Why the Local Hobby Store is more economical than online.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Anthony14 I use more online vendors, I find even with shipping they are still cheaper than my LHS. I now only buy paint and accessories from them, if they have a kit or two on sale I will get it, but other than that I can get everything that they have for cheaper at a online store. But I still like going and picking up everything and looking at it

Bingo! I'll add ebay to my reason for not even ordering online anymore.

There you go Bgrigg. I've been worrying too much about the future of the hobby. I need a few good cold beers!

Cheers,

Dave

And we all know fishing leads to drinking beer!

QUOTE: Originally posted by djrost_2000 Good arguements everyone, and I have to rethink my position. Perhaps the biggest drawback to not having LHS's is that young people have no place to go to get models and get introduced to the hobby. If there were no hobby stores when I was a kid I would probably be fishing for a hobby. Dave

That's a very good point Dave, I see so few models for sale in general shops, it's no wonder the hobby is failing so much.

Good arguements everyone, and I have to rethink my position. Perhaps the biggest drawback to not having LHS's is that young people have no place to go to get models and get introduced to the hobby. If there were no hobby stores when I was a kid I would probably be fishing for a hobby.

Dave

of course the best thing about the lhs is you get hands on
sometimes i like to see what i am getting first
and if they are really good they will tell you things like ,
for same money x kit has better this and that
the people on line won't tell you
and it is not like he is going to lie to you he wants your future business

That's a function of the way online shopping is going Dan, a few years ago, shopping online meant getting poorer service in general. Today, with so many online options, stores are really having to rethink their service to customers, I know my store has had to dedicate more and more time to customer service, not because the product needs it, but that (don't shoot me!) more and more Americans(it's where I trade) refuse to do any research or get of their butt to find info, they want to email or call and have you basicly read what's on the website! Obviously this takes a lot of time, and it's a fine balance that I have to walk. You find yourself starting to get an impression within minutes as to if the person will become a customer or is just "window shopping" of course you lose customers sometimes but my time is very valuable.
So in your case, with squadron, I'm not supprised the lengths they went to, repeat customers not only spend more money, they also talk to people on forums like this, when a store is online the potential customer base is simply too big to risk by giving poor service.

Vapo-I've ordered a lot from Squadron.com. They've been very good-one time I didn't get an instruction sheet for a Emhar tadpole tank-they faxed one to me, another time I wanted a PE set for a ME-163 and was sent a PE set for a Dragonfly. It wasn't their fault, Eduard had mislabeled the set-but they sent me a replacement free of charge and told me to keep the Dragonfly set (I actually have one on deck). Plus I can sit on my fat A-- and shop. but I still go to my LHS for 'supplies'.

I allways try and support the local store, any store.
However, my "local"(nothings local in America!) LHS has such screwed up opening hours ZZ models in NJ, everytime I went there it was closed, different times, different days. It's not a short trip so I had the petrol and time wasted. I gave up in the end and started to order online. It's nice to support local stores, but if they don't want to help themselves by opening when they say they will be open......
It's also a lot cheaper buying online, the argument you hear is that you don't get the friendly help and advice! Well sorry people that's what forums like this are for, you can reach hundreds if not thousands more moddlers on here than you ever could at your LHS.
That and speed, if you have to order from the LHS it can take a week sometimes more, generally people don't want to wait that long anymore. I have no idea how I existed before the internet. I use for everything, my part time business involves it, so maybe I embrace it more than most. I'd love it if a model shop opened up nearer, that was reliable, I would use it for most things. But in this country anything local is unusual lol

I feel that going to the LHS results in impulse buying, I usually only buy paints, glues and supplies. I went to the the LHS to get some dullcoat and 2 cans cost me 65 bucks-of course a few kits snuck in! ;-)

DURR, thanks for the heads up regarding Sparetime Hobbies!

Thank you,

Dave

also dj i dont know how far up you live in nh but i see your willing to travel a bit
sparetime hobbies in marlboro ma right off interstate 495
will drive you crazy
and that is only walking in the front door before you look around

i love my lhs too but...
dj add in the abuse to your car as well as gas online might and i say might save money
also when you consider the time,and possibilty that you can get an xtra yr out of your car with out all the long trips maybe save on a large repair bill
remember i am saying might(maybe)

I give my LHS first shot when it comes to kits (they get all my paint and glue business), but if its not in stock after two or three trips, well, then I go online and do a little shopping. Most AM stuff I get online, too. I'd prefer to get it all at the LHS, but its just not possible with all the vendors out there.

Still, there's really no beating getting to pick up and turn the box in your hands before buying it.

I use more online vendors, I find even with shipping they are still cheaper than my LHS. I now only buy paint and accessories from them, if they have a kit or two on sale I will get it, but other than that I can get everything that they have for cheaper at a online store.

But I still like going and picking up everything and looking at it

I'm luckier than most, my LHS is on my way home from work, and merely requires pulling over and parking. Or is that unlucky as it is easy to feed the addiction? Doesn't matter, I live in a small city and they are less then a ten minute drive away anyway. So if I don't stare at the shelves or talk too much, I can keep the trip to under a half hour.

I support my LHS (they know me by name, that's good, isn't it?) and yet I have also bought online. I recently received a package of models from Great Models which after shipping and duty still saved me about $50! Mind you each and every model was bought at half off the retail price. I would never pay full retail online.

My LHS knows I did this, and appreciate that I still managed to buy a couple of kits from them while waiting for the PO to deliver said package (there goes that $50 savings!). I also bought my AB from them and I buy all my paints and supplies from them. Since I'm in there once or twice a week buying something (bottle of paint or glue, a new detail brush, a book or magazine etc.) Jim is quite happy to share my business.

I get the best of both worlds. A decently stocked LHS where I can hang about and talk about the hobby, and a chance to save beaucoup bucks when Great Models has a big sale. Also my LHS can't afford to stock the plethora of PE and AM out there, so I get that online, too.

Support the LHS while you can, they are a dying breed!