this is a warning going out to guys who like me missed the past posts about this store and their poor customer relations.
they also do business as lantzs hobby shop in horsehead ny
I placed an order and eventually received the package,the order total was less than 50 bucks and they charged me over 17 bucks shipping
then I find out the hard way that they charge 7% processing fee on all order cancellations
sure they have some low prices to hook you in and maybe you will be happy customer but do you want to take that chance
The hook is when they charge you shipping & handling, thats how they stick it to you. If a company only uses the word shipping bylaw they can only charge you what ever the carrier charges. They are not allowed to mark up shipping costs. I never buy from anyone online who doesn't have that built in shipping calculator on the check out page. I have fallen for the low price thing myself more then once. I only got burnt once before I learned my lesson.
I got burned by them once, and never again! When I proceeded to their checkout, there wasn't any indication of their shipping method, no choices, nor a price. Being in Canada I am quite sensitive to shipping methods as some, such as UPS to us are very exepensive. They charge us exhorbitant prices for collecting the sales tax we must pay on imported items - the same as our local sales tax.
I went back to my order many times during the next weeks, then figured they didn't actually have my item in stock, and were waiting for it to arrive. When I finally did find my completed check out form, I saw they shipped my parcel my FedEx Ground. As I assumed, the parcel did arrive in about a week, then two weeks later I received an invoice from FedEx for $35.00 "processing fee", PLUS the tax! My "bargain" model ended up costing me more than if I had paid more for it elsewhere.
I later saw something else they had on sale, so I phoned them and asked if they could ship it to me by US Mail. Nope, they said, when they lost their parcels it took too long to get the insurance. I told them I'd shop elsewhere in the future. Great customer service!
Bob Boudreau
CANADA
Visit my model railroad photography website: http://sites.google.com/site/railphotog/
turbine71 this is a warning going out to guys who like me missed the past posts about this store and their poor customer relations. they also do business as lantzs hobby shop in horsehead ny I placed an order and eventually received the package,the order total was less than 50 bucks and they charged me over 17 bucks shipping then I find out the hard way that they charge 7% processing fee on all order cancellations sure they have some low prices to hook you in and maybe you will be happy customer but do you want to take that chance
I have never shopped at wholesale trains, but your post seems a bit harsh. This reply is not intended as a defense of this company because I know nothing about it other than what you say.
First of all, shipping charges usually aren't based upon the dollar amount of the order but, rather, on the weight of the order, the volume size of the shipped package and the distance that it has to travel. A $17 shipping charge is not, per se, unreasonable.
Second, a 7% cancellation fee on order cancellations is not, per se, unreasonable. It is not uncommon to experience fees ranging from 10% to 20% for cancellations and restocking. We, as consumers may not like it, but businesses often have legitimate reasons for such charges.
If this company has low prices and good customer service, I am not so sure that I would dismiss it on the basis of a $17 shipping charge or a 7% order cancellation fee.
Rich
Alton Junction
Considering MB Klein didn't charge me even HALF that amount when my order included an entire case of cork roadbed, yeah, $17 is probably too high.
The ones I don't really understand are the independent people selling stuff, like on eBay. As a general rule I won't order or buy from anyone who charges excessive shipping, although I recently did since my winning bid was low enough to make the almost $8 shipping fee still total less than the model would cost elsewhere - what I don;t understand is the guy is charging $8 for something that would fit in the smallest Priority Mail flat-rate box, and then shipping parcel post so it will take a week to get here instead of 3 days max. Priority Mail boxes are free, and you don't have to go to the Post Office to get them, you cna have boxes delivered to your door. And since they are a flat rate I don't think you need to take them to the Post Office to mail them, so it can;t be about the inconvenience of having to drive to the PO. Just puzzled is all, even with the shipping I still got a bargain.
And don't get me started about Walthers.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I have to disagree with the criticizm of Wholesale Trains.
While I do not like the practice of not stating shipping (and/or handling) charges up front, I have made several purchases from them and never had a bad experience.
The most recent was the BLI Q2. My cost including S&H was $501. A far cry from MSRP or any other price I've ever seen. It arrived the day after the official relase announcement.
They also do not communicate very much, but again, not a problem for me. as long as they send my orders in a timely fashion, and the net price is fair.
I did have one issue, where they were out of stock on one item of my order. After what I thought was a fair time (about a month) I emailed and asked that the balance be shipped. They responded within a couple of days, and sent what they had promptly.
I have a set of BLI centipedes on order from them at $70 below the lowest price I've seen advertized anywhere else.
The issue is not whether a maill order outfit is entitled to charge shipping and handling, nor whether they are entitled to elect FedEx vs US mails. Of course they are. The issue is, are you informed what the shipping and handling charges will be BEFORE you make the final decision whether to purchase or not.
Dave Nelson
My experience with ordering model train supplies mail order go back further than most of you have been alive. Over all those years, I learned the hard way about who to use and not use. I found all sorts of gimmicks used to eek out a few more bucks from me that I would not have paid someone else. Quite frankly, today I only use 3 different mail order places, and they do not include the company mentioned in this thread.
Bob
pastorbob My experience with ordering model train supplies mail order go back further than most of you have been alive. Over all those years, I learned the hard way about who to use and not use. I found all sorts of gimmicks used to eek out a few more bucks from me that I would not have paid someone else. Quite frankly, today I only use 3 different mail order places, and they do not include the company mentioned in this thread. Bob
Care to share which three they are?
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....
Guess you've never heard of USPS Priority mail flat rate shipping if it's less the 70lbs it ships for no more then $14.50 (a large box lots of trains) or less.
$17.00 is called a rip off
I do not think there is any law on what 'shipping' means and what one can charge, I have sold lots of stuff on eBay. The actual USPS or UPS shipping charge is only part of the real cost. For a business, packing up the order takes materials/time. Maybe UPS or USPS will pick up the packages in your area. I have spent many lunch hours running to the local PO to mail out items I have sold.
The key item to remember when ordering via the web is to combine items into one large shipment. This keeps that shipping cost per item low. In my case, I can pay the usual $ 8.00 or so on mail order, or spend my time and fuel for a 150 mile r/t to one of the big LHS's.
I have used M B Klein, TTH, & 1st Place Hobbies with very good results. If they do not have some kind of on-line inventory that allows you to 'see' if the items are 'in stock', pick up the phone and order the items to make sure they ar ready toship. This will avoid 'back order' issues and the second shipping charge when the rest of the items finally are in stock. It's all 'common sense'......
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I've ordered one time from Lantz Hobby Shop and had no problems with the order or the shipping charges. They do seem to specialize more in G scale items than HO or N, and my order was for a G scale item.
Allegheny2-6-6-6 First of all, shipping charges usually aren't based upon the dollar amount of the order but, rather, on the weight of the order, the volume size of the shipped package and the distance that it has to travel. A $17 shipping charge is not, per se, unreasonable. Guess you've never heard of USPS Priority mail flat rate shipping if it's less the 70lbs it ships for no more then $14.50 (a large box lots of trains) or less. $17.00 is called a rip off
I suspect a lot of sellers with high shipping hasn't heard of that.
As far as handling most don't charge that no more then they do for the foam peanuts.
IMHO those sellers that do charge this fee is using another rip off gimmick that is incorporated by those rip off sellers like you see on TV.-You know buy 1 for $9.99 plus shipping and handling-HURRY! Order now and get 1 "free" for shipping & handling...Nothing "free" there.You already paid shipping and handling once.
Its insane to think shipping a HO car costs $17.00 when it can be shipped using the flat rate for as low as $4.95 by priority mail..
Sorry,Mr.Seller no sale.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
$17.00 does seem like a lot but how is it based?? I order items fairly often from MB Klein/ Modeltrainstuff.com and I know that their bottom end shipping is usually about $10 for UPS, which is most likely the UPS cost and it is the same price if it is 1 item or an order of 15 items so I factor that in the cost to see if is it a better deal or the same price as my LHS. Now if $17 is a flat shipping cost and you buy 10 cars or 3 engines at a saving over the LHS then dont complain.. if you order one $8 box car and it ends up costing $25 then that is your bad.. But on the same note I have been to a few sites that have not listed the shipping cost upfront and surprise you at the end and they dont get my business.. I think it is a sneaky business practice.
Allegheny2-6-6-6First of all, shipping charges usually aren't based upon the dollar amount of the order but, rather, on the weight of the order, the volume size of the shipped package and the distance that it has to travel. A $17 shipping charge is not, per se, unreasonable. Guess you've never heard of USPS Priority mail flat rate shipping if it's less the 70lbs it ships for no more then $14.50 (a large box lots of trains) or less.$17.00 is called a rip off
I'm not going to sit and defend shipping costs of other eBay sellers or on-line stores. But these are my experiences as a small time eBay seller:
Enough of my whining. I'm just trying to point out that there is another side to the story. As a buyer, I really detest restocking fees, and will often avoid stores that feature them. But then I don't expect the store to take it back unless 1) it's defective; or 2) I return the item complete and in sell-able condition. I make a point of being familiar with a store's return policies before buying.just my thoughts and experiences
Fred W
As someone who sells his personal used trains on Ebay--not for profit--I agree wholeheartedly with most of what Fred W. said above.
If we the seller skimp on item protection--sure--we can get it in that too small box! But is the buyer willing to accept the risk of damage to the item????
I get really *** off at the Ebay buyers who have marked me down (below 5.0 rating) for my shipping costs when I never charge a cent more than USPS charges and if I accidentally do I refund the difference in full!
We the Ebay seller do not set the USPS shipping rate charges--yet there are buyers who give us a 1 out of 5 in that score category. A couple of those clowns is all it takes to drop you from a perfect 5.0 to 4.8 or less.
I typically ship my packages the very next day, sometimes even before getting the payment if I have multiple packages to ship, and most are paid for--and yet there are morons who complain about the shipping charges and the time to get it there.
Ebay sucks for the sellers. Till I pay those #@$% fees and then get hosed by Paypal, I'm losing 14% or more of the selling price--and losing money on shipping, because Paypal robs their percentage of that as well.
So as a seller, you can't charge for the bubble wrap and other materials you have to buy to adequately pack items, because the "customers" complain about any handling fee at all--and then you lose money on the shipping charges you actually do receive--and shipping it immediately the next day seems to be not fast enough for some people.
I have bought from Wholesale Trains in the past and was generally happy with the service, shipping charges, and timeliness of their deliveries. If and when there was a problem (a defective item), they resolved it to my satisfaction with a replacement.
John
Dennis Blank Jr.
CEO,COO,CFO,CMO,Bossman,Slavedriver,Engineer,Trackforeman,Grunt. Birdsboro & Reading Railroad
I also agree with Fred and UPs comments about being an ebay seller. It's not quite as easy as some buyers seem to think. OTOH, I just paid $15 for shipping on an item only to have it arrive with a $4.90 shipping label. I asked about a partial refund and got no reply. I am OK with eating it this time because the item cost was about 35% of a new one. However, that's just not a nice policy.
Back to WST (Wholesale) I'd like to know what item was $17 to ship.
Even if I got charged $50 for shipping my last orders, I'd still be ahead based on the item price.
Regarding shipping to Canada; if you've done it within the last year, you know it's a potential nightmare, complete with affidavits of content (or non-content such as bird feathers or periodicals that contain photos or ads of specific products) and declarations of value (try shipping anything over $50).
...and the $4.95 flat rate box is just wide enough for an HO car without any protection. Someting moderately heavy tossed on top, and CRACK. Next size flat rate is $11.
my order from them consisted of 3 passenger cars and a reefer trailer,all HO scale.
it would have been good pr to know up front I was going to pay $17 shipping
have no problem with restocking fees but a cancellation fee..
when they informed me of the 7% fee I asked them to forget about the cancellation but they told me it was too late and my card was already charged and I would have place another order if I still wanted the items.
who remembers "hobbies for men" back in the day,maybe they are related
turbine71 my order from them consisted of 3 passenger cars and a reefer trailer,all HO scale. it would have been good pr to know up front I was going to pay $17 shipping have no problem with restocking fees but a cancellation fee.. when they informed me of the 7% fee I asked them to forget about the cancellation but they told me it was too late and my card was already charged and I would have place another order if I still wanted the items. who remembers "hobbies for men" back in the day,maybe they are related
I guess my problem with this whole discussion is a hobby shop bashing over a $17.00 shipping charge for 3 passenger cars and a reefer trailer. Someone said that the shipping charge should be $14.50 max if shipped USPS Priority Mail. Another calls $17 a ripoff. So what is a reasonable shipping cost? $5, $10, $12?
I agree that $17 seems higher than lower, but what size was the shipping box, what did it weigh, where was it shipped to, who was the shipper?
Seems like much ado about nothing. If the shipping charge were $25 or $40, that would be outrageous. But $17? Compared to $14.50? A ripoff? Dunno. I am not convinced.
1948PRR I also agree with Fred and UPs comments about being an ebay seller. It's not quite as easy as some buyers seem to think. OTOH, I just paid $15 for shipping on an item only to have it arrive with a $4.90 shipping label. I asked about a partial refund and got no reply. I am OK with eating it this time because the item cost was about 35% of a new one. However, that's just not a nice policy. Back to WST (Wholesale) I'd like to know what item was $17 to ship. Even if I got charged $50 for shipping my last orders, I'd still be ahead based on the item price. Regarding shipping to Canada; if you've done it within the last year, you know it's a potential nightmare, complete with affidavits of content (or non-content such as bird feathers or periodicals that contain photos or ads of specific products) and declarations of value (try shipping anything over $50). ...and the $4.95 flat rate box is just wide enough for an HO car without any protection. Someting moderately heavy tossed on top, and CRACK. Next size flat rate is $11.
Here's one buyer that also ships..I won't pay cushion shipping period because I shipped 3 Atlas locomotives for $10.55 by priority mail and they safely arrived 3 or 4 days later.
How many believes it costs a lot to ship a N Scale car?
I seen one seller that wanted $12.00!!! Talk about cushioning..
I recieved 8 N Scale cars from a on line shop..Total shipping cost? $4.95.
Here is what wholesale trains has to say about shipping charges on its website:
All Items are shipped via UPS or Fedex air and ground. We do not ship via USPS.Charges are based on posted UPS and Fedex website posted rates. Based on size and weight from Zip Code 14845 and not less than $9.95 unless otherwise stated on the website. Residential delivery Surcharges may apply if you are not shipping to a business. Some items may not be heavy but may be long or oversize and require shipping at the carriers oversize shipping rates.
It would be interesting to know what the actual shipping charges were from UPS or FedEx.
I just did a shipping qoute from usp. for your 3HO pass cars and a trailer.
box size around 16x6x9 value say $100
1 lb. with tracking and signature from their zip to mine, in the midwest.
ground = $17.62
1.5lb more realistic weight for this package = $18.44.
did't run it thru fedex, but their rates are about the same.
Railphotog I got burned by them once, and never again! When I proceeded to their checkout, there wasn't any indication of their shipping method, no choices, nor a price. Being in Canada I am quite sensitive to shipping methods as some, such as UPS to us are very exepensive. They charge us exhorbitant prices for collecting the sales tax we must pay on imported items - the same as our local sales tax. I went back to my order many times during the next weeks, then figured they didn't actually have my item in stock, and were waiting for it to arrive. When I finally did find my completed check out form, I saw they shipped my parcel my FedEx Ground. As I assumed, the parcel did arrive in about a week, then two weeks later I received an invoice from FedEx for $35.00 "processing fee", PLUS the tax! My "bargain" model ended up costing me more than if I had paid more for it elsewhere. I later saw something else they had on sale, so I phoned them and asked if they could ship it to me by US Mail. Nope, they said, when they lost their parcels it took too long to get the insurance. I told them I'd shop elsewhere in the future. Great customer service!
I always got great deals from them. The secret is that they don't keep there datdbase up. Make sure that everything you want is on their shelves. Call and ask them to make sure your entire order goes out in one box. Then everything is jake.
rrebell Railphotog I got burned by them once, and never again! When I proceeded to their checkout, there wasn't any indication of their shipping method, no choices, nor a price. Being in Canada I am quite sensitive to shipping methods as some, such as UPS to us are very exepensive. They charge us exhorbitant prices for collecting the sales tax we must pay on imported items - the same as our local sales tax. I went back to my order many times during the next weeks, then figured they didn't actually have my item in stock, and were waiting for it to arrive. When I finally did find my completed check out form, I saw they shipped my parcel my FedEx Ground. As I assumed, the parcel did arrive in about a week, then two weeks later I received an invoice from FedEx for $35.00 "processing fee", PLUS the tax! My "bargain" model ended up costing me more than if I had paid more for it elsewhere. I later saw something else they had on sale, so I phoned them and asked if they could ship it to me by US Mail. Nope, they said, when they lost their parcels it took too long to get the insurance. I told them I'd shop elsewhere in the future. Great customer service! Your mistake was in paying UPS, your contract was with the othe company and not UPS. You are in buisness and I am sure you are aware of that and just didn't want to fight it! By the way, love your photo tips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It wasn't UPS, it was FedEx Ground. If I hadn't paid them I'm sure they would have come after me for the amount. Don't know what you mean "you are in business"; my modeling and photography are my hobbies. I'm retired otherwise after 35 years with the Canadian Coast Guard.
Last Friday I recieved my most recent shipment from Wholesale Hobbies.It was very heavy because of a bunch of Hydrocal I ordered.I had also ordered some other things that didn't weigh much at all.Given the savings I got on everything, and that my choice of using a Local Hobby Shop is non-existent,I have no problem with the shipping charges.I don't think it is fair to condemm any supplier based solely on their shipping charges.No one business is suitable for everyone.I suggest you lose their contact info and move on to some one who satisfies your particular requirements.Whoesale Trains will remain one of my 'go to' sources.
I've purchased a few items from Wholesale Trains and never had a problem. The delivery time was prompt and they charged my card when they actually shipped the items.