Part rant, part cautionary
I placed an order on Tuesday. Today is Friday and it has yet to ship. I thought this was a large Internet hobby shop. Now I find out that part of my order will not ship because it is on "backorder", although on Tuesday it was marked "In Stock".
On the web site when I log in, it reads,
We are pulling your order from our warehouse and preparing it for shipment. In the case where we encounter availability issues on an item, we will contact you on how to proceed (remove item, place on backorder, etc.).
Well, that is simply not the case. I received no such notification and I still wouldn't know that except for the fact that I checked the status of the order. I am bummed out because the back order is for one of a quantity of three that I ordered for a scratch build project, and it will be crucial to my progress.
End of rant. But just be aware of this if and when you place an order with Hobbylinc. I am not happy.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrain On the web site when I log in, it reads, We are pulling your order from our warehouse and preparing it for shipment. In the case where we encounter availability issues on an item, we will contact you on how to proceed (remove item, place on backorder, etc.). Rich
If I read this correctly, they are saying that they don't really know if they have an item until they go to the warehouse and look for it?
And then they will tell you how to put in for a backorder?
Methinks they need to get back to the warehouse themselves more frequently...or spend the money to hire someone to count inventory more often.
- Douglas
Odd about hobbylinc.com. Sorry to read this.
The've been quite fast and reliable earlier. My go-to is modeltrainstuff (formerly mbklein). I don't know if living 2 hrs away makes the shipping go faster, but I get in-stock items in two days. There's no rush for me to get stuff with a full-time job and a young family. It seems that modeltrainstuff is also cheaper than most other places, has fast delivery, and frequently updated webpage.
I've never purchased anything from Hobbylinc.com. If a particular item is difficult to track down online but I find it for sale on a website, I usually inquire first to find out if they actually do have the item in stock. Although it may be listed as "available" for purchase and I could submit an order for it online, most of the time - in reality - the item is out-of-stock, with no indication as to if or when they will get it back in.
That's why I like M.B. Klein. The inventory on their website is "live" and up-to-date. If they say they have 3; they have 3. Purchase one, refresh the page, and the inventory is now down to 2.
And, AFAIK, M.B. Klein is still the brick 'n mortar name for their business. Modeltrainstuff is their online moniker.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Yup I'm hearing modeltrainstuff is also having shipping problems. Some people are reporting 10 days before their items even ship. So beware....
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
Just received an order within the usual two days.
Another big plus with this internet provider is it is so much easier to find stuff than many other sites
Just my Worth
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
Motley Yup I'm hearing modeltrainstuff is also having shipping problems. Some people are reporting 10 days before their items even ship. So beware....
Placed order 1/25/16, shipped 2/2/16, delivered 2/4/16. Two days to deliver, but 9 days to ship an item supposedly in stock. Shorthanded in the warehouse? I've ordered a lot and will continue, but I hope the turnaround is better.
Len S
tstage I've never purchased anything from Hobbylinc.com. If a particular item is difficult to track down online but I find it for sale on a website, I usually inquire first to find out if they actually do have the item in stock. Although it may be listed as "available" for purchase and I could submit an order for it online, most of the time - in reality - the item is out-of-stock, with no indication as to if or when they will get it back in. That's why I like M.B. Klein. The inventory on their website is "live" and up-to-date. If they say they have 3; they have 3. Purchase one, refresh the page, and the inventory is now down to 2.
Actually, MB Klein is my go-to supplier, but in this case, not all of my required items were available, so I went with Hobbylinc.
LenS Motley Yup I'm hearing modeltrainstuff is also having shipping problems. Some people are reporting 10 days before their items even ship. So beware.... Placed order 1/25/16, shipped 2/2/16, delivered 2/4/16. Two days to deliver, but 9 days to ship an item supposedly in stock. Shorthanded in the warehouse? I've ordered a lot and will continue, but I hope the turnaround is better. Len S Len S
There was 20+ inches of snow on the ground on the 25th and most schools didn't open until Feb 1. Most of its melted by now but the mail is all messed up. Yesterday was the first time I had anything in the box in almost two weeks.
MTS had a message on there web that stated they were at least 3 days behind in their shipping because of the storm.
We had 31" snow here but the mail was only delayed one day And I don't live in a city. What's wrong with Maryland not delivering mail for so long?
richhotrainI placed an order on Tuesday. Today is Friday and it has yet to ship. I thought this was a large Internet hobby shop. Now I find out that part of my order will not ship because it is on "backorder", although on Tuesday it was marked "In Stock".
Rich,
That is not at all unusual for a large distributor, which Hobbylinc. is. They probably did not even start on Your order until Wed. At the time You ordered it was in stock....completing the order's prior to Yours depleted what they had in stock. You are not the only one ordering from them for the same product. I have been dealing with them for at least 3yrs. now and only once had I ordered something and it said in-stock when I ordered it and by the time they filled orders prior to mine, they were out of stock....it happens. They sent Me a E-mail telling Me so and gave Me an option of changing it, cancel or they will ship when in stock. I chose the latter. They shipped the rest of the order and I got it, Priority mail in two days.
I have ordered from them about 15 times,not only Train products.
I'm satisfied.
Put a large order in to SS LTD. Mon, My order status say's ''awaiting fufullment''.....I didn't check it yet today....maybe it says ''Shipped''
I won't lose any sleep over it though.....I have a lot of patience! Plus I have a lot of other things to keep Me busy.....The joy's of internet shopping. LOL.
Take Care!
Frank
MTS long shipping times has nothing to do with the winter storm. It has been happening for a few months now.
If your order doesn't ship until 10 days after your order, you can't claim bad weather. More like they can't keep up with their orders. Hire more people.
DAVID FORTNEY MTS had a message on there web that stated they were at least 3 days behind in their shipping because of the storm. We had 31" snow here but the mail was only delayed one day And I don't live in a city. What's wrong with Maryland not delivering mail for so long?
The problem with Virginia was that they only plowed like one lane or fewer from multi-lane roads.
If MB Klein said weather messed them up, I'm going to believe them. I didn't go to work for three days because of it myself.
I have bought stuff from hobbylinc and had no problems. However like others posted they may not have the up-to-date information for every item in stock.
That said, I have ordered stuff from China that got here faster than US distributors.
"You pays your money and you takes your chance" - or something like that.
Here in Mississippi we have little or no access to Hobby shops so all of my stuff comes via USPS, UPS or FEDEX. Im just happy to get them - when they arrive.
I have bought locos from hobby shops in Michigan that got here in two days - go figure?
Chris.
Loco Guy - is a state of mind - not an affinity to locomotives.
Sit back and enjoy your track...
zstripe richhotrain I placed an order on Tuesday. Today is Friday and it has yet to ship. I thought this was a large Internet hobby shop. Now I find out that part of my order will not ship because it is on "backorder", although on Tuesday it was marked "In Stock". That is not at all unusual for a large distributor, which Hobbylinc. is. They probably did not even start on Your order until Wed. At the time You ordered it was in stock....completing the order's prior to Yours depleted what they had in stock. You are not the only one ordering from them for the same product. I have been dealing with them for at least 3yrs. now and only once had I ordered something and it said in-stock when I ordered it and by the time they filled orders prior to mine, they were out of stock....it happens.
richhotrain I placed an order on Tuesday. Today is Friday and it has yet to ship. I thought this was a large Internet hobby shop. Now I find out that part of my order will not ship because it is on "backorder", although on Tuesday it was marked "In Stock".
That is not at all unusual for a large distributor, which Hobbylinc. is. They probably did not even start on Your order until Wed. At the time You ordered it was in stock....completing the order's prior to Yours depleted what they had in stock. You are not the only one ordering from them for the same product. I have been dealing with them for at least 3yrs. now and only once had I ordered something and it said in-stock when I ordered it and by the time they filled orders prior to mine, they were out of stock....it happens.
If you read what Tom Stage and I had to say about the MB Klein web site, that is how it should work. As soon as the Order button is hit, the In Stock quantity should be reduced accordingly. And, as you say, if they don't even begin to gather the order until 36 hours later, that is a way too long delay. Ten more guys have ordered the same thing only to find out that it was no longer in stock. Even our local hobby store, Lombard Hobbies, has a real time ordering protocol on its web site.
My sister lives in MD and couldn't even get out of her house for a week - they never plowed the street she lives on. They dug part by hand, and someone came by with a snowblower to clear the rest. I got close to 3 feet in my area, no mail delivery Saturday when it was actively snowing hard and no mail delivery Monday after the storm. My mail is delivered on foot, mailboxes are up at the houses, not down by the street.
So I can see Klein having problems both with mail trucks getting in to take orders away as well as with employees even getting to work in the first place. With the volume a place like that does, missing a day or two sets them back significantly more because there is still the normal volume of orders PLUS all the ones that were missed to get packed and shipped. Absolutely no bad reflection on them for this one.
As for the primary topic of this thread - sounds like they are another one of those places that has very little inventory and just orders from Walthers as needed. That would be "their warehouse".
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Let's not overlook the fact that this thread is about Hobbylinc, which is located in Georgia, and was unaffected by the East Coast storm. My complaint is less about the 3 days that it took to process the order than it is about their web site which is not updated in real time to reflect purchases as they occur.
DAVID FORTNEY We had 31" snow here but the mail was only delayed one day And I don't live in a city.
We had 31" snow here but the mail was only delayed one day And I don't live in a city.
A city has no place to put snow. Cars are parked on both sides of the street and people actually do need sidewalks to walk to school or get to the store. Things are so overbuilt, we need every left turn lane and exit lane. Those were full of snow till midweek and 6 lane roads were 3 1/2 - 4 lanes at random spots.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
No complaints about MB Klein nor trainworld. The few times I've ordered from trainworld, I find them to ship faster and have greater old stock, but are more expensive. My go-to is mb klein, I'm a patient person.
Never used hobbyline before, but I dispise their website so I probably won't.
I'm not trying to dispute Your claim. Just trying to give You a little insight as to how their system probably is set up. In stock or out of stock items are not tallied, until the actual product is picked and Your order although received, was not even entered into the system yet! And hiring more people to get it done faster...costs more money for them thereby cutting the profit margin, ultimately slashing the discount given to You. Not to bash Walthers, but I am a Yard Master member and do get a lot of discounts, especially shipping, Hobbylinc distributes a lot of cornerstone kits at a 15 to 20% discount, while Walthers still sells the same kit at the normal price.....figure that one out!? Lately I have been purchasing a lot of My supplies and kits, directly from the Manufacturer and I am learning, that shipping is not all that bad, price wise and they most always have what You want in stock.
I mentioned SS Ltd. in My other post...ordered Mon. it was shipped Fri. 16 items half of which Walthers did not have, marked unknown for resupply, over 150.00 worth, cost Me 7.00 to ship, first class mail.....took time for them to actually get it all together, then to ship it....but I know they had everything I needed. I could go on about other places, but I won't.....no one makes any money until a product is sold....so most places are basing the in-stock/out of stock functions on that premise.
Have A Good One!
Hi,
Let's not get away from Richhotrain's complaint........ He goes online, sees an item listed as "in stock", orders said item, and then is told it is out of stock and a backorder will be initiated (and goodness knows if he ever will get the item).
A proper inventory control for online ordering should immediately reflect the status of stock on hand. While their system obviously has shortcomings, their inventory audit process could be at fault (or non existant).
IMO, Richhotrains complaint is very valid.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
LION has "automatic" inventory contro for the wine warehouse of him. LION never up dates it. Everything is listed as out of stock. And some of it is out of stock. But I do know what is in my cellar (sort of) or rather what is not in the cellar (maybe).
But then I have gotten too old to lift cases of wine, and so someone else pulls the stock. I have a couple of wine truck coming in this month, call it 28 palettes, I'll update my inventory program after that.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
And all of that wine is of course properly blessed sacramental wine, right?
My reply above was in two parts, one responding to the complaint of Modeltrainstuff taking long to get orders out after a crippling snowstorm, the other part referencing the Hobbylinc inventory or lack thereof. Even Walthers has that problem - at least, the first and last time I ordered from Walthers directly, the items were all listed as in stock, but after I placed the order, i was informed one item was backordered. Honestly, if a dealer can't keep an accurate inventory for their online store in this day and age, they don't get my business. A small, specialty shop is one thing, but a company that purports to be a full service shop carrying a wide range of product, hobby shop or otherwise - no real excuse any more. There's a reason why a place like Klein's, originally a brick and mortar hobby shop like everyone else, is still around today when so many places aren't.
Some of shipping delays may have to do with Post Office routing. I order a lot from MicroMark which is about 100 miles away. Sometimes it comes overnight. Sometimes it goes from Jersey, to CT, to Boston, to Albany and then finds it's way to me in the Catskills. None of that has anything to do with inventory, but does impact how soon I see the stuff.
Mike
Never could understand the complaints about delayed shipping time. Its not like there is an emergency model railroad that needs to get built.
I agree with Rich. It seems that HobbyInc should have more of a real time website considering how much business they do.
Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
Doughless I agree with Rich. It seems that HobbyInc should have more of a real time website considering how much business they do. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
kasskaboose Odd about hobbylinc.com. Sorry to read this. The've been quite fast and reliable earlier. My go-to is modeltrainstuff (formerly mbklein). I don't know if living 2 hrs away makes the shipping go faster, but I get in-stock items in two days. There's no rush for me to get stuff with a full-time job and a young family. It seems that modeltrainstuff is also cheaper than most other places, has fast delivery, and frequently updated webpage.
I wonder if HobbyInc has its own warehouse, or if it is more of a search engine where it relies upon finding items in stock through various suppliers. That would possibly explain why shipping charges may differ and why they can't keep up on current inventory....maybe the inventory is scattered around and shared by other vendors.
Or maybe not.
The web site says that Hobbylinc is family owned and operated from Atlanta, Georgia since 1971. Originally a local hobby shop, Hobbylinc moved exclusively online in 1994.
It goes on to say that this is a warehouse for online sales. Retail sales cannot be made from this location. Hobbylinc.com is an online retailer only and does not have a retail location.
So, it does claim to stock its own merchandise, and I do not challenge that. I have ordered from Hobbylinc in the past, although it was several years ago now. I mostly shop MB Klein nowadays, but MB Klein didn't have everything that I needed this time around. I wanted to keep shipping costs down that would result from partial orders from more than one supplier, so I was excited to find that Hobbylinc had everything that I needed in stock..........or so I thought.