ATLANTIC CENTRAL Yes, Gilberts, Mainline, Strasburg, and Nicolas Smith, Yankee Dabbler, Trains Toys & Hobbies in Willmington, Star Hobby in Annapolis.
Yes, Gilberts, Mainline, Strasburg, and Nicolas Smith, Yankee Dabbler, Trains Toys & Hobbies in Willmington, Star Hobby in Annapolis.
I remember Mitchell's being great for their annual sale but I didn't find much interest in going to Doug's once he took over. I did, however, find some bottles of Floquil there a few years ago.
Nicholas Smith is a place I usually find something to buy and I go there whenever I can find the time when I am in the Philadelphia area but I wouldn't spend a day to drive there and back without another stop. There is no way I am paying the bridge tolls to go over to Yankee Dabler (plus the extra drive time.)
If MTS comes back as a viable option I will take a look but I have most of what I need/want. I mostly find myself looking for scratchbuilding supplies in small quantities these days so a LHS is a better option if they stock Evergreen and other brands. I have actually had a little luck at Hobby Lobby and Michaels for some things.
Rick
Douglas, I'm not that loyal to any shop, but I do hate "the hunt".
Sheldon
nealknows They changed their name as they carry RC equipment, Bandai, plastic models and more. Makes sense to me..
They changed their name as they carry RC equipment, Bandai, plastic models and more. Makes sense to me..
Rich
Alton Junction
IC_Tom In my experience, Trainworld almost never has the lowest price. not, the sales tax and shipping completely negate any discount. Lombard is the most consistently lowest in my experience.
In my experience, Trainworld almost never has the lowest price. not, the sales tax and shipping completely negate any discount.
Lombard is the most consistently lowest in my experience.
For all of the hundreds, if not thousands, of model railroading items that I have purchased over the last 20+ years, I have never bought a single item from Trainworld.
rrebell For shopping there is price and safety and honesty in online. Many of us have been burned by fraud so we go to certain sites and certain sites do offer different item lists.
For shopping there is price and safety and honesty in online. Many of us have been burned by fraud so we go to certain sites and certain sites do offer different item lists.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL I did not shop at ModelTrainStuff once they closed the retail store, that web site was terrible to search. I have no interest in "browsing", I want to look up specific stuff and buy it. I don't pre-order much, I'm sure I can count my lifetime pre-orders on my fingers.
I did not shop at ModelTrainStuff once they closed the retail store, that web site was terrible to search. I have no interest in "browsing", I want to look up specific stuff and buy it.
I don't pre-order much, I'm sure I can count my lifetime pre-orders on my fingers.
Doughless I probably do, but that's part of what a good business has to decide if they want to plunk down cash to buy a "mailing list".
I probably do, but that's part of what a good business has to decide if they want to plunk down cash to buy a "mailing list".
Doughless If there were brick an mortar shops, it would certainly take a lot of time to drive to each to then decide which had a better price...then go back to that shop to buy. If so, I'd probably do that intitially, then settle on the shop that generally had the best prices....and find myself loyal to that shop continuously without bothering to drive to the others anymore.
If there were brick an mortar shops, it would certainly take a lot of time to drive to each to then decide which had a better price...then go back to that shop to buy. If so, I'd probably do that intitially, then settle on the shop that generally had the best prices....and find myself loyal to that shop continuously without bothering to drive to the others anymore.
I'm actually a financial analyst by training. In mergers, the customer list gets booked as an Intangible Asset...called Goodwill, because there is no way to value it. Its based soley on judgment. The amount is basically nothing more than the excess price the buyer agreed to buy the company for...excess over hard assets.
Brand names are intangible assets too. No way to value a unique brand. Its just a negotiated amount...a plug figure on the balance sheet.
Businesses overvalue that excess price all of the time. Amortizing that amount is an expense digs into profits over the ten year amortization period, but the customers can leave for better pricing and service elsewhere, immediately.
The shops that offers better price and service just stole that other guy's customer list that he paid a lot for.
It comes down to who offers the best service and price each business day, from day one. Customer lists become stale very quickly, generally because business has to be earned every day.
- Douglas
A customer mailing list may be treated as Goodwill, but it is not a balance sheet issue. Model Train Stuff undoubtedly maintained a such a list, and Factory Direct Hobbies will find it useful, particularly with the retention of the MTS customer service manager and other MTS staff members.
richhotrain A customer mailing list may be treated as Goodwill, but it is not a balance sheet issue. Model Train Stuff undoubtedly maintained a such a list, and Factory Direct Hobbies will find it useful, particularly with the retention of the MTS customer service manager and other MTS staff members. Rich
I get that. And I'm not assessing Mr. Grubba's business decision, I know nothing about it. Just pointing out that prices paid for brands and lists can turn bad when the service guy quits because the busness is no longer in Cockeysville, and the customers leave because of different pricing and services.
Just saying that business has to be earned every day by offering good prices and services every day. Brands and lists don't really exist for long by themselves, and the value can change tomorrow.
BTW, is GE still a good brand? LOL.
Douglas, you just had to go and bring up GE.
richhotrain ATLANTIC CENTRAL I did not shop at ModelTrainStuff once they closed the retail store, that web site was terrible to search. I have no interest in "browsing", I want to look up specific stuff and buy it. I don't pre-order much, I'm sure I can count my lifetime pre-orders on my fingers. Interesting. I always thought the Model Train Stuff has a very good website. As for pre-orders, I have yet to do a single one. Rich
Interesting. I always thought the Model Train Stuff has a very good website. As for pre-orders, I have yet to do a single one.
Agreed. Model Train Stuff's search engine and website was one of the best, but Hatton's broke it. That was the first thing I noticed back in Sept-Oct.
I've only done 2 or 3 pre-orders in the last four years and regretted all of them.
I used to have an LHS nearby that was a Walthers dealer, so I could buy stuff through him and get it a week later, no shipping even on very small orders. I only went to other vendors if Walthers didn't have something. I actually got great service from ModelTrainStuff and Trainworld on discontinued items, like subway trains and my carfloat kits, often saving money as well. A couple of times I ordered items by phone from Trainworld and they arrived the next afternoon in the Boston burbs.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Goodwill is listed on a balance sheet as an intangible asset and is very important in an acquisition.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Every time I tried to search that site, I had trouble finding anything close to what I was looking for. Maybe they fixed it sometime after I gave up using it?
But I like sites that have catagory buttons, so if a direct search does not work, you can go:
HO - Bachmann - Locomotives - steam - and by that point a fairly short list to scan thru.
My biggest website complaint, by far, is when I put something in my shopping cart and then have to restart my search all over again. Well designed websites have a "continue shopping" button that takes you back to the list you were browsing previously. It's extremely frustrating to have to start all over again selecting filter options. It saves me money because I feel less inclined to shop but not a good thing for the store.
IC_Tom richhotrain ATLANTIC CENTRAL I did not shop at ModelTrainStuff once they closed the retail store, that web site was terrible to search. I have no interest in "browsing", I want to look up specific stuff and buy it. I don't pre-order much, I'm sure I can count my lifetime pre-orders on my fingers. Interesting. I always thought the Model Train Stuff has a very good website. As for pre-orders, I have yet to do a single one. Rich Agreed. Model Train Stuff's search engine and website was one of the best, but Hatton's broke it. That was the first thing I noticed back in Sept-Oct. I've only done 2 or 3 pre-orders in the last four years and regretted all of them.
I preordered two BLI stealth Reading T-1's from the original run at Klein's when the store was still on Gay Street.
I preordered the new Bowser RS-3's in C&O and WESTERN MARYLAND, got both road numbers of both roadnames. That only took 25 months.
I know there were a few others, can't think of them now.
Never regretted any, seldom ever regret any purchase. In fact I can count on my fingers the number of trains I have purchased and then resold.
For the most part, I am a very disciplined buyer.