This is a subject I haven't seen much about.. so let me kick start the concept...

Like most folks, I purchase models online all the time - but usually because I can't find it locally. And while I often see great prices on Ebay from Hong Kong dealers, by the time I pay the $10-15 shipping, I probably haven't saved much, if anything. In fact the other day I completed a transaction for a $10 Tamiya T-34 tank (great price, right?), and then discovered the dealer was in Asia. By the time I paid the $12 shipping, I was up to $22, and had to wait 10 days. I could have bought the same tank for $26 at my local hobby shop, and had it the same day.

I know that it is often tempting to purchase online rather than through a local dealer, but remember - that guy needs to make a living too.... and if we don't support our local dealers, they will eventually go out of business. It happened last year with one of the best hobby shops on the planet (Phil's Hobbies in Dallas, TX)...

So before you click the "BID NOW" button, look at the shipping and see if your great deal is still that much better than what your dealer has... if less than 10-15% difference, why not just buy it locally and save time and risk?

Just my two cents worth!

I agree. It is unfortunate my LHS does not order a lot of newer kits and are often out of stock on allied subjects immedietely. I still go there for supplies.

I agree, with out my LHS I would never have gotten in to modeling.
The LHS is an important link in the future of the hobby.

I'm a firm believer of buying locally, if you can. I know a lot of folks here don't have access to a LHS so they should buy where ever they get the best price, service. I've noticed more and more though that price at the LHS is not much higher than what I can get it on line. This is especially true on e-bay lately. I even overheard two people who run the local Hobby Town discussing pricing a particular kit. One mentioned it was going for X dollars on e-bay and the other said to price it a couple dollars over that. My cut off is normally $5 to $10. If I can save $5 I might buy on line, if I can save $10 I'm almost certainly going to.

Very sore subject Keith. I agree with you 100%.
I am guilty of buying online also, mainly from Squadron, especialy for the larger price items or for a large order becuase of the free shipping. Or I will buy online because I cant get the stuff at my LHS. But, I try my hardest to support any hobby shop especially since I use to work at one. I was a little upset when Phils' closed too, but couldnt say much about it because I worked at Hobby Maker in Bedford.

The thing that really got me upset was when guys would come in and ask to see a kit and then right in your face say I am going to get it online for cheaper, just wanted to see what it looked like. We would pride ourselves on our custermer service like opening kits, having most of thier questions answered, and when time permited, giving little classes here and there. You cant get that online!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, enough of that!

[quote]...We would pride ourselves on our custermer service like opening kits, having most of thier questions answered, and when time permited, giving little classes here and there. You cant get that online!!!!!!!!quote]

So Pete, from your note, I take it you are a hobby shop owner? That is my "dream" someday. I make a ton-o-money in my job with HP, and can't give that up till the kiddos are finished college, but my "grand plan" is to hand them college degrees, then walk to the nearest open strip mall / shopping center and open a large retail dealer.

I know that there is 'decent' money in the hobby market, but I feel that there needs to be more "service for sale"... To many of the dealers i see around the country are missing great revenue opportunities by simply trying to sell "kits and supplies". They need to think "outside the box"..... for example (and I'd like feedback on these ideas),

1) I know a lot of modellers don't have an airbrush rig, or even a place to do thier work. I will set up two A/B stations inside of a sliding glass door area, complete one single and one dual action AB, plus all the paints etc., with ventilation running outside... then folks could "rent" sessions at the store (by the half-hour - say for $10?).... I even clean the brushes after they are done.

2) Another idea is to have a large "Wall of Fame" (Yes, a slight ripoff of Armorama's "Hall of Fame"), but the caveat would be that every three month everything that is not voted by Visitors as "classic" must be rotated out... kinda like an ongoing contest!

3) I know a lot of modellers don't have space to display all their works.. so I plan to "rent space" in display cabinets... $3 per month, per model, or $25 per year.

What do you all think... great way to build interests, loyalty, and foot traffic. That combination should build sales!

Since I don't have a credit card, I can't even make purchases online, so my local hobby shops are happy with me.

In return for that wee bit more money, I do get a great service from both of them, as well as a chat and an opinion

I live in the hobby shop Mecca, and usually do most of my kit and supply buying at the many stores in my area. (all within a 40 mile drive, closest about 5 miles away)
For the off the beaten path, limited run, or resin, then I use on line.

In the UK we are still paying high prices for all kits compared to the US and Hong Kong, so I buy a lot from there for purely economic reasons.
Also the only kits I Can get from my LHS are 27 versions of the SdKfz251 and Tiger tank - neither of which I want.
Paints and glue I still buy there, but kits - very rarely.

Keith,
No, not an owner. I started working there when I got out of active duty and it got me through collage. Worked there of and on, full time, part time, for about 6 to 7 years. Then I moved back to San Antonio.
You and me must be having each others dreams. That is my plan, opening up a store here in San Antonio. There are two great shops here in SA, but one is very small and the other has a mixture of hobbies.
Working at Hobby Maker gave me a lot of ideas on how i want my shop. I plan on starting after I retire from the military, 6 more years to go.

I try to support the local guys as much as possible, paints, tools, groundwork, etc. But with my interests being mostly figures, i have to buy at shows or on-line. There nearest sort of figure specialist is in Malden, across teh river from Boston, some 80 miles away. Next is an on-line dealer's storefront, just outside New York City, some 3 hours away, each way.

Gents,

I also agree in supporting your local hobby shops if they are worth it. HOWEVER, there are two problems with this theory where I am at. Number one is that there are no hobby shops with in an hour driving from the house. That's 20.00 in gas for a 3.00 bottle of paint. You do the math. So even the worst shippping, and SQD is free over 100.00, might be a better deal than driving. If one was closer, then the I would use them to cover the things everyone runs out of. But the second point is that I have experenced some shops which have the Customer Service of a rock, and that might be insulting rocks!
Long story and no soap boxes today. Is the hobby moving to a slow death? Or are the shops?

My .02

Tracy

I agree that we need to support the local shops whenever we can. For me, I have no shops within 3 hours, yes, it sucks in the middle of the Mojave Desert. I do go to hobby shops whenever I travel and find them. I have found that most shops are pretty good. But remember, if we don't go to them and buy there, they won't get any new products and will eventually go out of business and be lost. The large internet shops might offer a little better price, but we need to support the local shops. There is also the hobby shop atmosphere. Remember the days when you were young and would go in and look at alll the kits and whish you could buy them all? How about the hours of talking with the hobby shop guy and going over kit builds? Or the model club that was held at the local hobby shop? That is what I like about the LHS. Hope that never goes away.

If it wasn't for my LHS i wouldn't have gone into modelling. They do orders and have a wide range of products. However recently some people have been boycotting the store, I don't know why but if they go out of business i'm left in the dark.

I seldom buy from anywhere other than the LHS. I have noticed that the kit section has reduced in size over the last few years, but they do have most of the latest kits, & they did (eventually!) manage to get something I wanted off back order.
I think the kit section is subsidised by the railway & RC depts.
I think part of the problem is that the supply of kits into the country is rather hit & miss via the concessionaires, so they have to pretty much take what they can get. That will of course be the fast selling stuff on the whole, so no resin or AM bits. They have offered to order resin bits for me in the past, but thats still buying a pig-in-a-poke because you're then virtually honour bound to buy it whether you like it or not.
Since my output is hardly as prolific as some of the guys on this site, I'll probably continue as I am, buying the odd kit or 2 at a time (I don't tend to hoard, I find it oppressive to have lots of unmade kits lying around, & don't want to feel pressured into doing them, this is supposed to be fun after all).

I didn't have a LHS (actually they are a gaming shop, but started stocking models & paints) until two or three months ago- my shopping before that was done exclusively when I was out of the country or via te net.
Now I use them for supplies and models- they will always get my money before the net, even more so since their prices are very reasonable- I've actually paid less for some models than they are on-line.
The downside is they don't stock Trump or Fujimi or any one of the more esoteric manufacturers (limited run etc...), but I can live with that
Do support the LHS, especially if they are friendly and have a good pricing policy!

Cheers,
Tvrtko

Keith, I like the sound of your shop, but I think Texas would be a bit of a drag to get to!
Your ideas sound a lot like the Games Workshop scenario. They have a string of shops, the managers are encouraged to involve themselves in the hobby locally, organising gaming nights, painting workshops etc. They also display the work of local artists.
Maybe if Dragon opened franchises we would get some kicking LHS!

Pete and Keith

It must be a common dream for us modellers to own a shop.... After doing without for so long and seeing what passes for an LHS when I travel, a shop on the seawall in Galveston or the Gold Coast in Florida is my dream/nightmare. I agree that the main focus would HAVE to be customer service and education, but also a place for modellers to "hang out" and kibbitz in the evening or on weekends. (kind of a big boys club minus the secret handshake and decoder ring)

Well, so far the guys who say they strictly do on-line shopping are those who do not have a shop within a good driving distance.
Pretty much all of here try or do support are LHS in one way or another.

I have a friend who owned a LHS and he had that happen all the time. Now his shop is closed and I have only 1 LHS within an hours drive.
I am lucky that I have friends working at that shop also.
It's great to talk modeling with them, and they order items for me. If they can't get what I want I use Mission Models and Squadron.
If you are lucky enough to have a shop nearby, please give them your support.
Chuck

It is impossbile to truly support a local hobby shop if they don't have anything. - at least that is the case here in Nashville, TN anyways. As far as supplies go, well...it is kind of the same story - not much here.

I don't really have an issue with price, but there is little or no selection. That kills it for me.

I tried to deal with my LHS, but they are on a planet different from me, they keep promising, but just how many months would you wait on a promise.

Then the models, I was there one day when they got in a bunch of new models, but the price, like the Carl guns they only got the Dragon one, but it had the price of the trumpeter one, same way with all the other models, they were high price compared to hobby lobby full price, and they never have any half off sales.

Their paints are the only thing that is within reason, but they won't get in a lot of the colors I need for military painting. Then plastic supplies, I can order them from anywhere else, and get them delivered to my house cheaper, and way faster, other wise I got to find a ride down to there to order them, cause they never stock anything.

I could call on the phone an order it, but then I'd still haft to find a way down there, and I don't drive anymore, if and when they would come in.

I've ordered from them, then called back and ask them if it came in, and it would be the same story, but if I order it on the computer at least I get it that week at my front door.

They need competition, then they would be better, cause then people would have another choice, that don't have a debit/ credit card.
Kerry

Well we have 1 hobby shop here in good ole' Ottumwa! However, it is a fairly good one. I buy all of my paints, fillers, some styrene rod and sheet and various items from them. They make me a good deal on Styrene because I buy about once a week from them for my business.
Their selection of kits isn't the greatest, however, they are trying to cater to everones tastes and interest so they have alot of train stuff, wood and RC stuff, etc.

DesMoines is only 90 miles away and they have 2 Hobby Lobby's' and 2 Hobby Havens'.

Your post brings to mind a discussion that recently went on at teh S2000 forum I post at. Someone essentially asked "What happened to customer service?"

The thread went on for 6 or 7 20 post pages with horror stories of poor to lacking customer service. You LHS sounds like one of those places.

I would love to support mine more but I live in hobby shop hell. There are several in my area and not one of them has a decent assortment of armour. NONE of them carry aftermarket items in any quantity or assortment. I can't even get Vallejo paints. I use my LHS for glue, paint and thats about it except maybe the odd magazine or book. I have saved money by buying online and planning my purchases.
Cheers,
Bryan