You'll find this funny, I did

[bigpapa]

[Steven Vaccaro]

Jeez I don't know about our local hobby shop being hard pressed for busyness , you have to go there during regular work hours and early in the morning to avoid the lineups , forget going on a Saturday , they are even open sundays . I spend lots everywhere , everyone has a hand in my back pocket ( hobby-stuff )

Thats one untapped area for the hobby market Peter. I have three good shops within about 20 miles of me and none have that kind of traffic. Two of them seem like they can barely stay afloat.

[Flying Scotsman]

Do not worry Steven, we are now talking about your buisness and most North American buisness issues. I think the other guys have calmed down.

Edit
Peter was just joking I think

Douggie

[bigpapa]

no steven ose rocks !!!!!!!!!!!



keep up the great work !!!!!!!!

[Flying Scotsman]

The point is we all love a bargain at the expense of reputable dealers

Douggie

[bigpapa]

so true douggie

[Punisher 67]

Thats one untapped area for the hobby market Peter. I have three good shops within about 20 miles of me and none have that kind of traffic. Two of them seem like they can barely stay afloat.

Douggie the shops here are honestly nuts on the weekend

The airplane , helicopter , and buggy scene is huge here Steve , When guys talk about getting into electrics we mention OSE for great service and good deals on this side of the pond . Boats are starting to come around real strong also . Every time our little group of 4 goes to the pond we are meeting more and more new peaple . Two years ago it was just me and the ducks playing in the water .................

In 1995 when computors were the new craze just about every hobby shop in the city of Edmonton went under , only a few well established stores stayed afloat

[ozzie-crawl]

in australia i have to import just about every thing as prices here are ludicrous. a set of deans plugs(1 male 1 female) can be $12-$13
i have seen what would be cheap 40-$50 battries rebadged for over $200
a ul-1 here in hobby shops go for around the $800
a octura prop goes for $45-$50
i am for supporting the local buisnesses but when it comes to hobby shops why should i pay mega dollars for cheap gear
there is no hobby shops near me that sell boat gear but some will order in, a lot of the time its a 4-6 week wait
yet i can order from o.s.e or china and have it here in 5-6 days

[Flying Scotsman]

Scott, the problem as I mentioned earlier is that some Asian companies do not put the true value and you know what that means, as far as brokerage fees etc...OSE as for a fact as I know declares the true value of the goods.

Douggie

[sailr]

Good for you Hydromaniac!

I hate to say it, but I have come to the conclusion that American's are a cheap bunch. The only ones tighter with a buck are the Canadians. They want the cheapest price on everything but then they still want the LSH and rest of us to be here when they need something they can't get from HobbyKing, etc. I got news for 'em. If they continue buying everything from HK and China, we ain't gonna be here anymore! "So what" you say? Good luck getting warranty service not to mention all the free instruction and advice we give out every day.

I'm sure a bunch of you will chime in with great indignation that you still support your LSH, etc. and that you only buy a few things from overseas. EVERY item you buy from over there is an item your LSH or at least an American company trying to make a living didn't sell and didn't make a profit.

Sorry for the rant but this topic always peeves me to no end.

Douggie, Salir, That is why I'm overly reactive to guys trying to buy everthing at cheapest price and going with companies such as Hobby King. It is killing the LHS's and the specialty vendors such as your company, OSE, Wohlts racing products ect. Once our support is gone , these types of buinesses and things such as this and other forums will disappear as well. All to save a few dollars.

[sailr]

Good grief! WHY are your prices so high? Is it outrageous import duties by your government or rediculous markup by your stores? I'm amazed. I thought Europe was high with their 18% value added taxes, etc. but the pricing you mention is beyond the pale. I always wondered why I sell stuff to Australia. Even with the high shipping cost my stuff is a bargain for you! With those kind of conditions, I don't blame you for ordering from outside the country.

in australia i have to import just about every thing as prices here are ludicrous. a set of deans plugs(1 male 1 female) can be $12-$13
i have seen what would be cheap 40-$50 battries rebadged for over $200
a ul-1 here in hobby shops go for around the $800
a octura prop goes for $45-$50
i am for supporting the local buisnesses but when it comes to hobby shops why should i pay mega dollars for cheap gear
there is no hobby shops near me that sell boat gear but some will order in, a lot of the time its a 4-6 week wait
yet i can order from o.s.e or china and have it here in 5-6 days

[sailr]

Oh, good! OK, then YOU find out who the factory is. OK? It's a very closed world over there. They won't tell you who the factory is. Steven and I do a lot of research to find products and I travel to China, at great expense, to find sourcing. I have bought thousands of dollars of products to test only to find out they are junk.

I will be happy to pay you well to find the factory for the zippy batteries, etc. THEN, I will pay you even more to convince them that I don't need to buy 200 of each size pack in order to get a discount.

Seems you think this is easy! Sorry, but it's not.

no dealer discounts?
bulk discounts?
other option is to go to the factory

[Flying Scotsman]

That was my point, read the previous flying scotsman's posts, and I do support my local hobby shop and OSE. Batteries only a few manufacturers based in Korea or China and their buisness culture will not divulge that info...a lot of middle men

Douggie

[sailr]

My problem is that I'm ON MY MEDS!

I love it when Steve is off his meds.

Way better than reality TV!!!

[sailr]

Let me try to explain how it works. WE, the importer, have to pay $2.65 for the trinket. Then we have to pay another $.50 each for shipping for a total of $3.15 and we have to buy a minimum of 100 of them. THEN we have to mark it up enough that when we have to feed our distributors, we have to give them a 50-60% discount so if we price it at $12.95, they pay us about $6. Then they have to feed their hobby stores and give them a 40% discount so the hobby store pays $7.77. NOW, it's not as though any of us are selling thousands of this 'little trinket'. If lucky, we sell a handful a month...all the while having to pay the employees, the rent, the advertising, etc. In China, the average worker makes $400/month. In the US, the average worker (at minimum wage) makes $1256/month. A $1 profit is a big deal to the Chinese. A $1 profit won't pay the bills at a LHS. We carry this sort of low profit item as a SERVICE to you, our customer, not to get rich.

So go ahead and buy the 'little trinket' from HobbyKing. I just want you to know that NOBODY is ripping you off at your local hobby shop!

How true that statement is

These little trinkets are $12.95 at my local hobby shop . one hell of a mark-up I'd say

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6589&Product_Name=Battery_Monitor_2-6S

I love buying American / Canadian when I can especially when the product is excellent and well made .....Neu motors are a great example . every Rc model I have is Neu powered . and even Neu arn't truely all American made