Best place to purchase kits

I tend to agree with you Arved as far as the LHS go. Here in Quebec, I have a Michaels about 20 miles away and they carry nothing I want or need. I travelled 70 miles, one way, yesterday and attended a store. I found the prices reasonable, the staff super knowledgeable and left with two models, paint, putty, magnifying glass and happy with my purchases. Having said this, it is 70 miles away so will be attending twice a year. When I go to Florida for the winter, there are two hobby stores near me and I will be paying them a visit next month. In the meantime, online is my way to go. Go Jays Go!!!

Danny

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Amazon tend to be more on the high side as far as kits & supplies goes. Ebay is definitely another place to find great deals.

I've found Amazon with Prime membership (free 2-day shipping) to be about the same or less expensive than eBay plus "slow boat from China" shipping charges. OTOH, if a kit is OOP, chances are MUCH better finding it at eBay.

A while ago I was looking for a 1:24 Mopar 383/440 V-8 to build a more authentic General Lee (which came with the Hemi, which was only used in the movie). I could buy a whole kit from Amazon cheaper than sellers were selling the parts to build the engine on eBay.

It pays to shop around.

I've had to order (Vallejo) paint and detail parts from Sprue Bros. Good service and acceptable pricing. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again (and I have).

My LHS is in the business of going out of business. Lease is up and nobody knows if they'll find somewhere else to hang their shingle. That means no restocking, and other customers have picked the place pretty clean. That will leave Michaels and Hobby Lobby as the only local alternative to the internet. Local Michaels has a poor selection. Hobby Lobby is much better, but round trip is an hour plus. Have to weigh time/gas/wear and tear/the unknown of them having what I need in stock vs. having things shipped.

This isn't a small town. By area, Jacksonville Florida is larger than NYC and LA combined. It's the gateway to the rest of Florida, with I-95 running right through it, and the eastern end of I-10. It's just that people would rather watch college football than build models.

Another problem with my LHS, even before this "in the business of going out of business" thing, was that they are more interested in selling $500 R/C planes and even more expensive quad-copters than they are in selling <$100 kits. A $3 bottle of paint? They couldn't care less. "Follow the money." It's tough to be loyal to a business that isn't loyal in return.

You guys make some good points, I've started to notice the buy it now features which is legit, and nothing against eBay really or anyone who likes using them. Im just not a fan. Had a bad experience with it a while back so it left a bad taste in my mouth if you will. My mother is a huge Amazon freak  and has the prime and all these specials and reward points and some times she allows me to take advantage of that when I'm purchasing kits. But I'm actually a very impatient person so most of the time I like going to the LHS. Yea it's more pricey but you get the "experience" as I like to say. Same with going to the movie theatres these days.

I've found some good deals on www.AdvantageHobby.com.

Another benefit of visiting the LHS is that the person behind the counter may have expertise you don't have. I visited Military Hobbies in Fullerton*, CA recently and through their advice got some high-quality inexpensive kits** I would have passed up if I was sitting behind my computer.

* Great store. Highly recommended.

** Airfix 1:72 Hurricane, Spitfire, and Do 17z. Battle of Britain, baby.

I buy most of my kits from ScaleHobbyist and Hobbylinc. Occassionally SprueBros. if I cannot find what I am looking for on the other places.

Hobbylinc is good for finding some hard to find kits and prices are great. I also like the fact you can review kits and post pictures of your completed kits to earn points. The points can be used to further discount kits. They sometimes have contests on their facebook page to earn points as well. The only downside is they are limited in the accessory and decal area.

http://www.hobbylinc.com

Scalehobbyist has great prices and I like that they link detail kits and accessories with the kits. It is also easy to search for things.

https://www.scalehobbyist.com/index.php

I have two LHS near me. One is Hobby Town and the other is a family owned place.

I generally buy all my supplies (paint, glue, ETC,) and occassionally kits from them.

Scalehobbyist.com is my favorite online hobby store.  The best search engine, the lowest prices and the best customer service in my experience.

my top sites are Sprue-bros and squadron. I can usually find whatever i need on those two.

but for imports, hobby-linc japan is hands down the best place. HLJ has really good deals an kits and shipping, so much so that I can often get a kit sent from japan for an equal or lesser cost than buying it from Sprue/Squad, or even at the LHS!!!

Tojo72

,I almost use the "buy it now feature" of course including shipping prices

Ditto, I check the "Price+Shipping: Lowest First" feature. Then I decide whether I want to wait for shipping from overseas or here.
We don't have a LHS here so I don't have much choice.
Sometimes I go to Tower Hobbies and check their clearance section. Pretty good stuff there sometimes as well.

KillinMeSmalls

This could be just My opinion, but I hate ebay( I like being able to just buy my stuff, I don't like bidding for whatever "lowered" price.) so I just stick with Amazon who seems to have very reasonable prices compared to what I have payed at the LHS however I do like supporting the LHS. Tis' up to you how you purchase your kits.

 

I can't remember the last time I bid on ebay,I almost use the "buy it now feature" of course including shipping prices,it's needs to be a deal for me,and there are deals if your patient.

KillinMeSmalls

This could be just My opinion, but I hate ebay( I like being able to just buy my stuff, I don't like bidding for whatever "lowered" price.) so I just stick with Amazon who seems to have very reasonable prices compared to what I have payed at the LHS however I do like supporting the LHS. Tis' up to you how you purchase your kits.

 

Again, Amazon tend to be on the high side as far as kits goes. Compared to other online stores, you'll find better deals/prices there than Amazon prices.

Compare for yourself.

I like sniping too, but lately since I'm not buying much, my snipes expire and it costs more than its worth.

I agree, make an offer and see what you get.

KillinMeSmalls

This could be just My opinion, but I hate ebay( I like being able to just buy my stuff, I don't like bidding for whatever "lowered" price.) so I just stick with Amazon who seems to have very reasonable prices compared to what I have payed at the LHS however I do like supporting the LHS. Tis' up to you how you purchase your kits.

 

I hate bidding wars as well. But.... I have gotten a few things where the seller gives you a choice to:

Buy it Now

or...

Make Offer.

Two purchases examples were made not too long ago.

Purchase #1 -

I saw a kit I was interested in and placed a reasonable offer to the seller. I also asked if he/she would accept a bank check or money order as alternative payment method. The seller accepted my offer.

Purchase # 2 -

Another way I have had good luck with - especially where multiple decal sets (or aftermarket kits) are involved by the same seller.

Simply PM the seller, tell him what you're interested in and ask what kind of price he/she can give you for buying multiple items from that seller.

I bought a pair of decal sets for a good price. For what it's worth, it came out much cheaper to buy as a package deal rather than buy separately. Again, an alternative payment method via bank check or money order was asked and the seller accepted.

Yeah, it may have took longer to get my items shipped but it was well worth the wait.

Considering I was extremely pleased with both orders, I always leave the seller a positive feedback; be it on leave feedback link on ebay or through PM to the seller. Do mention to the sellers you will look forward to do further business with them on future orders.

Thanks Guys. I've visited the different websites you guys suggested and I found that  Scalehobbyist seems to have the best prices. I've opened an account and will be ordering a few things a couple of days before I go to Florida for the winter so the kits will be there when I arrive. There are two hobby shops near my place in FL so I will be paying them a vist as well. Cheers. Danny

Thanks everyone. Here in Quebec, I don't have a hobby store too close but I did visit one today some 35 miles away. I was very disappointed that it was very weak in the field of military models. When I end up in Lakeland, Florida next month, there is a Hobby Store near by and will be checking it out. In the meantime, I will check the websites you guys suggested. Thanks again. Danny

Amazon tend to be more on the high side as far as kits & supplies goes. Ebay is definitely another place to find great deals.

Definitely your LHS first.

If you have a Hobby Lobby nearby, use a 40% coupon. Although they may not have the best selections in kits and paint, but it's worth looking.

Others:

Squadron.com

Scalehobbyist.com - they have the best prices IMO.

Hobbylinc.com

If I don't purchase from my local Hobby Town, I'll purchase online at Sprue Brothers, Scale Hobbist, and eBay.

Also check out any local shows as you can get some great deals at the vendor tables!

I definitly concur with eBay,careful searching yields good deals.

Spruebrothers

Scalehobbyist

Redfroghobbies

Nothing beats Ebay or Sprue-brothers. 

All great suggestions.

plus Squadron, Freetime, Tower Hobbies.

I agree with going to a LHS if you have one around, however the next best thing is Amazon IMO.

If you have a decent local hobby shop, I'd consider buying at least some of your kits from them.  If the LHS goes out of business, you are faced with ordering your paints, glue, etc.  on line, and even with next day delivery, that can be an irritation, if you are used to popping into the car for a quick trip to LHS.