Internet and Retail Dealer Quality
On the way down to see Tim this morning, I called in to a well known dealers store to buy a Lux track cleaner. Within 20 minutes I left the store without the item (out of stock) and with absolutely no idea of cost and delivery and spec of the item if I wanted to place an order. Thinking about the unrewarding experience I decided that it was far easier and cheaper and more pleasurable to buy online in future. This was the third such unrewarding visit I've made to model railway stores recently and they contrast strongly with the positive experiences I've had buying online. Is it me? Does anyone else have similar views?

If I intend to buy a specific item, I always check which retailer has it in stock (normally via internet, in some cases by phone) and then I pay them a visit. If I just happen to stop by a retailer, then I usually end up buying something I didn't know I wanted, but now I'm proud to have it. I very rarely buy using the internet because I much prefer to deal personally.

ahhh to be able to walk into a fully stocked shop and impulse buy. Unfortunately there is the minor matter of 3 days travel time, and the cost! John

There are only 2 real hobby shops and one warehouse here in Montreal...a small one and a teeny-tiny one......I tend to drop by the small one and the warehouse every ten days or so just for pleaure...and usually buy something :D but probably 60% of my locos and rolling-stock have come via online ordering. I think the hobby would be alot less fun for me without those regular visits to the shop though. Cheers Gene

I very rarely buy using the internet because I much prefer to deal personally For those who are able to visit their local dealer who stocks their chosen models, this is indeed most fortunate. For the remainder, the internet is 'our' retailer and I suggest that EBay is for many the first choice. I share the same retailer as David Frew as my nearest 'German' outline dealer and it is significant (or not) that I would rather walk thru' a minefield in snowshoes than darken his door. Tim

I have to admit that the dealer you visited, and i know which one is is, seems to have less stock than you would think if you check out his website. I'm very lucky down here in Brighton is that gaugemasters seems to carry a good amount of stock exceot Roco. If there is something I want I check out the website before I go to see whats in stock. Though I have to admit my last buy of a Brawa overhead -*test*-('")ing car was an impulse buy that I saw for sale in the bottom of a display cabinet there. (and it was at a lower price than shown on the box :D ) I have used the net to buy from the store you visited, but knew it was out of stock, so knew there would be a wait, but I still like to browse round a shop. Luckily I do travel to Germany a few times a year and have visited good shops in Cologne and Bonnand will check out the one in Aachen later this year when I pop over for the Cologne model railway fair. I find that browsing round a shop I find things I did not know I needed until I saw them or even knew exisited. Mind I also like the feeling of coming home to a nice parcel full of goodies. I've been buying a few items from hattons of clearance f/mann and Liliput items and still have a few more I wish to get. SJ

I was not really commenting about stock levels, although for that particular item I was surprised he carries no rail cleaners but maybe 10 vacuum cleaners from the same producer. It was more about the totally frustrating inability of the dealer to answer the simplest questions on price, availability, function or compatibility.

I guess the rail cleaner is more of a niche product, but yes, when the dealer cannot answer susch questions, you do have to question why they 'stock' the item in question. I used the Lux website to check out the item first and as you know had some problems which were sorted out by lux, not the shop in question. Perhaps the trick is to see if we here can answer the questions and then buy it from someone else. As for mine, i waited two weeks for it to arrive and got a discount as I'd spent over £100. And as a afterthought, perhaps the problem with prices is due to fall in the pound vs the euro. SJ

For me the internet is the only option. Otherwise I would be faced with paying twice what I could buying from Germany. However in terms of advice, the local shops here aren't bad. One of my local shops Hearns Hobbies has a very helpful individual who works there who has saved my quite a lot of cash over the years with his good advice. He also ensures that there is a decent amount of Austrian and German outline available as he models Austrian. I can't aford their loco prices but it does allow me to see them models.

Hi SarahJ, Gaugemaster may not have much Roco at the moment as there appears to have been problems for all retailers with supply while the new Roco company settles into things. Please check out M.G.Sharp website under Roco steam and look at this dealer's comments on deliveries! www.mgsharp.com/roco_HO_Steam.htm The la-*test*-('") however seems to be that deliveries are picking up and I think you can expect more Roco to be on the shelves in the next few months. Models that I ordered from the 2007/2008 catalogue are now on their way to me, while I notice the number of new items received from Roco at www.modellbahnecke.de is also increasing. Best wishes, Richard

I think Roco is not a core product that Gaugemasters sells, so they just dont stock much anyway. I do like MG Sharps stock and prices, but do not buy from them as they do not accept the Electron card. SJ As a note, the railway company I work for does not accept the Electron card either.

The ones that I visit are: Howes of Oxford: excellent service, pleasant to deal with, good stocks of Roco Totally Trains, Ross, reducing stocks of European outline. Not very helpful or knowledgeable. ModelMasters, good stocks (except Lux!), not a rewarding or helpful dealer to deal with. Owner is knowledgeable but uncommunicative. Staff are unknowledgeable and even more uncommunicative. Like many others, most of my purchasing is now done on the internet.

On mail order, following are particularly helpful and worth recommending: Contikits: secondhand, often excellent prices and always good service International Models: helpful and stocks an interesting range of scenic stuff including Auhagen and Silflor

Hi Tim, As you know I'm writing about U.K. model shops from Australia, which could be ludicrous, except for the fact that the conclusions I am drawing come from looking at retailers advertisements in Continental Modeller and comparing them to the same advertisers websites, and in one or two cases, the manufacturers own sites. What some retailers seem to do is provide the impression in CM that they have large stocks of a particular manufacturer, quoting sometimes extensive lists and prices. But when you look up the website the majority of items advertised are out of stock. So it would not be a good idea in some cases to order from a CM advertisement without checking the availability of the item in the shop. Sure, we have to allow for the fact that an item can be in stock when the advertisement is submitted to CM, but sold out by the time CM hits the streets (a month or two later in Australia). We also have to be fair and say there are some dealers who only advertise what they have in stock (e.g. Rails and Hattons as two well known examples of this excellent practice) and none of what I am saying here applies to such firms. But there are definite cases where the CM ad implies items in stock that are not, or implies that large stocks of a brand are kept and are not. That of course is not CM's fault either. But as a buyer, I think it is best to think very carefully before buying from these shops that quote prices for stock that is not available. The questions you need to know are when is your credit card debited and what happens if an item becomes unavailable. I am not going to name names, but a certain U.K. retailer was advertising a brand which I can't get in Australia at exceptionally good prices. When I went to their website these "specials" were all out of stock, but could be ordered in. I could still have been tempted, but my professional training told me to go one step further - the manufacturer's website. Here it was advised that these particular models were out of production for the time being. I still believe a good local model shop is the best way to buy things and I am lucky to have one. I am doubly lucky this week, as aware of the theft of my coaches that I mentioned on here a week ago, they are going to endeavour to locate some replacements for me (they did this successfully for me once before many years ago when a loco was stolen). They also have an excellent repairer who will be getting my Rivarossi BR10 tomorrow, which has suddenly stopped going and which I have made worse by trying to repair myself. I am deliberately personalising this because in two weeks I have had two annoying issues occur, but both may be solved by a good relationship with a good retailer, who has looked after me well for two decades now. So I am saying that I still believe a good retailer is the best avenue for purchasing, but I think that one should be very selective For instance, I believe it's not a bad idea to draw up a checklist based not only on price, but service, product knowledge, willingness and ability to get small parts and spares, how items not in stock are treated along with realistic delivery times (if ordering on line), cancellation policies (when the manufacturer has decided to cease production of an item), conditions re credit card debiting - and that old fashioned thing called customer relations. The shops you, David, Sarah and Neil have listed as good are very helpful references, as to get what I can't get here I am going to have to put my trust in an overseas firm. Best wishes (and still in the process of "uncluttering" my layout as per your advice - and it IS now looking better), Richard

Nomination for internet hero: International models. Modellbahn Kramm have always given me excellent and speedy service for internet orders. Internet villain: Totally trains: claimed stock levels on website are a work of total fiction, a fact confirmed by the shop staff.