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teddyt

the decline of the LHS

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hi gents

another day another question

we all know that the LHS is in decline, mainly I think due to the internet opening up the world to shop in.

however given the choice and if prices were the same or there abouts, would you buy from a store or online

to me there is something very special going into a well stocked store, and touching, looking at all the bits ( god I sound a bit of a perv) :lol:

whats your opinion

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however given the choice and if prices were the same or there abouts, would you buy from a store or online

to me there is something very special going into a well stocked store, and touching, looking at all the bits ( god I sound a bit of a perv) :lol:

whats your opinion

In an ideal world I too would go into a well stocked store where the prices were in line with online prices...

unfortunately I cannot find a well stocked store anymore, let alone one with comparable prices!

Realistically I think that the internet has won this battle and that real bricks and mortar shops are a thing of the past... sad but true.

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There are 3 reasons why I shop online:

1. Low Prices

2. I can find what I need

3. Convienience

None of the shops in my area (Australia) can provide all 3 of these.

However, if I lived in Hong Kong that would be another matter, every time I went there they seem to nail all 3 of my reasons :)

I still try to support my local store as much as I can, but I don't want to go broke just to keep them going :lol:

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If I could find an LHS that gave the range, price, availability and service of an online one I'd go there. Unfortunately even forgetting 2 and 3, 1 and 4 are normally the things that put me off LHS's.

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I shop at a place called Emodels .. is my local model shop (UK) .. and there warehouse, thou small , is stocked to rafters with all sorts of stuff... and they play the Tamiya Dvds of there vehicles ... good stuff, they also online.

Yes they aint as cheap as ebay .. and other online places .. .but i do get some good deals there .. so all good for me :lol:

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If the prices were about the same and the shopkeepers were respectful, I would definately go to a LHS. I'd even go an hour out of my way for it. If they didn't have the item in stock but would order it and recieve it in a timely manner, that's fine too. I really do miss the experience of browsing the LHS. Eliminating the obvious price difference, the problem I have with the few current LHS left is their attitude toward customers. In my early days, it really didn't matter what brand you had, the owner would get you parts, give advice and even help fix what you had. Tamiya was king but Kyosho, Associated, Losi, Schumacher, Mugen, Yokomo, etc. were still present and respected. It was nothing to see the owner with a Big Brute or Hornet half torn apart on the counter while he helped out some kid. Most of my LHS were friendly places. Today if you're not buying Traxxas stuff or maybe HPI, they don't want to give you the time of day. Say the word Tamiya and you're treated like an alien. Kids are nonexistant in the store. If anybody's socializing, its a small group of middle-aged men bragging about how amazing their T-Maxxes are. I've ordered parts several times from the last LHS in my area and nothing has happened. The owner took my order and then didn't order the parts. No call, no "I'm sorry, I forgot", just nothing. Of course this all plays into the general decline of cusomer service in general, but it doesn't help our hobby.

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I used to live opposite (75m from) a hobby shop, but they only stocked nitro cars + helis/planes.

So I STILL had to shop online, only way to go for me nowadays, that and car boots :lol:

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I had already posted my opinion on that topic there:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?...st&p=455002

In a nutshell, I'm happy to have a reliable and friendly LHS nearby, where I can get parts and kits fast and at low pricetags. However, I understand and respect those wo aren't in that lucky situation and just have to order from overseas to get their stuff for reasonable prices.

post-37823-1334926215_thumb.jpg

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There are 3 good Shops in the area that stock a lot of parts but if i went to all 3 and bought every Tamiya part. I wouldn't have to set anything down to unlock the front door. All their parts and cars are other brands. I only buy what I absolutely have to online. I part out or pass on models that can't be supported. It's why most of what I do anymore is build odd custom models.

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If the prices were almost the same and the selection was good, then I'd definitely buy at the LHS. I don't mind the drive to go there and chat with the guys behind the counter; they tell some good stories about racing back in the day. They're a friendly and helpful bunch.

My LHS has tuned its inventory for regional tastes, so 1/8 nitro buggies, dirt oval, short course trucks, and Traxxas/HPI/Associated/OFNA are represented pretty well there. The only Tamiya he stocks are model kits and AS/TS paints. Tamiya RC and PS paints? "We can order that." From Great Planes aka Tower Hobbies of course. I can do that as well and get some discounts and free shipping with their super saver club!

I can't blame him for running his business the way he does; he needs to turn inventory and therefore has to stock what sells. I'm in the minority. I go to his shop for paints, greases, pinions, shells, aluminum, brass, and lexan sheet mostly. I'd buy wheels and tires from him if he had anything for touring cars, but on-road is dead around here. When it comes to kits and electronics, though, the selection (for my tastes) and prices are better online.

-Paul

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I would go online given the choice, but Borgfeldt has been a fairly-reliable importer so far and manages to keep the prices down for my LHS. For instance, I noticed that the cost difference between an Avante Black Special at the shop and online is only about $4, including tax, but a Sand Scorcher is different by over $150. That may be the extra shipping costs associated with a heavier vehicle, though.

When I can, then, I go to my local hobby shop. Their stock is somewhat limited, but they have had a stream of interesting kits as of late and there really is quite a feeling of taking home the very kit you saw at the store. For me, that entails a ride on public transit, which with a massive kit box is something else! Usually, if I want a kit, I will look at my hobby shop first, then go online if nothing of interest is there. For parts, though, I go straight to the Internet as the parts selection for Tamiya models beyond the touring sedans are somewhat limited.

After reading the 'Tamiya in Australia' thread, I wanted to hug my importer. Truly now I am thankful for the quiet work that Borgfeldt Limited has been doing for Canada, landing special-edition kits like the Avante Black Special, Bruiser and Super Hotshot consistently with seemingly-minimal markup.

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I had already posted my opinion on that topic there:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?...st&p=455002

In a nutshell, I'm happy to have a reliable and friendly LHS nearby, where I can get parts and kits fast and at low pricetags. However, I understand and respect those wo aren't in that lucky situation and just have to order from overseas to get their stuff for reasonable prices.

where in Berlin is this ?

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This is pretty much what I do, too. My LHS, like most, has a woeful Tamiya presence, but they do have a good bit HPI on-road stuff, so I buy tires, wheels, etc., if the price is even close, and finishing materials. They also have parking lot races on the weekends now, so that's another draw.

I go to his shop for paints, greases, pinions, shells, aluminum, brass, and lexan sheet mostly. I'd buy wheels and tires from him if he had anything for touring cars, but on-road is dead around here. When it comes to kits and electronics, though, the selection (for my tastes) and prices are better online.

-Paul

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Like many of us i've being into rc for many many years . Its sad to say it but over those years i've seen almost all the LHS's in the UK close down . There are still a few but their are few and far between . The reasons are multifold . Firstly the internet . Lots of stores failed to realise the potential of online sales . Secondly the huge cost of premises rent .Lastly IMO the totally unreasonable amount of stock they where expected to carry by the likes of Tamiya in order to become a dealer . We all have limited time these days so lets face it its now easier to order online , sit back and wait, than driving miles finding somewhere to park and actually going into a store - if you can find one worth the time in the first place .

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hi gents

another day another question

we all know that the LHS is in decline, mainly I think due to the internet opening up the world to shop in.

however given the choice and if prices were the same or there abouts, would you buy from a store or online

to me there is something very special going into a well stocked store, and touching, looking at all the bits ( god I sound a bit of a perv) <_<

whats your opinion

An LHS is indeed nice - it's cool to talk with other people about your hobby, and to see and be able to touch and/or try certain products before buying them, but... They often do not have the parts I need in stock, and in case of Tamiya, the majority of the orders you make through the LHS never come in because the Dutch distributor is worse than having no distributor at all! It's something the hobby stores can do nothing about, but many people do get angry about the fact that the stores cannot deliver the spares when people need them.

So in practice, due to price but mainly due to availability of parts, I go to online stores.

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Like many of us i've being into rc for many many years . Its sad to say it but over those years i've seen almost all the LHS's in the UK close down . There are still a few but their are few and far between . The reasons are multifold . Firstly the internet . Lots of stores failed to realise the potential of online sales . Secondly the huge cost of premises rent .Lastly IMO the totally unreasonable amount of stock they where expected to carry by the likes of Tamiya in order to become a dealer . We all have limited time these days so lets face it its now easier to order online , sit back and wait, than driving miles finding somewhere to park and actually going into a store - if you can find one worth the time in the first place .

Virtually all my RC shopping is done online. Absolute no brainer when it comes to price, availability and sheer convenience. Theres one LHS I use that's more often than not got what I expect it to have (consumables) and even does some good deals...

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I shop mostly online only going into the LHS for paint and cheap consumables that don't make sense to have shipped. The experience I related in the Australia thread when purchasing bearings is causing me to gradually vow to buy even those online. Ballracing a car isn't supposed to cost me more than the car!

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First of all, I don't think one e-store will carry everything we need and most likely we have to buy from several e-store to get parts, paint, bearings, hop ups etc. The LHS are getting into e-store business just look at the volume of Tamiya stuff now available on ebay vs several years ago and visiting LHS I notice retailers are packing stuff for shipment.

Now a days retailers must also be an e-seller just to expand the market from 30km radius to the entire world. Is all about cash flow and turnovers. So in general the number of LHS will not increase due to mark up and high operating cost whereas on high end with hugh profit margin goods will continue to expand the Al, SS, and glass operation. Case in point, LV will be opening a new shop in Hong Kong where the rent is US$1.28million per month. No is not per year, is per month and is US$.

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Local hobby shops have always dabbled in 'mail order' so this is nothing new.

What has changed is Tamiya's dependency on said shops, which is slowly dwindling. Big T does just fine selling from b&m shops in regions where hobbies have stronger appeal, i.e. Japan, but there's no money in it for them to cater to struggling shops everywhere else. Blame it on the worldwide recession or lack of interest, but business is business. Smart money goes wherever the buyers are. I still miss the old LHS setting that I grew up with, with its overstuffed shelves and cavernous atmosphere, but they're pretty much disappearing. Rent is higher than ever, utilities are on the rise, employees are expensive, and profits are presumably down. Considering these facts, it's never surprising to me that the people who run these places are often a bit misguided in their approach with customers...

On the other hand, the internet has allowed me to expand my love of the hobby beyond anything I'd ever imagined. It offers a literally endless variety of parts and supplies, with excellent advice to be had in forums like these, and a REAL feedback loop with manufacturers. How can you beat that?

EDIT: Sorry for the non sequitur -- For some reason I thought I was posting on the "Tamiya Australia" thread <_<

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