Hattons Model Railways of Widnes (formerly Liverpool).

[andyman7]

Andy,

 

are you sure on the VAT rule? I am sure there is an exemption for second hand items that have been purchased from a non-vat source (ie a private individual). It might only apply to certain situations. I will check on that.

I'm happy to stand corrected, but it was always the case that if the business was VAT registered then VAT was payable on the gross profit earned. It's certainly payable on the commission (profit) on auction goods, most of which come from private vendors.

[Derekstuart]

VAT isn't charged on profit.

 

When you sell something for £100+£20VAT you have to pay that £20 to gideon osborne.

When you buy something for £50+£10VAT you deduct that £10 from what you pay giddy.

 

Thus the net amount is £10. We both agree, yes?

 

However, there are countless exemptions- some are exempt from VAT and some are zero rated; there is a big difference between exempt and zero.

 

The auctioneers FEE is vat rated- say if you sell something at auction for £500 and the fee is £50, they will charge VAT on that so £50+£10 VAT. The full balance will not be VATable in the auction.

 

I will 'phone VAT helpline on Monday and ask this. It might only be certain sectors. For example car dealers can buy and sell cars free of VAT by giving certain declarations- one of my cars was second hand when I bought it (work) and was surprised to find that it was VAT exempt as the vendor had not paid VAT on it when he bought it.

[New Haven Neil]

Wavertree....hell, I was in digs off Smithdown Road in the 70's, whilst allegedly being edumocated, only was in halls for the first year.  All I can say is it is better now than it was then!!  And that's not saying a lot. 

 

Penny Lane was always OK though, I recall the first wine bar there opening.  The tyre tracks through Sefton Park (and through the lake) were nothing to do with our last night after finals, and one of the lads having an Austin Champ.  Honest officer.

[Horsetan]

Wavertree....hell, .... it is better now than it was then!!  And that's not saying a lot......

Hell was probably better back then.

 

My old man did his teacher training at West Kirby College in 1959. He remembers it as being a fairly rough area back then.

[John Tomlinson]

Just read the last few pages of this and will add my two penneth.

 

I've bought things mailorder from Hattons for decades, pre and post the internet. Nowadays I do use their website for reference, but still order by 'phone, as they don't I think take Paypal, and I prefer to avoid entering my details online.(Yes, I do have a good few grey hairs!) The purchases have always come in three days or less on standard delivery, often the day after. I live in Rutland, not close to the Mersey.

 

One thing I don't like about their website is the way they mix secondhand and new items. It makes things a lot less clear, and you have to plough through second hand stuff, some of dubious worth, to identify the new items and determine pricing. It would be really helpful if they could split the two, or at least give a filter so they could be viewed separately.

 

As for the City itself, well I guess we've all got stories of its dubious side - I grew up around twenty miles away and even back in the '60's my Dad would never have risked going there in the car. My wife who comes from the other end of the country has visited for cultural events with friends, and takes the view that it is a remarkable place for both its history and architecture, so maybe we need to give it a bit of slack!

 

John.

[Free At Last]

John Tomlinson, on 16 Aug 2015 - 11:32, said:John Tomlinson, on 16 Aug 2015 - 11:32, said:John Tomlinson, on 16 Aug 2015 - 11:32, said:

One thing I don't like about their website is the way they mix secondhand and new items. It makes things a lot less clear, and you have to plough through second hand stuff, some of dubious worth, to identify the new items and determine pricing. It would be really helpful if they could split the two, or at least give a filter so they could be viewed separately.

John.

Try unchecking the "show pre-owned" box.

Edited August 16, 2015 by Free At Last

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

I also work near to Hattons shop, I pop down there regularly for a look around and make a few purchases, I have no problems parking down the side road.The staff are very friendly and helpful

[rob D2]

Widnes,

Do you work part time for the Liverpool tourist board ?

[Horsetan]

...,. If you travel a further half mile you may bump into Premier League footballers who live next door to a disused orphanage....

Mmmm. Far more of them prefer to live in Alderley Edge, though....

[APOLLO]

Liverpool - what a city !! - one of my world favourites, alongside San Francisco Bangkok & Tokyo !!!!!!!!

 

I did 2 years at Riversdale Technical College doing Mechanical Engineering ONC (long gone - near the Cricket Ground at Aigburth). It was a Merchant Navy tech and the tutors were all ex ships engineers etc - VERY strict, no nonsense whatsoever !!. Back then (1970 / 1) I visited Hattons (in my Tri-ang TT days) in the old shop. Always an alladins cave.

 

My last few years as a gas pipeline planning engineer entailed many visits to various parts of the pool. There are far worse places than Smithdown Road.

 

I remember getting out of my car at Bootle (Boot Hill !!) and putting on my yellow reflective coat, with "GAS" emblazoned on the back. "Take that bloody coat of quick, and put that measuring wheel and notepad back in your car, and repark it up there " barked the council guy (in scouse of course). Why ? I asked.  "Folks round here hate gas men, hate officialdom, they have air rifles and will have a do at you or your car". I did as told. No problems, though he never told me why Bootler's hated gasmen !.

 

Similar at Cantril Farm housing estate (Cannibal Farm). "Don't park your car next to the multi storey flats, you're a stranger and a fridge will land on your roof". Repark again. The council were renovating the estate (complete with a new name, Stockbridge Village now). See all these paving flags said the council inspector, When you have laid your mains you relay them on wet concrete, not sand. Again "Why" I asked, well he said, How many do you see missing ?.

 

On the dock road we were relaying a large gas main. I had to visit he industrial premises to find locations of meters, services, liaise shut offs etc. One firm looked a bit shady, and it was. I went into reception explaining the situation to the receptionist . A huge bouncer appeared and told me to go away in short jerky movements. I tried again, I was told again basically to go, now, or die.

 

Sod you, mate I thought. I went to the gang. Find this gas supply, cut it off NOW. so we did, for good. Never heard anything else !!!!!!.

 

Such is Liverpool. Though I always got a cup of tea and a laugh or two with the scouse lads on my visits. Streetwise is the name of the game there.

 

Brit15

[Jim Martin]

As part of my job, in the 1970s I stayed for some weeks in that area of Liverpool (Ullet Road?) in a hotel which had formerly been a Merchants house.

At the Solna, by any chance? I lived about 50 yards from there for a couple of years (86-88, as I recall).

 

Actually, there are some very nice areas within a few minutes' walk of Hattons. The streets around Menlove Avenue and off Rose Lane are very desirable.

 

Jim

Edited August 16, 2015 by Jim Martin

[APOLLO]

I agree with WMC's love of Liverpool. It's not just about the city, its the people, scousers, comedians one and all.  I've never met a miserable scouser.

 

Go up the East Lancashire road 40 miles to Manchester, well, that could well be a thousand miles such is the culture difference of the people. (Miserable sods in the main, and never got a cup of tea over there, even though I could wear my GAS fluorescent jacket !!

 

Reminds me of a joke.

 

Scouse Eggs

 

2 Scousers are riding along the A580 from Liverpool to Manchester on a
motorbike. They break down and start hitching a lift. A friendly trucker
stops to see if he can help and the scousers ask him for a lift. He tells
them he has no room in the wagon as he is carrying 20,000
bowling balls but will take a look at the bike for them.

He tries everything he knows but is unable to repair it. Time is getting on
now and he's late for his delivery so he tells the scousers he has to leave.
"R hey lad" they say "gissa lift". The trucker once again explains that he
has no room as he is carrying 20,000 bowling balls. The scousers put it to
the driver that if they can manage to fit in the back will he take them and
he agrees.

They manage to squeeze themselves and their motorbike into the back of the
wagon so the driver shuts the doors and gets off on his way. By this time he
is really late and so puts his foot down. Sure enough PC Plod of Greater
Manchester Police pulls him up for speeding. The good officer asks the
driver what he is carrying to which he replies Scouse Eggs. The policeman
obviously doesn't believe this so wants to take a look. He opens the back
door and quickly shuts it and locks it. He gets onto his radio and calls for
immediate backup from as many officers as possible.

The dispatcher asks what emergency he has that requires so many officers.
"I've got a wagon with 20,000 Scouse eggs in it - 2 have already hatched and
the b*****ds have managed to nick a motorbike already".

 

Brit15

[Horsetan]

..... I've never met a miserable scouser.

 

I was about to say "Mark Lawrenson", but then remembered that he wasn't born a Scouser 

[antrobuscp]

 

 Though I always got a cup of tea and a laugh or two with the scouse lads on my visits. Streetwise is the name of the game there.

 

Brit15

Anyone who comes to do any jobs for us is always offered a cuppa - Oils the wheels of industry.

[rob D2]

In their product photos , I'd be impressed if they could be arsed to actually put locos on the track !

I find it strangely unsettling looking at derailed locos

[melmerby]

Hattons is situated in the suburb of Wavertree, Liverpool, 15.

 

If you walk a few hundred yards there is a nice barbers to get your haircut or even have a shave. You can even nip into the local bank, the manager even has a motor car.. Both of which are situated near to the shelter in the middle of the roundabout. Not much further along the road was the fire station with a portrait of the Queen. Anybody heard this "story" before?

 

People on here must be too young to remember seeing there's so few comments!

 

Keith

[darrel]

John Lennon used to live round the corner on Newcastle road. Paul was a choir boy at Saint Barnabas church (opposite the shelter in the middle of the roundabout. Cynthia Lennon worked at Woolworths just about where the bus stop where you get off coming from the city centre.

It's a right little Beatles hot spot.

Liverpool is fantastic the people are great. It reminds me a lot of Glasgow I feel right at home. Hattons is a great shop I love all the big display cases. What a difference to the old shop they had years ago it was tiny with very little on display. But loads of stock. Hidden away upstairs.

Last time I was there I got a second hand MLV for £50 they let me test run it nothing was too much trouble. A few years ago I was down at the shop and I asked about the CoBo class 28 it had not come out at this point. they told me they were expecting it arriving in about an hour, I went for a wander around the area, and they phoned me to let me know they had arrived. I must have been the first customer to get my hands on one. Customer service was excellent, when I have ordered things from them they have always arrived next day, even when I ordered a locomotive at 4pm on a Friday it arrived on the Saturday.

[Hroth]

People on here must be too young to remember seeing there's so few comments!

 

Keith

I tried not to mention the Fab 4 connections with the area.

Its bad enough getting on a ferry and being assulted with Gerry Marsden!

[melmerby]

At the Solna, by any chance? I lived about 50 yards from there for a couple of years (86-88, as I recall).

 

Actually, there are some very nice areas within a few minutes' walk of Hattons. The streets around Menlove Avenue and off Rose Lane are very desirable.

 

Jim

Solna? that sounds familiar. Not so much a hotel as a glorified guest house really. You even had to pay to heat your room!

It did have a bar though.

The location was OK, it's just that the less salubrious neighbourhoods are pretty close.

The thing that I found about Liverpool that was different from Birmingham was that the pubs very partisan, they were either red or blue!

 

Keith

 

The thing about the partisan pubs I found was that when me and my workmate walked into a pub which looked more like the inside of the club shop with all the shirts/flags/scarves etc. you could feel the tension as were weren't recognised.

As soon as we opened our mouths "two pints please" they realised we were Brummies and therefore not rivals, the tension dis-appeared and we were soon chatting to the regulars.

Edited August 20, 2015 by melmerby

[Colin_McLeod]

Cilla Black's funeral today. RIP to a great lady. There will probably be many show business names present in Liverpool today.

[Horsetan]

Cilla Black's funeral today. RIP to a great lady. There will probably be many show business names present in Liverpool today.

I'm not sure they'll be visiting Hattons.

[Colin_McLeod]

I'm not sure they'll be visiting Hattons.

 

What? To purchase a Cilla Black 5 !

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

I work near Edge Lane and regularly use Penny Lane as a Rat Run to get to Mossley Hill (pop into Hattons on the way back, if I'm not too busy).

The bottom end of Penny Lane is a nightmare if you time it wrong and arrive when the Magical Mystery Tour have disembarked and trying to take a phot standing by a Penny Lane Road Sign (there are a couple, but they have to stand in the middle of the road to take the phot)

[Gwiwer]

I tried to order from eHattons today but was unable to do so directly.

 

The entire site works normally with the exception of each and every "Pre-order" or "Order" button.  I can therefore browse, drool, add to a wish list and peruse my account and previous orders.  But not place a new one.

 

I used the enquiry form at the bottom of the product page to send an order in text format.  I included the fact that the "Order" buttons were not working.  This is the third time I have encountered this difficulty with their site and it does not seem to relate to overnight downtime as the request was made during their trading hours.

 

Anyone else had this?  I use OS X 10.10.5 (Yosemite) on the iMac and 8.4.1 on the iPhone, both using Safari 8.0.8, and both devices generating the same problem.

[Tase]

I tried to order from eHattons today but was unable to do so directly.

 

The entire site works normally with the exception of each and every "Pre-order" or "Order" button.  I can therefore browse, drool, add to a wish list and peruse my account and previous orders.  But not place a new one.

 

I used the enquiry form at the bottom of the product page to send an order in text format.  I included the fact that the "Order" buttons were not working.  This is the third time I have encountered this difficulty with their site and it does not seem to relate to overnight downtime as the request was made during their trading hours.

 

Anyone else had this?  I use OS X 10.10.5 (Yosemite) on the iMac and 8.4.1 on the iPhone, both using Safari 8.0.8, and both devices generating the same problem.

Rick,

 

I can add products to my basket without any problems at all using OS X10.10.5 and on both iPads, one with Safari 8.4.1 and one with 7.0.4

 

Have you tried clearing the cache?