Great Planes - What are they doing???
04-03-2010, 04:32 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Great Planes - What are they doing???
Guys,
Dropped into my local hobby shop to get a few things and order some 3 blade props. During some discussion on ordering plywood the owner tells me that Great Planes (Tower's distributor to hobby shops) is now charging all their accounts shipping charges. The owner said this will make him totally uncompetitive with mail order. This could be a really bad thing. I like going to the shop and will still support him but it could cause others to turn away-result the local guy can't make a living and closes then we loss. I think we need to let Great Plains know the problem this will cause for our local shops. I'm not involved with selling anything nor do I own any part of a hobby shop, just like to have them around to get a look at stuff before I buy and know that they have the small parts and material I need.
Best, DennisT
Dropped into my local hobby shop to get a few things and order some 3 blade props. During some discussion on ordering plywood the owner tells me that Great Planes (Tower's distributor to hobby shops) is now charging all their accounts shipping charges. The owner said this will make him totally uncompetitive with mail order. This could be a really bad thing. I like going to the shop and will still support him but it could cause others to turn away-result the local guy can't make a living and closes then we loss. I think we need to let Great Plains know the problem this will cause for our local shops. I'm not involved with selling anything nor do I own any part of a hobby shop, just like to have them around to get a look at stuff before I buy and know that they have the small parts and material I need.
Best, DennisT
04-03-2010, 05:48 PM
#2
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Location: Bradenton,
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RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
Do ALL YOU CAN DO to support your LHS. The town I live in summers doesn't have one !!! The closest is 50 miles!! If I had to pay 10 % more to get a plane or anything else, I'd do it !!!
04-03-2010, 06:01 PM
#3
Senior Member
My Feedback: (1)
RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
Some might not but I know that myself, I'll stick with my LHS. Doesn't matter if it's shipping charges, Tower or Great Planes or whomever isn't down the street when I have a problem and need some assistance, or just feel like stopping by to jaw with everyone. It's like going to a small town barber shop. Don't think shipping charges cover it.
Just my .01
Just my .01
04-03-2010, 06:48 PM
#4
Senior Member
RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
Well, if GP ships an order to one of its distributors, they have to pay the freight on it. It doesn't matter if that is a huge stock order or one item in a special order. Anyone who has shipped anything lately knows just how expensive it has gotten. I would imagine that GP could no longer eat the shipping and maintain a target profit margin. That's just business; everything has gone up like shipping, utilities, workers comp, wages, health care, raw materials, you name it.
Most of the vendors I have ever dealt with (non-RC) charge freight to their distributors for orders. The more you order, the cheaper it gets to ship per unit and they often offer price breaks for certain order sizes, run specials, etc. I would imagine GP does some of the same things.
Most of the vendors I have ever dealt with (non-RC) charge freight to their distributors for orders. The more you order, the cheaper it gets to ship per unit and they often offer price breaks for certain order sizes, run specials, etc. I would imagine GP does some of the same things.
04-03-2010, 07:53 PM
#5
My Feedback: (-1)
RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
ORIGINAL: ChuckW
Well, if GP ships an order to one of its distributors, they have to pay the freight on it. It doesn't matter if that is a huge stock order or one item in a special order. Anyone who has shipped anything lately knows just how expensive it has gotten. I would imagine that GP could no longer eat the shipping and maintain a target profit margin. That's just business; everything has gone up like shipping, utilities, workers comp, wages, health care, raw materials, you name it.
Most of the vendors I have ever dealt with (non-RC) charge freight to their distributors for orders. The more you order, the cheaper it gets to ship per unit and they often offer price breaks for certain order sizes, run specials, etc. I would imagine GP does some of the same things.
Well, if GP ships an order to one of its distributors, they have to pay the freight on it. It doesn't matter if that is a huge stock order or one item in a special order. Anyone who has shipped anything lately knows just how expensive it has gotten. I would imagine that GP could no longer eat the shipping and maintain a target profit margin. That's just business; everything has gone up like shipping, utilities, workers comp, wages, health care, raw materials, you name it.
Most of the vendors I have ever dealt with (non-RC) charge freight to their distributors for orders. The more you order, the cheaper it gets to ship per unit and they often offer price breaks for certain order sizes, run specials, etc. I would imagine GP does some of the same things.
04-03-2010, 10:46 PM
#6
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RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
I have said it before, I will never buy another giant scale plane because I refuse to pay $100.00 for shipping. UPS can out of business for all I care.
04-04-2010, 02:22 AM
#7
RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
With the reduction in workload for the US postal service, they are a good option to look at for shipping. It is cheaper than the rest if they can be used. From what I understand, the USPS picks up some of the slack for UPS. You know this is true by the fact that the post office is moving away from saturday deliveries. Obviously there are other factors, but the lack of first class mail is the biggie. The green movement and on line bill pay have hit them hard.
04-04-2010, 06:06 AM
#8
Senior Member
My Feedback: (14)
RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
Even the USPS will ship some giant scale ARFs. It just depends on how big they are. I wish I could think of an example to give you. It surprised me that they would take such a monster. The very largest ARFs? No, but they do ship the 1.20/26cc size models most of the time.
FedEx is a bit cheaper than UPS in many instances. Still, I do like UPS the most.
All Tower Hobbies is doing is passing along a price increase and are disguising it as a shipping increase. Somehow that removes Tower from the price increase by blaming it on the shipping folks. They are in a financial pickle, I'm sure, just like everyone else is these days.
Ed Cregger
FedEx is a bit cheaper than UPS in many instances. Still, I do like UPS the most.
All Tower Hobbies is doing is passing along a price increase and are disguising it as a shipping increase. Somehow that removes Tower from the price increase by blaming it on the shipping folks. They are in a financial pickle, I'm sure, just like everyone else is these days.
Ed Cregger
04-04-2010, 12:26 PM
#9
Senior Member
RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
ORIGINAL: vertical grimmace
With the reduction in workload for the US postal service, they are a good option to look at for shipping. It is cheaper than the rest if they can be used.
With the reduction in workload for the US postal service, they are a good option to look at for shipping. It is cheaper than the rest if they can be used.
04-04-2010, 12:41 PM
#10
My Feedback: (-1)
RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
ORIGINAL: ChuckW
For small and moderately sized items, the USPS has some good shipping deals. I especially like Priority Mail although it has gone up considerably. For larger packages such as ARF's, I have found that the USPS prices are outrageous; UPS and Fed-Ex has them beat by a long shot. I've also found UPS and Fed-Ex to be more reliable with better tracking, more on-time delivery, etc.
ORIGINAL: vertical grimmace
With the reduction in workload for the US postal service, they are a good option to look at for shipping. It is cheaper than the rest if they can be used.
With the reduction in workload for the US postal service, they are a good option to look at for shipping. It is cheaper than the rest if they can be used.
04-04-2010, 11:08 PM
#11
Senior Member
My Feedback: (14)
RE: Great Planes - What are they doing???
ORIGINAL: Gray Beard
I found the same thing. I just took it in the shorts with UPS then discovered I could have sent my item by USPS for half the price. A tower story. I sent in a carb for service, I sent it UPS in one of the small bubble envelopes and it cost me just over 7 beans. Tower sent it back and tried to charge me 10 bucks for handling and 10 bucks for shipping. I was stuck between that rock and hard place and gave the go ahead to get my carb back. I was surprised when I got the bill, someone removed the extra 10 bucks for handling. That is another rip off but everyone is doing it. I just got a piston ring, 17 bucks, shipping in an envelope was $1.50 but to have someone put it in an envelope and write my address was another $1.50. Shipping has removed any of the fun I used to have on mail order. Today I call my LHS with the parts numbers for items needed if he is a distributor and just have them sent to him, it's cheaper for me to drive across town then have it sent to my home.
ORIGINAL: ChuckW
For small and moderately sized items, the USPS has some good shipping deals. I especially like Priority Mail although it has gone up considerably. For larger packages such as ARF's, I have found that the USPS prices are outrageous; UPS and Fed-Ex has them beat by a long shot. I've also found UPS and Fed-Ex to be more reliable with better tracking, more on-time delivery, etc.
ORIGINAL: vertical grimmace
With the reduction in workload for the US postal service, they are a good option to look at for shipping. It is cheaper than the rest if they can be used.
With the reduction in workload for the US postal service, they are a good option to look at for shipping. It is cheaper than the rest if they can be used.
Unless I'm misunderstanding something fundamentally wrong, Tower or Great Planes is the distributor and your LHS is a reseller, not a distributor.
Ed Cregger
