I receive these mini-catalogs and was surprised to see the most recent one says in the index to view n-scale online. Anyone know what prompted this decision? I will discontinue my subscription is no n-scale listed.
There has never been more than 7 pages out of the whole thing that has been N scale. Loads of HO. Once in a rare while I've gotten lucky and found something that actually was a sale and beat my normal discount pusher of things train price wise. Bottom of the bird cage liner other wise.
Maybe they're trying to reduce printing costs for the hard copy version, but why they can't include those pages in the pdf version escapes me.
They dumped me off their snail mailing list about ten years ago. Figuring they didn't want my business, I've not directly shopped with them since then.
Sorry to hear same old same old. Agree there are much better ways to distribute the monthly catalog to individuals. A pdf attachment to an e-mail seems on the surface to be one such option. Not certain how they would handle the LHS who get hard copies.
Back when you had to fly a kite with a wire to the layout during a thunderstorm I started dealing with Walthers. Gradually I got away from dealing with them mainly because of so many orders only partially filled. A rare few times I have ordered something from that small flyer that was in fact on sale and a good deal. Stopped buying the N and Z catalog years ago. A lot of the few items listed in that little flyer are found cheaper elsewhere so really not on sale in my book. They are supposedly the only authorized agent in the US for TomyTec but I have found the products elsewhere and cheaper.
Except that I could have never done an urban layout, or had a great looking, smooth running, large turntable and roundhouse in N, if not for Walthers. Yes, they let others do locos and rolling stock, but does every mfg need to sell to every niche? And other posts show how we go to absolute lowest price.....so the lack of loyalty goes both ways! BTW, my LHS has noted that sales of N and N Scale magazine has dropped from 100+ a month to under 45 in the last few years. Not sure if its us buying on the net and always for the cheapest price, or N scale declining, etc. But, there are signs N just isn't as profitable for the mfgs. and so they have slowed down the offerings for areas (like actual layout building, as so many of us are collectors or build one module) that just aren't selling well for them. Again, do I blame them? Not a bit.
Yes. Many of us go to absolute lowest price. That's what we must do, or do nothing at all. It's always interesting how many people have money to burn......
Walthers has become a black hole for N scale in the last several years...now not even pictures of N scale can make it out of the hole. Their catalogue has almost always been a 'wish list' by the time it was published (wish I would have bought that when it was available...). Just when they were getting better, Lifelike was sucked into this hole...never to be seen in N scale again...
There was a time when I didn't mind spending 5% more to support the LHS. In many ways, I still do. If standard is 20% off, and some e-tailers go 30-35%, I don't mind "just" 20% off retail, maybe even 15%. Maybe even full price on one of those hard to find items I didn't pre-order, but not often......But, that is OT, other than discussing why N scale doesn't seem to get the volume. Does seem pretty simple to me, we are only 1/3 or so of the market.... And, as I said, I love Walthers for the structures. Who expects them to be good at everything? I understand LL not doing much. Frankly, once I have invested a lot in Atlas and Kato locos, even the IM and BLMA offerings, which run well, are a bit dicey as far as compatibility, even in DCC with speed matching (I do have a speedometer now.....helps!) So, why the hate for a company that made building US urban and switching layouts possible with their extensive (and re-run a few times) structures? They fill a niche, but they don't fill all niches. They tried, and they simply weren't as good as Atlas in locos and cars, or Kato, and we didn't buy, so they cut back further. It happens.
Well, no hate here - just disappointment. I mean, they didn't even try to do anything N-Scale-wise with Life-Like. Sure, the DL-109 came out, but that was only because it was already in LL's pipeline when it was absorbed by Walthers. After that, nothing! Why didn't they even just use the existing LL tooling and do reruns? E6, E7, E8s? PA, PBs? Switchers? GPs? Steamers? FA & FBs? RS's? Erie Builts? C-Liners? LL had a whole stable of stuff that, with a little effort (i.e couplers) could have kept the LL legacy alive and well. They didn't even try.
If we look at all of the resources out there and think back carefully, we can easily recall that nobody is good at everything. But we do see that some more than others put a definitive and honest effort into it. That makes a big difference. Unfortunately there is an overuse of the word "hate" these days. When someone has a dissenting opinion, right or wrong, an opposing view often brings out this quickly being beaten to death word. Could this be more along the lines of disappointment in seeing such a large supply source shunning a significant market? I believe so. That is not hate. As for their buildings, well, some have been good. Others not so much. Some of those I'd built turned out to have poorly fitting components. With the coming of laser kits, we now have consistently accurate fitting pieces, to an exact scale and no waits for re-runs. They have a legacy of cataloguing items, and then those items being on perpetual 'back order', or being unavailable when trying to order and finding out they suddenly do have it when pushed, etc. No fault attaches to consumers for this, as it is purely an internal disorder of their own making. This alone has driven many people in all scales away. But as to an N scale market, when you put little or nothing into it, you get little or nothing from it. HO is where the easiest pickings are found and that's the route they've chosen. Until such a time as they decide to invest both serious time and money, and carry not just top of the line in readily accessible N inventory, but step out compete for us, they have what they get now.
Sure, "hate " was probably strong, too strong. That said my basic point still stands, IMHO. Like I said, I agree they haven't put as much effort in.....it just doesn't stir any emotions in me, as plenty of others do locos and cars better. And, I doubt they are reading this feeling sorry for us N scalers, either. We step up and buy, or they don't make. While there is a certain amount of guess work these guys have to do, I bet they have some solid non sales figures to back up their decisions. Of the locos Glennac listed, it seems: Broadway beat them to the E6, E7, PA, PBs etc? Kato still has the E8s. Their variety of off the cuff paint schemes was impressive, and I agree there may have been a market. That said, it seems like those E8 sold at deep discounts later, and I don't fault any mfg for shying away from lesser modeled roads. Switchers? GPs? Steamers? They are covered by others well. FA & FBs? RS's? Erie Builts? C-Liners? These have to be lower demand products and probably even lower than when they were first released - that age group of modelers is dying out......and frankly, there aren't a lot of road names to do, etc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As to the structures and how they fit together....I never had any real problems, other than some of the grain elevators, but round parts are harder to get square.....The steel buildings were very well done and crafted for kit bashing. Regarding the catalog, I think their intention was always to show all the products made, as sort of a wish book. Is it a distributor's fault that some cottage industries only make stuff in batches? Do they not show it if the mfg. is still in business and will make more? Take it out of the catalog for a year to see what happens? Add a category for out of stock? (I think they already do this, but haven't bought one in a while.) I agree that in the instant info age, they may need to update their ways. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In any event, I have never (and I mean NEVER) not been able to get what I need to build and run a large layout. Maybe I would feel differently if I really needed a C Liner or something like that to finish my dream layout. In the early days of N, there was not much other than SF, SP and UP locos (in bulk, and a few other roads available) so I decided to model what was available, rather than hope for something else. And, I have always sort of been in perpetual gratitude for the wealth of stuff we do keep getting, not worried about the stuff someone thinks someone ought to have made for us! Going down that road just sort of seems too negative for my tastes. Cheers.
Or more people have switched to subscribing. Sales of N Scale product are fine when the price is reasonable. I've seen items that sell out by the hundreds online gather dust on a LHS shelf because of the markup. Why would I pay 20% more at Walthers when I can get the exact same product from their competition for less? I'm not an idiot. The manufacturer makes the necessary (and same) profit from both vendors. They may even make less from Walthers because the have to pay for space in the catalog.
Well, relevant to this discussion, but my LHS does commit less and less to N, buying only what is pre-ordered, with little/no stock for general sale. No eye candy that brings me in. I stopped going regularly when gas was $4 and I had to drive 40 miles each way. Add $16 to that $7 magazine purchase (because that was often all they had for me) and it made no sense to shop the LHS. Add in the additional 20% vs. 30% discount for the dedicated/committed to N on line dealers probably seals the downward spiral of "no stock - no sale" in N for those kind of shops. It's part of the feelings expressed here - and that is the biggest driving factor, IMHO - is that we prefer to buy from those committed to supporting N (and I am no exception), just at the LHS and not Distributor/Mfg level.
