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I have to agree. Support your LHS. Model railroading isn't some fad thing like Ipods and such of today that's replaced by something bright and shinny tomorrow. This hobby has been around for many many years and is charished these days by few. More and more localy owned hobby shops are going out of business and I don't think the majority are because of owners being jackasses and purposely ripping people off. One good reason is simply people of today are into electronics, computers, too much tv, instant gratification things. Too many people today think a hobby is sipping a beer while watching football. The other good reason is because of the internet. As great as it may be, being able to get things dirt cheap via websites like E-Bay, then doing nothing more than sitting on your lazy assses waiting for it to be brought to you via UPS man, is killing buisiness for any locally owned business much less LHS's. I consider myself lucky cause my town has two LHS's, one strickly sells model railroading merchandise galore. Is their stuff priced a few bucks higher than what I might find on the internet??? Sure it probably is, but how the heck do you expect them to make a profit and continue to run their busiess and earn their own paychecks and pay their bills for running the store??? Your LHS is your means of getting what you want NOW. It costs more because of that convience. No different than you going to Detroit MI, standing at the end of the assembly line and buying the next car that rolls off compaired to going to your LCD (local car dealorship) and paying a little more because it had to be shipped and handled! I don't trust buying anything I can't see, touch, examin in person before I buy. Would you buy your next 25,000 car soley from a pic and a paragraph describing it off the internet?? Would you take that risk without actually looking that car over and driving it just because it's cheaper than what the dealership has sitting on his lot?? The price between that and a 125 dollar model engine is a extreme comparision but the concept and idea behind it is still the same. You spend 100 bucks for an engine off E-Bay from someone, you spend that much of your hard earned money, do you really trust the person your buying it from you don't know, that it really does work and it's not broke, that their going to package it up good enough so it don't get broke on it's way to you? Do you really want to intrust your purchase to the many delivery men/women's hands and trucks it gets thrown around on, on it's way to you?? For me I may spend an extra 25 bucks for an engine but at least I know exactly what I'm buying when I take it up to the counter and pay for it cause I personaly checked it out BEFORE I bought it. Not bought it then seen if it was broke when I finally got it If it's an 'as is' item, your screwed if it gets broke by the time you get it. If I buy an engine from my LHS, I instantly have it in my possition, if I get it home and it don't work, I can instantly take it back to my LHS and have them fix it right then and there or get another one. LHS's are going out of business cause too many people these days don't care about doing hobbies and because for everyone person who buys off the internet, that's one less person supporting their LHS to help them stay in business. How many of you got started in this hobby because you fathers or grandfathers did this, or you walked into a hobby shop when you was a kid and saw all the cool stuff?? You didn't start this hobby based on pictures off of E-Bay and who sold things the cheapest. I don't consider Hobby Lobby, Hobby Town USA true hobby shops, it's your ma and pop hobby shops that have always been the backbone of this hobby. Once there all gone, so will this hobby be as generations pass. Spend the extra few bucks and support your LHS !!
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