In light of a recent job change, I find myself seeking even less costly alternatives to the hobby. (the change cost me about $300. a month average)
Mind you...this is not a rant since it was my choice for the change. So I don't see a need to go into the thread Steven Otte recently created.
I've seen on Ebay, several vendors based in China that are selling signals, street lights, etc at some exceptional prices and very reasonable shipping. Most of what I've seen is basic and simplistic in it's style. And that is okay.
Does anyone have any insight to these vendors? Quality. Issues in any regard.
Anything in particular I need to look out for?
Mark H
Modeling in HO...Reading and Conrail together in an alternate history.
While I have not bought trains directly from China, I have gotten other items, and most were good. The only real issues, were a couple never arrived from shipping, either never sent, or (more likely) captured by customs and not released or lost, and one item had damage, either from ruff handling during shipping or inferior workmanship... Keep in mind, that the shipping does take considerably longer than from this side of the water... The proverbial "slow boat" is really slow sometimes! However, more good than not on purchasing experiences from China/HongKong/Etc...
Edit: Same as any other sellers, the better the rating, the less of a risk you are taking...
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I have bought lots of 'trees' and LED's direct from China - and they arrive quite fast! Most everything else, I can buy just as cheap right here. I see lots of great 'deals' on software, but I suspect these are 'pirate' copies and may not register.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
jrbernier I suspect these are 'pirate' copies and may not register.
Or have some kind of malware hidden away inside
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
I've bought resistors and LEDs, when willing to wait extra weeks. All have arrived. I did avoid any HO figures (I was after unpainted) as several folks here noted significant quality differences.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
I also have bought leds and little plugs (like many use to plug into the dcc board) With no problems and great prices.
I've bought power supplies and electronic doohickeys like a camera charger. The shipping is often free and amazingly fast, under a week. I've never had a problem with this stuff.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Hi Mark H:
I have purchased tons of LEDs directly from China and they have all worked fine. Some people say they have experienced different brightness levels from similar LEDs in the same package but I have never had that happen, and I've never had a dud.
Getting a nice warm white 0603 LED is a bit hit and miss. Some of the vendors are now listing the colour rating but even the 3000K LEDs are still a bit too blue for my tastes.
One thing to beware of is that the Chinese are still pushing a lot of incandescent scale street lights. You really want to stay away from those no matter how good they may look. Some of them even carry warnings that you can't run them for more than 30 minutes or they will melt the shrouds.
I have also purchased a few hand tools from China and so far I haven't received any real garbage. Things like diamond cut-off wheels, larger hole punches, etc. I even took a chance on a pair of strippers for fine wire and once I cleaned up the jaws a wee bit they work great. That one I was skeptical about but I couldn't resist the price.
As far as other electronic components, my go to source is Digi-Key in the US. Their prices are as good as the Chinese, although you do have to pay a very low shipping fee whereas often the Chinese stuff is shipped for free. I don't think there is any question about the quality of what they offer. One point definately in their favour is that their shipping is really fast! I get my orders in two days to the door, and that is in Canada.
http://www.digikey.com/
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I have bought items direct from China as well. A great deal of lights and signals, both pre-made and electronic components, some trees, as well as a few N scale locomotives. I have a lot of professional experience with electronics, and have never seen a difference at all in components purchased from China. Usually, they are identical to components you would purchase stateside. The trees that I bought were a bust and looked like toys compared to the super trees that I make myself. As for the chance I took on cheap locos direct from China, the seller said they were new from the factory. I bought them mostly because they were painted for the BAR and finding N scale stuff in BAR colors is tough. When I recieved them, they were marked Atlas on the frames. Likely, they were made in the same factory.
Read the seller's negative reviews before you buy. Some sellers boost their ratings through illegitimate methods.
I have one China vendor in mind who sells signals...I'm going to give them a try when I have a few extra $$ from my tax refund.
I appreciate the feedback from everyone.
I know this is an old post but I recently ordered a number of things in N scale from China which should start arriving soon. 50 pack of vehicles, container trucks for my port, 6 pack of busses with working LED lights, cars with LED lights, a CAT excavator, 100 people (which look like the paint job is horrible but they were $2.00) a large quantity of various trees, lighted street lights, And some tall city building models for my city backdrop. Things were too cheap not to gibe it a shot. I can let people know how everything looks when I get it for anyone who is still wondering about this subject.
I do buy tons of things from China and so far, everything has arrived. Mostly it comes between 2-4 weeks.
I haven't buy locomotives or rolling stock, only trees, LEDs, streetlights, people and some small buildings.
Of course there's a caveat, the quality is not the best, you got what you pay for. Everything has to be repainted, hence all my little people are hand painted by me. I also, put resistors on the streetlights because the bulbs melt the thing like butter.
No complaints so far if you are cautious on what you're getting.
CTConrail100 people (which look like the paint job is horrible but they were $2.00) a large quantity of various trees, lighted street lights, And some tall city building models for my city backdrop.
I felt a disturbance in the schwarz that I was reading a necroed topic. Sure enough!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I had one of the best experiences ever ordering directly from China.
.
My youngest daughter picked out her prom dress from a seamstress in China on eBay. We sent her measurements, and in about four weeks we had the most beautiful handmade dress you have ever seen. It fit her perfectly, and it was only $100.00 total.
The prettiest and least expensive of all my daughter's prom dresses.
I looked up the town in China on Google, and it is a tiny little village in the mountains. I'll bet $100.00 US Dollars went a long way there.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I have ordered a lot from China and other Asian countries. I have had nothing but positive experiences on every item I have bought. If I get a dud at some point I am still way ahead.
My son has ordered two suits and probably a dozen dress shirts from China and they are just stunning. All custom made to his measurements. Smart shopper.
I ordered two high powered 500Watt outdoor spotlights from China and they even came in the identical boxes as the ones I bought in Home Depot were in. $3.99 ea compared to $38.98 at Home Depot. Identical in every way. A little research confirmed it was the same company that supplied Home Depot.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I just recieved water filters, $15 for OEM instead of $85 stateside. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose but you risk less going to China. I do it from e-bay thru Paypal for extra protection.
I have seen good things written in this forum about a Chinese ebay seller with the improbable name of We Honest.
That name always makes me smile, but I have not ordered from them.
Electrical stuff like resistors, leds, barrier strips, buck voltage regulators are dirt cheap and postage, if not free, is also dirt cheap. Yes I've ordered from them, but many of my childhood friends fathers worked for Bendix and other local electronics companies that no longer exist. Penny wise and pound foolish.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Purchased some n scale fencing that made wonderful guardrails in HO as well as some streetlights that were nice. Run the incandescents under voltage and that will help with heat and longevity. Watch the scales some things shown as HO are really 1/100. Did but some n-scale figures that were OK. For some reason everyone in China must wear pingk though from the painting. I went into it knowing I would have to repaint but they were far cheaper than undec figures.
I've ordered power supplies directly from China. They were much cheaper than buying them in the US. They also got across the Pacific very quickly, only to get bogged down in USPS for a week.
I've ordered dozens of times directly from China with no problems. Sometimes the wait for the package to arrive is two or three weeks. Other times it is very fast and in one case my package arrived in five days!
Last year I was looking for a good replacement for tile roof material for a laser kit I bought. I scoured all the US sources I could find with no luck. They all had the same vacuum formed stuff that lacked any detail.
I found it, I believe it was from We Honest, too, and it was just the right stuff. Four large sheets for about $10 delivered.
DLnW_tower by Edmund, on Flickr
As mentioned, electronic components and power supplies are dirt cheap. I've never had a problem with customs or shipping. Now, shipping to-or-from Canada? That's a whole other thread!
Cheers, Ed
Never had a problem with wehonest, what a name
I've ordered a ton of small stuff from China Via Ebay and Ali. About one in 8 items was wrong or damaged. Every time I've gotten a full refund and been told to keep the item. If your patient and willing to deal with the occasional snafu, I think it's well worth it.
SeeYou190 I had one of the best experiences ever ordering directly from China. . My youngest daughter picked out her prom dress from a seamstress in China on eBay. We sent her measurements, and in about four weeks we had the most beautiful handmade dress you have ever seen. It fit her perfectly, and it was only $100.00 total. . The prettiest and least expensive of all my daughter's prom dresses. . I looked up the town in China on Google, and it is a tiny little village in the mountains. I'll bet $100.00 US Dollars went a long way there. . -Kevin
This is good to know. I've heard about folks getting custom tailored clothes on vacation in Asia but I didn't realize you could do the same via the internet. I could really use a new suit!
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
I have ordered from WeHonest, and they are.
I got 100 leds, with resistors and wires for around 9.00, and free shipping. I will definately order from them again. People have no idea how much the markup is at places like Home Depot.
I forgot to say that my local train shop, the only one remaining in the West Palm Beach area closed months ago. The nearest ones are in Ft Lauderdale and Miami. When I left that city, I promised myself not to go back. Well, it's been like ten times in six years... Not bad. But yeah, I'm really out of options. So eBay and little more.
The last train show here was in 2016. In 2017, I went to one in Boca Raton and another one in Ft Myers, not a lot of activity around here, sadly.
How long did it take to get the items from them. I ordered some items from China with their "Free Shipping" and I received the items a month later. The most recent (and last) time I ordered from China, it took 9 weeks to get the stuff. Might not be their fault, as it could have been Customs, but I doubt it. I received a Fluke multimeter from Germany, some scenery from Greece and even some electronic parts from Israel, and those items only took a week, Customs and all. Took so long, I just bought it from another source to allow me to finish the project this year!