Model Shop v The Internet/Mail order

[thebritfarmer]

If it wasn't for online shops I would never have got back into the hobby. Mine may be a rarer case but it still brought me back to the hobby.

[Streaks and Teaks]

I tend always use online shops are there no model shops in my town (St Helens) used to go to Warrington especially for model stuff when I was younger both of those shops have closed down now, so (I think) my closest shops would be in Manchester or Liverpool. this is why I order online (mostly from Hattons arguably a local) have also ordered direct from Hornby (before I knew of cheaper options) in the past and from the modeler.com
also online is easier than actually bothering going to a town or city lol

Mark

[bike2steam]

As a former retailer I'm watching this thread with both exasperation, and amusement, thank you 'Bufferstop' for your common sense, a good web-site DOESN'T guarantee success, as it is no longer unique. As always you get the ones that have no experience of retail, and think they know all about it - such is life .

[Drifter]

I tend always use online shops are there no model shops in my town (St Helens) used to go to Warrington especially for model stuff when I was younger both of those shops have closed down now, so (I think) my closest shops would be in Manchester or Liverpool. this is why I order online (mostly from Hattons arguably a local) have also ordered direct from Hornby (before I knew of cheaper options) in the past and from the modeler.com
also online is easier than actually bothering going to a town or city lol

Mark

There is a great shop in Widnes, Widnes Model Centre 49-51 Widnes Road, Widnes. WA8 6AZ. Well worth checking out, does N and 00 Gauge.

[poliss]

I know that there are no model shops in Newcastle now and my 'local stockist' for what I model is 275 miles away. I know you can get all manner of small parts, accessories and scratchbuilding materials from online shops without touching the big box shifters. I know there are many threads complaining about how their local model shop has closed, or maybe I'm wrong and lots of small model shops are opening? Scoff as much as you like. No one believed me on another forum when I predicted that Zavvi would be going bust.

[b308]

If you are so good at predictions how come you aren't a millionaire then, P?!

[poliss]

Because I forget to bet on the &*^%* things!!! Last time I actually remembered to put a bet on I won a few bob on l'escargot in the middle of Red Rum's winning streak.

[Streaks and Teaks]

I tend always use online shops are there no model shops in my town (St Helens) used to go to Warrington especially for model stuff when I was younger both of those shops have closed down now, so (I think) my closest shops would be in Manchester or Liverpool. this is why I order online (mostly from Hattons arguably a local) have also ordered direct from Hornby (before I knew of cheaper options) in the past and from the modeler.com
also online is easier than actually bothering going to a town or city lol

Mark

There is a great shop in Widnes, Widnes Model Centre 49-51 Widnes Road, Widnes. WA8 6AZ. Well worth checking out, does N and 00 Gauge.

Cheers Drifter I may check that out

Mark

[johnco]

To answer Trainlover 23, I define a good model shop as one where you can easily buy the run of the mill RTR products together with the more basic products such as 8BA bolts , washers and nuts or some thing else like styrene sheeets, electrical switches etc and preowned models. One model shop which I visited recently did not have insulated rail joiners or even a track rubber.
To answer your second question, I'm based in NE Wales close to the Cheshire border.
With fuel costs as they are today it is often easier and cheaper to buy remotely but I would dearly love to shop at a good model shop where I can personally interact with the salesman who often knows his subject from A to Z. Anywhere over a distance of about 15 miles equates to the £4 p&p charged by most mail order firms.

[poliss]

Would that be brass or steel 8BA nuts? I know of an online supplier for them. £2.40 pack of 25 with £3.00 p&p.

[johnco]

That would be brass, and I do know of a supplier in Powys who is very reasonable but if the situation arose that I needed one I would have liked to go to a local supplier and buy the required item over the counter and not have to wait for a couple of days for the items to be delivered. Where I live we do have an old fashioned ironmonger shop who is very helpful and he can get hold of things like small BA items but this takes even more time for these sort of things to be delivered to his shop.
I suppose that is the way of life in these days and we'll have to put up with mail/electronic order.

[b308]

The difference is that a decent model shop (and there are three near me that all seem to be doing ok) will stock those bolts and lots of other bits and pieces so you only make one trip instead of having to shop at several online shops and pay postage from each one...

there is also the fact that you can actually see and handle the goods before buying so you know they are the right bits... I'd say a true model railway shop does things far better than an online shop, the only thing an online shop may have to it's advantage is that it may be cheaper, but when talking about small detailing bits even that's not always the case...

Quite honestly, Poliss, I think we are going to have to agree to differ, only time will tell whether you or the rest of us are right...

[Bufferstop]

b308 - we seem to have both said the same things just a page and a half of postings apart. It would be a grave loss to the hobby if the shops that still stock all those small items that become so essential when you get into scratch building were to disappear. It's not much use knowing an on line supplier for any item if what you really need to do is look at a whole selection of them and decide on the ones that you could use. I'll join you in agreeing to disagree with our friend.
John W
aka Bufferstop.

[Alex3410]

A website is a must these days - if only a simple information site giving customers information on location and opening hours and types of stock held. This need not cost allot either a simple content management based website that the owner could update themselves could cost as little as a few hundred pounds and if it attracts new customers would be worth the investment. This website can also offer the owners of the shop the chance to demonstrate their knowledge by creating a blog giving readers information on the hobby and available products which will increase awarenesses of their shop and attract more customers.

e-commerce websites however are a different ball game, by selling online you are competing with the 'big players' and need to be competitive on price and service and the local shop just wont keep up - not to mention the cost of a good shopping website with a decent level of stock control would set you back thousands.

There is a trend i have noticed about websites in this hobby - that is they tend to be very poorly designed / built and this can lose you business as it makes your business look unprofessional / outdated / untrustworthy so unless you are going to do it properly it could do more harm then good.

examples of website features that really don't do them any favours:
1) having the prices as a separate page / downloaded PDF
2) long lists of products / categories without images to help users locate what they are after
3) poorly organised navigation
4) asking users to fill in a form with which products they want rather then clicking ad to basket
5) no product images or description - we dont all know what they are just from the title
6) no postage rates / complex postage rates
7) poorly designed / out of date sites

I have brought more from www.themodeller.com then any other site so far purely because browsing it is a pleasant experience, on the other hand there have been things i wanted to order but because the website was so shocking i simply would not trust them with my order or could not find out how much it cost!

so while websites are vital for modern businesses they really need to be up to scratch.

[b308]

A website is a must these days

A rather sweeping statement which isn't actually true!

It depends on the market your goods are targeting, it helps if your goods are seen on the 'net I agree, but that doesn't mean that you have to have a website... In the more specialised parts of our hobby sales are generated more by word of mouth/forums/specialist exhibitions so they don't actually need a website because other people talking do it for them...

We've had this discussion before, but just to remind the computer experts that many of the cottage industry type of manufacturer who make up a large percentage of the specialist trade market don't tend to be internet or computer savvy, nor do they need to be because their goods are sold in a different way and to many people who also don't frequent the 'net... Another thing to bear in mind is that most of these people are doing their manufacturing as a sideline and not to make lots of money but simply to help fellow modellers (I know that may shock some people in this day and age but it's true!), so they wouldn't want to suddenly get masses of orders and end up where the business takes over from their modelling...