I'm amazed at the huge difference in prices for the same items across various online retailers. I spent ages searching last night to find good prices (particularly on Life Like SW9s and Kato RDCs) only to find the best prices were from sites which didn't ship internationally. Can anybody recommend a good online supplier which ships internationally?
(A belated) welcome to TrainBoard Check our advertiser here. They ship to Australia. Where are you located?
Tintagel: Welcome to Trainboard. I use Chuck at Feather River trains. He has very fair pricing and ships interenationally. Here is the website: Feather River Trains Stay cool and run steam......
feather river trains and Wig wags ship internationally as does our own kevin Stevens. here are links to their sites Feather River Trains Wig-Wag KSI Sales
I also feel your pain. But I have been burnt in the past, so now have only a few dealers that I would deal with happily, and know they will look after you. They may not be the cheapest, but its only usually a few bucks in it, so for peace of mind, go with them. I have dealt with Wig Wag via this site and the service was Brilliant (Im in Melbourne). Parcel arrived in a few days. Also dealt with KSI Via Ebay, the service was also excellent. I would highly recommend either dealer as great. Gary put me onto Feather River the other night for some decals on a custom paint jobby or 2, and waiting for a reply, but have had instant replies to emails in the past, and very good prices. Good luck.
Yes, I would agree paying a bit more for reliable, good service. I have been dealing with Nscale supply (http://www.nscalesupply.com/) for many years and found their prices reasonable and provided good service and advice. Cheers http://cliffordconceicao3310.fotopic.net/c328807.html
It's mainly the shipping that kills it though,has anyone noticed an increase in o/s shipping costs lately? Have dealt with all the above mentioned shops in the past with never a problem. But I'm about to give ebay the heave ho,get good deals but the postage kills it everytime!
I find people try and make up the extra $ they dont make on the sale by charging more on freight. EG they wanted $100 for loco, it sells for $50, the add $10+ to shipping as not to lose so much. I always ask before the deal finishes. You all realise that insurance from USA doesnt always work - one bloke tried telling me once it leaves USA shores you on ya own! But buying locally in aussie is a real order and wait X months deal
I completely agree with this statement. Most of the differences in price are within a few dollars anyway. I have found it well worth the couple extra bucks to deal with reliable dealers. There is more to being an etailer than having a fancy website and the cheapest prices. My preferred dealers are Feather River, N scale Supply, Rio Grande Hobbies.
Welcome to the new posters. Short run, go for the cheapest total price. Long run and returns/problems, pay a few more Bob or whatever your local currency may be and you will be much happier and have more free time to dream, plan, build and operate.
I haven't dealt with Feather River or Rio Grande yet but have with N scale supply and George at Wig Wag. All experiences have been very good and Wig Wag has been exceptional. There's a post over at Atlas that says they think WigWag uses USPS "Previous Day" shipping. Meaning: If you order today, you'll have it yesterday. I've found this to be pretty close to true. Don't hesitate to use these fine dealers.
I wanted to take the time to reply to this thread...not so much to beat my own drum as to explain some of the issues raised on this topic. First off, thank you to the posters who have given positive feedback to my own service. Seeing that you have satisfied customers is always helpful and is the main reason I am in this business. Regarding other online dealers, as it has been posted any of the dealers who advertise here are great choices. They all have the customer's best interest in mind, and to me this is the most important quality in an online dealer. Regarding overseas shipping, all of the dealers listed here will ship products overseas. I am not familiar with their procedures, but for me I always provide the cost of shipping upfront. I do have a shipping page on my site that gives an overview of my shipping procedure. On my website sales, the shipping charge is a flat rate that is calculated during checkout. It is slightly over the actual shipping cost, which is to cover some of the additional time and fees associated with overseas transactions. If these fees are unacceptable to you, you have the option to stop the checkout process and cancel your order. If theis does happen, I urge you to contact me as the problem may be due to an error in the checkout system or in my own inventory (it has happened before). If after your purchase the shipping fee is determined by me to be excessive, I will refund the overpayment to the buyer (this has also happened). If you are interested in any Ebay auctions of mine, I will gladly quote shipping costs before you bid. Either way, you will never be hit with a surprise after you complete your purchase. If you or any one else have any other questions, please feel free to e-mail me through my website and I'll be glad to help you. If I can't help you, I may even refer you to another Trainboard advertising dealer who can. Take care, and enjoy this great hobby. [ November 30, 2005, 10:06 AM: Message edited by: Kevin Stevens ]
I will say one thing for ebay or any of them, ASK HOW MUCH FOR SHIPPING BEFORE BUYING. I had one shop try telling me they wouldnt give me a shipping quote on 20 cars until they the day it was shipped. I asked why, as if it was too expensive and I didnt want to do it, could I back out. They said no you cant back out, and its just the way to do it properly. Thus saying that, I didnt deal with them. But all the above mentioned sellers on this board, have been great with info and quotes.
I live just a few miles north of Wig-Wag's store. I think I pay more in New Mexico sales tax than you guys around the world pay in shipping.
That's a big problem when your favorite dealer is located in the same state. In South Florida that's not a problem, there aren't any dealers or stores to contend with. Stay cool and run steam....
Pete, When I purchase from Wig-Wag in addition to the international shipping the Canadian Gov't also charges me the sales tax as well all 15+% of it (its more than the 8% provincial (ie state) and federal combined since the federal portion also taxes the provincial taxes). To add insult the also charge me a $5 fee to calculate how much I owe them. Luckily the low US$ makes it much less painful to source from the US right now.
