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Post by linessouth on Apr 1, 2024 8:22:52 GMT -8
Just got an Email about this, featuring John Weigel (the long-time customer service manager at the old MB Klein) interviewing new president Joe Grubba about the direction for the new company:
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Post by riogrande on Apr 1, 2024 9:11:37 GMT -8
I got it also but haven't had time to watch yet. It seems good that a long time cust service manager is on deck.
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Post by wmcbride on Apr 2, 2024 7:20:02 GMT -8
Probably just my mood this morning but my initial vibe from the beginning of this video was this was an oddly produced hostage video.
I am still not sure what will differentiate MTS from FDH -- if anything.
In any case, good luck to you all...
Bill McBride
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Post by sauconyard on Apr 3, 2024 10:12:03 GMT -8
Probably just my mood this morning but my initial vibe from the beginning of this video was this was an oddly produced hostage video. I am still not sure what will differentiate MTS from FDH -- if anything. In any case, good luck to you all... Bill McBride Yep, just downright weird, so scripted and bizarre. Essentially admitted that FDH couldn't compete with MTS? The industry has moved on to other retailers who can pick up the slack. Lombard, Trainworld, Yankee Dabbler, Des Plaines all taking advantage and pressing forward with great options. Matter of time before you're getting your free BLI sweatshirts, if you ask me. |
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Post by riogrande on Apr 3, 2024 10:52:23 GMT -8
Due to a lot of negative reports about BLI on various forums, I've avoided BLI products.
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Post by gevohogger on Apr 3, 2024 11:27:44 GMT -8
Probably just my mood this morning but my initial vibe from the beginning of this video was this was an oddly produced hostage video. I am still not sure what will differentiate MTS from FDH -- if anything. In any case, good luck to you all... Bill McBride The industry has moved on to other retailers who can pick up the slack. Lombard, Trainworld, Yankee Dabbler, Des Plaines all taking advantage and pressing forward with great options. Des Plaines? Yeah, maybe a distant No. 4. If they ever decide to bring their website into the 2000s I might actually start ordering stuff from them. |
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Post by es80ac on Apr 3, 2024 13:34:14 GMT -8
There is no other hobby store with the rewards structure like MTS. Factory direct points are pretty much useless
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Post by cera2254 on Apr 3, 2024 14:49:48 GMT -8
I’m still trying to figure out the point in running two different websites. I guess you could have one fulfillment point, but still seems odd to me.
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Post by Mr. Trainiac on Apr 3, 2024 14:59:49 GMT -8
My issue with Factory Direct Hobbies is how they promote BLI. It makes sense because BLI owns that brand, but it's biased, especially if they start applying the same philosophy to MTS. I want to go to a hobby shop for objective advice about the best product for my application, i don't want it to be a BLI shill.
Obviously the shop has not reopened yet, but I hope the homepage does not become filled with BLI announcements and offers. Restrict the BLI promotions to Factory Direct. I want MTS to equally represent all brands. The video is pretty awkward to watch and obviously scripted and memorized word-for-word, but it sounds like they are trying to keep MTS more level-headed with a wider array of products, which is a good thing.
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Post by SOMECALLMETIM on Apr 3, 2024 15:03:31 GMT -8
Possibly branding or loyalty. Some people are steadfast entrenched into brand loyalty they won’t change to what ever replaces it. Or nostalgia like the people who cream their pants over the revival of the Rock Island. I’m still trying to figure out the point in running two different websites. I guess you could have one fulfillment point, but still seems odd to me. |
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Post by riogrande on Apr 3, 2024 15:05:07 GMT -8
Possibly branding or loyalty. Some people are steadfast entrenched into brand loyalty they won’t change to what ever replaces it. Or nostalgia like the people who cream their pants over the revival of the Rock Island. I’m still trying to figure out the point in running two different websites. I guess you could have one fulfillment point, but still seems odd to me. I kind a get the brand loyalty regarding BLI steam - that is their strong point. Diesel, not as much. |
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Post by 12bridge on Apr 3, 2024 15:50:26 GMT -8
The industry has moved on to other retailers who can pick up the slack. Lombard, Trainworld, Yankee Dabbler, Des Plaines all taking advantage and pressing forward with great options. Des Plaines? Yeah, maybe a distant No. 4. If they ever decide to bring their website into the 2000s I might actually start ordering stuff from them. Not wrong there. They are not even on the radar when it comes to ordering online. They are a good LHS for me, with a great supply selection, but it would be nice if they had any sort of discount outside of their twice a year sale. Its worked for them all these years, but still. They are defiantly doing more and more used/consignment stuff these days in store as well. I get everybody likes "their" hobby shop, but as far as I am concerned, MTS is now dead and gone. Somebody revived the name, but it will not be the same. This screams Caboose Hobbies all over again. |
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Post by grahamline on Apr 3, 2024 17:18:34 GMT -8
12 bridge said: " They are defiantly doing more and more used/consignment stuff these days in store as well. "
The retailer that works out a way to reliably acquire and sell on consignment sales will be sitting on a gold mine, considering the volume of hobby stock that retailers say is sitting in basements and closets all over the country.
As far as BLI/MTH goes, that's essentially a new operation and they will have to prove themselves like any other outfit. In my little hobby circle, the staunchest brand loyalists are also the people least likely to open their pocketbooks and spend some money.
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Post by Mr. Trainiac on Apr 3, 2024 18:55:50 GMT -8
12 bridge said: " They are defiantly doing more and more used/consignment stuff these days in store as well. " The retailer that works out a way to reliably acquire and sell on consignment sales will be sitting on a gold mine, considering the volume of hobby stock that retailers say is sitting in basements and closets all over the country. As far as BLI/MTH goes, that's essentially a new operation and they will have to prove themselves like any other outfit. In my little hobby circle, the staunchest brand loyalists are also the people least likely to open their pocketbooks and spend some money. Yeah, honestly. My favorite hobby shops are the ones who offer consignment services. The fatal flaw with the hobby market (other than the pre-order system), is the fact that every hobby shop stocks the same products, at the same time, at the same prices. Other than web design, there isn't much to differentiate most of the online shops. Consignment allows shops to negotiate with sellers, so there is more variability in price. It also makes inventory much more interesting. Being able to find older out-of-stock models on consignment is a lot of fun. That what makes eBay so appealing; it's like a treasure hunt. Consignment can get labor-intensive, but if shops focused on 'old stock' or 'lightly used' items that still have their original packaging, the hobby shop can charge a premium for discontunued models while differentiating their brand from other online retailers. |
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Post by riogrande on Apr 4, 2024 2:55:22 GMT -8
12 bridge said: " They are defiantly doing more and more used/consignment stuff these days in store as well. " The retailer that works out a way to reliably acquire and sell on consignment sales will be sitting on a gold mine, considering the volume of hobby stock that retailers say is sitting in basements and closets all over the country. As far as BLI/MTH goes, that's essentially a new operation and they will have to prove themselves like any other outfit. In my little hobby circle, the staunchest brand loyalists are also the people least likely to open their pocketbooks and spend some money. Yeah, honestly. My favorite hobby shops are the ones who offer consignment services. The fatal flaw with the hobby market (other than the pre-order system), is the fact that every hobby shop stocks the same products, at the same time, at the same prices. Other than web design, there isn't much to differentiate most of the online shops. In the case of modeltrainstuff, they had a user friendly website storefront and the rewards club allowed members to earn and use rewards/coupons on a regular basis. Add to the there were frequent 10off codes as specials for different events. Even further, when you could earn a status based on rewards and purchases, you qualified for free shipping for order s$99+, which in this hobby wasn't difficult to do. Most other free shipping criteria requires double that or $250+ orders to qualify. Consignment isn't something I can ever recall taking advantage of, but it can offer items long out of production. |
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Post by grahamline on Apr 4, 2024 11:40:50 GMT -8
Consignment with a reliable shop is a painless way to unload items you no longer want. They handle the inventory, marketing, and shipping in exchange for their percentage. The 'brokers cut' has gone from generally 10-15% up to around 25% in my area. The same system has also been useful for upgrading photographic items.
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Post by prr 4467 on May 2, 2024 8:11:21 GMT -8
Due to a lot of negative reports about BLI on various forums, I've avoided BLI products. This seems to be mostly a diesel modelers forum (I know--few steam fans left). The BLI diesels are decent; they run and light very well. I'm not wild about the sound in some of them, so I can understand the above comment. However, their steam models, particularly the brass hybrids, but also including the recent late P3 and P4 steam, are actually fantastic. The prices on the brass hybrids tend to go up once they are not readily available in the marketplace, so that means they will actually hold or exceed their value, which is not the case with most plastic models. Any objective comparison between BLI's latest offerings and all the HO brass steam locomotives out there will reveal the BLI models to be a bargain where value per dollar spent is considered. From BLI you basically get the paint job, dcc, lights, and sound for free versus the price of comparable brass models which usually are dc only, some maybe having lights. The BLI brass hybrid steam models are as well detailed or better than Sunset imported brass, and sometimes much better. Sometimes they are as good or better than the Samhongsa-built models. This of course depends upon the model in question. I think it is fair to say the BLI plastic PRR 2-10-0's are better than the Key Imports or Railworks versions, which do have some QA/QC issues of their own (most were made prior to 1995), and the Railworks brass PRR 2-10-0 models are a very incorrect shade of green that just doesn't look good at all. The BLI UP early challenger brass hybrid (available at about $730 street price) is as good as just about any brass version, and the brass versions can easily exceed $2000. |
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Post by jonklein611 on May 2, 2024 8:17:19 GMT -8
+1 for BLI's steam portfolio. Their N&W stuff is fantastic.
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Post by riogrande on May 2, 2024 8:41:08 GMT -8
Due to a lot of negative reports about BLI on various forums, I've avoided BLI products. This seems to be mostly a diesel modelers forum (I know--few steam fans left). The BLI diesels are decent; they run and light very well. I'm not wild about the sound in some of them, so I can understand the above comment. A lot of the feedback on BLI I've seen has been over at the Model Railroader magazine forums. There are a lot more steam fans there too. Mostly what I've seen has been negative comments on the electronics, people having reported ripping them out and replacing with something more standard from Soundtraxx or ESU - steam and diesel. I've seen a lot of negative comments about the steam as well, but with earlier versions although newer versions there have been major improvement reported. |
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Post by milgentrains on May 2, 2024 12:13:40 GMT -8
So far I'm less than impressed with the new MTS. My order was split into two parts. Pt one has 2 Atlas Ford Fairmonts, there was only one, the order form said did not fill on the second car.
The rest of the order was for some Walthers freight cars which were shipped from somewhere else. I'm hoping that the missing Fairmont is with the freight cars. I'l have to wait and see if I'll be ordering again.
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Post by riogrande on May 3, 2024 6:24:22 GMT -8
I haven't done an exhaustive check on the pricing but casually looked at recent HO items added and by way of example the Walthers Mainline Bulkhead flatcars were only discounted by $2 if the info they showed was correct. I also checked their pricing for the Tsunami2 21 PIN decoders and MTS price was $122.95, which is the same price Soundtraxx sells them direct - MSRP? Before the new owner, MTS price was $98.36 (checking an August 2023 order history). I emailed MTS about this price difference for the Tsu2 and was told that was MTS pricing for liquidation. So I went back more than a full year to a purchase made in July 2022, the price was almost the same, $97.36. So was MTS in liquidation mode in July 2022? Vendors on Ebay currently are selling the same decoder for the same price MTS had last August, which I am guessing was their regular discount pricing and not liquidation price. Oh, and the Ebay seller had free shipping too. Well, that was just one example I asked MTS about.
Bottom line for MTS if they are not competitive, they probably will see that in time by the patronage. I'd guess they bumped up prices and they will see how things go. Of course we won't have access to their data but it would be interesting I did tell them that they could go back to my purchase history and see for themselves the business I did with them and so far I haven't ordered anything from MTS. I did find that decoder price increase shocking, an increase of $24.59 over their previous price. Maybe an anomaly.
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Post by NS4122 on May 3, 2024 9:50:09 GMT -8
Yes, 122.95 is MSRP. Yankee Dabbler has Tsumani2 decoders now for $98.36. I haven't done an exhaustive check on the pricing but casually looked at recent HO items added and by way of example the Walthers Mainline Bulkhead flatcars were only discounted by $2 if the info they showed was correct. I also checked their pricing for the Tsunami2 21 PIN decoders and MTS price was $122.95, which is the same price Soundtraxx sells them direct - MSRP? Before the new owner, MTS price was $98.36 (checking an August 2023 order history). I emailed MTS about this price difference for the Tsu2 and was told that was MTS pricing for liquidation. So I went back more than a full year to a purchase made in July 2022, the price was almost the same, $97.36. So was MTS in liquidation mode in July 2022? Vendors on Ebay currently are selling the same decoder for the same price MTS had last August, which I am guessing was their regular discount pricing and not liquidation price. Oh, and the Ebay seller had free shipping too. Well, that was just one example I asked MTS about. Bottom line for MTS if they are not competitive, they probably will see that in time by the patronage. I'd guess they bumped up prices and they will see how things go. Of course we won't have access to their data but it would be interesting I did tell them that they could go back to my purchase history and see for themselves the business I did with them and so far I haven't ordered anything from MTS. I did find that decoder price increase shocking, an increase of $24.59 over their previous price. Maybe an anomaly. |
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Post by riogrande on May 3, 2024 10:46:16 GMT -8
Yes, 122.95 is MSRP. Yankee Dabbler has Tsumani2 decoders now for $98.36. Right so MTS is charging full msrp on the decoder. I'd like to think that was a mistake. We'll see. |
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Post by prr 4467 on May 3, 2024 18:23:05 GMT -8
riogrande--
The early Paragon 3 decoders and the motors in those earlier P3 engines had failure issues, which were subsequently fixed with later production. I was really not happy with one of them, but Seneca, at Train Service Depot, a fully authorized BLI repair tech (and former BLI employee) fixed it up.
I have some brand-new late Paragon 3 and Paragon 4 steam locos that are running very well with the BLI electronics--drawing actually less amperage than typical Genesis and other diesels (with the smoke off of course--the smoke unit draws significant current).
Ymmv.
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Post by crblue on May 3, 2024 19:43:33 GMT -8
Yes, 122.95 is MSRP. Yankee Dabbler has Tsumani2 decoders now for $98.36. Right so MTS is charging full msrp on the decoder. I'd like to think that was a mistake. We'll see. I noticed their prices are hit and miss, but seem to err on the higher end. The Walthers merchandise service set was $550, which is MSRP. My local hobby store had it cheaper. But then they had some closeout Bachmann sound equipped GG1's that were like $100, and they're generally around $250 these days I think. Of course it may also be due to the fact that they're in whatever that pre-launch phase is, and they don't want people shopping there yet? I think, time will tell. |
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Post by jonklein611 on May 6, 2024 5:13:02 GMT -8
Right so MTS is charging full msrp on the decoder. I'd like to think that was a mistake. We'll see. I noticed their prices are hit and miss, but seem to err on the higher end. The Walthers merchandise service set was $550, which is MSRP. My local hobby store had it cheaper. But then they had some closeout Bachmann sound equipped GG1's that were like $100, and they're generally around $250 these days I think. Of course it may also be due to the fact that they're in whatever that pre-launch phase is, and they don't want people shopping there yet? I think, time will tell. That's around the typical price for those GG1's. Trainworld has had them at that rate for a while now. |
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