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[jenga]

Greetings fellpw boat peeps,
Firstly this is MY impression, may not be the norm, probably isn't, but this is what has happened to me since deciding to re-enter modelling.
Right here goes, I bought a Trumpeter Bismsarck, good price excellent service, highly discounted, with FREE Trumpeter barrell upgrade.
next I pre-ordered the Pontos Advanced detail set, 1 week waiting time, np
2 weeks later contacted supplier, "sorry last shipment already allocated" , another 4-6 weeks to wait till next shipment.
8 weeks later contacted supplier again, " Shipment due in shortly, IF....IF the computer puts up your name you will get one"
"cant you tell me if I'm in next batch"?.... " no sorry, back order list is not viewable, its a computer queue, it will say when shipment arrives who is next in line"
So, I got one sent from Australia, and its over £80 cheaper,  don't make sense does it. Also all my emails were answered promptly, no waiting 4-10 days.
Secondly, sent a list to UK shops asking for quote for a kit,Radio,ESC, servo, battery etc, approx £1000 worth. The difference between highest and lowest quote?
No idea ,no,I REPEAT NO-ONE replied.
The saga continues
Jenga

[GAZOU]

 

Detailed you exactly what you wanted: mark , models, references, it is a minimum

You can find all this to Chinese for much less money

In any case everything comes from China


Soon even the rice will come from China

[jenga]

OOOOOps
before I get any more replies, if I do that is, when ordering Kit etc , I did state choice of 2 kits, with part numbers, plus all the other relevent info
Thought I'd better clear that up... didn't say "wanna boat and stuff, how much" 
great site btw
jenga

[Colin Bishop]

People don't tend to buy that way these days. The more common approach is to purchase the different elements from more than one supplier. as Gazou says, you would need to pretty specific in your requirements in which case you can put together your own quote from the online shops and work out the best bargains for yourself.

Suppliers are not going to be very enthusiastic about putting a package together unless they are assured of a definite sale.

If you are still looking for components for your Bismarck then SHG models can probably fit you out with a running gear set. props & tubes etc.

Colin

[jenga]

I'm not expecting them to hand deliver a quote on a silver tray, how hard is it to email, ...sorry unable to assist you.
Apost is missing from earlier, needs mods ok,  just states I went to model slipway and got good service.
PS the Bismarck will be static display only
regards jenga

[Netleyned]

Emails and modelling suppliers seem to be a bit hit and miss in my opinion
Without any mudslinging, suffice to say some are on the ball and you get a quick response,
others seem to read emails once a week or even longer
Phoning is a gamble as most traders are one or two person bands and may be covered in epoxy
laying up a hull etc or on there way to a show which takes up answering time.
It's not a hobby to be hurrying though and any trader worthy of your support will eventually
reply.

Ned

[Colin Bishop]

No, I appreciate what you are saying but did you specify which radio you wanted, which motors you would be using, (brushed or brushless), which speed controller you wanted, which type of batteries you wish to use? It's a bit of a moving feast and you could end up with a number of quotes which vary enormously but any of which may be valid. For example you can pay between £30 to £150 for a radio TX/RX depending on what quality you want, what range you need and the number of channels you require. By the time you have specified all this you can just look online and see where the best prices are. Unless you are really, really precise in specifying what you want then you are asking the supplier to be a mind reader in interpreting your requirements and they won't necessarily know what your budget expectations are.

This is the difference between now and 30 years ago. Then you could probably pop along to your local model shop and obtain personalised advice. These days there are no longer model shops on every corner but on the upside all the information you could possibly want is now online and there for the taking. But you do have to do some homework first!

Colin

[radiojoe]

You can get everything you want from www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk a comprehensive on line supplier everything listed and priced and if the items in stock, I use them frequently they give good service usually two to three days. 

[jenga]

colin
see reply 2...I did specify
and it seems my posts are not appearing in the order I wrote them. Some are missing. anyway, tis all sorted now, sorry to stir up a wasps nest, just my opinion, I'm allowed one....wife said so, so there....now wheres me pills....
Jenga

[Colin Bishop]

Jenga, I'm still a little bit puzzled. If you knew exactly what you wanted then you would have seen the prices on the various websites you visited so why ask for a quote?

Glad to hear you are now sorted anyway.

Colin

[jenga]

Simple: looking for a deal, do you pay full price for everything?,you  dont ask, you dont get, its easy to email ..."price as shown"
 
..see just done it. less that 2 seconds... politeness costs nothing, customer should come first, old school maybe, their loss someone elses gain...no second chances.
AM I BANNED YET???    lol
Jenga (Im lovely really)

[sparkey]

Last boat I built I got parts from everywhere that's the way it is these days horses for courses, kit CMB, motors ESC's hobbyking, prop shalf prop prop shop,batteries component shop,filler halfords,vanish B&Q, other bits from so many suppliers I cant remember,most of us go with people we know and have had good service from,I don't know where there is a decent model shop in London as so many have closed down,when I was a kid and started making models I knew of 12 shops  south of the thames all gone, so now I use the internet like everybody else,  Ray.   

[Neil]

AM I BANNED YET???    lol
Jenga (Im lovely really)

WHY............do you wanna be?

[hmsantrim]

Hi Jenga.
 what has changed is everything is done on line now, so if you want a bargin you have to shop around the net.
 
The Global model retail trade is at you finger tips now and if like the rest of us you want your folding to go as far it can  you have to do a bit of work Googling to find that special deal.
 
 It may be just down the road or from one of the other EU countries you dont just shop UK wide anymore you shop world wide.
There are deals to be had in the forum sales you can also ask in the wanted page and somebody may put you on to a bargin.

Surprise you what some of this lot have hidden under the bed..and not just the chanty    
 
There are  also the various on line auction sites to hunt around.  To-day you dont run round the shops to find "that bargin" you trawl  the net.

 The high street model shop has gone and like every other business and is now on line. 
 
 Frank

[jenga]

hello all, thanks for you views.
I HAVE been trying to source goods world wide...the problem in the case of the Pontos detail etch set for Bismarck  was that although sites show and price this item...99% of them hold no stocks, so lets take a chinese "stockist" for example.
replied in very quick order ( good), said would de-value item for customs clearance( good, I think), BUT   wanted payment up front and no idea on when item would be in stock or on delivery (not so good).
Now lots of sites list things they dont have but dont state that item will be on back order, until after you pay.  Some will not charge you till dispatch, fine, but a simple disclaimer would save frustration... " this item is available on special order, not stocked".
As I said, some of my posts explaining all this have gone into the ether, so dispite the impression I my give, I am not as stupid as I appear, may need a new thread for that topic.
Neil,
 it was a joke...the "LOL" would suggest that. I was trying in a bad way to say that some sites hate people being critical of anything and hand out bans for minor breaches. Eg my son was banned from an Xbox forum for 3 days for refusing to tell another member how he got to a certain level in a short time, for " failure to help other members from progressing".or some such rubbish. And no I have never been banned.
I am also not trying to upset anyone on here, I need your help and advice, FAR, far more than you will ever need any of my contributions.
regaards Jenga
 

[NFMike]

I'm afraid the days of getting a quote and discount for this level of stuff are long gone. The only time you might get a deal like that is buying a big lot face-to-face at a show where the owner is in front of you or very near. Online you are just expecting the trader do do your homework.
(If you put together a priced up list from a specific website and then asked what discount you could have on it, you might get a result I suppose, but as the person reading your mail may well be an employee it's still a bit unlikely.)

Your point about stock is valid, though certainly not special to model boats or any other product.
If most suppliers seem to be out of stock of something I want, then I'm generally suspicious of the ones that seem to have (plenty) to sell and will check carefully their Ts & Cs and try to find out actual stock before giving any payment details. It's the old buyer beware thing I fear.