ExactRail announces addition shipping options

[bbussey]

Excerpt from an ExactRail email received today:

We have heard some concerns from our customers regarding shipping prices, and we have been able to make some changes to help. We have:

• Added USPS First Class Parcel. This is less expensive when shipping a smaller order of ExactRail cars.
• Added a DHL option, this usually ships world wide in just 2-3 days!
• Lowered the free shipping level to Canada on orders over $100.

   

[davefoxx]

I got that email, too, Bryan.  I just put four cars into my cart on ER's website, and there is now an option for USPS First-Class that is only $5.98.  Of course, since my order is over $50.00 (in the U.S.), I get free shipping!

DFF

[Scottl]

That is certainly better to Canada.  Glad to see they are responsive, that is a good sign for a business in my view.

[GaryHinshaw]

Good news.  Thanks for posting it, and thanks to ExactRail.  I have at least half a dozen boxcars on my list, and I'm hoping they'll rerun some of their gons again soon, especially the 3564.

[ljudice]

Good news.  Thanks for posting it, and thanks to ExactRail.  I have at least half a dozen boxcars on my list, and I'm hoping they'll rerun some of their gons again soon, especially the 3564.

Here, here!  The little gunderson gon in the late SP scheme would be nice also.

[John]

Notice they have a lot of stuff priced so that you have to buy more than 2 Nscale cars to get the free shipping

[Specter3]

hey...they are nice guys, but they are not stupid....

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Meh, talk to me when their shipping options include "to Kleins" or "to Chuck's".

[Ike the BN Freak]

I also got a code for a discount...which is nice...

[Kev1340]

Meh, talk to me when their shipping options include "to Kleins" or "to Chuck's".

I see the record is still stuck, I guess that means you'll be whinging about BLMA's direct only pipe loads? Or can they do no wrong?

As I've said before, ExactRail have valid reasons for moving to direct sales, and are doing their best to make it easy for everybody.

Cheers,

Kev

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I did complain to Craig about it, actually.

If you don't think the survival of hobby shops and their important aggregation function isn't important, than by all means keep thinking this is a great development for the hobby, but if you ever wanted to grab some paint, rail joiners and a magazine without shelling out $30 for shipping, you might want to rethink your Exactrail cheerleading.

[GaryHinshaw]

Ed, I think you exaggerate.  No one here thinks the direct sales model is a "great development", nor is anyone shelling out $30 for shipping on a typical order.

I have no idea how important the LHS is to the future of the hobby, in the same way I have no idea how important a brick & mortar book store is to the future of publishing.  It's worth noting that the two shops you cite (MBK & FRT) are not LHS's for the most part and have played a bigger role in the demise of the true LHS than ER has.  My guess is that, as long as there are people who are passionate about (model) trains, the hobby will continue to survive through adapted channels, like train shows and direct sales.

-gfh

P.S. I tried to buy paint at my LHS a few weekes ago and they have stopped stocking it until they can adapt to the new Canadian packaging laws  (), so I am now effectively forced to buy paint from Chuck.

[conrail98]

If you don't think the survival of hobby shops and their important aggregation function isn't important, than by all means keep thinking this is a great development for the hobby, but if you ever wanted to grab some paint, rail joiners and a magazine without shelling out $30 for shipping, you might want to rethink your Exactrail cheerleading.

+1

And I'll take it a step further than that. It's just not hobby shops we all should be concenred about. My local AC Moore tossed all their hobby stuff. They probably had the best selection around me for anything Woodland Scenics related in addition to some HO and Lionel items, probably 4 rows worth. It was intermixed with the Thomas and Brio sets as well. So think of this, in this store, a kid or parent with a kid getting some Thomas stuff is going past HO and Lionel sets, freight cars and all the details of cars, structures, scenery items to buy their kid something. So yes, in short, there is a real concern from people like Ed and myself that as more manufacturers do direct only options for parts or all products, you lose the visibility of the products in not only hobby stores but also some of the other stores that would carry even peripheral items. The loss of exposure to the masses of this hobby through the declining presence of hobby shops or no more offerings in places like AC Moore or Michaels will do more to kill this hobby then any manufacturing problems in China. Sorry, not all of us are going to be cheerleaders or just fall lock-step in with the rest of the masses that "this is the way it is" and the reasons are the ones we both alluded to and we'll continue to voice our displeasure with it until it's either changed or all manufacturers are going direct and we walk away from the hobby,

Phil

[John]

It's worth noting that the two shops you cite (MBK & FRT) are not LHS's for the most part and have played a bigger role in the demise of the true LHS than ER has. 

I don't know what FRTS's changed their model to, but MBK is most surely an LHS .. they have a location (as you know) in Cockeysville that has a showroom for all all their products. I can certainly go in and buy most anything.  Where they rock the price point tho is in volume that is the envy of many B/Ms .. they also are a distributor ..

Just this weekend I went to GPA Hobbies in Crofton .. a box of smooth it  $6.79 .. K&S brass .. full price .. and then a poor stock at that .. 

[Scottl]

I suspect this kind of debate would have emerged on forums when online hobby shops first appeared.