Hattons Model Railways of Widnes (formerly Liverpool).

[The Blue Streak]

I can't complain about them. With the second hand stuff I check the list everyday and I've picked up some absolute bargains from them in the recent  past, for example a fair few A1/A3/A4 Pacific's in excellent condition for under  90 quid and one NRM A3 only 70 odd pound, top line  stuff too not railroad..

 

Not to Mention the occasional New bargain that turns up. Like this DCC and all  http://www.hattons.co.uk/StockDetail.aspx?SID=52544

 

Then there's D16's. J15's and B17's for about 75 quid which are a steal. There's equivalent bargains to be had for other regions too, if you are in to that kind of thing

 

Yes some of the old tatt is possibly a bit pricey for what it is but who really buys that stuff now, with all the newer gear coming on to the market.

 

No connection Etc Etc.

Edited July 28, 2017 by The Blue Streak

[bike2steam]

Well I just couldn't resist a Hornby Helmingham Hall (R3499) for 57 quid.  They said 'do you want standard postage for 4 quid ?' to which I said yeah - it arrived the next day, that's what I call good service   

[Ian Hargrave]

Well I just couldn't resist a Hornby Helmingham Hall (R3499) for 57 quid.  They said 'do you want standard postage for 4 quid ?' to which I said yeah - it arrived the next day, that's what I call good service

 

Agree.....and the Hall is amazing value too..an underrated and highly capable model.

[Stevelewis]

Yeah ,

My last delivery was fast and I use them from time to time .

 

Can't imagine they sell much of that preowned junk at the prices they offer

 

I have  been  a  Hattons  customer  since  the  late  60s  and  always  had  excellent  service  from  them,  If  I  have  had  a  damaged  or  faulty  item  it  has  been  rapidly  dealt  with  to  my  satisfaction

 

Regarding  their  second  hand  items  I  have  bought  quite  a  few  from  them  and  with  one  exception  all have  been  fine  as  described  and  in  some  cases   obviously new  &  unused,  such  as  a  Roco  special  edition  0-8-0+TT  in  H0e  which  although  not  advertised  as  having  sound  on  board   actually  had  a  sound  decoder  cost  me £175  the  last  known  £ Euro  equivalent  was  around  £350,  also  had  recently  some  Fleischmann  N  gauge  locos  again  unused  which  cost  me  around  half  the  current price  advertised  by  (Gaugemaster Fleischmann UK  importers)

The  S/H item  which  was  faulty  was  a  BEMO  diesel  which  had  a  transmission  problem  which  meant  it jammed up  in  one  direction  that  was  refunded  without  question.

[adb968008]

I wrote to Hattons complaining about my last few orders being delayed in dispatch and received the following reply. Looks like the UK next day orders are the priority and as I fully agree that DHL are fast and reliable - BUT here in Brisbane 90% of the time they hand the parcel over to Australia Post for final delivery and they are neither fast or reliable !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hello Stephen,Thank you for your email,I apologise this has not left us as of yet. We do try to get our orders out the door as fast as possible and I can see yours has now been picked and should leave us today. The only orders we treat as a priority are UK next days as we can say for certain that we can get orders to our customers on a next day service here in the UK but all other orders are treated the same and fairly which are picked and dispatched in order of being placed. The £23.00 price is one DHL has allocated due to the size and weight of the order, also DHL are a very fast and reliable service.I hope this clarifies matters for you but if you have any further questions then please feel free to contact us.

 

 

Kind Regards

Michael Robinson

 

TBH I've had bad experience selling to oz from ebay, and I'm not alone.

 

I've seen some very nice models screw drivered apart and ripped to pieces by Oz customs who've pulled locos through the outer box cellophane, screwdrivered the body off, pulling out the motors looking for whatever, then dumped the pieces back in the box, sent on with a note saying carefully examined by Australian Customs.

Thank you very much but not doing that again.

 

New Zealand, no problem.

Edited July 28, 2017 by adb968008

[wirey33]

Fair comment, but if they now find it acceptable to sell complete wrecks at exhorbitant prices what might they try to palm me off with in future as New?

 

It's about being a reputable dealer, really.

 

To be clear, I've never had a bad deal from them on new items so far, but this kind of trading in the pre-owned department makes me very uneasy.

 

So let me get this straight......

 

Because they have some poor quality 2nd hand items (that you think are expensive), you now think that they will try and deceptively sell you new items that are damaged ?

 

I hope you don't sneeze. That would obviously be a sign that the moon is going to crash into your back garden on Tuesday.

[Legend]

I do think Hattons second hand is very expensive, but it is certainly well described as second hand , so there is no danger of it getting mixed up with new stuff. I still rate Hattons very highly. Yes others maybe less expensive but you can order from Hattons with certainty. I ordered a Dapol Western , it arrived on exactly the day promised.

[railsquid]

I do sometimes wonder what the logic behind pricing for some of their second hand items is. I do also notice the good stuff will go very quickly, often on the same day it's uploaded, so the further back you look in the listing the higher the proportion of less desirable items. At least that's the case for N gauge. Speaking entirely personally I'm sure I could probably get many of the items ordered slightly cheaper elsewhere, but ordering from overseas it's not worth the hassle. YMMV and all that.

[meatloaf]

For 2nd hand stuff I like to rummage in the bargain bins. 3 wagons for a tenner isn't bad and 3 coaches for £20 is ok as well. Mostly older items but I have had some gems from there in the past

[The Blue Streak]

TBH I've had bad experience selling to oz from ebay, and I'm not alone.

 

I've seen some very nice models screw drivered apart and ripped to pieces by Oz customs who've pulled locos through the outer box cellophane, screwdrivered the body off, pulling out the motors looking for whatever, then dumped the pieces back in the box, sent on with a note saying carefully examined by Australian Customs.

Thank you very much but not doing that again.

 

New Zealand, no problem.

 

Wow that's weird. I hope you or the customer was reimbursed.

I've brought literally dozens of Items from UK (dealers and ebay) I have only ever had one item arrive with the outer packaging opened and resealed with tape saying "opened by customs" and a note put inside saying the same, the actual loco packaging hadn't even been touched.

[DougN]

I'm with blue streak. Never had a problem with anything coming into Australia. Hattons is one of the best from my point of view. Admittedly I don't use eBay to buy things all that often. I would have gone to town about damage etc at the post office and demanded compensation if things had been damaged by AQIS as has been suggested! As this type of destructive inspection I don't think is allowed!

[Johnfromoz]

Continuing the Australian theme, I have been buying items big and small from Hattons practically every week for the past 25 yrs, so have lived through the ups and downs of its generally reliable service and good ethics in dealing with problems.

 

While I am now retired in deepest Tasmania these last few years, Hattons had until recently, kept up a consistent level of service. However, in the last few months their delivery times have blown out about 130%. Why this is I dont know.

 

Possibly it is a sign of the times with increased parcel screening re- the threat of terrorism. Locos (with their internal wiring and electronics) seem to be delayed the most, some taking over two months. One in fact failed to materialise at all, the matter being addressed well by Hattons. This is a rare and disturbing event.

 

I have today quiried them on an item from mid-June and no doubt will get the standard polite email telling me nothing.

 

I do hope its not a return to the the old 'Sh***y Link' days! We shall see

[dpgibbons]

I've had many deliveries from Hattons over the last year. Delivery time to QLD has varied from 8 to 40 days with an average of 17 days. There have been periods where delivery times have slowed but currently they seem normal. I've not noticed locos taking longer than rolling stock.

 

I did have one delivery from another UK supplier that was mistakenly labelled as "Paint - not to be sent by air". That one took almost 4 months to arrive! 

[The Blue Streak]

I'm in Country WA and My Hatton's delivery's (at least this year) take from 6 days to perhaps 16 (never really much longer) usually 2 of those days are to come from Perth to here!

 

I don't choose anything special just normal airmail.

 

I did have one take it's sweet time last year, but I think it had gone to the other side of Oz and then Oz post dragged it here via Alice Springs behind a camel . However despite the outside of the packing box being filthy and a little battered, the excellent amount of padding and bubble wrap (that some people whinge is excessive), saved the loco (and it's box) inside !

 

Generally it takes longer for items to reach Me from Melbourne or Sydney than it does for my Hatton's orders to arrive !!!

Edited August 4, 2017 by The Blue Streak

[railsquid]

pretty consistent 7 ~ 8 days to Tokyo with the standard airmail option, luckily Japan is blessed with a highly reliable and efficient postal system (customs fees, if applicable, can even be paid on the doorstep to the postperson) and customs seem mainly worried about bags containing, ahem, herbs (only packet I ever had opened was one from my mother containing herbal tea leaves).

[bike2steam]

Agree.....and the Hall is amazing value too..an underrated and highly capable model.

Yep, like it so much, I've ordered another, but it will become 6934 Beachamwell Hall, a regular sighting at Banbury shed in 1964/5 with a name long enough to cover the nameplate backing.   

edit, After ordering the nameplates from Modelmasters late Friday afternoon, they arrived this Tuesday (8th) morning. I like suppliers that give good service like Hattons.

Edited August 8, 2017 by bike2steam

[Geep7]

I wouldn't worry, took them 4 days to pick and dispatch 2 small items this week to the UK. Hopefully they turn up today.

[Forester]

So let me get this straight......

 

Because they have some poor quality 2nd hand items (that you think are expensive), you now think that they will try and deceptively sell you new items that are damaged ?

 

I hope you don't sneeze. That would obviously be a sign that the moon is going to crash into your back garden on Tuesday.

 

So you decide to blow all your savings on a new car.

The main dealer has exactly the one you want, just in today, gleaming paint hardly dry

.

You go along to finalise the deal......

.....and see next to your new car in the showroom is one with no doors and covered in scratches for a just a few pounds less.

 

Would you not have second thoughts, make your excuses and go the the dealer in the next town who has one at the same price??

[sparaxis]

I am very satisfied with Hattons. Yes, their used stuff may not be particularly cheap, but when you live in the USA as I do, you can buy from someone like Hattons or take your chances with Ebay.

 

I find that to the USA, depending on parcel size, the 2-day DHL is often cheaper than the 7-10 day Royal mail option. I only got back into British Modelling in the last few years so there are many things I missed when they were available the first time around. Buying used allows me to get things like an olive green M7 or some of the first run Maunsell coaches or crimson and cream Gresley teaks. I have bought a few locomotives and more than 10 coaches and they were all as described: "like new"

 

As for pricing, I am also an active photographer. If you compare the prices offered for used equipment versus what they re-sell them for, you will find a mark-up of 2-3 times or more. I don't think that shops like Hattons are out of line. 

[Roy Langridge]

So you decide to blow all your savings on a new car.

The main dealer has exactly the one you want, just in today, gleaming paint hardly dry

.

You go along to finalise the deal......

.....and see next to your new car in the showroom is one with no doors and covered in scratches for a just a few pounds less.

 

Would you not have second thoughts, make your excuses and go the the dealer in the next town who has one at the same price??

 

No, I would buy the new shiny car from them realising that the scratched one next to it with no doors was obviously not new - it's called common sense.

 

Roy

[sjgardiner]

TBH I've had bad experience selling to oz from ebay, and I'm not alone.

 

I've seen some very nice models screw drivered apart and ripped to pieces by Oz customs who've pulled locos through the outer box cellophane, screwdrivered the body off, pulling out the motors looking for whatever, then dumped the pieces back in the box, sent on with a note saying carefully examined by Australian Customs.

Thank you very much but not doing that again.

 

New Zealand, no problem.

 

Not remotely on topic, but having seen the various versions of the TV show "Border Security" (there is an Oz, Canadian CBSA and US version at least), that sounds about right for the level of care when they are searching a package.  They don't strike me as knowing what to make of a model train.

 

I know the CBSA clearly doesn't know what to make of model train deliveries as they take forever to clear customs (and Shapeways takes even longer), but i've yet to have one arrive looking like its been gutted by the border types.

 

For remotely on topic, my last shipment from Hattons earlier this year felt like it took forever to arrive, to the point where i was on the verge of contacting them with a request for a search when it finally appeared.  I never know who to blame (normally i blame Canada Post), but someone else said they are using the DHL option, i don't know if they are better in the UK, but DHL is a tire fire in Canada and wouldn't let them be the delivery end of something coming to me unless it was the absolute only option available.

 

Stephen

[fezza]

You need to be careful with second hand. Both Hattons and Rails have advertised Hornby locos with metal chassis rot without fully describing the terminal nature of the problem - a nasty trap for the unwary. It may just be inexperienced staff doing the website description but top retailers ought to know better.

[Hroth]

You need to be careful with second hand. Both Hattons and Rails have advertised Hornby locos with metal chassis rot without fully describing the terminal nature of the problem - a nasty trap for the unwary. It may just be inexperienced staff doing the website description but top retailers ought to know better.

Yes, its extremely important that the prospective buyers attention is drawn to fatal flaws like mazak rot, failure to disclose should result in a full refund of everything paid for the model. However, if you're looking for a particular model/livery, you should do a bit of research; the major mazak rot victims are well documented here and the model numbers are well known, as well as cases involving "lesser" components like bogie and tender chassis which are susceptible whilst the rest of the loco is sound.

 

Caveat Emptor! as they say....

[dpgibbons]

I notice that most of Hattons pre-owned stock has suddenly disappeared from the website. Site maintenance or a coach party of cashed-up modellers?

[rob D2]

I notice that most of Hattons pre-owned stock has suddenly disappeared from the website. Site maintenance or a coach party of cashed-up modellers?

 

Or a large skip turned up !