Hi again
im in the middle of choosing a starter set , ive decided on LGB , however the price difference between the uk and usa is unbelievable , the set im after is 78255 MTS Digital Starter Set , uk prices are around £600 us prices around £350 , can i get an adaptor of some kind to sort the power supply differences out , and has anyone else done this , and why is the prices between the two countries so different ,
regards Neil
Hi Neil, the UK dealers have for ever and a day charged £1 for 1$, a fact of life unfortunately, but you can find good prices around, try Scottish Garden railways
www.gardentrains.co.uk Sandy is a gent and has good prices. You can buy transformers for 240v down to 110v, they are in common use on building sites but the only 240v part you need is the initial transformer to knock down to whatever MTS uses, 24dc or 16vc, whatever. Plenty of good 5 & 10 amp ones on the market.
Kim
Well as I do a lot of business with US suppliers, and I am currently in the process of having a German computer shipped to the US -maybe I can help…
Import Duty.
Shipping.
VAT.
Customs Inspection Fee.
Paperwork and MORE Paperwork…
Profit margin.
There are times when I feel that some UK suppliers have a tough time even making $1=£1!!!
regards
ralph
would second the comment re Scottish Garden Railways . It is annoying that USA has so many sources of cheap G scale and the uk is hopeless
Cheapness in my mind is not the most important - getting offered and paying a fair price is.
I’ve done a lot of purchasing from the US in the past (mainly HO stuff before I got into Garden stuff) and while a direct comparison of prices may make the stuff in the US look very cheap once you get it to the UK and add-on all the inward extras - international mailing, UK Customs duty and VAT, clearance charges, bank/credit card charges etc. the difference is not that great. OK, sometimes you dont get caught for UK Duty and VAT…but not always.
Other thing to bear in mind is what happens if something goes wrong and the stuff has to be returned for servicing/repair. This happened to me once and when the goods were returned to me UPS tried to sting me for UK Customs Duty/Tax the second time round despite me having provided them with evidence of the re-export to the US for servicing. It was a real hassle.
Sometimes, though, things do work. Last year visited my cousin just outside Boston and visited Charles Ro (makers of USA Trains) and purchased an S4 Switcher and two New England freight cars. Spent the afternoon packing them ready for mailing by US Postal Service seamail and 3 weeks later Parcel Force delivered the package free of all duty etc!!! That was a good deal.
For LGB purchases I’m lucky having the Hobby Shop at Faversham close at hand - they give very keen prices and let me know when something arrives. It’s great going over to the shop and collecting the goodies. So, if you don’t have a good store locally I would certainly support what Kimbrit says above - try someone like Scottish Garden Railways before you think of sourcing from the US
thanks guys gonna have to have a rethink , i only wanted to spend about £300-350 on my starter setso now thinking of buying one of the smaller sets with a circle of track , and adding a pack of straights to make a large oval …
regards neil
Both at SGR
This one’s in at £590
MTS Digital starter set - two locomotives, track, points, two trucks and all the digital train control gear to start you off
or this at £177
Starter sets passenger (78302) or goods (78402)with Stainz 0-4-0T loco with sound, smoke and lights plus 2 vehicles, 4 foot diameter circle (12 pieces), 1 amp mains controller and 4 people
Kim
Hi Kim
Wow all the MTS set needs to be a good start is a couple of passanger
coaches and a gaurds van.
regards John
Hi John, both those loco’s would make a good start for a small branch line operation and would stand a bit of bashing, As you say, a couple of coaches off of e-bay and away you go, a good set up with points as well, probably £630ish with coaches and you have an interesting lay out.
Kim
yer this is the set i was looking at , its only 350 quid from the states , …there must be an easy way to change the power supply, im going to ask a electrician friend of mine tommorrow…i will let you all know if it can be done
regards Neil
Hi Neil,
All you need is a replacement transformer, it looks like MTS operates on 18 - 20v ac or dc and this is converted to digital power. There are lots of power packs on the UK market that will replace the LGB 120v mains unit, check out e-bay or your local supplier.
Kim
Look for a US continental adaptor plug, £10 -15, Argos or Maplin on the web, or some travel stores, they are available (avoid the cheaper euro plugs as they won’t work)
Hello Neil,
If you go down the road of LGB MTS be sure to purchase a set with the latest version of MTS. There will be many sets on the shelf for sale with the older MTS Version 2 inside. LGB charge to upgrade this version to their latest specification.