When looking to buy items on the net, it is often difficult (especially with smaller enterprises) to tell if the business is still operating or the site is an orphan.
This would not be a problem if there was a prominent spot on the entry page showing a date. The date should be change when the site is updated, but should also be changed at some frequent interval (say monthly) even if there are no updates.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
This happened to me yesterday. Was searching for a part, found a hobby shop, with an online inventory that showed multiple items in stock. Contacted the hobby shop, and was told, "we sold that on ebay, for 3x retail price, a while ago." Outstanding. But update your web page, and your inventory count.
There are no rules on the Internet. We just had a thread on a kit manufacture that didn't answer emails, took a long time to ship with missing parts.
My advice is to try to confirm in a forum, that people have had successful transactions, if it is a company I have never heard of. I fully expect that there are sham websites selling everything that exist only to steal your credit card info. If all you have is a website and no mention of the company in any forum, you should pass.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I had that same problem I few years ago. I wanted to get a couple of Thomas tar and oil tank cars. They say were in stock but when I ordered them. They were cancelled by being sold out.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Lets face it, any business is only as good as the people running it. Many internet businesses especially those selling model railroad items are part time basement operations at best. Its been that way long before there was an internet. Many have been around for decades and are getting a little long in the tooth. Buying from those dealers/manufacturers requires a lot of patience.
That's one of the major reasons I REALLY like M.B. Klein: They have a "live" inventory. If they say they have 2 in stock and you buy 1; immediately after you place your order the website shows that now there is only 1 in stock.
I purchased a decoder from a well-known DCC dealer online recently. After I placed the order they informed me they didn't have it in stock but expected it to come in shortly. That was 3 weeks ago.
While I'm fine waiting for the decoder, I would have preferred if the website had said that the item was "out of stock" before I placed the ordered. It's the 2nd time that's happened with this particular vendor. So I'm going to be wary of ordering any decoders from them in the future that I might need in short order.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I've had an internet mail order business since 1995. I used to own a piece of a television shopping network prior to that. Instead of asking in some forum I suggest sending the merchant an e-mail with questions about their inventory and length of time to ship. If they reply back then you will know they are still open. A business has to pay monthly or annually for their website. If the business is closed they are not going to be paying the bill and the website will disappear. You can also check with their local and county government to see if they have a current business license and fictitious name permit. As for credit card fraud, the merchant takes all of the risk. If your card has any unauthorized use you should file a claim with your card company. Your account will be credited and the merchant will have the funds automatically removed from their bank account. I have been burned by people using stolen credit cards and I’m just out of luck, and money. To stop the problem I started only accepting Paypal from verified users. Since then I have had zero losses to credit card fraud. If you are afraid of someone stealing your credit card information you can use a service like Paypal where only paypal sees your credit card information so there is no way I could steal it. But like I said before. The merchant takes all of the risk. By the way, when card numbers are stolen, it is usually not the owners of the business, it is employees. When you give them your information over the phone or via e-mail they write it down on paper when they should just enter it into the computer. If a website was real time authorization then there isn’t a minimum wage employee to write down your number and sell it to their friends.
BigDaddyMy advice is to try to confirm in a forum, that people have had successful transactions,
I agree. I overstated the case when I said "would not be a problem" However the date would be a indication that the site is active and the owner minding the store.
Lone Wolf and Santa Fe As for credit card fraud, the merchant takes all of the risk. If your card has any unauthorized use you should file a claim with your card company. Your account will be credited and the merchant will have the funds automatically removed from their bank account. I have been burned by people using stolen credit cards and I’m just out of luck, and money. To stop the problem I started only accepting Paypal from verified users. Since then I have had zero losses to credit card fraud. If you are afraid of someone stealing your credit card information you can use a service like Paypal where only paypal sees your credit card information so there is no way I could steal it. But like I said before. The merchant takes all of the risk. By the way, when card numbers are stolen, it is usually not the owners of the business, it is employees. When you give them your information over the phone or via e-mail they write it down on paper when they should just enter it into the computer. If a website was real time authorization then there isn’t a minimum wage employee to write down your number and sell it to their friends.
As for credit card fraud, the merchant takes all of the risk. If your card has any unauthorized use you should file a claim with your card company. Your account will be credited and the merchant will have the funds automatically removed from their bank account. I have been burned by people using stolen credit cards and I’m just out of luck, and money. To stop the problem I started only accepting Paypal from verified users. Since then I have had zero losses to credit card fraud. If you are afraid of someone stealing your credit card information you can use a service like Paypal where only paypal sees your credit card information so there is no way I could steal it. But like I said before. The merchant takes all of the risk. By the way, when card numbers are stolen, it is usually not the owners of the business, it is employees. When you give them your information over the phone or via e-mail they write it down on paper when they should just enter it into the computer. If a website was real time authorization then there isn’t a minimum wage employee to write down your number and sell it to their friends.
If there are any problems at all regarding credit card purchases, whether it's fraudulant or criminal mischief or just plain old merchant slow-walking indifference, inform the credit card company. Problems disappear in a hurry once you call in the mother ship.
LINK to SNSR Blog
tstageThat's one of the major reasons I REALLY like M.B. Klein: They have a "live" inventory. If they say they have 2 in stock and you buy 1; immediately after you place your order the website shows that now there is only 1 in stock
That's why they're my first choice. I order other places, but I start with MB Klein.
In fact the last time I went to their store, I had to "order" thru their computer with in store pickup.
Paul
Here's a simple rule of mine concerning questionable on line shops I picked up some where....When in doubt toss it out and if it has a number call..My phone includes "free" (yeah right) long distance..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I'm with Tom - Klein's is my go-to shop, always the first stop. I don't know why more online retailers don;t have a shopping cart/inventory that works as well as theirs does. If it says they have 3 of something, add one to your cart and then go look again - it now says they have 2! No surprises, no emails a day after yu place the order saying an item is out of stock. If an online train shop can do this, surely the big fancy retailers could as well.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinkerI'm with Tom - Klein's is my go-to shop, always the first stop.
I'm with you guys but,some times there is a need for paint and Klein's list isn't IMHO all that impressive so,I have another on shop for paints and other odds and ends.
M.B.Klein, Amazon, and Ebay are the ones I use. I also use Facebook Groups for used stuff, and have had good results with those.
IRONROOSTER I order other places, but I start with MB Klein. In fact the last time I went to their store, I had to "order" thru their computer with in store pickup. Paul
Yes, MBK is alway a primary go-to vendor for me too, especially for items I am tracking that are just hitting the shelves. Of course the down side to MBK is some items are gone within hours, or even minutes and you have to be Johnny on the spot or miss out - funs over. I can tell some stories about that and how close I came to missing out on some items felt I got real lucky that I checked before all stock was sold out.
That said, probably half the things I am looking for are items MBK doesn't have because they tend to sell out first on many popular items. I have a couple of other vendors who I also work with who often have things MBK doesn't have, and also treasure hunt items on Ebay too that are long sold out.
I visit MBK in person several times a year and you don't have to order everything they have from the computer and have some guy bring it out from the back. Many items are on the shelf in the store you can pick up and buy just like any hobby shop.
In fact, they hold some stock back from the online inventory for in-store shelf-stock that is not on the computer, which occasionally has been a boon to me as it was something I wanted but could not order from home. It just depends. Last time I was there, I bought an Athearn NACC Hamms box car what was sold out from their online realtime inventory.
As for Amazon, I have tried searching them for trains but they simply aren't competitive yet for trains - what you can find is limited and so far the prices have always been a good deal higher than all my other sources. So even though I have Amazon prime - so far it's been a bust for trains. Hopefully that will change some day. Now for other hobby items like plaster cloth or materials or tools, thats different. I bought a big roll of plaster cloth that was about 40% cheaper than Scenic Express and even more off than that for Woodland Scenics.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I have gotten into the habit of scrolling down to the bottoms of pages when on lesser sites purporting to have rare stock. If their date shows recent, I call. A date showing a year or more past.........
I have just drifted back to Ebay after recovering from my long-term snit. I use them for what are essentially out-of-production items. Or, occasionally, for need-it-real-soon stuff. Otherwise, I go to my local shop.
I got my second PC C-430 on Ebay for a good bit less than my first, from my shop. This, after determining, there were none left "in the pipeline".
I got some Details Associates parts on Ebay that are VERY unlikely to show up on my order at my shop.
Still, my shop is a good shop. And I am willing to pay the extra bucks to keep it (and the crew) around.
Ed
Ebay is often a place I hunt for and find out-of-stock items as mentioned above, sometimes items out of stock 10-15 years. I just picked up a long out of stock N&W Genesis Sieco box car for a decent price.
Don't forget when searching the internet, you can get stale cached pages that are not up-to-date and the shops are long sold out of the item. It's not as bad as it used to be but it still happens.
I am in N scale
My go to stores are
brick & mortar: Western Depot (can also purchase through website), Yuba City CA: Railroad Hobbies, Roseville CA
online Brookyn Locomotive Works
I also have found a few oddball items that interest me from stores in Japan at prices (including shipping) lower than elsewhere on Amazon.