Well, John, this is certainly a good question and I can (virtually) see you kicking yourself.
But don't.
My other hobby is building computers and, believe me, there is ALWAYS some "better" deal lurking in the bushes. If the laws of physics applied, I would think you could keep shopping forever and eventually, like a hyperbolic curve, you could come down to almost FREE.
Seriously...do you like the units? Did your other vendor treat you well; ship your merchandise promptly and without incident? If your answer is "yes"...then enjoy
(FYI...I paid a well know Chicago area hobby shop probably a whole lot more for my FRISCO F3 A-B set than I could have shopped it down to, so you are not alone. But I have my units and I'm perfectly happy)
Don't let the low prices lure you in. They actually only have a small percentage of what they advertise and have no stock of most items. I have heard nothing but problem after problem with wholesaletrains dot com
I do almost ALL my MRRing ordering from wholesaletrains.com...last christmas over $500 alone! {Boy, was Santa good to us! {my other half is into N scale}}.
They have great prices and their "time stamp" on when the items ships is right on the money most of the time. If it just says "available" it could take some time for shipping to happen.
They have a brick-and-mortar store in Horseheads, NY {think Elmira/Corning area} called Lantz's hobby shop. If an item ships "next day" that means they have it on the shelves there, where stuff rarely stays long. If it says "3days" they will be shipping it out in 3 days, 5 days will be shipped in 5 days.Available means they can get it for you ASAP and ship to you froma wide variety of sources. They DO do a vast part of thier business on the JIT system. {Just In Time}.So no need to worry.Unlike many other internet hobby shops they apparently do a good enough business that they can submit orders of any size to a supplier to get it ASAP, while oter online places must wait "til theyget enough to place an order with their supplier".
Of course if I have a problem with an order, I can just drive there {an hour away} and complain.
Of course, when I go to the store I always end up spending MORE money...you know..."bright shiney objects" that attract my attention SO.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
John,
I've dealt with Wholesaletrains.com (WST) twice. The first experience was great; the second not so great.
Bottom line: If WST has your item(s) in stock then you should be fine
If they don't have an item, you'll have to wait unspecified periods of time to get what you want - if ever. ONLY buy from WST if it says "in stock". "Available" means that they are out of stock on the item and could/might/probably - but NOT necessarily - get it. I've also found them frustrating to communicate with via e-mail.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
IO have 2 choices in ordering from them: one is shipped to my door, the other is to drive there and pickup.
At an hour away, and an hour back, the gas i think far outweighs the shipping charges.
If I order stuff "in stock" or "immediate delivery" early in the day, It can be on my doorstep that evening!!
If I see somehting they have in stock and want it, I will call ahead and they will hold for me so it doesn't get internet-sold-out-from-under-me while I am driving there.
The LONGEST I have ever waited is for a week of business days, plus one more business day.
YOu do have the option of having them send what they have/get in quickly and sending later arriving stuff, OR wait for whole order to ship.
They don't deal with ALL supliers, but do deal with the greater majority so they can get the stuff in a timely maner.
Any other place on the internet opperates the same now-a -days. SO you can wait just as long for a rarer item from ANY online dealer as NONE of them have EVERY item they list in stock. Example: most who are worth their weight have connetions to Walthers and Post EVERYTHING in the Walther's catalog. The bigger the outfit, the quicker they can get it IF Walther's has it in stock, or a suggested list of who might have it to get it from within their network. NOBODY, Not even Walthers, carries EVERy item they list!!!
Keep that in mind.
The general problem I see croping up everywhere on the 'net is that people figure when they order something, they expect it to be on their doorstep in 1-2 days. It doesn't always happen that way. We all get impatient waiting for our treasures, be it a 5x7 oriental rug or an SD70M-2.
I would STILL recommend wholesaletrains.com and those close enough or up for a day trip to go to their Lantz's hobbyshop in Horseheads, NY.
I've repeatedly used Wholesale Trains, at first for their pricing, but then for the service I've gotten. I've never had a single issue with them. Once they had to ship separately one item from the rest of my order, but within a couple days it too arrived, and with tracking numbers provided it was easy to follow.
Shipping doesn't always happen immediately, but I don't mind waiting an extra couple days for the amount of money I can save, and in some cases it can be substantial, such as 20% on Lionel Fast track.
That being said, I'm always comparing prices between a few retailers, and looking at opinions from other people. And if I need something in a pinch I'll first call all the local shops.
I have ordered from Wholesale trains twice. What previous posters have said about whether they show "Available" or "In Stock" is spot on. The first item I ordered was "In Stock" and it arrived within a week. No worries. But it did have a $25 fee added for shipping and handling.
The second order was "Available" and it took 4 weeks. It was a Christmas gift and almost didn't arrive in time. I called twice, but they didn't answer, and an e-mail asking where the product was went unanswered, although the item shipped within 48 hours of my sending the e-mail. I still got whacked with a $25 S&H charge.
Knowing what I know now, I would order from them again. I just take the product availability and S&H charge into account when I'm deciding where to order. I generally find MB Klein (www.modeltrainstuff) and Trainworld Online have better pricing once you take S&H into account.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
I have bought numerous items from Wholesale Trains over the years including rolling stock and even a DCC system. I have never had one problem. I recommend them highly.