Is N-Scale the New "Big Dog"?

When pigs fly !!!!

 

Are you expecting energy costs to go down?
Do you think shipping costs will stay the same as today when diesel fuel and gasoline prices hit new highs?

 

If you want it bad enough you will get it. Shipping costs become insignificant to some extent, just buy in bulk and the costs per item will go down.
The cost to ship 1 car is more than the cost to ship 30 cars on a per car basis. Not saying that is practical but it is economically vaild.

 

That sums up pretty much any scale in today's market. I am none too happy with things of that nature myself, I sometimes find a set of cars I want (New Mexico Rail Runner coaches for example) and find they are no longer available. Then I find out on the secondary market these things must have been made from Unobtainium because they are 3x the price for a single car as they were for a set. $89 for a set of 3, reasonable... $275 for a single car... BS.

 

That's much more true in N Scale than anything larger because even at 30 cars the "dimensional weight" gotcha wouldn't kick in yet.

On the other hand, and perhaps this belongs in "More eBay Humor," I am seeing more sellers that are NOT combining shipments. We just got hit for $21 shipping-- plus sales tax on said shipping-- for a pair of things that should easily fit into a Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box. Our bad for not asking first... since we know what happens when we assume... but that is our first and last transaction with that seller.

 

I decided to go a different way, I custom order runs for private use once every few years. Get 500 box cars that just need to road numbers applied, sometimes friends join the purchasing and we get even better pricing. I liked when IM did the 6 different ATSF cars with 6 numbers at a time, 36 cars at a time.

 

I have placed orders with other people and we split the shipping. That is one way to bring the price down.