Prices for kits at my LHS....

[stevielewis]

I actually got to stop in the LHS near me today, and I was floored at the prices they have posted for kits...$24.99 for a L'il Yeller reissue (only one on the shelf), $22.99 for an Alison Thunderland reissue (three on the shelf), $20.99 for the new Challenger and Camero funnycar kits, reissues (one each on the shelf). There couldn't have been more than 30 kits in all on the shelves. It's no wonder no one is buying them. Each of these can be bought on eBay, or online hobby shops, for $15.00 - $18.00. Granted, shipping costs from those places will tack on an extra $8.00 - $10.00 (rough guess), but they seem to sell more online with the cheaper prices. What are the prices like at YOUR Local Hobby Shop? How many of the kits we like are actually on the shelves at one time? I'll bet not many. Sad man. Real sad.

[BigDave]

They are about the same at my LHS. I bought a Stingaree only because I need it for an idea I had on a project. Most of the tme I wait until I want at least 6 kits then I will get them online.

[Tory]

Same for me. My LHS sells at full list. However, he does reward you if you buy from him frequently. After spending $250, he gives you a coupon worth $25. So in effect he offers 10% off for those that buy a lot of kits from him.

Personally, I don't buy enough to warrant ordering on-line. I would rather try to help keep my LHS going and pay a little more. It seems nowadays that everyone is lamenting the passing of the LHS, but the same folks are also the ones buying exclusively on-line. And don't think that just buying glue and paint at the LHS is enough to keep them going. Like I said, I do my best to support my LHS since it is a great place to go when everywhere else seems to suck!

[fredmellini]

Yeah, same here. My LHS is about 45 minutes away so if I make the trip I am usually gonna buy something while I am there. He is large into models, R/C, both cars and planes, and trains.

He is also full retail on the "good" kits, I was looking a the new release vintage police car but at $22 to $24 dollars and lets face it, it is just an old car...nothing really special other that it has some extra police items in it. I just couldn't see buying it at that price.

However, I am not gonna buy it online either because with shipping it will probably work out to even more than the retail price. It really is a catch-22. these kits are expensive, and if you do catch a little break on the price online the shipping is gonna knock you over the retail price. Maybe if you buy enough at once it may work out in your favor, but then you are shelling out a big chunk of change at once .

Perfect example, I saw the reissued Autocar A64B Conventional Truck cab by Steven International at my LHS for $43.99.........i said to myself I can get that cheaper online. I found it for the cheapest price at Tower Hobby at the time for $37.99. Just looking at the $37.99 I was like "COOL" and ordered it.

While after adding in shipping at $8.99 (size of box model) and waiting 5 days I paid $46.98. I should have bought it at the Hobby shop because $43.99 with sales tax added at $3.52 is $47.50!!!! .............I saved 52 cents.....but I would have had it 5 days sooner. ;D ;D ;D ;D.

[Tim Nolan]

I order fairly regular from Len at Fantastic Plastics, and he generally has most everything I want. I also buy from Dean Sill's at Deans Hobby Stop online. Dean and I have been friends for many years, and he will generally cut me a bit better price on quantity orders. Most of those limited edition kits you mentioned have been going in that price range. That seems to be the current trend. Hey, it beats paying eBay prices at a couple hundred a pop on some of those doesn't it? we're getting spoiled with reissues!

[vwcamperman]

Change the $ to a £! 'nuff said


it get's worse when you realise the exchange rate has been hovering around $2 to £1

[metalburner]

only one of my lhs has re-opened since the storm but they seem stuck on military kits so modelround up and model express get my money.

[fletch]

We have 2 good quality shops here in Portland, 1 marks all the kits down 10% to start. The other is full on retail. They both have a good selection of the current kits. The biggest thing comes if you need to special order anything the larger of the 2 shops has no problem ordering for you and just adds it to their next order, the other shop I'm sure does the same thing but they nail you for shipping.
I ordered what I though should be a standard off the shelf Model Car Garage part and ended up paying $12 in shipping and special order charges. That was the end of buying pretty much anything from them.
Now it's either online or drive to the other side of town.

[Pegleg (Hotwheels Bob)]

One shop here, 13-20 bucks on cost and they'll order anything they can get.

[paintguy]

well at least u have access to the show rod kits...here in nova scotia,,,we dont get them,,but i did get lucky at wal mart,,befor xmas,,a 4 pack of models,,15.00,,and one kit had a ice cream truck,,lol i have my first show rod kit,,sweet,,, and in 2 trips to montreal in last couple months,,i managed to find a beverly hillbillies truck and a jerassic attack monster truck,,,,,and the trip up 2 weeks ago,,,i found a daisy duke jeep,, all 3 cost 5.00 or under each...at a winners store...but far as pricing in canada seems on track with urs,,local hobby shops,are allways a couple bucks higher,,17.00-25.00 at local shops..

[Deleted]

27.97 at my lhs is the norm for the reissues - anywhere from 12.00 to 24.00 for the general car kits. Their prices went up in the last couple of months - asked the owner about getting some weirdos and he said he'd get back to me. That was before x-mas and still nadda. But I still get my stuff there and try to get what I can when I can there. He has to make a living and living on a rather large Island I guess the freight does suck. Hey paintguy - thanks for the tip on winners. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D I'll have to check it out.

Lance

[RatRod]

Yep, the new age is upon us, as far as prices go!! I still buy kits, but not in the same quanity as I use to. I get a little dumb founded at the prices too, but still try to support both LHS's close by. Tims right, the private production kits are a little more, but those people finance repairs to long forgotten molds used to bring back those golden oldies, so help 'em out and buy them. I also have a good friend that owns a hobby shop, and he cuts me a deal too, so that helps out the wallet a little. One thing I noticed last week, the hobby shop down the street set up a new display with the Valspar HOK paints (was hoping to see Testors new lacquers ) They had some great looking masking medium, tiny roll with hardly anything on it....$16.97!!! There was also a package of scale stencils for airbrushing, I had it in my hands thinking it must be $4-5....Haaa, more like $17.77 It's still hanging on the rack!!!

[stevielewis]

After reading the replies so far to this thread, I can see that it's not just my LHS that is selling these kits at high end prices. I understand that it costs more to make the kits and get them out to us. It just seems crazy that the more we hear about how this hobby is going down hill, the prices for the kits and supplies keeps going up. And it does seem that R/C models and supplies are taking over the LHS, at least my LHS. I remember when there would be four or five isles of plastic kits and a samll area for R/C. Now it's the other way around. I guess the shop owners go with what sells the most to stay in business.

[theflame]

vwcamperman said:

Change the $ to a £! 'nuff said


it get's worse when you realise the exchange rate has been hovering around $2 to £1

True enough man, stuff can seem pricy over here. That said, I kinda understand why too, having just started importing model stuff to the UK myself for resale.

Say kits are $15. Then you gotta factor in shipping them here, paying the tax, paying for somewhere to put them, paying for packaging to ship them out in, paying for packing supplies, paying for someone to pack them, paying someone to post them, paying someone mileage expenses to go to the post office to post them, paying for the actual postage, paying for a phone line and internet to take orders, paying for a website, paying for hosting on the website, paying a couple of percent to Paypal/the credit card companies for every sale...and that's before the government even takes a big old slice out of your profits!

You're right, stuff is expensive here when you look at the exchange rate, but there's a lot of added little costs that have to be covered along the line...

[bobpaeth]

What Fletch said is true. We are lucky to have more than one LHS. We actually have three if you count the franchised one. What bothers me and no one has picked up on it is the price for the re-issued kits. These kits have been amortized long ago. Even with todays elevated price in the production of these kits the profit margin must be obscene. Understand, they have to artificially raise the price on a re-issue because no one would pay the necessary price on a new issue with its total cost of development if one kit was $25.00 and the one next to it was $6.00. but it seems to me that the manufacturers should be able to ask a little less in profit on the new stuff with what they are realizing on the old stuff.

Maybe with a lack-lustre sales record, they might re-consider .............

bob

[Starry Eyes]

I bought a few of mentioned $24.99 kits from Len at Fantastic Plastics and they were $19.99 plus very resonable shipping ..

Starry

[howardcohen]

We are very lucky in the Toronto area as we have about a dozen hobby shops within an hour's (Oshawa to Hamilton) drive and most carry all the regular lines; several carry Model King kits and a full supply of all the Testors and Tamiya paints and supplies. Pricing seems very good and I can't complain. Some of the stores will offer a discount to regular shoppers.

This is an exercise I did a few years ago that you should try. Take your favourite kit from 1967 (40 years ago) and then add in the annual rate of inflation to come up with today's price and see what you get. Don't do this if you have a bad heart

To the Nova Scotia klown who goes to Montreal...go to Udisco on Decarie, just north of Cote St. Luc Road, on the west side and bring a full wallet. They have a huge selection and decent pricing on most items and sometimes they find old kits. I used to live in Montreal in the 60's and when I go to visit, I often make a stop there.

[dbash2006]

timnolan said:

I order fairly regular from Len at Fantastic Plastics, and he generally has most everything I want. I also buy from Dean Sill's at Deans Hobby Stop online. Dean and I have been friends for many years, and he will generally cut me a bit better price on quantity orders. Most of those limited edition kits you mentioned have been going in that price range. That seems to be the current trend. Hey, it beats paying eBay prices at a couple hundred a pop on some of those doesn't it? we're getting spoiled with reissues!

Deans hobby stop ...wow ! I was looking at the site and its in Flushing Michigan...I lived near there for a long time ... I never new it existed ....its got some good kits too!...thanks for the insite Tim!!

[stevielewis]

dbash2006 said:

timnolan said:

I order fairly regular from Len at Fantastic Plastics, and he generally has most everything I want. I also buy from Dean Sill's at Deans Hobby Stop online. Dean and I have been friends for many years, and he will generally cut me a bit better price on quantity orders. Most of those limited edition kits you mentioned have been going in that price range. That seems to be the current trend. Hey, it beats paying eBay prices at a couple hundred a pop on some of those doesn't it? we're getting spoiled with reissues!

Deans hobby stop ...wow ! I was looking at the site and its in Flushing Michigan...I lived near there for a long time ... I never new it existed ....its got some good kits too!...thanks for the insite Tim!!

Dang! I live North of Flushing, MI, probably an hour or so. I'll have to take a drive down there and see what Dean's Hobby Shop has. We're expecting a big snow storm today so I'll have to wait until another day to make that trip. Thanks guys. ;D