Price comparisons

[Charlie]

With more and more shops opening websites to sell there wares time that could be spent enjoying my railway is instead used trawling through site after site. Some may call it lazy and others will always have their favourites, but does anyone know of a site that compares the prices of on-line shops to make this search easier? Those of us on a tight budget would be helped immensly by something like this. Especially when one considers that the difference in cost of some items can be almost 40 pounds if not more!

 

Hope this is posted in the right area too.

[Tim Chambers]

I understand your predicament but can't help I'm afraid...except to state the bleedin obvious as Basil said, that price is far from being the only arbiter twixt one seller and another.Any fool can undercut somebody, but to give a good service- now that is important!

[Ed-farms]

Google shop http://www.google.co.uk/prdhp?hl=en&tab=wf can help but only if the itemsare listed in shops they bring up.

[PhilH]

I understand your predicament but can't help I'm afraid...except to state the bleedin obvious as Basil said, that price is far from being the only arbiter twixt one seller and another.Any fool can undercut somebody, but to give a good service- now that is important!

 

Becomes marginally less important when your nearest decent model shop is a 70 mile round trip + parking charges away!

[Pennine MC]

Those of us on a tight budget would be helped immensly by something like this. Especially when one considers that the difference in cost of some items can be almost 40 pounds if not more!

 

 

If you're regularly purchasing items on which the *difference* in price is 40 quid, the item itself must be in the hundreds, and I'd gently suggest you are not 'on a tight budget'

 

FWIW I think the big box shifters are usually within spitting distance of each other's prices on new releases; on older models, stock clearance policies (or lack of them) can be what makes a difference

[CullingworthGNR]

I've put together a website that does this - ComparetheTrainSet.com

 

Unfortunately it's unlikely to be updated regularly as it is such hard work getting all the prices into the spreadsheet! I'd like to have had more buy-in from the major manufacturers in terms of submitting their prices, but understand that they have plenty of other (more important) things to be doing with their time.

 

Cheers, Tom

[beast66606]

Those of us on a tight budget would be helped immensly by something like this. Especially when one considers that the difference in cost of some items can be almost 40 pounds if not more!

 

Blimey - as Pennine says what are you buying which has a £40 difference ?

 

I generally stick with Hattons, they give good service and are reliable - you could adopt the same philosophy, find a shop which you trust and stick with it, as has been said, good reliable service is better than saving a couple of quid.

[beast66606]

I've put together a website that does this - ComparetheTrainSet.com

 

Unfortunately it's unlikely to be updated regularly as it is such hard work getting all the prices into the spreadsheet! I'd like to have had more buy-in from the major manufacturers in terms of submitting their prices, but understand that they have plenty of other (more important) things to be doing with their time.

 

Cheers, Tom

 

You need more advanced technology than a spread sheet I'm afraid Tom - the "compare the hamster dot com" sites have a method whereby they can query shops for their current prices on an item entered by the "searcher" - they don't query all sites, they typically only look at about 10. This technology varies but will require software to be written to handle the search and collate the results into a usable form, and of course provide links to the relevant item on the chosen site.

[Charlie]

Blimey - as Pennine says what are you buying which has a £40 difference ?

 

I generally stick with Hattons, they give good service and are reliable - you could adopt the same philosophy, find a shop which you trust and stick with it, as has been said, good reliable service is better than saving a couple of quid.

 

Easily answered, the class 423 VEP from Hornby. Cheapest price I've found is £112 but that does go up to £150 on some sites. Ok so £40 is the exception rather than the rule, but it does highlight the point I was making. More a one off purchase than a regular thing!

[Guest dilbert]

Blimey - as Pennine says what are you buying which has a £40 difference ?

 

I generally stick with Hattons, they give good service and are reliable - you could adopt the same philosophy, find a shop which you trust and stick with it, as has been said, good reliable service is better than saving a couple of quid.

 

There are items out there that do have significant price differences - Bachmann item 30-075 is one case, just plug in this ref. code with the major box shifters and you'll see a ~£25 chasm open up....

 

At date/time stamp of this posting, the Bachmann RRP is £104.95 - the high end offered by one box shifter is £109,00 (I assume this has to be an error), the low end is at £84.50.

 

I do agree that service is an important factor - it makes the difference in a commodity market and service comes in different formats - even if there is a price differential, most businesses are savvy enough to adapt...dilbert

[beast66606]

Easily answered, the class 423 VEP from Hornby. Cheapest price I've found is £112 but that does go up to £150 on some sites. Ok so £40 is the exception rather than the rule, but it does highlight the point I was making. More a one off purchase than a regular thing!

 

I'm still confused - if you found the £112 price why do you need a comparison site ?

 

There are also different versions, are you comparing chalk and cheese ?

 

Anyway usual rules, if you feel there is a real need then grasp that opportunity with both hands - surely you're not suggesting that just because you want it someone else should risk their money to provide it ?

[ian]

Don't forget that the reason the price comparison sites exist is because they take a commission on the business that they send to the insurer. I suspect that retailers such as Hattons and Rails are working on such slim margins that they wouldn't be too keen on sharing it with someone else.

[Legend]

I tend to use Hattons as I've found them fast and reliable. However they are not always the least expensive. Also they do seem to have quite a sophisticated stock control /pricing model, so quite often things that have sold fast or are reaching the end of their run and have some "scarcity" value actually go up in price. I'm afraid there is really nothing for it but to buy A Mag and compare the major retailers - but then isn't that part of the fun?

[Jenny Emily]

I've noticed that a lot of the big box shifters have a selection of what might be termed 'loss leaders' or at least enticing good offers, but older stuff in stock may not all be quite so cheap. I tend to do price comparisons myself, from five or six online sites coupled with what's in the adverts in the back of which magazine I've bought that month.

 

Sometimes I've found though that if all I want is one wagon, then getting it at RRP from my local very expensive shop works out cheaper than paying the fixed rate postage from a box shifter just to get that item 50p cheaper.

 

I'm afraid that the only way to know who does the best deals is to do the leg work each time. Also, hanging on and buying what you want from shows you were going to anyway can illicit as good a price as the big box shifters, less postage and the wait for RM to deliver. I've usually found that traders at shows are keenly priced for new Bachmann and Hornby, because otherwise they would lose the trade to another trader.

[Pennine MC]

Don't forget that the reason the price comparison sites exist is because they take a commission on the business that they send to the insurer.

 

No, no, no, that cant possibly be so. Everything on the Internet is free

[ian]

No, no, no, that cant possibly be so. Everything on the Internet is free

 

Silly me, I forgot

[Charlie]

I'm still confused - if you found the £112 price why do you need a comparison site ?

 

 

I was using that as one example of the wide variety of prices that are advertised and it took me a good two hours to find it! Was thinking more in terms of a time (and ultimatly money) saving site.

 

Whilst I understand the point of having a favourite seller (having used Rails, Hattons and KMRC in my time) I do wonder if bargains get missed because we only go to the same sellers time on time.

[Dave777]

I'm sure there's an element of truth in that - my first port of call is Hattons, then Rails, and then a couple of others I frequent. Beyond that I rarely look I'm afraid

 

 

Another example of price differences, only putting it in because I was in Hobbycraft on Saturday and couldn't believe the prices!

 

http://www.ehattons.com/StockDetail.aspx?SID=9992 £102

http://direct.hobbycraft.co.uk/products-Hornby-LNER-Class-A4-Mallard-Locomotive_258550.htm £132

 

It could be argued it's not a 'typical' model railway stockist however (and Hobbycraft are well known for their full RRP pricing)

 

 

Finding a cheaper price requires good old fashioned leg work I'm afraid, although I find the easiest method is to simply put the required item (with catalogue number) into Google and then watch the results come in. You won't get an exhaustive list, but should hit a good 15-20 retailers of said item with the price shown in the Google results.

 

 

[bmg]

The internet is a great resource but it eats time. That’s why I would be in favour of a decent and regularly updated ‘price comparison’facility that goes beyond the Google shopping search.

 

Although there are a couple of shops within commuting distance, neither of them offer that magic mixture of range, price and support. On many occasions my visits are wasted. Sometimes items are not in stock or they are too expensive. I don’t mind paying more for quality service, particularly when resolving problems but neither shop providesthe appropriate level of buying or after-care service. Therefore most of mypurchases are from the internet.

 

 

Edits: spacing added

[10800]

The internet is a great resource but it eats time. That’s why I would be in favour of a decent and regularly updated ‘price comparison’facility that goes beyond the Google shopping search.

 

 

I'm sure we would all love such a facility, but who are you expecting to do it, and what would be in it for them? (cf a number of posts above which have already put a dose of reality on this).

 

To be worthwhile, a comparison facility like this would have to include hundreds of items, if not thousands. Most of us are only interested in a few.

 

So the choice is 1) some entity spends a huge amount of time and money on a comparison site that as individuals we would only use for a few items; or 2) we do the legwork ourselves for the items we are looking for; or if we don't want to do the legwork we take the (probably small) risk that we're having to spend a few pounds more than the cheapest available - assuming price is your only criterion. Sorry to disappoint some people, but the answer is 2).

[Ed-farms]

The major problem with this could be it may be more damaging to some shops than others. Insurance can change rapidly as there are many factors which can vary the quotes received. Whereas model shops prices will rarely change, therefore certain shops will lose out to the cheaper option and may eventually force closure on some shops.

[bmg]

I'm sure we would all love such a facility, but who are you expecting to do it, and what would be in it for them? (cf a number of posts above which have already put a dose of reality on this).

 

Isn’t that something for the retailers and price comparison sites themselves?

 

One recent press release said, “For retailers, a lack of real-time intelligence on their most competitive products can prove costly from both a campaign and financial perspectiveâ€.

 

The growing number and sophistication of applications available to users will cause retailers to react. This weekend I saw an iPhone being used in a department store, via some barcode reader application, to check prices on-line. Shopping is changing rapidly.

 

Are we destined to see the rapid emergence of more sophisticated price comparison functions? I suspect so. These should benefit reactive retailers and consumers by making on-line shopping quicker and easier. However I acknowledge that there will be an impact on those within the traditional ‘High Street’ that do not react. Whether this is good or bad is way beyond me.

 

[The Stationmaster]

Cut throat pricing from concerns with widely spread overheads has already played its part in the demise of many smaller retailers. Rates and rentals for commercial premises vary widely across the country and some manufacturers offer discounts to those who buy in bulk. All of these factors, plus others, will influence what a retailer has to charge in order to remain in business. It doesn't matter what he sees somebody charging for a Class 79 loco, if he can't sell it that cheaply and make a profit he has very few options if he also wants to remain in business without increasing his overdraft.

The choice is now much more than price because if you want the slower moving, low volume items, you need something very different from a fiver off a loco. And if you don't support that more specialised retailer with some of your 'big' purchases he might not be there when you want a tin of paint or some Code XX rail. As the old saying goes - you pays your money and you make your choice. And if your choice is the bargain basement you may well have to hunt around to find the best one, surely that's hardly a chore - is it?

[10800]

I'm sure we would all love such a facility, but who are you expecting to do it, and what would be in it for them? (cf a number of posts above which have already put a dose of reality on this).

 

 

Isn’t that something for the retailers and price comparison sites themselves?

 

I can't see retailers 'doing' something that would draw more attention to their competitors, unless they were pretty sure of their economic advantage to start with. As for improving their own websites, stock management etc etc then that's a different issue entirely and a decision to be made by the retailer in accordance with his business model and plan.

 

But you envisage 'Gocomparetheconfusedmeerkat.com' bolting on model railway items to their existing scope? Again, what would they get out of it and who would pay for it? The discount retailers retain their price advantage often by paring margins to the bone and relying on volume - why would they then want to pay commission that reduces that even more.

 

Maybe you could say the same about car insurance etc, but outside the RMWeb bubble model railways are not that important, nor is it a big proportion of total retail volume - it's not like insurance or groceries.

[Charlie]

I can't see retailers 'doing' something that would draw more attention to their competitors, unless they were pretty sure of their economic advantage to start with. As for improving their own websites, stock management etc etc then that's a different issue entirely and a decision to be made by the retailer in accordance with his business model and plan.

 

But you envisage 'Gocomparetheconfusedmeerkat.com' bolting on model railway items to their existing scope? Again, what would they get out of it and who would pay for it? The discount retailers retain their price advantage often by paring margins to the bone and relying on volume - why would they then want to pay commission that reduces that even more.

 

Maybe you could say the same about car insurance etc, but outside the RMWeb bubble model railways are not that important, nor is it a big proportion of total retail volume - it's not like insurance or groceries.

 

I understand where you're coming from on this, but it must have some purpose else why would supermarkets do it? I know they operate in a rather different sphere, but if it was detrimental they wouldn't do it and it tends to only be on selected stock.

 

As for who would pay for it, I assume that the various companies on Gocomparetheconfusedmeerkatsupermarket.com use the sites as a form of advertising. Though I have no clear idea on how it works as some companies specifically say they don't offer their best deals on such sites. Not running a shop I've no idea how much such advertising costs in comparison to google adbar, on line ads or magazine ones.

 

Whilst not like insurance or groceries, a website dealing with solely modelling of all forms or similar would be an idea. After all, this sort of site is becoming more prevalent.