Okay, I think we've beatin' this one to death. Let's get back to trains rather than S&H costs. Thanks...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
maxman It also seems that there are some items where "free shipping" does not apply.
It also seems that there are some items where "free shipping" does not apply.
If shipping is extra, it means you are buying from a third party vendor that is charging for shipping and hasn't worked out shared cost agreement with Amazon for shipping.
The MicroMark truck tuner I spoke of in the OP is available from Amazon. The item cost is $4 more than what MicroMark charges but I wouldn't have paid additional shipping which tells me MicroMark and Amazon have an agreement on shipping. Had I bought directly from MicroMark, the item cost would have been less but I would have spent $10 more for shipping so buying the item from Amazon would have saved me $6. I saved a lot more by buying from the ebay seller and I'm getting two truck tuners for $13 less than I would have paid MicroMark for one.
I don't need to know nor do I care what goes into a vendor's costs to deliver an item to me. All I care about is the total cost they charge me. When I click on something on their website, it tells me that cost. The only thing added in is the sales tax which all online sellers are charging now and which I would pay at a brick and mortar store. Most of the time I have an idea what an item would cost me if I bought it at a brick and mortar store. If Amazon's price is reasonably close to that, it is a better deal for me to buy from them and not pay for gas and wear on my car. There is also the value of my time. A round trip to the nearest town with a Walmart and a Lowe's is almost an hour. Now if I am going into town to do other shopping, the equation changes.
My last renewal for my Prime membership was $119. Somebody said that it has gone up to $139. With gas prices rising so dramatically, that Prime membership is still a bargain. It would have to go up considerably more than that for me to consider dropping it.
deleted
Alton Junction
John-NYBW Amazon does not offer free shipping. If you have a prime membership, you are paying a flat fee for shipping for an entire year no matter how many purchases you make. That policy encourages people to buy more from Amazon, knowing their shipping is already paid for. I don't find Amazon prices to be higher than what I would pay at a brick and mortar store. Just yesterday I bought 3 pairs of sweatpants for about the same price I would have paid for them at WalMart. I'm going to guess I average 3 to 4 purchases from Amazon a week for items large and small, cheap or expensive. Often I use Amazon to order things I meant to buy at Kroger or Walmart and just forgot. I don't have to make a special trip into town to get what I forgot.
Amazon does not offer free shipping. If you have a prime membership, you are paying a flat fee for shipping for an entire year no matter how many purchases you make. That policy encourages people to buy more from Amazon, knowing their shipping is already paid for.
I don't find Amazon prices to be higher than what I would pay at a brick and mortar store. Just yesterday I bought 3 pairs of sweatpants for about the same price I would have paid for them at WalMart. I'm going to guess I average 3 to 4 purchases from Amazon a week for items large and small, cheap or expensive. Often I use Amazon to order things I meant to buy at Kroger or Walmart and just forgot. I don't have to make a special trip into town to get what I forgot.
Flat rate, free shipping, doesn't matter. The point is that shipping costs are pooled and spread out among all customers. So if you are not paying for the shipping costs, somebody else is. If you buy a bunch of stuff over the year and your per item cost would have been higher than what you pay as the flat rate....then some other customer paid your shipping costs by buying less during the year than what they paid in the flat fee. Or else Amazon would lose money.
If you live 150 miles away and the other guy lives 10 miles away, and Amazon bases its flat fee on an average customer being 50 miles away, the guy who is paying the same flat rate but lives 10 miles away is paying for your shipping.
Amazon will periodically adjust the dymamics so that it doesn't lose money on shipping. The pool of money used to account for their shipping costs will always stay in the black. So everybody, as a pool, is probably overpaying for shipping in some way when you buy Amazon. Which still may be cheaper than fetching the item yourself or using other online stores. But folks' cost accounting for what it cost them to do household things isn't very good, so they don't really know the costs anyway.
There are lots of ways to fool consumers into thinking they are not paying for something when they are. Ever figure how a car lender can make money by charging 0% interest?
As has been pointed out, apparently, a place like MicroMark is not going to take the time to individualize shipping costs, just like Amazon.
Come to think of it, I think Modeltrainstuff, TrainWorld, Lombard's all charge a flat rate shipping no matter if the customer is 10 miles away or 1,000 miles away. They aren't losing money on the deal.
- Douglas
John-NYBWI don't find Amazon prices to be higher than what I would pay at a brick and mortar store.
Depends what you're looking for and where you live. I have found prices higher, sometimes a lot higher. I always do a computer search to compare prices. I have found items at lesser cost at local stores, for example at Target. There are two of those within about 5 miles of me and if I don't need it right away I'll combine a trip there with other trips.
"And Amazon increased the price of Prime from $119 to $139 per year. Will you be giving Amazon even more money by ordering extra to get the most benefit of your more expensive included shipping? "
I'm also unhappy about the Amazon price increase for Prime. However, that includes the movies that they offer. They might not come close to being the best movies, but I have a small TV on the table where I model and the Prime movies provide background noise.
John-NYBW The savings in gas alone pays for my Prime membership not to mention the added wear and tear on my car. Much fewer trips into town which is a 25 mile round trip. If I need something, my first option is Amazon and often I can get it the next day. The sweatpants I ordered yesterday just arrived about 15 minutes ago. I didn't need those right away but often I do need next day delivery. Amazon is a great convenience and well worth the cost of the membership even without the savings in gas. I don't buy things from Amazon just to get my money's worth on the Prime membership, but knowing shipping is already paid for means I don't have to think twice if I need something. Most of the time what I want I can find on Amazon. It's not always the cheapest but often it is. If I see something on QVC, I'll usually check to see if the item or something similar is available on Amazon. Usually it is. QVC sometimes offers free shipping but that's the exception, not the rule.
The savings in gas alone pays for my Prime membership not to mention the added wear and tear on my car. Much fewer trips into town which is a 25 mile round trip. If I need something, my first option is Amazon and often I can get it the next day. The sweatpants I ordered yesterday just arrived about 15 minutes ago. I didn't need those right away but often I do need next day delivery. Amazon is a great convenience and well worth the cost of the membership even without the savings in gas.
I don't buy things from Amazon just to get my money's worth on the Prime membership, but knowing shipping is already paid for means I don't have to think twice if I need something. Most of the time what I want I can find on Amazon. It's not always the cheapest but often it is. If I see something on QVC, I'll usually check to see if the item or something similar is available on Amazon. Usually it is. QVC sometimes offers free shipping but that's the exception, not the rule.
Agreed. We have a major AMAZON warehouse just 8 miles from our house, it is amazing the things you can get next day with free shipping.
And it does save us gas and time.
Well worth the membership fee, unlike COSTO, Sam's Club, or BJ's which we gave up on completely.
Sheldon
John-NYBW Amazon does not offer free shipping. If you have a prime membership, you are paying a flat fee for shipping for an entire year no matter how many purchases you make. That policy encourages people to buy more from Amazon, knowing their shipping is already paid for.
And Amazon increased the price of Prime from $119 to $139 per year. Will you be giving Amazon even more money by ordering extra to get the most benefit of your more expensive included shipping?
Amazon Prime is the online equivalent of brick and mortar loyalty programs, coupons, and sales. One spends more money on purchases than one would have otherwise because there is a perception of "saving money" when in reality one would have spent less without the so-called incentive.
John-NYBW Doughless Shipping costs are based upon weight, size, and distance. The value of the item has nothing to do with it. I could ship a $2,000 watch for the same price I could ship a Cracker Jack toy of the same size and weight. $10 bucks to ship anything seems reasonable to me. What you say is true from the shipper's standpoint but I am speaking from the consumer's standpoint. If I'm paying $10 shipping for a $2000 item, that is only adding 0.5% to the overall cost. That's much easier to swallow than what I did last week when I had to pay $10 shipping for a $2.50 part that I needed but couldn't find elsewhere. As it pertains to the two truck tuners I bought for $20, if $10 of that was for shipping, I got the two truck tuners for $5 apiece. I really don't think the seller would be making a profit at that price point. Surely he is shipping the item for a lot less than $10. If the little guy can ship things cheaper than the big established companies, it makes far more sense from the consumer's standpoint to buy from the little guy. Online shopping has turned retailing upside down. It used to be the big brick and mortar stores could undercut the little Ma & Pa operations whether it was grocery stores, hardware stores, or anything else. The smaller operations couldn't match the big box stores in price so they had to offer better service or convenience to compete. Now anybody can operate a small retailing business out of the home without the overhead the large companies have which gives them the advantage from a pricing standpoint.
Doughless Shipping costs are based upon weight, size, and distance. The value of the item has nothing to do with it. I could ship a $2,000 watch for the same price I could ship a Cracker Jack toy of the same size and weight. $10 bucks to ship anything seems reasonable to me.
Shipping costs are based upon weight, size, and distance. The value of the item has nothing to do with it. I could ship a $2,000 watch for the same price I could ship a Cracker Jack toy of the same size and weight. $10 bucks to ship anything seems reasonable to me.
What you say is true from the shipper's standpoint but I am speaking from the consumer's standpoint. If I'm paying $10 shipping for a $2000 item, that is only adding 0.5% to the overall cost. That's much easier to swallow than what I did last week when I had to pay $10 shipping for a $2.50 part that I needed but couldn't find elsewhere.
As it pertains to the two truck tuners I bought for $20, if $10 of that was for shipping, I got the two truck tuners for $5 apiece. I really don't think the seller would be making a profit at that price point. Surely he is shipping the item for a lot less than $10. If the little guy can ship things cheaper than the big established companies, it makes far more sense from the consumer's standpoint to buy from the little guy.
Online shopping has turned retailing upside down. It used to be the big brick and mortar stores could undercut the little Ma & Pa operations whether it was grocery stores, hardware stores, or anything else. The smaller operations couldn't match the big box stores in price so they had to offer better service or convenience to compete. Now anybody can operate a small retailing business out of the home without the overhead the large companies have which gives them the advantage from a pricing standpoint.
I can't vouch for any company's ability to accurately "cost-account" for every aspect of their business, but if they did, the cost of the item should be the cost of the item plus margin. The shipping charge should reflect the costs borne for you to get the item to your abode. But businesses don't often work that way.
Amazon free shipping has a bunch of bad accounting, because everybody knows that the cost of shipping is embedded in the prices of every item they sell. When you buy something from amazon, it might be easier to get that item to you than it is to get that item to somebody on the other side of the country. So your price is probably partly paying for the same item to ship to the other guys house when he buys one, and visa versa.
Amazon does not take the time to charge everybody precisely what it costs to ship it to a person's specific location, and neither is MicroMark, apparently.
As you know, its all rolled into one price and total cost is wht you're interested in.
As it stands, none of us know what the actual cost of an item is...and other business costs we are paying for. Adverstising, handling, R&D...spreading out the cost of a failed product that cost a lot of money to develop but never sold...etc.
I've hired skilled labor to work on my house. $75 an hour is a going rate. They make a big deal about leaving the house the way they found it. Great, until I realize that I'm paying them $75 an hour to walk stuff to the dumpster and sweep dirt into a dust pan...that part of the job worth about 8$ an hour. So, yeah, sometimes we just have to pay for stuff we don't want to pay for, just to get the stuff that we do want to pay for, when you're at their disadvantage.
Like you, until you go elsewhere.
tstage John-NYBW I remember we were developing a system that needed to do a date calculation and we had to allow for leap year. That's easy. Just figure out if the year is divisible by 4. But there is an exception. Years ending in 00 are not leap years. Or, do you mean "Years ending in 00 are not divisible by 4"??? The last time I checked every 4 years is a leap year and that includes years ending in "00".
John-NYBW I remember we were developing a system that needed to do a date calculation and we had to allow for leap year. That's easy. Just figure out if the year is divisible by 4. But there is an exception. Years ending in 00 are not leap years.
Or, do you mean "Years ending in 00 are not divisible by 4"??? The last time I checked every 4 years is a leap year and that includes years ending in "00".
mikeGTW Did anyone bother to read the info on the tuner from DCCconcepts You get two reamers the exact same size the only difference is in the roller part one has a single center roller the other has two rollers for different types of trucks Go to the link for DCCconcepts and click on the MR magazine fitting wheels the easy way and there is a pdf showing how they are used and for $20 you get TWO of them
Did anyone bother to read the info on the tuner from DCCconcepts
You get two reamers the exact same size the only difference is in the roller part one has a single center roller the other has two rollers for different types of trucks
Go to the link for DCCconcepts and click on the MR magazine fitting wheels the easy way and there is a pdf showing how they are used
and for $20 you get TWO of them
That's interesting. It must be an optical illusion because the one with the two rollers looks smaller. Nice to know I'll have a spare if I happen to misplace one again.
Company's and businesses that sell their brand name have ways of having the consumer pay for that satisfaction through a variety of means. Charge a little more here and there. And there's the case of many uninformed pigeon's out there (some of them with lots of money to spend) that have no idea what they are buying, can't distinquish a good product or service from a bad one, but simply want "the best". They may flock to businesses that advertise "you get what you pay for". Many of these consumers walk away feeling better. Its oftentimes the difference between a Lexus and a Toyota.
Feeling better is a commodity that can be sold by businesses, and many businesses cater to that customer. Other customers might shop at Walmart for basically the same thing.
I've never had a reason to use anything from MicroMark (as a switching layout person...do they make truck "de-tuners" to get those excessively free rolling cars to offer more resistance?), but I assume larger volume businesses that sell their brand and have advertising budgets have costs that get blended into anything they sell, maybe even shipping charges.
Go find your best deal. Its also best to know what you're buying for as to determine if the pricier option is actually better, or that the cheaper version at least meets your needs.
Pruitt When all is said and done, Mircro Mark is simply pricey. Woodland Scenics is the same way. So are several other vendors.
When all is said and done, Mircro Mark is simply pricey. Woodland Scenics is the same way. So are several other vendors.
I would agree with that but you can occasionally find good deals at MicroMark. They also sell a wide variety of specialty items that would be hard to find elsewhere. What they offer is the convenience of being able to get all these hard to find items in one place. If you have multiple purchases to make, the high shipping cost gets diminished.
I have bought from MicroMark in the past and probably will in the future but I'm always going to check other vendors for the same item. I will say that MicroMark's customer service is top drawer and they are quick to remedy a problem with an order. MOST ebay vendors I've dealt with have been pretty good. There have been only a couple over the years that I've left negative feedback to. Ebay does offer a measure of protection for the buyer and I've only had to fall back on that a couple of times.
John-NYBW ATLANTIC CENTRAL John, hopefully the item you bought is as good as the one MicroMark sells, considering its low retail price compaired to the MicroMark product. As I pointed out above, you bought a $14 reamer set, and paid $6 shipping. Lets hope the $14 reamers are as good as the $23 one. https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/bearing-reamers-set-of-two-ho/ Sheldon Of course when you buy a knock off, you can't be sure about quality but from the picture, it looks identical to MicroMark tuner except the grip is white instead of black. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they were both manufactured by the same company. I'll bet the metal piece is which is what matters. I'll take my chances on a $14 tuner with a $6 shipping charge over a $23 tuner with a $10 shipping charge.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL John, hopefully the item you bought is as good as the one MicroMark sells, considering its low retail price compaired to the MicroMark product. As I pointed out above, you bought a $14 reamer set, and paid $6 shipping. Lets hope the $14 reamers are as good as the $23 one. https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/bearing-reamers-set-of-two-ho/ Sheldon
John, hopefully the item you bought is as good as the one MicroMark sells, considering its low retail price compaired to the MicroMark product.
As I pointed out above, you bought a $14 reamer set, and paid $6 shipping.
Lets hope the $14 reamers are as good as the $23 one.
https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/bearing-reamers-set-of-two-ho/
Of course when you buy a knock off, you can't be sure about quality but from the picture, it looks identical to MicroMark tuner except the grip is white instead of black. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they were both manufactured by the same company. I'll bet the metal piece is which is what matters. I'll take my chances on a $14 tuner with a $6 shipping charge over a $23 tuner with a $10 shipping charge.
And I agree it is worth a chance. Somehow I doubt they are in the same factory, but you never know. Who knows it could be better?
John, it is a brave new world in this hobby, and I don't like a lot of the changes either, but what are the options?
Other than the fact that I have a great percentage of what I need and want.
Almost all of my freight cars have Kadee sprung trucks with Intermountain wheelsets - I know, I go against the flow, but I can prove it works better.
An example - Woodland Scenics Plaster cloth "triple roll" is about .79 cents per square inch. Amazon has a five pound roll of plaster cloth that comes out to about .24 cents per square inch, about 1/3 the cost of WS.
Always shop around. And try to order several items at once, to reduce the per-item shipping cost. I know that doesn't always work, and several times I've had to place two or more orders because I forgot something else I needed. Now I write down things I need on a whiteboard, and check it before I place an order.
The other thing to do is wait for a train show in your area and try to find the item you need there. If you do find it, it's often cheaper than you can find it online.
But if you can't wait, you'll just have to bite the bullet and pay the shipping.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
John-NYBW Bayfield Transfer Railway I can tell who doesn't ship much.USPS flat rate boxes start at 9.50 or so. $9.95 for shipping doesn't cover the amount of time it takes to box something up. And weighing the box and charging only what it costs takes enough time to eat up any profit you may have.I wonder how many Ebay sellers ship out of their full time job's shipping room? As a consumer, I really don't care what it costs a company to ship an item to me. I care what it costs me. I am going to give my business to the vendor that can ship me the item for the lowest total cost. It makes no difference to me if it is a long established company or some guy trying to make a few extra bucks on the side. Both have to compete for my business.
Bayfield Transfer Railway I can tell who doesn't ship much.USPS flat rate boxes start at 9.50 or so. $9.95 for shipping doesn't cover the amount of time it takes to box something up. And weighing the box and charging only what it costs takes enough time to eat up any profit you may have.I wonder how many Ebay sellers ship out of their full time job's shipping room?
I can tell who doesn't ship much.USPS flat rate boxes start at 9.50 or so. $9.95 for shipping doesn't cover the amount of time it takes to box something up.
And weighing the box and charging only what it costs takes enough time to eat up any profit you may have.I wonder how many Ebay sellers ship out of their full time job's shipping room?
As a consumer, I really don't care what it costs a company to ship an item to me. I care what it costs me. I am going to give my business to the vendor that can ship me the item for the lowest total cost. It makes no difference to me if it is a long established company or some guy trying to make a few extra bucks on the side. Both have to compete for my business.
When I sold custom tractor upgrade parts on Ebay I always sold with "buy it now" and free shipping - just built it all into the price.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
My brother owned an automobile repair shop in North Carolina. He is retired now, but he insisted havin the highest shop rate in the area. If some raised their shop rate, he simply raised his. And he was choosy on what cars he would work on. If someone came in with a car that he never worked on he would simply double his estimate. If some one caame in with an old clunker he would raise his estimate by a factor of five. But when that clunker left his shop, it would be a perfect as he could make it.
He knew that there would be more that he would want to fix and so he included that in his estimate. And of course if the price came in for less then that was what he charged.
Take it or leave it, there were other shops in North Carolina, and he had enough business to keep him going. Only one extra employee, because good mechanics were very hard to come by. So he paid his workers well as well.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
If a solar year was exactly 365 days, 6 hours we could have a leap year every 4th year without exception. However, a solar year is only 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 46 seconds (approximately). To make up for that 11+ minute difference, leap days have to be skipped in years ending in 00 except for those divisible by 400. My memory is a little fuzzy but I think in about 10,000 years there will be an exception to the exception to the exception.
Now if you really want to go full Cliff Clavin on your co-workers, explain the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The Julian Calendar adopted in 45 BC had a leap year ever four years without exception. Over the centuries, the calendar had gotten out of sync with events like the solstices and equinoxes. To remedy that the Gregorian calendar, named for Pope Gregory who mandated it, put in the leap year exceptions. At the time of its adoption, 10 days in September of 1582 were skipped to get the calendar back in sync with the astronomical events. At first, only countries with Catholic majorities adopted the Gregorian calendar but eventually it became universal.
John-NYBW ATLANTIC CENTRAL John-NYBW ATLANTIC CENTRAL At only 20 I was managing the train deartment in a local hobby shop, at that point I already had over 6 years experience behind the counter and 10 years experiance in the hobby with some excellent adult mentors. So the point is, I'm not bragging, I'm just saying I understand what these businesses are up against every day to survive. In 1970, there was actually a lot more markup in model trains than there is today - and very few got rich then either. That's why I never opened my own train store...... Sheldon I spent most of my career in data processing in state government. I also spent time working for a retailer, a bank, a software service company, and as a consultant (aka rent-a-programmer). Before getting into data processing I worked a number of other jobs in various companies. I understand perfectly that retailing is a difficult business and for many it is a struggle to stay in business. As a consumer, that is not my concern. My concern is getting the most value for my money and the companies that do the best job of giving me that will get my business. If a company goes out of business because they can't give me as good a value for my money as their competitors, that's life. I don't owe a company anything any more than they owe me anything. When I do business with a company, it is because we were able to make a transaction at a price agreeable to both of us. Companies that don't offer me a product at an agreeable price won't get my money and I won't get their product. They can sell their products to other customers and I can buy products from other companies. That's fine John, I'm a bargain shopper too. But what is the point of coming on here and bashing the guy who could not offer you a deal? When I sold tools, one of the garages I called on had two signs over the service desk. One said - "We take no issue with those who sell for less - they know what their work is worth". The other said - "The mechanic who works on your car while you drive it did not come to work today". It was one of the best and busiest shops in town. A great deal of the time, you get exactly what you pay for - or - you never get what you don't pay for. I have $200 locomotives I only paid $75 for new in the box, but I understand that was a special situation that made them available at that price. There are lots of things is this hobby that I will not pay the "going rate" for - but am I on here complaining about prices? - no - just the oposite. The man wants or needs whatever price he sets, I either want it or I don't. I'm not going to talk bad about him because of it. As I said earlier, I walk away from customers who think I charge too much - and I have more work than I can do - Despite ones that thought my prices too high, others obviously realize I am a bargain. Sheldon Where did you get the idea I was bashing them. I simply pointed out that companies that charge high shipping rates relative to the cost of an item are losing sales to those who charge lower shipping rates or no shipping charge at all. Any company has the right to charge whatever they want for their merchandise and any shipping rate they choose. I as a consumer have the right to take into account the total cost of an item when deciding whom to buy from. I think companies like MicroMark who charge high shipping charges relative to the cost of the item are losing market share as a result. Apparently they have taken that into account and decided they will make more profit with the higher shipping charges even if that means losing sales to other vendors.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL John-NYBW ATLANTIC CENTRAL At only 20 I was managing the train deartment in a local hobby shop, at that point I already had over 6 years experience behind the counter and 10 years experiance in the hobby with some excellent adult mentors. So the point is, I'm not bragging, I'm just saying I understand what these businesses are up against every day to survive. In 1970, there was actually a lot more markup in model trains than there is today - and very few got rich then either. That's why I never opened my own train store...... Sheldon I spent most of my career in data processing in state government. I also spent time working for a retailer, a bank, a software service company, and as a consultant (aka rent-a-programmer). Before getting into data processing I worked a number of other jobs in various companies. I understand perfectly that retailing is a difficult business and for many it is a struggle to stay in business. As a consumer, that is not my concern. My concern is getting the most value for my money and the companies that do the best job of giving me that will get my business. If a company goes out of business because they can't give me as good a value for my money as their competitors, that's life. I don't owe a company anything any more than they owe me anything. When I do business with a company, it is because we were able to make a transaction at a price agreeable to both of us. Companies that don't offer me a product at an agreeable price won't get my money and I won't get their product. They can sell their products to other customers and I can buy products from other companies. That's fine John, I'm a bargain shopper too. But what is the point of coming on here and bashing the guy who could not offer you a deal? When I sold tools, one of the garages I called on had two signs over the service desk. One said - "We take no issue with those who sell for less - they know what their work is worth". The other said - "The mechanic who works on your car while you drive it did not come to work today". It was one of the best and busiest shops in town. A great deal of the time, you get exactly what you pay for - or - you never get what you don't pay for. I have $200 locomotives I only paid $75 for new in the box, but I understand that was a special situation that made them available at that price. There are lots of things is this hobby that I will not pay the "going rate" for - but am I on here complaining about prices? - no - just the oposite. The man wants or needs whatever price he sets, I either want it or I don't. I'm not going to talk bad about him because of it. As I said earlier, I walk away from customers who think I charge too much - and I have more work than I can do - Despite ones that thought my prices too high, others obviously realize I am a bargain. Sheldon
John-NYBW ATLANTIC CENTRAL At only 20 I was managing the train deartment in a local hobby shop, at that point I already had over 6 years experience behind the counter and 10 years experiance in the hobby with some excellent adult mentors. So the point is, I'm not bragging, I'm just saying I understand what these businesses are up against every day to survive. In 1970, there was actually a lot more markup in model trains than there is today - and very few got rich then either. That's why I never opened my own train store...... Sheldon I spent most of my career in data processing in state government. I also spent time working for a retailer, a bank, a software service company, and as a consultant (aka rent-a-programmer). Before getting into data processing I worked a number of other jobs in various companies. I understand perfectly that retailing is a difficult business and for many it is a struggle to stay in business. As a consumer, that is not my concern. My concern is getting the most value for my money and the companies that do the best job of giving me that will get my business. If a company goes out of business because they can't give me as good a value for my money as their competitors, that's life. I don't owe a company anything any more than they owe me anything. When I do business with a company, it is because we were able to make a transaction at a price agreeable to both of us. Companies that don't offer me a product at an agreeable price won't get my money and I won't get their product. They can sell their products to other customers and I can buy products from other companies.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL At only 20 I was managing the train deartment in a local hobby shop, at that point I already had over 6 years experience behind the counter and 10 years experiance in the hobby with some excellent adult mentors. So the point is, I'm not bragging, I'm just saying I understand what these businesses are up against every day to survive. In 1970, there was actually a lot more markup in model trains than there is today - and very few got rich then either. That's why I never opened my own train store...... Sheldon
At only 20 I was managing the train deartment in a local hobby shop, at that point I already had over 6 years experience behind the counter and 10 years experiance in the hobby with some excellent adult mentors.
So the point is, I'm not bragging, I'm just saying I understand what these businesses are up against every day to survive.
In 1970, there was actually a lot more markup in model trains than there is today - and very few got rich then either.
That's why I never opened my own train store......
I spent most of my career in data processing in state government. I also spent time working for a retailer, a bank, a software service company, and as a consultant (aka rent-a-programmer). Before getting into data processing I worked a number of other jobs in various companies.
I understand perfectly that retailing is a difficult business and for many it is a struggle to stay in business. As a consumer, that is not my concern. My concern is getting the most value for my money and the companies that do the best job of giving me that will get my business. If a company goes out of business because they can't give me as good a value for my money as their competitors, that's life. I don't owe a company anything any more than they owe me anything. When I do business with a company, it is because we were able to make a transaction at a price agreeable to both of us. Companies that don't offer me a product at an agreeable price won't get my money and I won't get their product. They can sell their products to other customers and I can buy products from other companies.
That's fine John, I'm a bargain shopper too. But what is the point of coming on here and bashing the guy who could not offer you a deal?
When I sold tools, one of the garages I called on had two signs over the service desk.
One said - "We take no issue with those who sell for less - they know what their work is worth".
The other said - "The mechanic who works on your car while you drive it did not come to work today".
It was one of the best and busiest shops in town.
A great deal of the time, you get exactly what you pay for - or - you never get what you don't pay for.
I have $200 locomotives I only paid $75 for new in the box, but I understand that was a special situation that made them available at that price.
There are lots of things is this hobby that I will not pay the "going rate" for - but am I on here complaining about prices? - no - just the oposite.
The man wants or needs whatever price he sets, I either want it or I don't. I'm not going to talk bad about him because of it.
As I said earlier, I walk away from customers who think I charge too much - and I have more work than I can do - Despite ones that thought my prices too high, others obviously realize I am a bargain.
Where did you get the idea I was bashing them. I simply pointed out that companies that charge high shipping rates relative to the cost of an item are losing sales to those who charge lower shipping rates or no shipping charge at all. Any company has the right to charge whatever they want for their merchandise and any shipping rate they choose. I as a consumer have the right to take into account the total cost of an item when deciding whom to buy from. I think companies like MicroMark who charge high shipping charges relative to the cost of the item are losing market share as a result. Apparently they have taken that into account and decided they will make more profit with the higher shipping charges even if that means losing sales to other vendors.
Yes, because volume does not automaticly equal profits, especially for small businesses.
Sure sounded like a complaint to me?
I have truck tuner - hardly ever use it - most of my equipment has metal trucks.
John-NYBW 1900 and 2100 are both divisible by 4 but are not leap years. That is the exception to the rule. The exception to the exception is years ending in 00 and are also divisible by 400 are leap years. 2000 was a leap year. 2400 will be the next year that ends in 00 and is also a leap year. Answered: Leap years occur in years exactly… | bartleby A baby born on February 29, 2096 will not have his first birthday until he is 8 years old.
1900 and 2100 are both divisible by 4 but are not leap years. That is the exception to the rule. The exception to the exception is years ending in 00 and are also divisible by 400 are leap years. 2000 was a leap year. 2400 will be the next year that ends in 00 and is also a leap year.
Answered: Leap years occur in years exactly… | bartleby
A baby born on February 29, 2096 will not have his first birthday until he is 8 years old.
Thanks, John. I learned something new. And it will be my question of the day tomorrow at my work place.