flycatch

My Feedback: (26)

The last hobby shop in my aera closed its' doors when Hobby People moved in. He catered to the fixed wing guys and they just moved their business to the chain store. It was a shame since he stock most hard to find items not products such as DuBro and Sullivan. Cheap is when you purchase a Zinger over a Vess or Xoar prop.

llindsey1965

My Feedback: (-1)

hey i am sorry i read it wrong didnt mean to come off like that , when you own the company and everything that can go wrong and does in one day , any way sorry guys didnt mean to sound like a jerk , was just a ton of pressure today , hope you accept my apology ,

llindsey1965

My Feedback: (-1)

it is a shame when the local hobby shops close , we have 3 in our area Dennis Hobbies in eastman Ga 47 miles from warner robins Hodges Hobbies Andersonville ga 57 miles and cmj hobbies roberta ga 30 miles away , would sure be nice to have one in warner robins!!!

rebranger

My Local Hobby Shop, RC Hobbies, is one of the best in the entire South. For a town our size, 250K, we are very, very fortunate to have a well stocked LHS with great service. Returns, no problem, motor blows up, no problem, plus they have the knowledge & expertise to explain & to repair in store. Their prices are the same as Tower Hobbies & you don't have to wait! I always buy from RC Hobbies, even if it costs a few dollars more, because I want them to stay in business & make a good living. You get what you pay for. I have bought the China stuff & it causes mostly aggravation & crashes. No service, no warranty, forget about sending it back!  I would rather pay 25% more for an engine from Captmicom (SV, AZ) , Valley View or BP Hobbies because I know they are going to service or warranty it if I have any problems. If we all supported our US dealers, a lot of time & money would be saved in the long run.

mrbeesboy

No problem. Didn't know what was going on....lol. Stuff happens. Apology very much excepted. Thanks
CAB

llindsey1965

My Feedback: (-1)

thanks it was one of those days yesterday , maybe we will get to fly together one day , have a good day come on down to GAMA in warner robins bunch of great guys there ok hope to see you soon happy skies!!!

llindsey1965

My Feedback: (-1)

we are lucky too as we have 3 in a 50 mile area of warner robins ga , i guess we can call that a LHS LOL well it is to us anyway and ours as yours prices are very competetive and they are very helpful with the correct answers and information that means a lot to talk to a real person face to face and be able to take it home the same day , well most of the time sometimes they have to order it but i can live with that too

Teachu2

My Feedback: (133)

It's yours! When would you like to pick it up?

rebranger

Are you willing to pack & ship it Greyhound?

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

I've been flying models in one form or another since the late fifties. Back in those days, you were lucky if you found anything model airplane related in most hobbyshops of the day, much less anything even remotely related to R/C. R/C enjoys such widespread popularity that it has expanded to the point that it is nearly impossible for one brick and mortar store to carry a wide enough selection of airplane goods to satisfaction their walk-in customers. I do not envy them their position.


Ed Cregger

flyoz

My Feedback: (7)

I think the fallacy about plank guys being cheap stems from the days when you had to be quite hnady and able to think laterally for solutions, often using materials at hand as $$$s where lean.

these guys built the plane from scratch , eventually taking up kits as a bit of a labour (and skill) saver. Sice ARFs have prevailed a plane becomes more like their prebuilt heli and car counterparts. but again the plane guys tend to muck around more in repairing and or modifying the planes. ie you dont generally buy a new wing but repair the crash damaged one. hwreas with a heli you fity a new part.

I am both into helis and planes and scale helis withstanding get my building fix from planks.

Add to this, that many plank guys are retirees or older modellers often with limited funds for hobbies.
Also when a plank crashes thee is generally less salvageable than if a car flips or a heli crashes.

Hobby shops close mainly due to decreasing client sales from charging huge markups etc ertc. a Heli from China at $70 + $70 post the same unit cost is $780 at the local shop!!!
Where do you think I would buy the heli?

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

I have seen local hobby shops prices above retail! Do you still pay that to your local hobby shop if you see it marked as such? This is more rare, but it does occur. I once had the very situation and told the hobby shop personel what the item cost and they met the price. If I had not have done that and been aware of pricing I could have paid more than retail for the item.

Another thing I found with local shops is that they don't stock anything that I usually need. I am not so sure that RC airplane folks are cheap, but seek to spend their hard earned money wisely. An example might be buying a new DLE engine from Tower Hobbies verses one on RCU MarketPlace.

I find that they put engines in RCU for more than I have to pay TH for them brand new. If you figure free shipping, and use your discount as being a club member you get around 50-70 off retail, yet some in RCU want close to retail new. When you mention it to them they get offended. The funny thing is you could buy the new engine and sell it to them for less than they want for theirs.

They way I look at it, why would you buy something in RC and then months later attempt to sell it for retail as if it has appreciated in value? It is not like we are buying land, or precious antiques for appreciable growth values down the road. I like to get as much as I can for the items I sell, but in now way do I believe I should get more than a fair market value.

Some will state, "Get what the market will bear." Maybe better defined, "Maybe an ignorant sucker will pay the price." My problem is I believe that I should treat others better and not gouge them just because they may not understand what something is worth. I can go on and on with this type of practice. Call me old fashioned but I will stick to it.

Airplanes400

My Feedback: (349)

R/C plane guys are really cheap when it comes to swap meets. Even half-off isn't good enough for them at a swap meet. Then they come back at the end of the meet and somehow think that after 4 hours, you will lower your price and take what they offer!


I had a brand new set of wings (in the box) for a .40 Sig Rascal that I only wanted $5 for. Some guy offered me $2 for the set of wings ($107.00 from Sig).
http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmar...u_02CatProd_01

He walked away and never came back when I said, no.


Now, that's being cheap!

Max_Power

I think one poster here exactly made the point (not picking on you, I see your apology) He said "and not tooting my horn you said we were cheap dont think so ,,,,, " Some people are AFRAID to be called cheap. Some people like me are PROUD to be called cheap. Money can have a very important impact on you and your family's life and future security. The wise don't pay a dime more for something than they have to....and will wait another year to have it if it means saving money, Or can just go without.

What seperates airplane guys somewhat is that they ARE older. They come from a age when it wasn't considered acceptable to spend all of your money on unnecessary items and then complain that you werent making enough to eat or house your family......or go to the Dr.. Most of them have and have had money in savings accounts since they were 20 planning for the future, and with every penny they spend they are thinking about what that means to their financial security. You ever hear the saying "A penny saved is a penny earned"? Its about more than that...Its about the "earning power" of the penny....how much money that penny can earn you if put in the bank...or saved for food at a time when food prices are low to stock up and then save another 2 pennies down the line. How many people under 30 even HAVE a retirement account these days...and don't give me the "But they wouldn't have any money to put in it because of the economy" crud! These frugal people also usually don't buy a lot of things they aren't keeping until it is totally used up, so they are more worried about how long it will last than what its resale value is. If you find yourself in the OP's situation too much you might consider whether you are too much of a "buyer/seller" or "Impulse buyer" type. neither of which are known to be economically sound. Most "Buyer/sellers" will claim they make money but in my experience only the ones always ready to hop on a deal with cash and lowball, then wait till a buyer that is willing to pay a good price comes along do. If you plan on high overturn rate it is hard to make as much....Its about patience.

This is about the difference between people like this and the "I've got to have it now , And I don't even have the time to call around for the best price" people. They also arent willing to ask a seller "Could you let it go for X$s??" They see that as a insult to them, even though the seller usually isnt thinking about their savings account when he sets prices...he is thinking "What is the highest price I can get and still be close enough to the guy with the lowest price to tempt people" These type of buyers also think that building a model in a hurry is worth the same as a craftsman spending 6 months doing it and focusing on every detail....and they think their labor is worth that much. Labor invested DECREASES the value of a item unless the new buyer cannot do the labor, or is in too much of a hurry wanting to operate the item.

As someone said the hobby shops are killing theirselves by refusing to sell all the super cheap Chinese products at a reasonable markup and forcing folks to go direct. They want to buy a item from hobbyking for $2.50 and slap a $14.99 sticker on it. Most buyers would be willing to pay $6 for the convenience of not having to order direct, but the LHS just thinks this is devalueing his higher end products and forces the consumer to buy direct from HK and buy a lot to save even more! So less and Less he will get from the LHS. They are also killing theirselves by employing 43 kids who give wrong or no information to support the one guy who knows everything in the shop and knows what you need to know about it. I'd rather be somewhere and have to wait my turn to talk to the informed employee than have my question "Dismissed" by the uninformed guy and then the store consider me to have been "helped already" Honestly a lot of times I am less frustrated in the end just buying online...regardless of the price.

I'm not "A older guy" really...,But I AM CHEAP AS HECK!! I'm proud of it! The battle between us and the non-cheap is one of the biggest issues in the US today...all around It IS the Socialist Vs Anti-Socialist argument just in another disguise. The dispute between those who think their money won't buy enough and those who think they just arent paid enough. And I think some of it has to do with the fact that a alarming number of people these days are just too timid to ask "Could you sell it for $20"...either the seller does, or he doesn't sell it He's the one who for some reason needs to be rid of it or have the $ ? Its easier for people to say it's rude than to admit they just can't gather up the courage to ask.

Its the same as the argument I hear all the time "Why would I put $800 into this car? The Blue Book is only $1300!, When the real question is "How much would it cost you to get another car that will do the job that one does". Sometimes some number of dollars supposed value has nothing to do with it...Its about how much it is worth to fill the need. Someone may be giving you a bid on your custom built Top-Flite P-51...But the space they are trying to fill could be satisfactorily filled by a VQ ARF P-51, so they base what they are willing to pay off the need...not the specific product. Like..I "need" a 1970s pickup to do odd jobs around the house, But if a seller is willing to let his 2003 F150 go for $1500 it would work out just as well. If you are the type that will be offended by a lowball offer and can't counter it with a slightly better sale price you might just be better keeping it or consigning/auctioning it with a minimum price and know that Craigslist and Ebay are ALWAYS going to attract lowballers because they don't have to look you in the eyes.

Anyway, Thats my rant and some things to consider Todd

bam320

By the very nature of what a swap meet is you can expect to be low balled. You go there with the mindset (or at least I do) that you are going to walk out of there with a super deal. If the seller is motivated and wants to just unload product he/she will entertain any offer. Worst thing that can happen is the seller says no. No harm with that in my opinion. There are many people that just prey on these sellers and just want to buy product and resell it somewhere else. People who actually are looking for something a seller has already knows the new replacement value and generally will pay a fair price. I rarely find exactly what I'm looking for at any swap meet. Anything beyond that would be an impulse buy and something that would be nice but I really don't need therefore the deal better be a real good one or I have enough control to walk away.
[quote]ORIGINAL: Airplanes400

R/C plane guys are really cheap when it comes to swap meets. Even half-off isn't good enough for them at a swap meet. Then they come back at the end of the meet and somehow think that after 4 hours, you will lower your price and take what they offer!

/quote]

flyoz

My Feedback: (7)

At the end of the day they are toys and a hobby so of course we see a wide variance from the guy that will pay whatever the latest thing costs and the guy
who will scrounge old thrown out bits just to have a bit of fun and every different person in between.

Its all good.

chistech

Some seem to confuse the term "cheap" with frugal or wise shopping. Looking for deals and making deals with someone is completely different from knowingly giving a fellow modeler a disgustingly low bid or offer for something they know is worth much more. I'm old school and if I make an offer, first of all, I'm interested in the item and not just blowing smoke up the seller's ass. Yes, I'm not paying more than what it cost new unless circumstances warrant it, but I'm going to make a respectable offer. I consider all components and also the time it would take for me to duplicate the item if I had to. For some, peoples time is worth nothing as they use the excuse that it's a hobby. Well there are lots of people who work then have a second "hobby" business. By some people's arguments, if a guy is making furniture as a "hobby" then he should sell it and his time to construct it shouldn't be considered in the price! What if he uses reclaimed, old growth wood? That would mean that there's no value in the wood he used? So let's see, if any one who has a second part time job or does some work (possibly building a plane for another modeler) then they should just build it for nothing as their time shouldn't be considered. Others have stated our hobby is for fun and so if you sell something that you have invested time and money in you should consider all your time and 60% of your money out the window. So, that aspect of it, the dollar value of your hobby isn't fun, is it? All of us, when we die and no one wants our planes, will not only loose some we'll loose everything. While I'm alive I'm not giving stuff away just because some guys make a crappy offer. Most of these offers come from those who assemble ARFs and haven't ever built much from scratch in their lives. They think the few hours of assembly they've put in on an airframe is the proper gauge for all planes and want to compare apples and oranges. I bet though, the guys who will tell a fellow modeler their time is worthless are the first to go to management and complain they aren't getting paid enough at work because their time is invaluable! These guys are also the same ones who can never give any time to their club as they are always too busy and their time is "money" Their motto is "hey, I pay my dues why should I do more" and never volunteer to help. I appreciate my fellow builders, modelers, flyers, consider all my friends and will continue to treat them that way. I will offer them a true value for their items if they want to sell them and I am interested in buying them. It' funny how this thread has got many fired up. Some agree but most disagree stating a lot of the above reasons. People hate being labeled and the ones who voice the most opposition to the label are usually guilty of it. It's like the people who get all ticked off about taking a drug test and use all kinds of reasons why they shouldn't have to take it. Most times, they are drug users. Most drug free people will walk right in and take the test never saying a word. Like I said in my first post, I hadn't really seen the "cheap" attitude the LHS owner had talked about until I recently tried to sell some items. Times have changed, so has our hobby, unfortunately for the worse and the appreciation of the fellow modeler has gone out the window.

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

Any offer to buy is a respectable offer. I don't understand where some of you are coming from on this issue. Being wise with one's money has nothing to do with what you are buying, airplane, car or hamburgers.

There are still too many kids out there with mommy and daddy's credit cards who do not have a clue about how much they are over paying for "toys".


Ed Cregger

corvette65

My Feedback: (3)

I have bid on several kits on RC Universe and didn t get the kit- I do lowball a bit for example if a guy asks $200 I offer him $125 and expect him to come back at $150 or $175 but most times they refuse and guess what-1 week later the add says "SOLD". therefore someone is paying almost full price which proves that not everybody is "CHEAP".

Waco

My Feedback: (265)

when I have a ARF I paid 400.00 for and list it for 300.00 and someone low balls me with a 150.00 shipped I just delete it, I don't waste my time with guys like that, they like vultures looking for victims to feed on.

on_your_six

My Feedback: (11)

This one really grinds my kiester... local club has a table of un-priced items... The table has a coffee can with sign 'Pay what you think it is worth to you"

This guy took $300-400 worth of engines and radios and left $10 in the can.

They never saw this guy coming and he has money.
.
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Bill Vargas

My Feedback: (5)

prolly all on fleebay now


BV

mrbeesboy

Looks like this guy got away with paying roughly 3 % of what the engines were worth. I can't believe someone didn't step up and say something. I understand how people can be cheap, but come on!!!!
CAB

on_your_six

My Feedback: (11)

You got that right... he was last seen trying to sell some of the stuff at the field. If he ruins an engine.. he will sell it on fleabay. This is one reason that I will not buy used engines on-line. Grandma drove it to church on sunday.

Thisstrangeengine

I can't understand why so many threads end up in a piss and moan contest! *** is wrong with everyone these days? Reminds me of a club I used to belong to years ago.
There were very rich guys and us "cheapos" with our average type aircraft and those other guys acted like they owned the place!!! Kind of like here...[:@]