Buy from LHS or online?

[roadrashracing]

I am looking to buy an item form the lhs, which gets lots of my business. Buy the time tax and everything is done, I am looking at about $450. Well I can get it from a-main for $350 including shipping and discounts, basiclly $100 cheaper, I just fell bad not giving to the local business but to save a $100 is a lot. Just looking for your input of what you would do, at this point I am walking away all together.

[Simon.O.]

The choice for me is easy. My lhs (20 min drive) is setup for model making and I mean the box lits for static display, a few sheet of balsa and a few odds and end for old school plane building.
The next closest(30 min) is not a lot better and has lots of stuff for nitro cars etc.

Online is my only viable option. Ebay is my friend but post takes 1-3 weeks to get here. I live with it !

[millzee]

I've given up on trying to support local (OZ)
My closest LHS is 1 hour drive and last time I went over there to buy a small truck for the boy's and he had a rc18mt in stock, he wanted $395:lol:
then he insulted me by trying to tell me that "it's the factory one, thats why it's so expensive", that was about all the knowledge he had on the truck. I drove home and looked on A-main and found the exact same truck for only $148.99, gees, even after adding postage that's still a couple of hundred cheaper.
Another time I purchased a few things that I needed in a hurry, I looked online for ozzie hobby shops that had the stuff I wanted as I didn't want to have to wait for international shipping, then I called the guy who told me he had them in stock, and to just place the order through his site. I did as he said, paid almost 3x the price that I could get the parts from OSE and after 3 days I called him to ask where my "overnight bag" was, he then told me that he had to order the parts, I waited a little over 3 weeks for the parts to arrive but in the mean time I ordered the parts from the states myself and had them installed about a week be the ozzie parts order arrived.

Mate, it's your money, make the most of it.

[kookie_guy]

Unless it's an emergency, I go with online. If it's something I need right away, I will go to the LHS. If they don't have it, they can usually have it within a day or 2. Other than that, always online.

Complete an invoice, just don't check out. Print it, and take it to your LHS. If you do so much business with him, he should have no problem matching the price. If not, tell him thanks, and move on. Why on earth would you piss away an extra $100 for the exact same product?

[drwayne]

There's only 2 boat LHS in the entire state of South Australia ( lots bigger than Texas) catering exclusively to the 1.petrol market ... or 2.kiddees
1. A short abrupt bloke with petrol running in his veins.. but he is goo dhearted and worth the effort.
2. A never too interested when you know what you want.. if it's on the shelf, yeah I sell it ...
Offered me mates rates on a dual water underhull pickup.. $10.. same from OSE is 2.49... go figure.
Im accustomed to being physically/socially/financially isolated with the work/life I lead ..
Online is for me.. because.. online we hold all the cards

Australian resellers are attempting to persuade Govt tax all imports to make the playing field fairer for them.
Our goods tax is 10%.
so what ?
add 10% to imports, Im more than happy to pay 2.49+10% than $10 at LHS . :doh:


DrW

[LarrysDrifter]

I like to patronize the LHS, but none around here have anything for FE. One sells SuperVees, but thats about it. All the shops here deal with mainly cars/trucks-which I understand, stock what sells and whats popular in the area. I stop in once in a while for epoxy and a servo or other building materials, but, thats about it. In the winter when I play with my Savage I still usually go online since its cheaper to relace a part or upgrade. My old favorite shop moved, so now they are off the beaten path, so now they see even less of me just for that.

[Brushless55]

I have bought and save $1,000's by buying online and don't feel bad at all even though my local Hobbytown in 10min away
heck they are jelous because the deals I get on line beat the employee discounts :biggrin:

[detox]

My nearest hobby shop is 20 miles away. The rising cost of gasoline is the main reason I do not visit often.


...

[sjslhill]

99 times out of 100, online

[skellyo]

Usually online. I can find what I want much easier and only have to wait a few days to get it.

[roadrashracing]

They gave me a pretty good deal, but I still paided more then what it would have been online, but I am helping keep the local track around.

[Boaterguy]

I have three LHS's.
1. sells planes/ cars/ paintball. they are french and since I am almost bilingual I can communicate with them, although most RC vocabulary I don't know in french.
2. Sells planes/ cars/ scale boats. They have a really nice radial engine I have had my eye on for the past month or so, it looks beautiful, too bad the price tag doesn't.
3. I laugh at these guys. they have no idea what they are talking about and gave me this setup. 4800kv on 2S with a SV prop, and an 80A ESC.
if they sell what I need I buy it, unless I'm in no rush.