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You had asked "where do you find it" I don't it finds me,lot of it is word of mouth,so and so said you buy collections blah blah blah.Right now it's a buyer's market,Big question is How much do you have to invest (gamble) to take the plunge?? can you afford to lose 10-20 grand ?? Are you willing to walk away from a deal if the price is to high ??Do you know what something is worth ?? Buy trains is like playing poker,Could you look someone righti n the high knowing what he has is worth alot more then you paided for it without blinking??
Start out small don't waste your time on estaste sales but then again most ppl there want to get rid of it,really only one rule to go by
Modeltrainstuff and Brooklyn Locomotive works(N scale exclusively) will be the cheapest for sure and then Ebay for the harder to find stuff. I live in the DFW area and we have train shows twice a year but I have found them to be priced high retail and lots of old timers(present company excluded of course) that want way too much for their used worn out crap. Good deals can be had on Ebay but you have to be patient. I have found this guy's shop and he has great prices but I have never bought anything from him so I don't know what service is like.http://www.lombardhobby.com/
I also wanted to say in retrospect that I am an Ebay seller and most of the hobby stuff I sell goes to either the left or the right coast. Texas apparently is not as big a market for hobby stuff and supplies compared to places like California or even Maryland or Pennsylvania. However, we have freakin' gun shows here every damn weekend so if you want to stock up for the apocalypse go for it.
Modeltrainstuff and Brooklyn Locomotive works(N scale exclusively) will be the cheapest for sure and then Ebay for the harder to find stuff. I live in the DFW area and we have train shows twice a year but I have found them to be priced high retail and lots of old timers(present company excluded of course) that want way too much for their used worn out crap.
LOL! Awesome! And the thing is, being a total newb, I wouldn't know how to tell whether it's old worn-out crap. You've pretty much just saved me from ever buying anything at a train show. Thanks!
Good deals can be had on Ebay but you have to be patient. I have found this guy's shop and he has great prices but I have never bought anything from him so I don't know what service is like.http://www.lombardhobby.com/
I'm still wary of Ebay. I have a real hard time buying things I can't see, touch and feel AND the fact that I'm a total newb and don't know what's good and worth money and what isn't makes it an even riskier proposition to me.
The Lombard Hobby site looks interesting. Once I get in a position to buy some stuff, I may give that site a go. Thanks!
I have two good ones within 20 or 30 minutes of me (and at least a couple more within an hour or so of me), and one that primarily focuses on HO and O scale (with a tiny bit (pun intended) of N scale, which is my interest) within 5 minutes of me.
I really want to support my LHS so that they don't go out of business. I like the ability to wander in, look for an hour or two and dream. That and the ability to actually touch stuff is worth a lot to me at this stage. I recognize that their prices may not be the best when compared to shops on the Internet, but I really do like my local hobby shops and would like to support them so that they will continue to be in business.
Hobbytown USA is walking distance from me and I buy my track and some scenery from them (no paying for shipping so the prices are really identical but my engines and rolling stock are all online.
Please don't be. Go off of the Feedback score that's all you have to do. The thing about is Ebay is that you will see stuff for sale that you won't see anywhere else. Ebay backs up all purchases now and has for several years there is little to no risk involved with a purchase on Ebay.
Hobbytown USA is walking distance from me and I buy my track and some scenery from them (no paying for shipping so the prices are really identical but my engines and rolling stock are all online.
Dude unless your buying only "onesies or twosies" there is no way Hobbytown is cheaper than MBK or BLW and even considering that I have STILL gotten stuff cheaper from MBK.
They get their stuff from Horizon which is way more than "keystone" you are paying crazy markup!
I just combed through Lombard Hobby's site and they have a bunch of Athearn 5-packs of coal cars for $35....many different roads, alot of Atlas boxcars and hoppers for $8 each. Many kato and atlas locomotives for $45. Never bought from them but prices and selection look not bad.
Modeltrainstuff and Brooklyn Locomotive works(N scale exclusively) will be the cheapest for sure .... I have found this guy's shop and he has great prices but I have never bought anything from him so I don't know what service is like.http://www.lombardhobby.com/
modeltrainstuff.com is the domain name for MB Klein
buynscale.com is the domain for Brooklyn Locomotive Works
BLW is not exclusively n scale. They also sell HO and G scale but use different eBay IDs and domain names for non n scale products.
Lombard Hobbies has 'good' prices but I found only one n scale diesel at a price lower than anywhere else. When you consider his $9.95 shipping charge for a single engine, it's no longer the 'best' price unless you package it with more items.
Dude unless your buying only "onesies or twosies" there is no way Hobbytown is cheaper than MBK or BLW and even considering that I have STILL gotten stuff cheaper from MBK.
They get their stuff from Horizon which is way more than "keystone" you are paying crazy markup!
I forgot to clarify that. It is ONLY if I am buying a single item. lol If I buy like 3 or more, it is cheaper online with shipping. I will go in the store to get a piece of feeder track or a straight or scenic cement and what not but only by itself, not all together otherwise, you are right, I am losing money
You have just said about all there is to say. LHS is going to be more price not cheap, but you are supporting them as you said.
I would guess I purchase 10% of my stuff from the LHS. Of course this last experience with the Walther's El Capitan set has me wondering if I really want to support them or not. I would have thought I was back east in NYC or something they way they were acting. Like they were doing ME a favor to get these ordered in the manner that I wanted.
On the nother idea... They aren't all that great for browsing anymore either. They used to have shelfs filled floor to ceiling where I could always go down and just get what I needed, and look through all the things for stuff I didn't know existed. Now I can never find stuff so I have to ask and get the reply, "oh we can order that". DUH so can I.
They are the surviving train shop in the metro area. They do have the basics like track, scenery supplies, etc. but don't count on them having much else..
On the nother idea... They aren't all that great for browsing anymore either. They used to have shelfs filled floor to ceiling where I could always go down and just get what I needed, and look through all the things for stuff I didn't know existed. Now I can never find stuff so I have to ask and get the reply, "oh we can order that". DUH so can I.
Since I'm new and haven't been at this for years, my LHS still holds some fascination for me. I can see where after having done it for years and collected a lot of stuff, the LHS wouldn't have what one needed any more.
The whole situation saddens me. I fear the LHS, like many brick and mortar shops, is going the way of the dodo....
Thanks!
