Hi, I’ve only been in model railroading a little over a year but I’ve learned something about preordering in this short time. It seems every time I’ve placed a pre order 2 things happen:
I pay more than people that just buy it when it comes out.
I end up getting it later than someone who just finds it on the first available website.
So, why pre order? I mean if something is going to be really hard to find, like OMI brass that’s one thing but it seems all plastic stuff is readily available.
I don’t bother to preorder. With all these delays lately, I don’t even get caught up in the release hype, IF I see it at my LHS, great I will buy it.
Let’s all thank China once again.
The waiting game is for the birds…
When I got back into the hobby I was so exited I preordered a few things only to see plenty of them on sale a week after picking mine up. I would have saved $45.00 on three Rapido coaches if I had not preordered.
I put in a preorder for a Sunset Models Selkirk and set a $1000.00 aside. Two years later canceled as I didn’t want the money tied up any longer. I was actually going to buy two but wanted to see how I liked the first one before I committed to the second. If they ever do come out with it I will try and buy one or two.
I will not preorder again as timetables and price fluctuations I find are just too frustrating. [|(]
Brent
Twice I have preordered on small run items by manufacturer’s / importers who only sell direct and offer a discount for the preorder.
Otherwise I wait for it to come out and buy it from a dealer who discounts.
Enjoy
Paul
A few years ago, a member of our local HO scale club pre-ordered a Con-Cor Burlington Zephyr because it was touted as being a “limited” production.
He waited six months or so and paid full retail price for it. The next day he saw five of them on the shelves at a hobby shop for 1/3 the price he had just paid.
He was not a happy camper.
Since then, I think Con-Cor has released a second run of the Zephyr, so it’s not as limited as they claimed.
I made the mistake of pre-ordering an Intermountain locomotive in July 2009 and haven’t gotten it yet. They now say “maybe in December” but they don’t say what YEAR they mean.
John,I won’t preorder either because the better on line shops orders more then enough for their on line sales and I usually save 20% over LHS prices even with their modest discount…
I was burnt once when I preorder and that was a $34.00 lesson learned…5 weeks after these locomotives was release there was marked down to 50% off by a well known on line shop.
I preordered two Atlas HO scale Dash 8 that should be out sometime in Nov (if I am lucky) and my LHS gave me a price that right in line with Modeltrainstuff.com so it will save a little not having to pay for shipping. I am in no rush for them to show up but at the same time, I dont want to wait 2 years either.
We each set our priorities. If you wish to be among the very first who receive a given model, you pretty much have to pre-order. I don’t care if I’m the last…I just want one, and the surefire way to experience the reality is to pre-order. I know I can get a second for much cheaper if I am patient…or maybe not…and that’s the binder.
I have pre-ordered two engines of my current 18. A Rivarossi decoder/sound H-8 from Caboose, and it came in within a couple of weeks of the advertised time. The second was a BLI Q2 that came in about three months late…I can’t tell you how many tears I cried over that delay. (Okay, I’m kidding…[(-D]).
If the hobby really is falling on leaner times, regardless of the reason, I think it only prudent for the manufacturers who are serious about staying viable to think of ways to improve the bottom line, or to not let it slide at least. One way is to ensure capital dollars don’t go to waste, and a good way to ensure that is to ask for firm orders/commitments for engines costing the better part of $300 wholesale. Maybe the car and truck manufacturers know they can call on the government to bail them out if they overproduce, or produce the wrong product, but no one will bail out BLI/MTH/Atthearn/Atlas/Bachmann/KAto/Walthers/InterMountain/Stewart/Lionel/Roundhouse/ConCor/International Hobbies/, etc., etc. They have to look after their best interests, and it seems the current idea is to place most of the risk onto the prospective customers.
-Crandell
The reason to pre-order? It is the only guarantee of getting that engine or freight car or whatever it is you realy want or need for your layout. Sure you may find it on the shelf somewhere but you also may not find anywhere. That is the chance you are taking.
My dealer always gives me the best possible deal he can when it arrives. I don’t shop online because here in Canada we end up paying an arm and a leg for shipping.
John
Well, if you want the dang thing bad enough you’ll do what is required to get it. And if it is to preorder than so be it. 
I suspect that a good proportion of the problem has to be because our market has become so small over the years.
I do suspect that, at least, now-a-days, the market is a little smaller than it used to be. Hence the reason that the preorder thing will be more likely to be the ongoing issue it is anymore. If the way to releave the pressure off the manufacturer is to preorder then we may see even more of this—accepting certain larger ones that is—
I have only pre ordered the Micro-Trains Ringling Brothers Circus cars from a hobby shop that I know is reliable. They keep me informed as to the status of the product ans let me know when it is in. I am waiting for the last of the train (dining car) to be released and I will have a 16 car train.
If you model a niche scale, gauge, or era, pre-ordering is a way of life. It’s the only way a small manufacturer or importer can be reasonably certain of enough sales to enter into production of said item.
In these niche areas of the hobby, there is seldom a re-run of an item for years, if ever. So if I really want the item, pre-order is the only to be certain of getting it. In the past couple of years, I’ve been very lucky - I got the last Sellers turntable, and I got the last Cary boiler conversion for the General from the manufacturers. The latter I could probably still pick on e-Bay in a few months time, but the turntables are pretty rare.
Reputable dealers and manufacturers do not demand money up front for a pre-order. But in the spirit of a verbal contract, I start setting aside the money so that I have sufficient funds when delivery is anticipated. My pre-order of Amesville car kits is an example.
There are those projects which never reach fruition - in which case I notify the manufacturer/dealer that I am canceling my reservation/pre-order. The PSC/MMI HOn3 4-4-0 looks like it’s going to be one of those items.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
…modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it’s always 1900 (in HO and HOn3)…
Because I can
Rich
I’ve only pre-ordered once, on the BN F45 genesis did 2 years ago. Since then they have popped up all over the place, and a second run is coming out. I didn’t pay full price since I pre-ordered through standard hobby, so I got $60 off the MSRP. I had 3 reasons for pre-ordering it though:
I might pre-order the F7s that are coming out. It’s been several years (as in, before I got serious in the hobby) sine the F9s came out, and I have 0.
I preorder most of my stuff. My LHS gives a nice discount, I don’t buy all that much anyway except for what I really want, and it seems the stuff I want sells out fairly quick. Not that it can’t be found later but sometimes its just not worht the time and hassle.
Ricky
I am not a pre-order guru, especially in the area of computer gaming (my other side) when the game is usually available long after release, yeh, why bother, but a few recent models I simply had to make sure I got them, one is the BLI Centipede and the up and coming Fox Valley Hiawatha set, Con Cor is doing a “No Obligation Pre-Order” which is a no money down or no money charged till delivered, and you can even layaway even.cool marketing, but I already sent my check, and the set has slowly been showing up.
For the Centipede someone on Ebay had them offerred as a buy it now and I was watching the arrival times and the ebay offer and nearing arrival time the Ebay offer was still up, I went for it, and my Centipedes arrived maybe 2 weeks later. Apparently the Centipedes are in demand and are selling out, so nab them when you can.
However for the Con Cor Electroliner, I poked around vendors and found the best price, and bought that one over some ebay offers. Depends what you want/need to do, and how available the model is, and what the demand is for the model, if its going to be a limited run, pre-order is just about a must. Who knows how long the Centipedes will be available but I am perked BLI did them, like the N&W class A years ago I jumped at that whatever the price, and pleased they did the Y6b.
Well that’s true.
In the unlikely event another Ma&Pa model is announced in S, I would preorder it. One of the two pre orders I have done was for 2 Ma&Pa locomotives in S.
Enjoy
Paul
I don’t, and don’t understand why anyone does for all the reasons you mentioned. Not even for Brass.
Back in the old days I pre-ordered stuff and ended up paying through the nose.
For a minute or two I wished I had pre-ordered the Division Point Royal Gorge train because the 4 stripe paint scheme sold out so quick. BUT, I got a set of the single stripes at a greatly reduced price and come to find out it fits my era better anyway. But have been very disappointed in the units (one sort of expects a $500 car to run right straight out of the box), so will probably sell them.
I pre-ordered the BLI S2 2-8-2 ummm 5 or 6 YEARS ago. Ha what a joke.
My opinion is the whole pre-order / special run philosophy is just a big scam to try to get panicky people to buy stuff NOW.
Not even then. I’ve preordered once. Waited for the big day to arrive, only to receive a “all sold out” message instead of the locomotive. Never even saw one of them hit the shelves nor the on line houses so I don’t know where you guys are finding all the great stuff at 50% off.