Yes the canadian goverment seems to dislike ship by mail, kind of a bad thing these days.
SeeYou190I find that on many items I am intersted in, the shipping alone will put the price out of my maximum.
Hi Kevin,
That is particularly true for we Canadians! Frequently the shipping cost doubles the price. It gets worse if the seller insists on using the Global Shipping Program, which quite frankly is an absolute rip off. The GSP shipping cost for a single boxcar will typically be $40.00 Cdn. or more including their bogus import charges. The USPS First Class Mail cost will be less than half of that.
Anything that I buy from the US these days either has to be really cheap or really, really desirable.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
cowmanWhen I bid, I figure the shipping as part of the cost. It they want $10 for shipping, I take it off my bid so I dosen't go over my maximum.
I find that on many items I am intersted in, the shipping alone will put the price out of my maximum.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
When I bid, I figure the shipping as part of the cost. It they want $10 for shipping, I take it off my bid so I dosen't go over my maximum. Now that ebay has started collecting the tax, i figure for that too.
Have fun,
Richard
Track fiddler No more Tupperware search. Sounds good to me. I hate looking for Tupperware and fumbling around looking for the matching lid at night when I'm tired.
My wife and I replaced all our "tupperware" last year. Now we just have two sizes, big and small. Finding lids is 100% easier now.
This was a great upgrade. We must have had 15 different sizes before.
Those are cool Kevin, I don't think they're ugly. I like Corningware looking stuff. Maybe cuz I was raised with it and saw it at Grandma's. I still have some of Grandma's stuff.
It looks like you can use it, then put the lid on it and throw it in the fridge. No more Tupperware search. Sounds good to me. I hate looking for Tupperware and fumbling around looking for the matching lid at night when I'm tired.
We send stuff to family and friends where the postage costs more than the product frequently. But it's just worth it. Giving makes you feel good
Sometimes I think I'm doing things backwards when I send things to people. I should find the gifts on eBay and just have them send it where it's going instead of to me.
TF
Track fiddler When it's Valentine's Day or Easter Judy and I always send candy to all the kids. Even though my daughters are 27 and 29 I still see them as my little girls and I never forget the bunny
My middle daughter, who lives in Seattle, receives an old Pyrex "Forest Fancies" serving bowl from us three or four times a year. My wife and I enjoy searching these out and mailing them to her. We usually pay 5-8 dollars for one of these "ugly mushroom bowls" as she calls them.
They now cost more than $20.00 to send out West in a large flat rate box.
This one is heading to Seattle next week.
philo426 Happened to me the other night ,I was winning up to the last few seconds.winner must have had a good sniping program!
Happened to me the other night ,I was winning up to the last few seconds.winner must have had a good sniping program!
Rich
Alton Junction
SeeYou190 On the other side... sending care packages to the girls can be very expensive. $14.00 does not seem out of line. -Kevin
On the other side... sending care packages to the girls can be very expensive.
$14.00 does not seem out of line.
That one struck me as funny because I can relate to that all so well. When it's Valentine's Day or Easter Judy and I always send candy to all the kids. Even though my daughters are 27 and 29 I still see them as my little girls and I never forget the bunny
The dang shipping is twice as much as the candy but I never even give it a thought. On the other side of the coin it doesn't matter how much I like a MR item. If the shipping is too high I usually refuse to pay it.
I have noticed a lot of times in auctions if the shipping is too high, sometimes nobody even bids.
Also remember if you sell alot, you get discounts. One example is with USPS, 20% discount if you ship the same size and weight of package regulary, and there are a lot more. Maybe someone works in shipping and they can tell you more.
Shipping costs always figure into my buying. If I order some small parts on Ebay, I always check the free shipping to see how the prices are. In just about every case, the companies offering free shipping and the companies charging shipping are about the same price at the end.
I live about 50 miles from Spring Creek Model Train store.
They will mail, but I find that the 100 miles in my pickup will cost about the same in gas as the shipping. What's more, I get to spend enjoyable hours walking through the store looking at things.
York1 John
If they are shipping Priority Mail, $14 is right in line. It's $15 for the medium box flat rate shipping. Has been in that range for a while.
That 'free' shipping when the item comes all teh way from CHina instead of just 3 states away is because it's subsidized, and that too is ending.
Sorry but a $14.95 shipping charge for a whole order, or a powered loco, is right in line.
Shipping across the border, you have to be very careful. Some carriers charge a ridiculous fewe to collect any customs duty involved - often more than the actual fee itself. Maybe that's nothing for a huge shipment (they don;t charge a percentage, they charge a flat fee - so you ship a single $200 item, or a pallet load woth $20k, you pay the same processing fee. It's ridiculous. Same thing happens in many European countries as well. On top of actual duties, the shipper can collect a ridiculously high "processing fee".
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
SeeYou190Shipping prices are skyrocketing.
On two occasions I had to send warranty repair locomotives to Rapido in Markham, Ontario (about 275 miles from me as the chicken flies) and each time the postage was $75-80!
I really have to factor this added expense in for my future purchases from them
I don't expect postal rates to improve anytime soon
Cheers, Ed
Shipping prices are skyrocketing. When I receive some packages that show the postage price on the label, it can be shocking.
I wonder what caused Lombard Hobbies to charge $13.95 for shipping. That may discourage some modelers.
Anyone know what the shipping price used to be?
riogrande5761 Doughless whereas Lombards ... still has them in stock and generally cheaper. True, the only thing about Lombards unless something changed recently is their standard shipping is $13.95 per order. If you are buying a one or two models, that is high shipping. If it matters.
Doughless whereas Lombards ... still has them in stock and generally cheaper.
True, the only thing about Lombards unless something changed recently is their standard shipping is $13.95 per order. If you are buying a one or two models, that is high shipping. If it matters.
I know at least one of the retailers I mentioned never charge me sales tax....shhhh. Not sure if it was Lombard's. Others do, both the stores mentioned and ebay.
- Douglas
Doughlesswhereas Lombards ... still has them in stock and generally cheaper.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
PRR8259 Well, I'm learning to shop "smarter". On relatively recent locos, maybe only 6 months old since they entered the U.S., I can find some on Ebay, but then I went out and found almost all the roadnames in stock at a couple larger dealers--AND some roadnames for lower than any price on Ebay even allowing for shipping. John
Well, I'm learning to shop "smarter".
On relatively recent locos, maybe only 6 months old since they entered the U.S., I can find some on Ebay, but then I went out and found almost all the roadnames in stock at a couple larger dealers--AND some roadnames for lower than any price on Ebay even allowing for shipping.
John
This is exactly what's happening, IMO. Ebay has become the storefront for a lot of smaller dealers....who charge higher prices than the larger retailers we are familiar with.
And these dealers run out of stock quickly, whereas Lombards, TrainWorld, Spring Creek, and Hiawatha Hobbies still has them in stock and generally cheaper.
I use Picclick (search ebay faster). A friend of mine once said that if you don't see it listed on picclick or an online hobby retailer, not only is the item extremely rare, it's something really hard to get.
Picclick is like a wheel so I keep checking back every couple hours to see what's new. I also screenshot certain autions and hit the "watch" button on my phone.
In general I don't find any good deals on recently released items. They are usually listed at MSRP or higher. Ebay is more designed for people to sell off discontinued/items that they no longer need.
I usually go for the lesser known stuff. My most recent purchases have been items with titles such as "unknown brass HO steam loco" or "brass 0-6-0 w/ sound" or "BLI, 4447, engine"
Items that either have odd obscure titles that dont often come up from regular searches, or simply the owner doesn't know what theyre selling.
Thats how I got a PFM brass 0-6-0 with tsunami sound for $80, a Proto 2000 USRA 0-6-0 for $30, and many other steals. (not including ship/tax)
Charles
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Modeling the Santa Fe & Pennsylvania in HO
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLb3FRqukolAtnD1khrb6lQ
Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440
Just won one by $0.22, despite a flurry of activity of 5 bids by one bidder in the last minute. I'd put in my one, max bid and left it at that I presume they would have bid again, but ran ot of time.
I had forgotten to add the tax in deciding on my max bid or they might have gotten it. I recommend putting in your max bid, then let others try to find it. If they bid timidly they may not bid in time.
Win some lose some.
Dat-a-boy
I say go for 31 Thomas and give me one
me im the guy that bid bigggg then a couple days go by & i pray i get outbid lol
but since im a HO big boy addict im up to 30 so im done but yes i still have it under saved search lol
Hello UP8444
Agreed. Although I'm spending less these days on eBay because I have so much stock I really don't need anymore but I still want.
I still skim through the site over coffee every morning to see if there's something newly listed I want. Even the stuff I really don't want that much but interests me I put a watch tag on it to email me when the auction is almost over.
I set my highest bid conservatively most times even though I'm willing to spend more. Sometimes I skate in to see where the auctions at in the last minutes and have gotten some really good buys that way because there's not always a lot of other bidders.
Other times that conservative bid surprises me and I win and get something good for pennies on the dollar.
Even though I've slowed down considerably I always have something come in the mail every month. Ain't nothing better than a selfie present with No Holiday
Hello Track fiddler,
I have bought almost all my HO locos and freight cars on auction because I don't have easy access to a hobby shop that sells HO stuff and locos and freight cars are usually more inexpensive on auction. You can often buy new old stock and sometimes even brand new HO locos for about $35 ~ $95 (with shipping). The cheapest loco I found on auction was a new old stock bachmann spectrum F40PH ($35), and The most expensive was a brand new Athearn Genesis SD75M ($95). I think auctions are very useful, especially if you want to collect locos and frieght cars on a budget.
So there is someone who has tried the Ghost White Toner, and was happy with the results?
That is good news. I must have missed that discussion.
Thanks.
SeeYou190The Ghost White Toner has been mentioned in several threads in the past, but no one has responded saying they have tried it.
EDIT: I went back to get references and they have three, including reference to a how-to talk in 2019 (which I have not yet read, but should prove at least valuable to those considering the approach). Hopefully this link will work in pulling up the references directly:
https://jbritton.pennsyrr.com/index.php/component/search/?searchword=White%20toner&searchphrase=all&Itemid=1156