Hobby Shop Poll

I get most of my stuff at the (45 min. away) LHS. great service, decent selection, decent prices.

Most of mine come from a not so local hobby shop, 1 1/2 hours away.

I go to the 3 LHS within 5 miles from my house first. If they don't have it, I go online. Most of the time, they don't have anything I want/need. Therefore, I do most of my purchasing online. Hey, I give 'em a shot, but they prefer RC business!!!

I tend to buy all of my paint tools and other supplies at the LHS and I tend to get my kits from model shows. When I can't get it off the shelf at the LHS or there is no show any time soon that's when I turn to the On line market.

I get the majority of my model kits from online sources and I alway try to shop around the Internet to find the best prices available.

I have two local hobby stores within 7 miles of my house and both are very nice. I pick up all of my paint, brushes, tools, and adhesives, a few aftermarket supplies, some figures, and even a few kits here-and-there from these two stores. Without exception, all but a handfull of the kits I've purchased from my LHS were available cheaper from online sources, but I felt that I needed to support the local stores in some small way.

Robert

I want to supportive of my LHS, but it's horrible...He barely knows what he has in the store, let alone ordering anything special. I stopped in the other day for thin brass wire for a 1/35 antenna. As he was telling me it didn't exist, I saw his K & S display behind his head, he answered, 'well I guess I'm a liar then'.....
My not so LHS is well stocked but they seem real bored with it. Only around Xmas do they come to life. Plus they cheesed me off big time last year...I brought my son in who had just finished with his potty training. If you have had any experience with this you know how difficult it can be. His reward was a trip to the shop where he could pick out any train engine he wanted (he opted for N gauge). Of course after the long car ride and excitement he needed to use the bathroom, the owner knowing why we were there by the way. They refused and sent us up the highway to a gas station.
I didn't want to set foot in the place again after leaving but could not break my son's heart by not completing the trip. Luckily for him, the owner had 'stepped out' otherwise he would have had an earful. I dropped some cash then, but he has since lost a lot, I mean A LOT to online shops.
I guess I'm venting, but I grew up near a shop that was family owned (in their house), who's owner always greeted you with the same 'hello young fella'(even when I went back in my thirties), never tried to sell you anything, special ordered everything and would answer questions for hours whether you bought a full option RC kit or a Guillow glider. It was like the neighborhood hang out for all ages.
He also got the NY Parks Dept to set up a model plane field, which was no small achievement.

I tend to be fairly loyal to two hobby shops. One is 15 minutes away from my house, the other 30, on a good day. The thing with online shopping for me, well I just don't like it. I've ordered 3 things online, and so far only two have come. Not too happy about that. Plus, everything seems to be done in American dollars, and when you factor in the shipping costs, it usually isn't worth it to me to pay and wait weeks for something when I can just go to the LHS and get it there right away. Plus the guy there orders in whatever I ask for, and sets it aside for me.

I wish I had a LHS. Therefore all my hobby purchasing is on line.

Richard

i think i qualify as other. in the past year one kit given and one mail order. tommorow going to drive to the closest place that sells decent kits (two hours away). dont think i qualify for the other choices.

joe

Try to get as mch as I can from a LHS , have gotten alot of harder to get stuff off ebay though.

I have 3 hobby shops within a 15 mile radius of my house! Wow, I think I'm lucky! But (as you can image) I've never ordered online before, never need to!

Online. My LHS is over 3 hours away!