Pete47401

Oh dear, only just seen this. Sorry, infrequent visitor. Not really bragging, just yanking a few chains, worked too. So many people wanting for less than listed prices and the "wait until the price drops" gang were pretty tiresome. It was getting relentless, has been better recently though. People are happy enough to take the bargains which we've offered plenty of, but some get all emotional and abusive if they think they might have to pay more. Yeah, in this case Rocket's coaches didn't go over RRP unlike the loco they were intended to accompany. You win some you lose some. Looks like Hush Hush was this year's Rocket! Did well with that, started at £220 and finished at £320 (no it wasn't us that sold the damaged one for £824), you need the occasional winner to make up for the not so good ones. Call it crowing if you want.

Plus weak jokes about consulting SWMBO and then they'll get their coats. No to mention "is it really over £100?" and of course telling us how they could make a much better one themselves out of pipe cleaners and poo.

Eh? Burnt? Not at all. Just had to find the right level for them £65 + postage in the end, still a nice profit.

My good cause! Yeah, if people can afford £17 for a little piece of blue plastic they can afford £27 for it... only the sort of price which they were probably quite happy to pay for Rails aborted version a few months ago. I might knock them out at £90 for a set of 3.

Nah, it makes up for all the other stuff that people (steam fans usually) refuse to touch "until the price drops". And then still want it for less when it does drop. You win some you lose some, and buyers have had plenty of bargains, sometimes, occasionally, the boot's on the other foot and you have to pay a bit extra. Got plenty of these, job lot of 20 for £600, save me posting all the little bleeders separately. All for a good cause too.

Looks like Hornby don't understand railway modelling either then.

No people don't buy to replace, except for the ones that do. "Gang" just refers to a group of people who have bigger eyes than bellies, not literally an organised crime syndicate who plot between themselves to fool Hornby into making unwanted models just so they can get them cheap.

The difference with tomato ketchup is people will use it up and buy another one, but how many of my 61xx do they want? That's right, none of them because they have an Airfix one. And is it really over £100? And also "I work for the NHS can I get it cheap?" "No, and I'm not standing outside in the rain clapping my hands for you either". And so on and so forth ad infinitum.

I think people have been burned too many times by the "I'll wait until the price drops" gang. And also by the "We badly need a new 61xx, but actually carry on running our old Airfix one when it comes" gang. Understandable caution from both manufacturers and retailers, and even with market research it's not simple to predict. So nice to get a "winner" and be able to run the prices up as far as they will go, to make up for all the "losers", even worth putting up with all the weak jokes about wallets and asking SWMBO....

Oh, those are the grey ones... I thought they were just the other lot but filthy!

Probably near enough, I'm not fussy! Just think a mixed rake would look more interesting than a completely uniform one...

Yes indeed, those are the ones, thanks for the reply. I had also come across that shot on Flickr of the uniform rake though most pics show it with a pair of the other wagon type (also less common being a Crompton instead of an ED). I remember seeing and photographing the train myself, hence the interest! Your plain grey wagons don't particularly ring a bell though, so not sure if they worked it at different periods or intermittently with the Rugby ones. Maybe it's just the Rugby livery ones stick in the memory more than the plain ones. Perhaps I will invest in a rake (always interested in anything 1980s SR freight-wise). Are you still signing up trade accounts (and maybe make it several rakes)? Noticed there were a coupe of other preservation groups listed...

The Southampton to Halling run, often included one or two extra wagons of a different build, also with Rugby Cement branding... has anyone made these? Or even Rugby Cement transfers to apply to similar wagons released by other manufacturers that may be in a different livery? Sorry, not sure of the running numbers or build type off-hand... but most pics of the train in question will show them... usually on the London end of the LSWR section of the journey.

Any chance of these? https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/ferrytransfesavan1959/ed86e717 Or these? https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/ferryitalianinterfrigo/e26f388d1 Ferry wagons seem to be one of the biggest gaps in the model wagon market, but not sure if prototypes exist to measure up in the UK or elsewhere. Plenty of other types to go at as well, including BR's own vans, but the above two are among the most distinctive and iconic for me and a common feature of many 70s/80s Speedlink services. I'd take a rake of both to kick start my modelling career (as opposed to just selling them to raise money for 12 inches to the foot scale locos!)

We haven't been offered any of them. That's a pity, as we quite like 47s for some reason....

So it's OK for everyone here to get excited about picking up bargains because of Hornby's misfortunes, but not because of currency fluctuations. How strange and hypocritical. And do people really go running to the mods about something so mild? Some of you guys wouldn't last 5 minutes on some of the forums I've been on.

Is it a secret?

The reps had their own allocation to sell... if someone asked you to order something that was shown as in stock with Hornby and the rep had sold out of his share but Hornby themselves still had it for the website sales, you could not get it! How does that look to the general public, Hornby is Hornby to them, they don't care if one bit of Hornby won't share with another bit of Hornby because of some inflexible system! Result disappointed retailer and disappointed buyer.

That may explain it then, as we don't have a rep! We had one until last year until they parted company with him (West Midlands area, though the shop such as it is... more of a market stall these days, another long story and not a very happy one... is East Midlands, maybe covered by another rep, but we were allocated by our mail order/invoicing address), last I heard they were recruiting a replacement but he's not yet made himself known to us (if he exists). I agree that they were always good and professional to deal with, certainly the best of the model companies we deal with... we have dealt with them for almost as long as you have, about 16 years. Quality control/margins/loss of some good customers/price increases have combined to reduce our purchases with them, rather than anything specifically malicious/incompetent they've done that was aimed at us particularly.

We are a very small seller, but with an account direct with Hornby, not with a wholesaler. Unless an email went astray, or I failed to read some small print somewhere, we did NOT receive this offer. I checked the recent Trade News bulletins they send and it's all about stuff that I couldn't possibly want in a million years, not about stuff that I might actually want. For the sake of circulating an email to additional recipients at no further cost, they could have kept a few more people happy. When they set up the new discount scheme we were told that the "big boys" did not get the extra 10% quarterly rebate over (I think) £40k. This was to give small shops an advantage. Perhaps this is how they level the playing field. We only have "new tooling" releases on order with them now (Class 71, MN, B12, Peckett, Q6, coke hoppers), absolutely no way that we ever buy any reissue/relivery/renumber release (unless a direct customer request for minimum order of 2).

But that would involve talking to those weird saddoes who like trains, they might catch the lurgy!

Thanks, thought so. How to tie up money.....

Sometimes I think reps know less about real railways (and how that translates into model sales) than the manufacturers themselves do. Are concession stores sale or return? Seem to recall hearing once that they were. Better off those out of region models being paid for and sitting in a "normal" dealers stock in the right part of the country.

Everyone likes a bargain, it's human nature, but I'm sure most retailers on here have had plenty of calls/emails asking what's the best price on so and so, and you quote them a pretty good price... answer comes back, they'll think about it - in other words they are asking around other places trying to squeeze an extra 1% or so, meanwhile you're thinking is this a definite order, should I delete the listings, will he be back or won't he? Stumbling across a nice bargain is one thing, actively trying to force prices down is another... but again, human nature I suppose... In the long run, I'm not sure they are really coming out ahead, as while we try to look after all our customers, the really valued ones are the loyal ones who don't quibble over £1 here and there and keep coming back... now, they are the ones who get offered the best bargains or first chance on something special or rare that we might get in stock, the ones who we might go the extra mile to obtain something for... We all have those "special" customers I'm sure?

Except the ones that are preservation groups, ta very much! (otherwise all looks good!)