I found a locomotive I wanted in the MTH 2007 Volume 1 catalog, which is to be shipped March 2007, but the hobby shop owner said you have to pre-order items because MTH builds based on request, and it woud be hard to find it now.
HELP- please explain to this nubee how all this pre-ordering works.
How do you know when to pre-order?
Thanks,
Wayray
Hi Wayray !! You have to watch in advance for notices of preorders being taken from hobby shops & manufacturers, & dealers. Still, even if you missed it from your local hobby shop or an online seller, you can usually find them later after they are out to the dealers. MTH has a locator in their web-site that will help you run down an item. Some dealers buy a lot of extra ones to sell throughout the year or till they are gone. Not everybody preorders.
Thanks, John
Wayray.
Somehow, and I do not really know how it happened, but Lionel and MTH are very risk avoidance in their business practises. The future will be the judge as to if their practises are successful. To minimize their risk, they seem to have a minimum number of pre-orders that need to be placed on certain items. Since I have not been invited to one of their corporate board meetings, I do know the "we are going to build this" number.
Just imagine a bean counter at one of the manufacturers on Monday opening the mail and finding an order for 10 new engines. I suppose he may just stand up and holler, "Let's Roll", or ring a big brass bell if they now have enough pre-orders.
I have currently two items on pre-order with my dealer. Sometimes they make the item and sometimes they don't. The deliver dates are supposed to be in 2007 for my items, but many can attest that the manufacturers have never seen a date that could not be missed. We have seen many items never built.
Also, my dealer normally gives a 20% discount on pre-orders.
More than likely, you will be able to find the engine you want if they build it. I have about six dealers that I can call when looking for something. Here in Ohio, if you want MTH, we call Glenn's in Akron, Ohio. Also, MTH has a great web page that tells you which dealer has a particular engine, car, etc. in their stock.
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
I have been collecting "O Gauge" for over 30 years, only about 20% of my collection is "new product". I operate "G Gauge", bought new equipment.
I no longer "Advance Order". Maybe THEY will get the word.
A Lionel product to ship in September 06, was changed to Dec. 06, Jan. 07, and now March 07. MTH "G" products from there 2004 and 2005 catalogs were not received until 2007 (still waiting on 1 item). An MTH locomotive and passenger cars due to ship in November 2006, locomotive received in January 2007, the cars are now due May 2007?
Some "Advance Order" items never come if not enought advanved orders are received.
The Catalogs are "Wish Books" not "Order Books" and on-line ship dates mean nothing.
Good Luck
Don U. TCA 73-5735
I've preordered from Atlas once before & they were right on the money !! I've heard from other guys that Atlas is usually on time . Hoping their new steamer is on time, due out in April, this year, as I have that ordered.
The only item I've preordered in recent years was an RMT BEEF and PEEP set--originally scheduled for release in late fall, 2006. Placed my order in, as I recall, September. As luck would have it, those items are now scheduled for release in late spring or early summer of this year, so that preorder did me absolutely no good at all (I had wanted the items for my Christmas layout). Now, I'm not 100% certain that I even want or need them, although I'll likely let the order stand.
As a general rule, I don't preorder anything, and have been preaching against the preorder concept for a long time. Almost none of these manufacturers can be relied on to (1) actually produce the item and (2) deliver it on schedule, or anywhere near to on schedule.
I just prefer to take my chances in finding something after it has actually been released, and with one exception (an Ives red steamer in Std. Gauge some years ago) I have never been disappointed. If you look hard enough, you'll eventuallly find what you want, and often enough at an even better price than the dealers' "preorder discount."
But if you must preorder (I'm not sure why that would be the case, with few exceptions), be sure to do so with a dealer you know and trust and who does not require ANY sort of advance deposit (thereby tying up YOUR money for God-knows-how-long).
Preordering is a practice that really only benefits the manufacturers, and to a lesser extent the dealers. It has no inherent advantages for the consumer, other than supposedly assuring that you will get the item if and when it is ever produced. I, for one, do not like being held hostage by such a practice, so will continue to speak out against it.
Once the items ships, I am sure you can find a dealer that has it in stock. Sometimes the item is in stock at MTH for additional dealer orders.
Chris
wchrisyoung wrote: Once the items ships, I am sure you can find a dealer that has it in stock. Sometimes the item is in stock at MTH for additional dealer orders. Chris
I've never pre-ordered and always managed to get what I'm looking for. I have a problem with shelling out money (even if it is only 20%) and not knowing when I'm going to get the product. I also like to see what the final product looks like.
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