I don't think I could sort through the 9000 post I have downloaded to find
where the best deals can be found. Could someone share with me where some of
the best places to purchase model railroad supplies and trains, etc are. I
love the internet stores and ebay but I do not know what a good value is
when I see one.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Mark Schulte
I like www.discounttrainsonline.com . There are most likely others. I
goto Walthers.com to look at the goods and then discount for ordering.
Wathers has a great search engine and most of the items are pictured. At
Discount you can save 15-25% of Walthers prices.
-------------------------------------------------
==================================
Why in the world would anyone recommend this dealer?!
Discount Trains Online dot Com's prices are 150-300% above street prices
across the board on new merchandise. Of the hundreds perhaps thousands
of online/mail order vendors, I can think of only one that is higher priced.
examples:
-----------------------------------------------
Trainmaster, PH1A, 1LT Undecorated
Atlas N Scale
Item #150-49500 Retail $99.95
Our Price $77.96 That's 22% OFF Available usually
ships in 4-5 days
Can be purchased from a half dozen dealers at $28-$30 each; mailed the next day.
------------------------------------------------
SD-7, W/DB Union Pacific
Lifelike N Scale
Item #433-7775 Retail $65.00
Our Price $50.70 That's 22% OFF
Available usually
ships in 4-5 days
Have been available at $19.90-$21.10 for more than 4 years; shipped upon receipt
of payment
-----------------------------------------------
Highballer Set Santa Fe
Bachmann Electric Train Sets
Item #160-24003 Retail $67.00
Our Price $46.90That's 30% OFF
$7.50/set at KayBee Toys last Christmas(and almost every year for the past 15).
Hundreds available.
-----------------------------------------------
SW8/900/600 Atlantic Coast Line, #50
Lifelike HO Scale
Item #433-30077 Retail $110.00
Our Price $85.80 That's 22% OFF Available usually
ships in 4-5 days
<LAUGHING> Just try to find it this high-priced anywhere else!
----------------------------------------------
2-8-0 Consolidation, Wood Pennsylvania Railroad
Aristo Craft G Scale
Item #614-80209 Retail $449.95
Our Price $404.95 That's 10% OFF
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item160194930
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item158566122
I agree. I can't think of any "service" issue that would make me want
to pay that much for trains.
I like
for good service - Caboose Hobbies http://www.caboosehobbies.com
and for good prices - Train World http://www.trainworld1.com/index.html
I have purchased from many others and had excellent luck with all of
them. The best way to find a good price is to decide what you want and
then hunt around for it.
OK, how's this?
All the model train dealers in the USA *except* www.amherst-depot.com
(which has the most fantastically over-priced Inventory in the Country)
There....I've listed not just "some of them", but all of them. If it was
hyperlinks
you were requesting, try the NMRA website:
http://www.cwrr.com/nmra /
http://www.cwrr.com/nmra/Shopb-Mail.html
Caboose Hobbies http://www.caboosehobbies.com
Train World http://www.trainworld1.com/index.html
Canadian Model Trains http://www.modeltrains.com /
Longs Drug http://www.longs-trains.com /
Mizell's http://www.dxmarket.com/mizelltrains/dir/264.html
I just made my latest purchase from "The Train Haus"
I was actually at the Outlet center store in Warrenton, MO. but ...
http://www.stores.ebay.com/thetrainhaus
I've purchased from all of these.
Unfortunately, I lost my bookmark file where I had 20-30 listed.
After checking my DiscountTrainsOnline.com order against trainworld1.com. I
find item for item that the two are about the same price. Trainworld does
consistently have a bit lower price ranging from 0.12 to 1.34 per item,
which for large orders will decrease your costs. However there were items
that Discount had the lower price. Trainworld charges 7.95 minimum shipping
compared to discount's 6.95. I did not itemize every product between the
two just my needs. YOUR needs differ, however the 150-300% remark I feel is
undeserved. Again this is based only on my needs. How much I would have
saved going to trainworld amounts to about $10, so I'm not going to cry
over spilled milk.
Discounts product listings are pictured where trainworld mostly lists by
text. You have to know what your looking for at trainworld. That's why I
search at Wathers or Discount and order where I need to. Actually thanks
to everyone for recommending to their favorite, it gives me a wider base to
search. Now for what I needed and will need, EBAY is a waste of time, I
can not get the diversity of items I need at one time or one place and I'm
not going to bid on every piece and hope I get what I want. It would take a
lot longer to build my layout.
What's the basic idea here: Shop and Compare!
For hydrocal I refuse to buy the (trainworld) $6.50 2lb milk carton ( $6.62
at discount) . I goto my locale Stucco supply yard and get a 40 pound bag
for $10. For Woodland scenic plaster cloth (6.22 at discount and 5.99 at
trainworld) I order from a Orthopedic supply house ( medical supplies). I
got two cases ( 12 6 inch rolls each) for $27 each. That's $2.25 a roll.
Its still 5 yards long. Paints I can get at Hobbylobby or Michael's for
less.
AGAIN What's the basic idea here: Shop and Compare! Use your imagination
to locate supplies. Some stuff you need can be found cheaper by looking at
other industry's suppliers.
Someone asked this just a few posts above. What kind of trains are you
looking for? Lionel or HO?
Stop by a hobby shop if you can and pick up a copy of Model Railroader
Magazine if your interest is HO, or Classic Toy trains if your interest is
Lionel.
Stop by a local hobby shop (assuming you are near a city of 50000+,
there should be someplace that sells at least a bit of train stuff).
That'll let you compare quality, and get a feel for prices.
You can also buy something and have it to use the same day. Mail
order/internet can't do that for you.
Then look at www.walthers.com . Their prices will be close to what
most non-discount shops sell for (Walthers sells to hobby shops, and
their retail division does not undercut their wholesale customers).
Then with that idea of prices, don't pay more for anything on E-bay.
You'd be surprised how often something sells on E-bay for more than it
goes for in a store.
I buy all my stuff from local stores, so I can't help you with
recommendations for on-line places, but keep watching here. There
should be lots of opinions along shortly.
Kent
--
Kent Ashton | http://members.shaw.ca/kjashton -personal
snipped-for-privacy@shaw.caNADA
I know of only two local stores (within a 25 mile radius).
One sells for full Walthers MSRP, always. The other
discounts maybe 10% off of Walthers MSRP. Just try to sell
something on eBay for that. You won't get even one bid.
You'll be *lucky* to get 50 cents on the dollar. There's a
huge discrepancy between the prices in local stores and the
prices you can get on eBay. Unless what you're selling is
rare, or you bought it from a private owner and stole it
from him/her (say paying 10 to 25 cents on the dollar for
it), or if you run into a sucker on eBay, you're not going
to make a profit selling on eBay. eBay takes their cut,
PayPal takes their cut, and you're left with a loss.
I've been at local shows, had new stuff listed for 30 to 50
cents on the dollar, and it didn't even go.
--
Mac Breck (KoshN) - from the desktop PC
-------------------------------
Maybe that is the reality where you live (and I wish it was around
here, too), but those kind of deep discounts are unheard of anywhere
near me. A store having a 20% off sale weekend is big news for many
of us. :-(
Kent
--
Kent Ashton | http://members.shaw.ca/kjashton -personal
snipped-for-privacy@shaw.caNADA
Deep discounts? I'm a private seller, and was selling some
of my stuff at train shows to raise some cash. The stores
around her don't discount at all, or discount ~10%.
--
Mac Breck (KoshN) - from the desktop PC
-------------------------------
Polytechforum.com is a website by engineers for engineers. It is not affiliated with any of manufacturers or vendors discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.