Sale of the Century from Hattons

[sem34090]

In real terms I think that the recommended retail price of the Hornby 700 of £124.99 was higher than the Hornby Dublo Barnstaple which was the top of the range and cost £5.15 shillings when it came out in 1961. Hornby probably charged a high price for the 700 so Hornby could recoup their investment without selling all their locomotives. It was not overpriced for people who needed a 700 to operate a model goods service because the alternative would be to buy a kit built one at much the same price.

 

At £124.99 I think it would put off people buying one just because they liked it. Now the price has gone down to £59 these people might buy one and people who have already got one may buy another possibly as a spare Southern goods loco in case their 700 breaks down.

 

Even at £59 the 700 seems expensive compared with £1.16 shillings for a Hornby Dublo R1 which you can still get for about £35.

Ah, see I've wanted one since release, but the money's gone in such a way that I've bought other things that I thought wouldn't be hanging around long over buying the 700. Also, much as I wanted one for general goods work with my BR(S) stock, the looks of the 700 never appealed to me in the same way as -say- a C, hence why I bought a C before I bought a 700.

 

However, with one now in the post to me, I am glad I've got one, and it's a cheaper and worthier investment than my S15! That said, when I bought the S15  at £80, the 700 was at £79, so... I don't know. Perhaps I'm more of a collector than I like to admit?! Or maybe I'm just hopeful...

Also, the 700 may yet be destined for a bashing project, and at the RRP I couldn't have justified that, but at a price below the cost of the kit I'd need to build a C2x and low enough to experiment with it seems more plausible to bash. I'll probably leave it as-is though.

[No Decorum]

I ordered a mixture of sale and non-sale items last Friday and the big box was delivered yesterday, all present and correct. Other than the usual automated e-mail acknowlegement, I received no tracking number or notification of despatch. Checking my account, the order read “shipped” when it hadn’t been. That is not the usual way Hatton’s does things, so I’m inclined to agree that the sale has overwhelmed the packing department! No complaint form me. Last month I had to skip wagons to complete a train (money just ran out) and this month I got them with a discount. As well as that, I had been dithering about a couple of locos. The discount settled it. That means I now have three of Heljan’s 07s. Wonderfully executed little models. Added to that was a BP Janus at £49. It doesn’t run badly at all, if a little jerkily at ultra-low speed and is in a colour stated to be green. Really? Looks light blue to me. All the same, an out and out bargain.

 

Sadly, I don’t think I’ll last until the next century. 

 

On the other hand, my credit card re-sets before the sale is over. 

[classy52]

Must say quite disappointed with the range of modern image wagons on sale and the ones in the sale I would be able to get them either same price or cheaper elsewhere if I shopped around.

['CHARD]

Must say quite disappointed with the range of modern image wagons on sale and the ones in the sale I would be able to get them either same price or cheaper elsewhere if I shopped around.

 

The beauty of free-market competition 

[Oldddudders]

Must say quite disappointed with the range of modern image wagons on sale and the ones in the sale I would be able to get them either same price or cheaper elsewhere if I shopped around.

Which rather implies that sales of modern wagons are healthy, and that is good for convincing manufacturers that further new models would be a success. Presumably that would benefit you as a customer. Hattons are only reducing prices on items that are either slow-sellers, or on which demand has been less than expected, which is the same thing. And most of the reductions are modest, if attractive. This is not a “fire sale”.

[Robin Brasher]

Demand for the Hornby R3108 T9 in SR black with sunshine lettering for £86 seems to have increased with the sale. Only 5 now in stock.

 

Over 10 left for most of the rest of the models. I wonder what will happen if Hattons has not sold them all by Monday 31 December.

[HillsideDepot]

I wonder what will happen if Hattons has not sold them all by Monday 31 December.

 

Lead billing in the January Sale?

[JSpencer]

The Met electric is one of Heljan’s finest offerings.You will not regret it.

 

It cam this week. Very fine model as you say and my only Heljan item with a 21 pin pliug. The only issue I have is that the brake rigging fouls the 3rd rail. (The 73 and APT-E does the same). That was laid to Peco's spec, but guess I need to sink the chairs in the sleepers.

[Steamport Southport]

 I wonder what will happen if Hattons has not sold them all by Monday 31 December.

 

Most of the items were already in the sale and have been for months.

 

It's just that many people don't look and need telling that they need to spend money on things they didn't really want....

 

 

 

Jason

[Colin_McLeod]

But isn't that what all sales are for?

 

To get rid of the stuff no one wanted.

[Steamport Southport]

But isn't that what all sales are for?

 

To get rid of the stuff no one wanted.

 

Exactly. But it seems to me that people don't look at websites, adverts or receive email alerts.

 

The "ski jump" Hornby Minoru had been about that price for ages. If the website stock levels are correct then they were high on the "Availability (Most Stock)" search the other day. Now they seem to have all gone

 

 

 

Jason

[rob D2]

Still holding off, but eyeing up the class 60 and 67s...

[woodenhead]

 

Over 10 left for most of the rest of the models. I wonder what will happen if Hattons has not sold them all by Monday 31 December.

I'll make them an offer of £100 for the lot and stick it all on Ebay

[Leadmill]

Bought an LMR Austerity, at nearly £40 off it was too good to miss.

[Robin Brasher]

Hornby 00 gauge steam locomotives that seem to be doing well are:

 

R3311 Schools Westminster with 9 left

R3452 Llanvair Grange with 7 left

R3512 H Class with 2 pull-push coaches with 4 left

 

People do not seem to be buying steam locomotives from the Railroad range.

 

In the train packs the Hornby R3401 Bristolian train pack is only £2 more expensive than the Bachmann R3398 Lyme Regis train pack but neither seem to be attracting many customers.

[Colin_McLeod]

 

People do not seem to be buying steam locomotives from the Railroad range.

 

In the train packs the Hornby R3401 Bristolian train pack is only £2 more expensive than the Bachmann R3398 Lyme Regis train pack but neither seem to be attracting many customers.

Where are you getting these sales figures from?

[Edge]

.

 

(EDIT) - Ignore - stupid comment that i realised was stupid the second i actually read it on screen

Edited November 15, 2018 by Edge

[Robin Brasher]

Where are you getting these sales figures from?

I don't know the sales figures. I think that they had more than 10 left of each item before the sale started but they have got less than 10 of the items I have mentioned in this topic If you click each image on their website it shows how many are left.

[woodenhead]

Where are you getting these sales figures from?

I would make the assumption that as Hattons indicated an overstocking sale then these were all slow sellers > 10 items.

 

If they are now < 10 items there must have been reasonable sales.

 

But it's a lot of effort to find out.

[Georgeconna]

Dare I wait till the Sterling Drops a wee bit further. Makes the Dapol O gauge Pannier and Autocoach a lot better price wise

[Dungrange]

I don't know the sales figures. I think that they had more than 10 left of each item before the sale started but they have got less than 10 of the items I have mentioned in this topic If you click each image on their website it shows how many are left.

 

But that is pointless and worthless exercise that tells you nothing.  If Hattons had 100 of Product A and sold 80 of them, then it would still say 'more than 10 in stock'.  Conversely, if they had just 15 of product B at the start of the sale and sold just 10 of them, then the stock level would have changed from 'more than 10 in stock' to '5 in stock'.  Your assumption is that product B must be a good seller and product A is a poor seller, whereas the opposite may well be the case.  Hattons may be shifting hundreds of Railroad models but had more of them to start with.

[No Decorum]

It cam this week. Very fine model as you say and my only Heljan item with a 21 pin pliug. The only issue I have is that the brake rigging fouls the 3rd rail. (The 73 and APT-E does the same). That was laid to Peco's spec, but guess I need to sink the chairs in the sleepers.

 

Agreed that these are very fine models. They are very delicate, though. Lift them the wrong way and some of the undergubbins may crack.

[Robin Brasher]

If your funds are limited and you are fairly interested in a sales item it is best to buy it if there are less than 10 in stock and the number is going down. If there are more than 10 in stock you can probably wait until your next pay cheque comes in or wait until 1 January and see if the price goes down further if there is a January sale.

[No Decorum]

Dare I wait till the Sterling Drops a wee bit further. Makes the Dapol O gauge Pannier and Autocoach a lot better price wise

 

I wouldn’t worry. Rees-Mogg is working on it.

[Ian Hargrave]

I wouldn’t worry. Rees-Mogg is working on it.

And Jacob has many arrows to his quiver....was it six and still counting?. The name would suit a Hornby B1 ...there were several with long ( winded ) names.