getting harder to get the products from overseas, but the bottom line is; if they offer a product, they should deliver it in a more timely manner.
It’s a wonder we can put a layout together with all the time delays it takes to get the products we need for our layouts to market because the companies are so scared that they may have a surplus on their hands if they produce more than the initial "na
Did you order from a place like M.B. Klein or Trainworld that lists actual inventory, or one of those re-shippers who have little inventory, but will order something from Walthers, etc., and then re-ship it to you after they get it?
If Walthers shows something as out-of-stock and nobody else seems to have it, that ad that shows it “available” from RipoffTrainsUnlimited is likely to result in nothing but frustration.
[sigh]—must be time for one of these threads again.
All I can say is that the general practice is pre-order, limited production counts, on a small number of locomotives. If it takes 3-5 years so be it.
Not a really healthy way of doing business but there we are. We are in strictly survival mode here and that is what it is. Until we think about GROWING a market that is----
----and yeah. If one sees the limited production count as a “reaction” to the idea of carrying inventory, it is that. The paranoia about excess inventory does drive SOME of this but I do think there is a lot of issues out there—
Looking at it from a more practical standpoint: How old are you? And you’ve lived that long without Product X? Are you going to die if you can’t get Product X right away - or ever?
I have worked for a major mail order dealer. I also have ordered from just about every major train shop in the country over the last 20 years.
Guess what–the only place I know of that actually has the product in stock is M.B. Klein (unless you want to pay typically much closer to retail price and order directly from Walthers).
Their inventory is real-time updated. ie. As soon as you place an order, the available quantity decreases by the number of the item that you ordered.
Nobody else that I’m aware of, including my former employer, offers real time inventory updates.
I guarantee you that even my former employer is a “re-shipper”. They advertise items for sale that they can get from a distributor in about 2 days. Sure–they still have plenty of items in stock–but they do not have everything. Even Walthers doesn’t have “everything” but is out of stock on plenty of items.
M.B. Klein is the only discount retailer that honestly shows you exactly what they have in stock, 24 hours per day. In the rare event the inventory is off (happened once), they called me to offer me another road number of the same passenger car. Also, depending on your order time and date and how busy they are, you still might have to wait a couple days to get your order–but they usually deliver in less than 5 days. (usually 2 days to me, but I’m only 90 miles away).
We are spoiled, folks! We get really adamant about having our dreams not come true the moment we voice them, i.e place our order. In the good old pre-internet times, we send an order form by snail mail, arriving two or three days later. It took a week or so to process the order and a couple of days for the merchandise to arrive. So total time was up to three weeks and sometimes even longer. And that was a short time, since most business kept stock, for which we paid.
The internet made communication faster, but not necessarily product availability. It enabled businesses to reduce working capital and to install make-to-order processes, which, in turn, did not shorten the time span we have to wait at all
We have to learn to relax a little and take things easier - after all, waiting for the goodies to come can be part of the fun!
Before the wall came down, people in the East of Germany had to wait 18 years to take delivery of one of those plastic cars called Trabant. Now THAT was a bit long!
I ordered 10 passenger cars at my local dealer 2 months ago when they were on sale for 15.00 a piece…only 1 car came in…I`m just waiting to see the rest of them come in 6 months from now and Walthers tries to SCREW me for full price…they are well known for that.
Although if I get a casting kit or three from Micro-Mark I could just make my own copies…TAKE THAT WALTHERS.
Were those IHC cars? Don’t hold your breath; IHC closed last fall. I recently asked MR if they knew anything on IHC’s status, and that had heard nothing.
Much of this is a repeat of previous threads. The assessment of the old days is not really true. Production of hobby items has always been a batch process. Demand is not unlimited, so production has to be limited. Suppliers for out-sourced parts - motors, gears, wheels, etc., have minimum orders or minimum economic orders which impact the size of the production run. Tooling and tools have to be refurbished after producing so many of an item. Athearn and the brass importers were the most obvious example of batch production in the old days.
The difference was the distribution chain and the quantity of a batch. In the “good old days”, there was TWO major producers of HO plastic diesel models (not counting the toy lines of Tyco and Life-Like) - Athearn and Rivarossi. Athearn introduced maybe one or two new models a year. Because of the limited competition for new model sales production runs could be larger and still sell fairly well. Price competition wasn’t quite as fierce; an LHS could hold its own at full retail against the mail order houses.
Distributors bought the manufacturer’s output, and then sold the stock to dealers. So there were two levels of stocking for a given item - the dealer and the distributor. When the dealer sold out, he would tap the distributor’s stock.
Nowadays, manufacturers sell direct to retailers, bypassing the distributor for most of the larger dealers. This enables the dealer to sell at a lower price - but there is no backup stock when the dealer sells out. If you are willing to pay full price through the small LHS/distributo
I will only order from places that have a website/computer system that can show if the item is indeed in stock. These places show the change in " #s in stock or sold out" as soon as I have ordered. This is just my preference as I don’t have the patience to play games with retailers.
The one place that gets most of my business shows “In stock - Sold out - Available - Coming soon - New arrival”. Their system is dead on every time I use it. Items marked available have to be brought in, but it usually happens very quickly for me.
I think it is just good business to be efficient. Both for the customer and the retailer. Just my [2c].
Yeah I feel your pain. The new layout is on hold because I was hoping Atlas would hurry up and release their forth coming code 55 curved turnout. I dutifully preordered them from my LHS, back is January, I think. Through searching online I cannot determine when or if they will be released, last I saw March 2010 was the release date. I really like Atlas’s products but I want to get started on the new layout, so I think Peco will be getting some of my business.
Check Atlas’s site under “A to Z Shipping Schedule”. They have SP GP40-2’s listed as shipping in May 2010. Their info is fairly reliable, although it takes them 40-50 days to put new releases up (where are the Trash container flats announced in Feb?).
Most online sellers don’t carry much inventory, just turn and burn. I stuck with the LHS because they keep a big 'ol bag of stuff for me and they know I work crazy hours and eventually I’ll pick it up.
As far as release dates??? I got a Walthers Amtrak Baggage car in December that I ordered before I met my Fiance’, we’ve been dating 5 years.
I can attest to that. I ordered a bridge from MB Klein a couple weeks ago - they had one in stock and once my ordered processed, their on-line inventory was zero. It took them about a week to ship but it was also during the East Coast storm and I guess they got pretty backed up.
As far as Walthers is concerned, I have seen things in their sale brochure and they will show no inventory and don’t know when they will be getting any in according to their web site. That one always amazes me.
I don’t deal with re-shippers - too many issues and questionable customer service.
My general rule, if it isn’t in stock, I don’t order it. Saves me a ton of grief.
I am batting 500 for pre-orders. I have a hodgepodge collection from 6 different roads, buying singles of a type of engine that appeals to me. I don’t model any one road. However, I did order the Q2, delivered two months delayed from the original delivery date offered by BLI, just this morning. The other engine, the Sunset 2-10-4 in brass with QSI sound announced in 2008, is still not in production. I don’t hold out much hope for it.
One thing to be said for the non-modeller, or someone who freelances, you can pick and choose from many production runs that turn up on the discounted lists. Generally, discounted means over-produced and in abundant supply.
What is a “non-modeller” and why would he buy a train?
Even most freelance modelers have desire to follow a believable premise, so while they may have more choices, few are likely to reletter Big Boy’s, GG1’s or K4’s to their private road.
Interesting premise here. Only freelancer I know that would do this would be modelling a mainline operation.
Me? I’m just this little shortline running an ex-CP branchline that has a lot of track with no ballast. Fat chance that any Big Boy, GG1–no, we did not electrify our line, or K-4 happen upon this warped road[:D]
ALCO RS’s and S-2’s reside here. As well as a few RDC’s
Someone who doesn’t model…like me. Sure, I create scenery and lay track, but it isn’t a model. I don’t “model” anyplace in particular, I just make somewhat passable scenery. If I were “modelling” in this hobby I would have something recognizable to people who know the location, and I would have rolling stock running through it that ‘fits’. As for buying trains, if I make scenery and lay track, it would seem logical to follow up with some toy trains…n’est-ce pas?
Maybe, but what’s your point? I was talking about my hodge-podge of unrelated roads. I have many engines from which to choose…I averred nothing more. Re-letter or don’t, as you wish, and as you can. I will do likewise.