Hobby Shops
By Chris Allen TCA # 95-40580, President Desert Division

Greetings to You All

Last month I mentioned in lieu of an after meet visitation for you to stop by one of your local train or hobby shops to see what's new. One of the new phenomena our hobby is facing is the ever-growing presence of the Internet and on-line selling. There is no denying that the Internet has indeed changed the way people communicate and transact business these days. Even some of the most vocal and staunchest opponents of the Internet are now on-line. A recent straw poll at one of our monthly meets showed about 85% of those members present at the meet regularly use the internet for email communication and e-Bay "browsing."

What this has done, of course, is put a huge pressure on our brick and mortar local train and hobby stores along with fellow members who run little "Mom & Pop" businesses that we see at our local meets. While browsing (and grousing) has always been an integral part of the hobby, it seems the brick and mortar stores are feeling the pinch from all the lookie-loo's and hear the familiar comment, "I can buy this cheaper on-line."

This of course brings up one of the idiosyncrasies of the hobby. The buyers always lament, "I can buy it cheaper on-line," while sellers claim they won't sell it because "I can sell it for more on-line!" GIMMEE A BREAK! While I don't claim to be more "plugged in" than many of you more tech savvy members who live and breathe e-Bay, what are we really talking about? Sellers, do you make an additional $5 per $100 of value, and what was your e-Bay commission (per item) that you paid? And buyers, okay you escaped state sales tax (for the time being) but paid postage and the notorious "shipping & handling" charges. (Excuse me while I really flame this one.) If I buy an item from you at a meet and you hand it to me across the table, no charge. But if you put it into a box with some popcorn or crumpled newspaper and you drop it off at the Post Office you're going to charge me $10 or $15 more? We complain about the fees doctors charge for an office visit, yet a train seller going to the Post Office is probably more per hour!

Now, I am definitely a small potatoes e-Bay'er with less than 150 transactions of both buying and selling. (No, I do not charge shipping and handling; of course, I go to the Post Office everyday, and never, ever ship UPS! <grin>) Over the same period of time I have made a similar amount of purchases from fellow members and local shops. Both have their place. I enjoy the banter of human interaction both at my local shop, where I spend a lot of time chewing the fat about everything under the sun, and from fellow Desert Division members at the monthly meets. I may ask someone to keep an eye out for a postwar goodie I seem always to be looking for, or to explain a variation I'm not sure of or the rarity of it. At my local store I can compare the tooling, sound, or smoke units of current production units that I cannot do by simply looking at catalog pictures or specifications. I feel the time invested in explaining, showcasing, and stocking current production models is worth the extra dollars that must be charged so I can have the instant gratification of taking my new treasure home with me rather than waiting for it to arrive in the mail. Desert Division members also sell everything from track and shelving, to light bulbs and hard-to-find post war replacement parts that are just too much of a niche market for the local shops to stock.

Please stop by your local train shop or dealer and let him know you appreciate his support of the Division. Shop and compare the store price versus the on-line price. Is the difference really worth the few dollars you are going to save? Has the hobby really boiled down to a dollar and cents issue where the emphasis is one of squeezing out the last penny in profit (or savings) over the fellowship the hobby was founded on?

Looking forward to seeing you soon!