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Post by riogrande on Apr 5, 2017 6:38:09 GMT -8
Touch and see, or ("see and touch" I guess as it was originally stated) was taken from Shane's comment as to why their accounts are required to carry the breadth of their product line. The touch and see idea is something I see hobbyists talk often as a justification as to why they prefer an LHS to online ordering, they like to see trains in person before buying. Sure, I understand that of course, but that is something an increasing majority of is aren't able to do. I didn't know it was part of ScaleTrains hobby shop policy. I'm not a spokes person for ScaleTrains, but rather a hobbyist like yourself. However, if you are confused or concerned about something, it seems logical to contact ScaleTrains and simply ask them right? Just recently Shane came here and stated: Please contact them and let us know. What is it about the direct sales model that causes you to refuse to enjoy their products? Sure, it bugged me when E-R first went online-only but I didn't see it as a moral or ethical dilemma and built a bridge and got over it. I realize change is difficult sometimes but I couldn't personally rationalize denying myself models that fit my modeling focus - it's mostly a budgeting thing for me but I have taken advantage of E-R's free shipping buy ordering the minimum required for that, where possible. I am a 1970's D&RGW modeler and ExactRail makes detailed models for important freight cars such as the Bethlehem 3483 quad hopper (part of the "great steel fleet" as well as common box cars on the Ford FAST auto parts train the D&RGW pulled - ExactRails PS 60' waffle box cars and Greenville 60' box cars were regulars on the FAST. They make other very nice items that fit as well such as the 4427 Cargill low-hip covered hopper. Anyway, your choice but you are missing out on some nice models from E-R, that is of course, unless your modeling doesn't use the cars they make, which would be convenient. |
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Post by bnsf971 on Apr 5, 2017 8:15:49 GMT -8
Yep, every time I think my area needs a LHS, I read something like that and say norfolk n way. I would think that would be a pretty tall order for any store to be forced to carry an older product that is increasingly likely not to move, or regionally specific product that will unlikely draw any interest at all in their market or risk losing your account. A good B&M store will know with in a few pieces how many of an item they will sell based up their regular customer base. One can easily see why they wouldn't want to continually deal with attempting to unload the unwanted inventory. Having grown up in small business, I choose to keep my money as local as I can, and buy my items from a short list of vendors. Only one of them carries scale trains, and I can clearly see why. If they choose to no longer carry S.T., or S.T. dumps them, it will be S.T.'s loss. A good brick and mortar hobby shop should already know what will and will not sell at their location, and if they know it will not sell, they should never have entered into an agreement they knew they could not fulfill. It's not like Scale Trains offerings are a State secret, a few clicks of a mouse should tell an competent brick and mortar hobby shop owner if they have things he can sell or not. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2017 8:31:46 GMT -8
Why should I buy anything from a direct selling vendor when I can simply wait for the sales they will eventually have? ER has had numerous monthly sales, and if I had just bought from them at their regular price point, then the item goes on sale for much less than I paid, then I am very very upset.
And yes, that very thing happened to me personally. I don't need the product enough to play that game. Fool me once...not gonna happen twice. There's nothing ER makes that I am going to need.
Scaletrains has had items on sale at 50% off, if you buy enough of them. I normally don't need 12 of any one thing, so that really doesn't help me personally. I also don't have anybody who would want to share 12 of something with me. If I was a dealer who had those very same items in stock in my store, I might not be real enthused to see them readily available at a selling price point I might not be able to match.
They are good products, just not much that I'd need--too "modern" for me.
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Post by riogrande on Apr 5, 2017 9:36:20 GMT -8
Why should I buy anything from a direct selling vendor when I can simply wait for the sales they will eventually have? The obvious answer is, not everything is a slow seller and fast selling items you probably won't find on-sale. If the items you want to buy are sales dogs, then lucky you - lots of patience will eventually be rewarded. Again, easy solution. You can usually tell if something is selling fast or not with real-time inventory. You can analyze sales trends and decide if you need to order or wait months or much longer until that item finally goes on sale. You do what most normally do, you look at your budget and prioritize. Well if ExactRail doesn't make anything you need, why all hand-wringing over it? It's academic isn't it?  By the way, most of us have bought something at some time and seen it go on sale later - this isn't anything that isn't common to all of us. Frustrating, sure but move on - life is too short. |
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Post by tdspeedracer on Apr 5, 2017 10:08:17 GMT -8
The reason for me to bypass direct sales, and avoid online vendors when possible is because it's directly related to the reason why some of you now have to rely on them.
Sure er has made stuff that would have fit in with what I'm doing, but I don't need to own every last car that has BN stamped on it.
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Post by riogrande on Apr 5, 2017 11:18:25 GMT -8
The reason for me to bypass direct sales, and avoid online vendors when possible is because it's directly related to the reason why some of you now have to rely on them. We rely on online vendors and direct sales because we don't have a decent B&M shop in many cases, but even back when I did have a decent LHS, there were a number of factors that drove me to mail order/online like very little disposable income and poor treatment by my LHS. There is a larger reason why we rely on direct sales and online orders which is due to the wholesale re-alignment of most product market sales from traditional stores to the on-line sales model and model trains is being pulled inexorably along with the other genres. To drive the point that there is a market re-alignment, there have been some major news pieces on during the past year or two which provide more and more evidence of this pervasive trend away from traditional sales to online. Take on-line vendor Amazon for example, it was recently reported they may be the first TRILLION dollar company - that speaks very loudly. Large companies are shifting their advertising strategies away from traditional print media and targeting the online and digital media. Most stores are putting products online including Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Target, Clothing Stores etc. because they don't want to lose sales from those who are shunning going to physical stores. There are also reports of, on the other hand, of the wilting of B&M sales which is getting so bad that shopping malls, the Bastian of traditional shopping, is an endangered species and some of our best known anchor stores are poised to go bankrupt - names like Sears, Macy's, JC Pennies, K-mart etc. Hobby shops are right along with them, dropping one by one except for some rare exceptions, the survivors mainly have a strong online presence. Anyway, good or bad, times, they are a-changing how we buy all kinds of stuff. I don't think physical stores will go away, but they are shrinking fast while online is growing fast. It's seems a bit like holding on to a horse and buggy while most everyone else is flying by in their automobiles to avoid direct sales and online vendors. There is nothing morally or ethically wrong IMO with either way of buying, but the options of doing things the old way are getting fewer and fewer. I don't even have the choice to do it in an are with a population of 6 million; you do for now - as long as it lasts. |
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Post by ScaleTrains.com on Apr 5, 2017 17:59:57 GMT -8
Touch and see, or ("see and touch" I guess as it was originally stated) was taken from Shane's comment as to why their accounts are required to carry the breadth of their product line. It seems contradictory to me when you start pulling the plug on an account that is paying their bills because it can't/won't carry certain products that it feels don't fit their market. As for exactrail. They haven't seen anything from my wallet since they went direct. tdspeedracer: we do not require retailers to stock every item number we make. We ask retailers to carry an assortment of all of our models in the roadnames that best first their store. Shane Shane Wilson President ScaleTrains.com, Inc. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2017 18:19:35 GMT -8
Well, I am blessed with multiple good, relatively local to me, train stores that provide excellent--and I do mean excellent, top notch, customer service--the way it was always meant to be.
I also am a frequent MBK mail order customer. They have been great.
However, recent circumstances have caused me to realize what a good thing I have in the train stores that are still around. I have reduced my internet/mail order purchases over the last year or two. I'd rather pay more money--even 90% of MSRP on some items--to have their service and the friendship of the usual suspects.
Perhaps before dropping a given dealer, an importer should actually visit them in person to see what a great operation they actually have, and the positives that that dealer provides. Perhaps with face to face discussion there would be less "misunderstandings". I bet the importer might even be surprised at what they might actually see.
I work for a very large global company. They look too much at financial numbers and not at the data leading to those numbers, which results in mistakes they will never admit to, that I have to help fix.
The Walthers sales reps actually DO travel and see local train shops. However it is also fair to say that Walthers has deeper pockets than small start up companies, and can perhaps more "afford" to send the reps out. So some things might not be possible, but there has to be a better way...
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Post by ScaleTrains.com on Apr 5, 2017 18:27:31 GMT -8
Why should I buy anything from a direct selling vendor when I can simply wait for the sales they will eventually have? ER has had numerous monthly sales, and if I had just bought from them at their regular price point, then the item goes on sale for much less than I paid, then I am very very upset.
And yes, that very thing happened to me personally. I don't need the product enough to play that game. Fool me once...not gonna happen twice. There's nothing ER makes that I am going to need.
Scaletrains has had items on sale at 50% off, if you buy enough of them. I normally don't need 12 of any one thing, so that really doesn't help me personally. I also don't have anybody who would want to share 12 of something with me. If I was a dealer who had those very same items in stock in my store, I might not be real enthused to see them readily available at a selling price point I might not be able to match.
They are good products, just not much that I'd need--too "modern" for me.
RI 2695: when we placed our first purchase orders, we had not announced our company so we were unable to utilize preorders and had to speculate on quantities. Unfortunately we significantly over-ordered the first two runs of boxcars and tank cars and had to reduce inventory. We worked with several retailers on their existing inventory and many reordered several times during the promotion. Moving forward, we have tightened-up the additional quantities we're stocking. We sold-out of the first run of HO "Big Blow" Turbines within a month; have less than 20 of the N Scale Turbines on the shelf, and will likely sell-out of the third run of boxcars within the next month. We expect most of the first run of HO SD40-2s and HO Tier 4 GEVos to sell out within 30-days of delivery. While our crystal ball will never be perfect, our revised buying strategies will greatly reduce the number of overstocked products. This will increase sell-outs and limit the number of blowout sales. Shane Shane Wilson President ScaleTrains.com, Inc. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2017 18:36:10 GMT -8
Which I can agree would be wonderful for everybody involved.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2017 20:42:53 GMT -8
Why should I buy anything from a direct selling vendor when I can simply wait for the sales they will eventually have? ER has had numerous monthly sales, and if I had just bought from them at their regular price point, then the item goes on sale for much less than I paid, then I am very very upset.
Do you also get upset when other things (groceries, furniture, tools, clothes...) go on sale? Or just rolling stock? As for myself, I'm a big fan of lower prices. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2017 21:06:16 GMT -8
Umm, it's different. Groceries are needs, and high priced, sometimes overpriced relative to market, freight cars are luxuries that I don't need. Clearly at deep discounts, there were more of some ER items than the market needed, so I learned. Or there are just too many choices for the customer base to absorb. IPD boxcars in great paint schemes that lasted a year or longer in inventory...
Also, groceries are usually not as costly per individual item, whether on sale or not, as high priced rolling stock is.
I have purchased several ER and ST products. Had to try them out, even though they "didn't fit" my era. I was curious.
For my personal rolling stock plan, I will require mostly different stuff that happens to also be lower priced. Didn't plan that at all, but it is a happy accident or byproduct.
Finally, you are going to criticize my rolling stock comment after all the handwringing on these forums in recent months about locomotive prices creeping up in increments of $20? Seriously?
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Post by riogrande on Apr 6, 2017 3:10:37 GMT -8
The reason for me to bypass direct sales, and avoid online vendors when possible is because it's directly related to the reason why some of you now have to rely on them. From today's news which illustrates part of the big trend on why we have to rely increasingly on direct sales and online vendors: Yes, this is talking about department stores and clothing, but it's part of a pervasive shift across a wide variety of products and stores and model train products are definitely a part of that shift |
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Post by jonklein611 on Apr 6, 2017 3:46:21 GMT -8
The other reason some of us have switched to online vendors is they actually have what we want to buy! There's no way I'll find Shinkansen, Via Rail, Alaska Railroad, NEC electrics, or German French and Italian high speed trainsets in my local hobby shop.
I'm not a big fan of driving all the way out to a local store only to find they don't have anything I want to buy.
Also, with most manufactures switching to the preorder model, if I want something, I'm going to order it directly so it ships to me. That way I know I'm getting one, and I don't have to worry about it.
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Post by riogrande on Apr 6, 2017 4:26:50 GMT -8
I'm not a big fan of driving all the way out to a local store only to find they don't have anything I want to buy. It only takes me usually one visit to a shop to determine if I will return. There is a shop I have gone back to once or twice in my area, but it was only because I needed some basic flex track that week end - at least they had that. I have traveled a good deal for past jobs and I usually made it a point to hunt down and visit 2 or 3 shops in whatever city I was in for work. It seems like about 90% of them I walked in, spent 10 minutes looking around and left without finding anything of interest to me. There are the rare gems and mostly I only hear about them but one was a decent small shop in St. Louis called Tinker Town - they had some rolling stock of interest and some lovely painted brass D&RGW gems I couldn't afford, but I did patronize the place and did return to St. Louis a few more times and always want back to Tinker Town until I left the employer that sent me there. I have since heard TT has closed. None of the hobby shops in the greater NoVA/DC metro area I have visited in the past 5-6 years have any rolling stock I wanted to buy, and I don't buy strictly western either since D&RGW was a bridge route. I find most tend to stock items more in the "toy" end of the spectrum and maybe a tiny number of Athearn and Atlas cars. Sure, those shops could order something for me and it would cost more and I would have to drive back to them which is an inconvenience. Except for trips to Timonium and MBK, on-line is my only real option but it's not a bad thing, it works very well. |
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Post by dharris on Apr 6, 2017 4:55:59 GMT -8
Cameras and electronics are other items where stores are scarcer and more and more are online.
I don't buy any electronics from a store. I refuse to patronize Worst Buy which has the worst customer service on earth.
So it is easy to order online, save money, and have items arrive via delivery in 1-3 days.
The thing is, for train stores, why don't they do BOTH? MBK/MTS has expanded over the past decade to do so. A store, and a huge online presence.
I doubt they would still be in business if they skipped online.
"We can order it from Walther's for you (at full MSRP)" is not what costomers want to hear in 2017.
Many train stores don't even have an online presence. Some do not even do mail order well if you call on the phone.
And in 2017, any train store that does not offer *some* discount is behind the times. When engines cost $300, it is hard to pass up even a 10% discount.
I will skip over the preorder lack or availability issue. But that is another factor......
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Post by jonklein611 on Apr 6, 2017 5:10:14 GMT -8
It only takes me usually one visit to a shop to determine if I will return. There is a shop I have gone back to once or twice in my area, but it was only because I needed some basic flex track that week end - at least they had that. I have traveled a good deal for past jobs and I usually made it a point to hunt down and visit 2 or 3 shops in whatever city I was in for work. It seems like about 90% of them I walked in, spent 10 minutes looking around and left without finding anything of interest to me. There are the rare gems and mostly I only hear about them but one was a decent small shop in St. Louis called Tinker Town - they had some rolling stock of interest and some lovely painted brass D&RGW gems I couldn't afford, but I did patronize the place and did return to St. Louis a few more times and always want back to Tinker Town until I left the employer that sent me there. I have since heard TT has closed. None of the hobby shops in the greater NoVA/DC metro area I have visited in the past 5-6 years have any rolling stock I wanted to buy, and I don't buy strictly western either since D&RGW was a bridge route. I find most tend to stock items more in the "toy" end of the spectrum and maybe a tiny number of Athearn and Atlas cars. Sure, those shops could order something for me and it would cost more and I would have to drive back to them which is an inconvenience. Except for trips to Timonium and MBK, on-line is my only real option but it's not a bad thing, it works very well. Now when I travel to various parts of the country, I try to seek out a local shop because they'll carry regional road names and I can get a car as a memory of the trip. And dharris, I think that's the point that most of us are making. The only brick and mortar hobby shops that will survive will be those with an online presence. Then they aren't at the mercy of just the local shoppers / foot traffic into the store. You can have orders coming in from around the globe. That online presence had better allow for you to place an order / check inventory right on the site, none of this "call us" nonsense I sometimes find. |
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Post by riogrande on Apr 6, 2017 5:22:42 GMT -8
Memory of a trip. I used to have a number of freight cars I had bought on some of those trips but most of them have been sold as I have gotten more and more brutal with selling off rolling stock don't need or have replaced.
I agree. It's almost a given these days that if a brick and mortar shop doesn't develop and online presence and promote it, their days are probably numbered. It is necessary to extend reach far beyond the local clientele who are walk-ins. Locals can treat their LHS like a charity and pay a good deal more than the common discount price, and without online, it's only helping them put off the inevitable for a little longer. Basically adapt or become extinct.
I was just talking to a co-worker at my office about Sears and how long it's been around - literally since the pioneer days, and it's likely it will cease to exist in the near future. It failed to adapt well enough, and from reports I've read, the more recent CEO, who is a recluse, has hastened Sears demise by burying his head in the sand and ignoring sound advise.
Hobbyists are free to shop where they feel compelled to, including their LHS, but shunning direct sales and online vendors is something that may not be sustainable indefinitely.
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Post by dharris on Apr 6, 2017 5:40:55 GMT -8
Sears mail order catalog was the Amazon of its day.
Putting lots of local small stores out of business.
Think about it. 25 years ago Sears could have said "put our catalog online, make it easy to use, and expand into other areas".
Instead it let Wal Mart and Target take business, and their online presence is a joke. Now Sears is a dead company.
Survival of the fittest.
Wal Mart is putting much money into online and it now actually a solid online store.
People still don't automatically think of it that way. But they are working at it.
Here is an example of retail 2017.
Two weeks ago I was driving to a meeting in the midwest.
Next to me was a co worker.
He used his iPad with cellular to order a chainsaw (!) online.
It took about two minutes.
The chainsaw was at his house when he got home from the airport and he used it that weekend.
My last automobile I basically bought online.
I knew what car I wanted.
I read online about dealers good and bad.
I went to one further away which was good and had a solid online capability.
In five minutes I filled out some forms for the great finance offer too good to pass up.
Picked up the car the next day after about an hour at the dealer filling out paperwork for the state (using an iPad).
License plates arrived in two weeks via the mail.
That is retail in 2017. People expecting there to be small mom and pop local Train Stores stocking the latest goodies so they can go in person, browse, touch and feel, and
Handle items before deciding to purchase or not are swimming upstream.
Good stores will adapt and survive (even thrive).
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Post by riogrande on Apr 6, 2017 6:47:42 GMT -8
Yes, my wife and I use online for Walmart sometimes, but much much more often with Target. Target has weekly free gift card deals where you get a 5 or 10 dollar gift card if you buy a small quantity of certain types of products people typically buy and will use all of. Then we couple that with our Target Red Card which gives us 5% off and free shipping - combine it all its kicking Walmart's butt. We see people on facebook garage sale sites who are selling bundles of home products were are sure they bought to get those gift cards - they get them and then sell bundles of stuff for convenience and people buy them. These people are probably getting hundreds of dollars in gift cards. I used about 30 dollars of target gift cards to buy my last Android smart phone there. I got a $50 dollar gift card last Thanks Giving on an on-sale TV and even without the gift card it was the best price I had seen on that type of TV to-date. I don't see how Target can keep this up but they surely are stealing customers away from Walmart. but I digress...
It's true, knowledge is power and the internet gives us ways to learn stuff and save money and time. On-line buying has many advantages that are hard to ignore.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2017 17:06:52 GMT -8
The train stores near me actually do get everything, and one actually does have significant online presence. Is not MBK, but is not a small player either.
If it's made, I can get it from them, because they will have it in stock on shelves at a fair price. And that is why maybe some importers should get out and see who they are actually dealing with in person and what kind of store they have...
Example: BLI sold out everywhere UP modernized final version UP5 class 4-12-2 with never before modeled in brass or anywhere else cab. They had it in stock, and as now dead inventory, I got a mail order deal over the counter. How could I refuse? East of Mississippi they are just dead inventory, now. The online buyers scarfed up theirs, and the last ones left are merely dead inventory to be blown out. I benefitted by waiting and being patient. Didn't have to have one, but got one, and it's actually way cool. Missed out on some other BLI engines that the local doctors picked up...
I've just read, in the posts above, a whole lot of reasons why I SHOULD be supporting those LHS that remain, and not merely throwing in the towel and giving up, as it seems, from reading, some want to do.
I don't care about the 3500 retail stores closing, I care about the train stores near me staying open.
Also, I've gone back to train stores that I didn't like at all the first time, and actually found something I can use. So I rarely write off a shop at only one visit. Sometimes I'm just not looking for this or that; next time I might find lots of stuff I can use. it's funny, and probably just me, but sometimes they have more than I could ever use.
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Post by riogrande on Apr 6, 2017 17:17:33 GMT -8
If those train stores have a sustainable business model, they will likely remain open at least until the owner retires or passed away. That seems to be the pattern I,m seeing. Of course its your perogatve to shop there, or whereever you are pleased to. You are luckey to have more than one good train shop nearby.
I don't have that choice but I'm pleased with the options I have. Looks like everyone should be satisfied.
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Post by dharris on Apr 6, 2017 18:56:41 GMT -8
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Post by Brakie on Apr 7, 2017 5:45:22 GMT -8
Guys, If I may..As I stated before why should I pay full MSRP when I can get it $30-45.00 cheaper on line? That $30-45.00 is better in my pocket then the cash register in a LHS that wouldn't give you a break on price if you was buying three or more(fill the blank) locomotives.
Be that has it may..
OTOH buying one or two cars on line plus shipping may not be that much of a difference between on line and your LHS-if you have one.
As far as on line shopping it will only see growth in the coming years since it fast,convenient,cheaper and safer then going to the malls.
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Post by jonklein611 on Apr 7, 2017 6:11:49 GMT -8
Guys, If I may..As I stated before why should I pay full MSRP when I can get it $30-45.00 cheaper on line? That $30-45.00 is better in my pocket then the cash register in a LHS that wouldn't give you a break on price if you was buying three or more(fill the blank) locomotives. Be that has it may.. OTOH buying one or two cars on line plus shipping may not be that much of a difference between on line and your LHS-if you have one. As far as on line shopping it will only see growth in the coming years since it fast,convenient,cheaper and safer then going to the malls. Not only that, you may pay 15-20% ABOVE MSRP at some chain hobby shops. I thought I had found a Genesis tank car i was looking for at one of these places, then I saw the price tag. 20% above what Athearn said it should sell for. For some reason I didn't leave with that car. |
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Post by riogrande on Apr 7, 2017 8:14:23 GMT -8
To be fair, some hobby shops do discount off of MSRP. It could be RI 2695 has shops nearby that offer a modest discount which he is willing to pay. I had a shop near me when I lived in a different state which offered a small discount but like Larry mentioned, especially on an engine I probably could save $30+ on the cost by buying at MBK or another vendor. At the time I was living there, I didn't have a much to spend on the hobby so I wasn't in a position to treat an LHS like a church or charity to try to keep afloat - bottom line. I did buy the odd piece of rolling stock there but that was about it.
Of course some may have done well financially for themselves (kudos) and can afford to pay the premium required to make a lot of major purchases at a local shop where prices usually considerably higher, in order to keep it that LHS alive. As we all know, the hobby isn't getting any cheaper and with the rapid upward pressures in prices, more and more of us need to find discount vendors to afford the newer toys these days.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 20:19:08 GMT -8
As Jim said I am actually not well healed and my local shops discount from actual msrp as much as they can. If I want short discount items like Morning Sun books, they split the markup with me so I get 16.5 percent off retail. This is because their net cost is 67% of msrp. However some items can still be 25 to 30 % off, and since I am not paying the shipping, sometimes I actually buy rolling stock over the counter for prices that match MBK. Obviously large mail orders do better but I cant spend much at any one time.
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Post by Brakie on Apr 10, 2017 2:49:34 GMT -8
Of course some may have done well financially for themselves (kudos) and can afford to pay the premium required to make a lot of major purchases at a local shop where prices usually considerably higher, in order to keep it that LHS alive. As we all know, the hobby isn't getting any cheaper and with the rapid upward pressures in prices, more and more of us need to find discount vendors to afford the newer toys these days. Those well stock hobby shops usually has a strong customer base and probably a on line presence. One of the best well stock hobby shops that I know of is The Train Station in Columbus(Oh) and that's around a 1 1/2 hour drive. If I lived in Columbus this would be my store of choice for 90% of my needs.. |
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Post by riogrande on Apr 12, 2017 9:59:47 GMT -8
Why should I buy anything from a direct selling vendor when I can simply wait for the sales they will eventually have? ER has had numerous monthly sales, and if I had just bought from them at their regular price point, then the item goes on sale for much less than I paid, then I am very very upset. BTW, here is an example of an ExactRail item that you can't wait for it to go on-sale: The Penn Central Greenville 60' auto-parts car. It was re-run and advertised for sale on January 20, along with other road names. Less than 3 months later, as of yesterday, ALL of the PC cars are sold out. Fun's over. If you didn't buy them while they were available, you'll have to wait for them to be run again, assuming the get run again. FWIW, MBK stocks ExactRail but at a higher price than E-R offers them direct - I suppose you could say they are a couple dollars off the MSRP $52.99 price. I don't know if your LHS stocks E-R but being that they are basically direct sales - MBK seems to be an exception. I actually bought a N&W Greenville 60' E-R car at MBK on show day as the show discount price was close to E-R direct sales and I needed one. MBK still has a few PC Greenville's but AFAIK, they are the only other source. Granted, it depends on what a modeler wants to buy - some items E-R has in stock have been there more than two years, and may go on sale. The Bethlehem 3483 coal cars are an example - they've been on-sale at least twice and there are still a lot of cars left under most of the road names, D&RGW being the notable exception, naturally! |
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Post by dharris on Apr 12, 2017 16:39:58 GMT -8
One can sit back and wait for sales and blow outs.
But that is taking a chance if you really want something.
Exactrail does not just offer huge sales on all of its products.
Maybe some, but fewer and fewer.
In 2017, if you want something, you better buy it.
Direct. In a store. But somewhere.
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