Newbie looking for a place to buy

[Anonymous]

Hello all!

I'm pretty new in the hobby and I was wondering if some of you could tell me of some good online stores to buy from. My local hobby shop seems to be way overpriced. I say that because a 0-31 switch at my HS goes for 59.00. I found it at wholsaletrains.com for 39.00. I'm looking to find some other reasonably priced stores for new and not used stuff.

Thanks,
Dave

[Anonymous]

http://www.internettrains.com

This is a good site. They advertise that they are the cheapest on the web...I think.
Another decent site:
http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/

[Roger Bielen]

Check the websites for the advertisers in CTT. I've found that their prices are usually pretty good. You can compare costs with their ads. I've found that those with the lower prices on most products tend to have the lowest prices overall. Another factor is shipping, over a certain $ amount shipping is free with some.

There are one or two that do not adv. in every issue so check a couple of back issues.

[lionelsoni]

Ebay

[Big_Boy_4005]

I've done business with Charles Ro, and they always have pretty good pricing. Get a copy of CTT, I find it easier to compare in print first, then go to the web. Be careful on eBay, you need to know what you are doing, and watch the sellers feedback and the shipping charges.

[Anonymous]

www.justrains.com is another good supplier, located in Delaware,
over 150 Dollars is free shipping.

[Anonymous]

Try the following:

www.caboosehobbies.com
www.grzyboskitrains.com
www.trainsontracks.com
www.internettrains.com

I have ordered Lionel stuff from all of them. All orders were professionally handled and completed in good order. Keep in mind these are not major dot com's so it may take 24 to 48 hours to ship your order but they will keep you informed. Not all may send you a UPS / FedEx tracking number to access over the internet. All have been responsive and friendly to emails. Overall a good experience with each.

Caboose Hobbies tends to be the most expensive but has great "managers specials". Not every product is illustrated.

Internet Trains tends to be the most expensive of the discounters but has pictures of what is in stock.

Trains on Tracks catalog is a little hard to wade through but everything is illustrated.

Grzyboski Trains appears to have the consistantly lowest prices but can be beaten by Trains on Tracks. They have great closeouts. Their catalog is not illustrated so you have to open a second web session for www.lionel.com to use the product numbers from Grzyboski's as search terms for product illustrations if you don't have catalogs at hand.

Of course all of the above is my presonal experience and opinions and others may diifer. Your mileage may vary.

Steven Crawford
Beaumont, TX

[dougdagrump]

It's kinda tuff to say who has the best prices. After I missed the K-Line "Fall Fair Specials" I spent a LOT of time looking on-line for my B&O Mikado. It seems to me that there was a lot of variation among the hobby discounters, some offered consistently better prices on a particular grouping of engines but not rolling stock, or stock vs engines. Sometimes it even seems to vary day to day.

[Anonymous]

Following up my earlier post I should have added I have not had to return an item to any of the dealers I mentioned, so I can't comment on how that type transaction would go.

Checked my 2003 Lionel catalog and the $59 price for a Lionel )-31 turn out is catalog retail. You might find the threads "preordering" and "what do you think the markup is" interesting as they both get into pricing structure and the supply chain.

Steven Crawford

[Anonymous]

The best Lionel prices are at www.hobbystation.net
If you don't see what you need on the website, you can email to request prices.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone who has responded.

[Anonymous]

While important, price shouldn't be your only consideration. Buying from the internet carries inherent risks. That's not a reason not to do it; I'm just saying that sometimes it is worth spending a few extra dollars to avoid the headaches associated with returns, repairs, shipping problems, etc.

Despite the drawback of potentially higher prices, developing a good relationship with your local hobby shop has its benefits. In addition to selling trains, many hobby shop workers and owners are experienced modelers themselves and can offer invaluable advice and answer questions. Even if they are not modelers, you might find they still care enough about you as a customer to try to help you get connected with modelers and local clubs. Depending on how good your relationship is (i.e., you occasionally spend money in their store and don't just take up their airspace browsing), they will bend over backwards to help you get that special item you're after or resolve a problem with a manufacturer. You won't generally see that kind of commitment or form any beneficial lasting relationship with an internet merchant.

Unfortunately, hobby shops usually can't compete on price with internet merchants. That's just the nature of the internet model. Buying on the internet is fine, but I wouldn't spend every dollar there. Save a couple bucks for the guy who has committed himself to your community. You'll be happy you did.

Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Boone Hobies, in Boone, IA. They will give you 10% off of the MRSP or least they did on the last item I bought. I first found out about them at a train show in central Kansas.