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Would you, if you owned a hobby shop?


Yeh, Id sell them
  47% (33)
No, bad for biz
  52% (37)


Total Votes : 70


(last vote on : 2/3/2013 4:08 PM)
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Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 4:45 PM   
nitrosportsandrunner



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So, this conversation has come up a few times between me and some friends.

I would love to own a hobby shop. And while my hobby shop is pretty good, there are things I would do different.

One big one is this: Id sell skylipo, gens ace, flysky, leapord, thunder ac6, ezrun and all the other great, low cost brands many of us know about.

It kinda stings when I see a newb shopping at the hobby shop and pays $80 for a 2s 4000mah lipo pack.

So I asked one day why they dont have these brands. I said, if people will pay $80 for a lipo, why not sell a sky lipo pack that cost you $25 for $50? Huge markup for you, good option for the customer with a smaller budget.
Lets face it, not everyone shops online or knows of places like hobbypartz or hobbyking.


I was told, that since they are no-name brands the quality is to low and they dont want the risk of defective stuff coming back.

The way I see is, is if you can double your money on an item you can risk 1 or 2 coming back.

Ive owned 10-12 skylipo packs and only had 2-3 fail...and after a fair amount of use. For the money, I dont see an issue with that.

So, if you owned a hobby shop, would you buy these cheap lipos/chargers/brushless systems....mark them up to a price good for you-but less than the big brand options and sell them?


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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 4:52 PM   
HerrSavage


 

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I would imagine running a hobby shop is very hard.

They don't sell those cheap brands........... because they wouldn't make any money off them. And to run a hobby shop you need to make money. Rent, staff, other costs, etc.. I think you're underestimating how much all that adds up, and overall how hard it is. I mean, I live without one(because mine sucks..), and get what I want online. Just like more and more people do..

Those brands you mention are so cheap, partially because they are not sold in hobby shops..

I bet it's like most things. Ten brands of lipos come from the same factory - some sold cheaply online, some more expensive in hobby shops. Just different names.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 4:58 PM   
nitrosportsandrunner



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quote:

ORIGINAL: HerrSavage

I would imagine running a hobby shop is very hard.

They don't sell those cheap brands........... because they wouldn't make any money off them. And to run a hobby shop you need to make money. Rent, staff, other costs, etc.. I think you're underestimating how much all that adds up, and overall how hard it is. I mean, I live without one(because mine sucks..), and get what I want online. Just like more and more people do..

Those brands you mention are so cheap, partially because they are not sold in hobby shops..

I bet it's like most things. Ten brands of lipos come from the same factory - some sold cheaply online, some more expensive in hobby shops. Just different names.

OK, but Im not talking about selling a skylipo pack for $25 in a hobby shop. Im talking about selling them for $50 in a hobby shop. Still less than the name brand packs I see, but double what they go for online.
I think $25-$30 profit on a single battery is pretty good!

Examples:

Gens ace lipo: cost $25, sell $50-$60
flysky radio: cost $25, sell $50
thunder AC6: cost $45, sell $75
Leapord BL system: cost $60, sell $90
Ezrun 35a system: cost $80, sell $110
MG996R servo: cost $8, sell $25

Each of those prices is $20-$40 less than the comparable big brand item.

I agree that many lipos come out of the same factory...and that they will cost more sold at a hobby shop then online. But the gap is huge. A 2s 5000 online being $25 and at the hobby shop $80.
Chargers are almost worse. The only $50 charger at my shock is a 1-4 amp nimh AC charger! Adjsutable rate lipo chargers are $100 or more.

I admit that selling these cheap brands wont make a hobby shop MORE money. The markups I suggest may not be that much greater than what they do on the name brand stuff. But if you can offer better prices on parts, then you can help grow the hobby in your area...and that growth is good for any hobby shop.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 5:18 PM   
SyCo_VeNoM



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quote:

ORIGINAL: HerrSavage

I would imagine running a hobby shop is very hard.

They don't sell those cheap brands........... because they wouldn't make any money off them. And to run a hobby shop you need to make money. Rent, staff, other costs, etc.. I think you're underestimating how much all that adds up, and overall how hard it is. I mean, I live without one(because mine sucks..), and get what I want online. Just like more and more people do..

Those brands you mention are so cheap, partially because they are not sold in hobby shops..

I bet it's like most things. Ten brands of lipos come from the same factory - some sold cheaply online, some more expensive in hobby shops. Just different names.

you would be suprprised to see what people will pay cause they are too lazy to look online

I know a hobby shop that isn't far from me they sell the HW, flysky, and stuff for 20% more than hobbypartz

I remember seeing the Turnigy lipos Hobbyking sells for $22 on ebay they were selling for $45 and the guy had over 100 sold of just one mah rating he had like 20 other auctions with other capacities each had over 50 sold at 2-3X the markup

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 5:27 PM   
nitrosportsandrunner



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quote:

ORIGINAL: SyCo_VeNoM

quote:

ORIGINAL: HerrSavage

I would imagine running a hobby shop is very hard.

They don't sell those cheap brands........... because they wouldn't make any money off them. And to run a hobby shop you need to make money. Rent, staff, other costs, etc.. I think you're underestimating how much all that adds up, and overall how hard it is. I mean, I live without one(because mine sucks..), and get what I want online. Just like more and more people do..

Those brands you mention are so cheap, partially because they are not sold in hobby shops..

I bet it's like most things. Ten brands of lipos come from the same factory - some sold cheaply online, some more expensive in hobby shops. Just different names.

you would be suprprised to see what people will pay cause they are too lazy to look online

I know a hobby shop that isn't far from me they sell the HW, flysky, and stuff for 20% more than hobbypartz

I remember seeing the Turnigy lipos Hobbyking sells for $22 on ebay they were selling for $45 and the guy had over 100 sold of just one mah rating he had like 20 other auctions with other capacities each had over 50 sold at 2-3X the markup

so your hobby shp has some HW and flysky stuff for only 20% more than the online cost?
See at my shop I dont see why the radio/charger/lipos couldnt all be sold at double the cost to buy them.
I had bought some skylipo packs off hobbyparts for $25 and sold them on ebay for $45.

I was talking to an older guy at the track wednesday. He has been racing there for some time now. When I told him the cost of my lipo packs, charger, mg996r servos and brushless system he was in shock.

I dont want anyone to get the wrong idea, I do support my LHS when I can. Before them this area had very few in the hobby! I dont speak of lower cost stuff in the shop itself. And when it comes to regular replacement parts I buy them from the shop. Just not their lipos/chargers/radios or servo. Did buy a hpi motor there last week when my Losi 12t motor took a dump.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 5:47 PM   
mattster1971



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quote:

ORIGINAL: nitrosportsandrunner

quote:

ORIGINAL: HerrSavage

I would imagine running a hobby shop is very hard.

They don't sell those cheap brands........... because they wouldn't make any money off them. And to run a hobby shop you need to make money. Rent, staff, other costs, etc.. I think you're underestimating how much all that adds up, and overall how hard it is. I mean, I live without one(because mine sucks..), and get what I want online. Just like more and more people do..

Those brands you mention are so cheap, partially because they are not sold in hobby shops..

I bet it's like most things. Ten brands of lipos come from the same factory - some sold cheaply online, some more expensive in hobby shops. Just different names.

OK, but Im not talking about selling a skylipo pack for $25 in a hobby shop. Im talking about selling them for $50 in a hobby shop. Still less than the name brand packs I see, but double what they go for online.
I think $25-$30 profit on a single battery is pretty good!

Examples:

Gens ace lipo: cost $25, sell $50-$60
flysky radio: cost $25, sell $50
thunder AC6: cost $45, sell $75
Leapord BL system: cost $60, sell $90
Ezrun 35a system: cost $80, sell $110
MG996R servo: cost $8, sell $25

Each of those prices is $20-$40 less than the comparable big brand item.

I agree that many lipos come out of the same factory...and that they will cost more sold at a hobby shop then online. But the gap is huge. A 2s 5000 online being $25 and at the hobby shop $80.
Chargers are almost worse. The only $50 charger at my shock is a 1-4 amp nimh AC charger! Adjsutable rate lipo chargers are $100 or more.

I admit that selling these cheap brands wont make a hobby shop MORE money. The markups I suggest may not be that much greater than what they do on the name brand stuff. But if you can offer better prices on parts, then you can help grow the hobby in your area...and that growth is good for any hobby shop.


Ask your LHS to see what they pay for one of those high priced packs. I think you will be surprised to see it isn't they who make the money, it is the distributors who warehouse the inventory and ship orders to them. The middle man sees the largest profit. I would imagine that the majority of the cheaper brands are direct from manufacturer limiting the markup hence cheaper prices.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 6:27 PM   
SyCo_VeNoM



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quote:

ORIGINAL: nitrosportsandrunner


quote:

ORIGINAL: SyCo_VeNoM

quote:

ORIGINAL: HerrSavage

I would imagine running a hobby shop is very hard.

They don't sell those cheap brands........... because they wouldn't make any money off them. And to run a hobby shop you need to make money. Rent, staff, other costs, etc.. I think you're underestimating how much all that adds up, and overall how hard it is. I mean, I live without one(because mine sucks..), and get what I want online. Just like more and more people do..

Those brands you mention are so cheap, partially because they are not sold in hobby shops..

I bet it's like most things. Ten brands of lipos come from the same factory - some sold cheaply online, some more expensive in hobby shops. Just different names.

you would be suprprised to see what people will pay cause they are too lazy to look online

I know a hobby shop that isn't far from me they sell the HW, flysky, and stuff for 20% more than hobbypartz

I remember seeing the Turnigy lipos Hobbyking sells for $22 on ebay they were selling for $45 and the guy had over 100 sold of just one mah rating he had like 20 other auctions with other capacities each had over 50 sold at 2-3X the markup

so your hobby shp has some HW and flysky stuff for only 20% more than the online cost?
See at my shop I dont see why the radio/charger/lipos couldnt all be sold at double the cost to buy them.
I had bought some skylipo packs off hobbyparts for $25 and sold them on ebay for $45.

I was talking to an older guy at the track wednesday. He has been racing there for some time now. When I told him the cost of my lipo packs, charger, mg996r servos and brushless system he was in shock.

I dont want anyone to get the wrong idea, I do support my LHS when I can. Before them this area had very few in the hobby! I dont speak of lower cost stuff in the shop itself. And when it comes to regular replacement parts I buy them from the shop. Just not their lipos/chargers/radios or servo. Did buy a hpi motor there last week when my Losi 12t motor took a dump.

well I never went to them personally I saw their shop online from someone that posted a link to it. 1st I thought it was some shady thing and saw their address was like 20 miles from me. Plus all orders have to be done online they do allow pickups from what I saw to save on shipping. Personally I don't buy from them though as its an additional 10% markup due to taxes for people that live in the state . Only thing is unlike hobbypartz they have the flysky radios in stock last I looked(like 2-3 weeks ago) where hobby partz I don't think I've went to that page once in the past 3 months and saw them in stock period.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 6:42 PM   
FahrtAutoRC



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I'd gladly pay an extra $10 to avoid waiting on shipping from China on lots of things, like our beloved Turnigy's, more FlySky's etc etc, more for expensive items. If I sold em, I would tack extra $ based on price of the item. A $20 LiPo would be $25, $35 FlySky for $45, but $150 BL/ESC combo would be $200. Somthing along those lines

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 6:56 PM   
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It's all about volume. If you don't buy hundreds of packs a year, you won't be able to be competitive, people will still go direct. Hobbyking has an agent here in Greece, prices are not good (as he can't do the volume) and he never has stock.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 7:04 PM   
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My hobby shop isn't too good by me. Prices are kind of high. Although they did have one good deal since they have been open... Flux HP RTR for $500. They wanted to get rid of it. It was marked down from $750! My father in-law jumped on it. If we are looking for parts that same day, and we know the hobby shop has them, we would most likely buy them from the hobby shop.




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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 11:13 PM   
OvalRacer99



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Another thing you would have to consider is a wholesale supplier.
All of the hobby shops I have dealt with use one or two wholesalers and they always have a monthly minum you need to purchase. If a hobby shop has to buy those lower priced brands from the same guy as you and I, it makes no sense to try to  chagre more for something that anyone can buy for themselves at the same cost as the shop pays.
There is no way a hoppy shop can stay in business selling things with little to no mark up. If some could find a wholesaler for these brands, purchase them for less than the general public can online, I feel he would have a decent deal especialy for the new guys getting into RC that can't or don't want to spend a lot of cash!!

Interesting idea though!



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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 11:19 PM   
SyCo_VeNoM



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quote:

ORIGINAL: OvalRacer99

Another thing you would have to consider is a wholesale supplier.
All of the hobby shops I have dealt with use one or two wholesalers and they always have a monthly minum you need to purchase. If a hobby shop has to buy those lower priced brands from the same guy as you and I, it makes no sense to try to  chagre more for something that anyone can buy for themselves at the same cost as the shop pays.
There is no way a hoppy shop can stay in business selling things with little to no mark up. If some could find a wholesaler for these brands, purchase them for less than the general public can online, I feel he would have a decent deal especialy for the new guys getting into RC that can't or don't want to spend a lot of cash!!

Interesting idea though!



could probably buy them straight from the manufacturer only issue though is I remember someone wanting to do it with RC tanks you have to buy 100+(or was it 1000) at once per order. So yea you need a bit of capital, and if you can't move em all you lose big time. In the tanks case they wanted $20 per tank where the online shops in the US were charging $70-80 for the tank so you gain substantial profit, but have to take a huge risk.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/25/2013 11:59 PM   
phmaximus



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quote:

ORIGINAL: Foxy

It's all about volume. If you don't buy hundreds of packs a year, you won't be able to be competitive, people will still go direct. Hobbyking has an agent here in Greece, prices are not good (as he can't do the volume) and he never has stock.


I agree, stock is a killer, people don't want to wait.


I would love to make a store that aims for high volume with little profit.
Like say a 25% markup thats cheaper then some of the LHS 100% pluss markups.

I've still got the dream of selling online then going to a shop front, ive signed up as a wholesaler for yeah racing, and I've talked to a local importer for horizon. But my biggest problem is where to start?
I was thinking about ordering a few different touring car and drift car tyre/wheel sets to start off because the upfront cost is cheap, then keep reordering the same wheel sets, untill the profit is enough to order some shocks. then start selling wheels and shocks untill the there is enough profit to order something els. Because the minimum order is 10 units, the up front cost can be very high.

I just want to sell to Australia with eBay prices but with 2-3 postage times rather than 2-3 weeks




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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 12:01 AM   
nitrosportsandrunner



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quote:

ORIGINAL: Foxy

It's all about volume. If you don't buy hundreds of packs a year, you won't be able to be competitive, people will still go direct. Hobbyking has an agent here in Greece, prices are not good (as he can't do the volume) and he never has stock.

but im not talking about the hobby shop buying from the dealer. They could buy 10 lipo packs from hobbypartz @ $25 a pack and sell them for $40-$50 each. Granted, they could get the packs at a lower cost if they bought direct from the mfg, but as you said they would have to buy in volume to do so.
Where my LHS has little compitition, I dont see them having a problem selling 2s 5000mah packs for $40-$50...especially when the brand name packs they have go for $80+

The area I live in would support it. Many hobbiest in this area dont shop online at all. Alot of old folks in rural maine who dont wanna mess with ebay and have no clue about HK, hobbypartz and such. The would be thrilled to see $50 lipo packs, $75 lipo chargers and the like.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 2:03 AM   
lifeismuddy


 

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I have had my hobby shop since march of 2012 I do sell many of these brands instore just as you state I buy in bulk from hobbyking and hobbypartz on a monthly basis, I only mark up 30% tho as I do not have much overhead as the building is family owned, nephews work for me most times and are happy to be able to play with the cars plus cost on parts. I can see your point tho you could mark these up 50% and make a killing if needed. I have had great success with the turnigy lipos with only 1 return in a year with around 215 sold. and it was customers error using it on a xl5 with low voltage off. no biggy hes a good customer so I replaced.


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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 3:17 AM   
BKoz559



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quote:

ORIGINAL: mattster1971
Ask your LHS to see what they pay for one of those high priced packs. I think you will be surprised to see it isn't they who make the money, it is the distributors who warehouse the inventory and ship orders to them. The middle man sees the largest profit. I would imagine that the majority of the cheaper brands are direct from manufacturer limiting the markup hence cheaper prices.


I know from first hand experience that the LiPo packs we order from Horizon have a retail price set at about 35 - 40% profit margin.  However, most stores sell below retail so, the profit turns out to be more like 20%.  It varies with different brands but this is the average.  Parts are pretty much all 50% profit if it's sold at retail price, which most shops do.

It's tough to sell a $75 LiPo pack to someone who is relatively new to RC when they are more than satisfied with a NiMh pack that we can sell for $40.  Only the guys that race or have been in the hobby for a while tend to appreciate the finer things.  Since I started helping at this shop I began to realize that there isn't a lot of money to be made running a hobby store.  Not unless you can pump the volume like what was stated earlier.  That's why established online shops can do so well because they can cater to a vast customer base and churn out products at an extremely high pace.



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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 4:37 AM   
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Some hobbyshops are a franchise type if not all of them. So the owners are told what to sell and for how much. Like, Burger king can't sell a BigMac.
I also believe if a LHS catered to it's customers they would do better.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 7:05 AM   
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Most companies require there merchandise be sold between a certain price range (MAP) and almost all Great Planes, Sig, Traxxas, Horizon require a minimum order amount to maintain the dealer cost. My LHS can only keep its doors open because it is a second business, trust me they are not making alot of money.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 11:34 AM   
jefflangton


 

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I understand the op, but they dont do it because horizon and tower would clip their you know whats off.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 12:08 PM   
pmerritt


 

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For all these people that have NO clue as to what it costs to run a business, there are so many other costs above rent and payroll required to run our businesses.
A retail physical location here in the Us can NOT compete with internet sales or prices.  We are up against overseas locations that sell direct from the manufacturer with little to no overhead costs.   Freight is a shared issued whether they ship it to us or ship it to you.  
lifeismuddy can tell you that if he had rent and triple net costs he would probably not be in the business or for sure not profiting anywhere near what he does now.
This is why you see so many good old mom and pop stores going down.  The ones that are surviving are doing so from the attrition of surrounding stores.  
The internet is a wonderful, fastinating entity but it will be the demise of the smaller (and sometimes larger) retail stores.  

Your hobby shop up in Maine is not going to buy those cheap batteries for a low enough price to sell competitively plus he loses his relationship with his reliable local wholesalers if he tries to undersell them.   
Why don't you open a survey on how many business have been put out of business by internet pricing?   Oh yeh, those people are looking for jobs and places to rent because their houses got foreclosed on.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 5:14 PM   
LDM


 

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1) get a cheap warehouse location that is super cheap . not difficult to get to but cheap and or obsolete to others .
2)allow all local rc guys to sell there used planes , kits , ect hang them in your shop for great eye candy , sell on consigment with a legal contact that the sales revenue must be used in your store (no exceptions ).
3)Carry all brand high and low that you would personally use , for me that includes the Hobby King brand of batterys as I have had great results with the Turnegy brand despite the urban lengend started by those that can only use Thunder Power .
4) stock all type of servos ect , I love Futaba and Spectrum brand but also use medal gear servos for my smaller planes from HK .
5)retracts , depends on your market , eflight , FMS , sierra , lado ect
6)eletric motors , all brands that you have seen proven from budget to low end (low end defined by suitable not just cheap )
7)offer unique arfs , from esm, CMP , Fly MOdels , Top Flight , Horison , offer differant sizes
8)know your audience , is it glow, gas , eletric ect , dont just carry what you like , but know what is happening local and definitly be virtual as sales from virtual will outpace local if you can provide good online advice

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 6:22 PM   
pcarluvr


 

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Most LHS's don't even own the inventory they are selling and in agreements with manufactures, they have limits to what a product can be sold for. 15 years ago, a friend had a hobby store in my area and his agreement with Great Planes told him what he could sell and for how much. The only time that changed was on special ordered pre paid stuff. I'm sure by now with the changing times that has gone by the way side but maybe some of it exists today? If you owned all of your inventory, you could be a little more aggressive and offer more product cause no one could tell you how to do business.

And all these internet sites make me wonder a bit. I'd bet that most of them don't have the items and only order them when they complete a certain number of orders. Like what Foxy said, VOLUME!

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 7:25 PM   
flycatch


 

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It appears not many know the mark-up a retailer makes on any product they sell. Our company received items purchased from ACE R/C at 60% off retail. A hobby shop like any other business is in business to make a profit. A cheap lipo pack unless sold in volume makes little profit for them however the trade off is you buying something more expensive while in their store. Shopping on-line has almost put local hobby shops' out of business so be grateful you still have one to go too.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 9:23 PM   
SyCo_VeNoM



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quote:

ORIGINAL: pcarluvr

Most LHS's don't even own the inventory they are selling and in agreements with manufactures, they have limits to what a product can be sold for. 15 years ago, a friend had a hobby store in my area and his agreement with Great Planes told him what he could sell and for how much. The only time that changed was on special ordered pre paid stuff. I'm sure by now with the changing times that has gone by the way side but maybe some of it exists today? If you owned all of your inventory, you could be a little more aggressive and offer more product cause no one could tell you how to do business.

And all these internet sites make me wonder a bit. I'd bet that most of them don't have the items and only order them when they complete a certain number of orders. Like what Foxy said, VOLUME!

yes and no
hobby king will take backorders, but they also own their own battery plant from my understanding

Hobbypartz don't take back orders you have to get it while its in stock, and half the time they sell out in under a day.

I've dealt with hobby shops online via ebay that have pulled that though. I remember one part I waited like 2 weeks(the auction said 3-4 days delivery), and asked the guy where it was he said his order never came in... I requested a refund, and he tried giving me a hassle till I told him I'll get ebay and paypal involved for him selling things he even said he did not have, after that I got me refund in 2 hours lol. Ordered it from another place got it 2 days later.

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RE: Would you, if you owned a hobby shop? - 1/26/2013 9:35 PM   
SyCo_VeNoM



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quote:

ORIGINAL: flycatch

It appears not many know the mark-up a retailer makes on any product they sell. Our company received items purchased from ACE R/C at 60% off retail. A hobby shop like any other business is in business to make a profit. A cheap lipo pack unless sold in volume makes little profit for them however the trade off is you buying something more expensive while in their store. Shopping on-line has almost put local hobby shops' out of business so be grateful you still have one to go too.

well that is part of the issue
the hobby shop I USED to go to all the time got someone new in charge, and honestly they are running it into the ground. They promoted a guy to manager that honestly shouldn't have been, put in a pile of stupid rules.
Like if you need to get a part off a RC they were charging $4 to use a screw driver... Last time I went they took em all away so if you don't know exactly what part you need you are SOL. Hell I remember when I 1st started going if you bought a battery there and needed a connector change they would do it free(if you bought the connector of course), now they charge like $10 to do it after parts.

They had friendly workers that would try and fit you up with the right RC, now they try and sell the newest traxxas no matter what(they used to have about an equal amount of ofna, associated, HPI, LOSI, and traxxas on display now its 90% traxxas). Remember hearing a guy that pretty much wanted a crawler they told him a slash 4X4 fit his bill. When he said he had no interest in that truck they kept trying to push it till he walked out.
They also had a nice selection of parts, now almost everything is order it and come back in 3-5 days. They have almost 0 tires or rims in stock, a pile of other things they had they don't have in stock anymore, half their paint was out of stock last time I went. 3 years ago I used to go out there at least 1-2 times a month(and they were ALWAYS crowded), now if I go 1-2 times a year its a lot. Last time I was there they even cut the RC section down by almost half...

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