What Traders are still offering Mail Order? Services?

[Nigel R]

"With the influence of additive techniques (3d printing) and home laser cutting and routing, seemingly appearing in every other home (so it seems), I am less clear about some other aspects of future modeling. It does seem that selling CAD/CAM files could be another business opportunity. Yet even guessing at the size and value is another thing"

Interesting one Erfolg.

Personally, my take is that home printing may seem fantastic, but will not be the universal panacea to producing things at home and better value is usually found by purchasing a part from a professional producer. The pro will have superior machinery and or materials to use.

For (mostly) non structural items it looks like it can be a winner.

[Robin Colbourne]

Posted by Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models) on 07/04/2020 12:54:32:

Lovely memories Peter. If I could have got the prop and wing fixing that would have done me. I used to replace wings and rubber on later models. I’ve had over a minute modded.

HI Steve, I'm not sure if you are pllaning to build a Sleek Streak, or are reminiscing. If planning to build, SAMS Models are listing a Sleek Streak-type prop unit, and according to their Facebook post of a fortnight ago, they were endeavouring to stay open for mail order.

SAMS Models - Propellers

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

Posted by kc on 05/04/2020 12:05:33:

My order from Servo Shop came yesterday within a couple of days of placing the order -well done. The order was for Futaba 3003 servos which I could have bought from 'BG' at about half the price but those were too cheap to be true? Some comment said they were fake thats why they were so cheap! ( to clarify -fake from BG I mean of course )

Nice to see some good info from Steve Webb but its a bit like buses - wait for ages for one then three come all at once! Interesting stuff though.

Thanks for the support / order. I could write a book on the subject of fake and how to some Chinese companies what we see as Fake is just another producer in China manufacturing the same product. But there’s also Fake - Fakes. As I call them. I’m conscious of writing too much but if I use 9g Tower Pro as an example . The most popular servo in the World. Many years ago I asked a reputable company about Tower Pro and to my surprise they could supply them. So orders went in , they were delivered and the servos worked -a few returns but not unexpected for cheap servos etc

It was a while later when I found the REAL Tower Pro and the servos I’d had before ( from a named Chinese Company) were not Manufactured by Tower Pro . But were they fakes? To a Chinese manufacture Probably not as many Chinese companies have to share designs and manufacture . The first company even though not Tower would consider their versions as just different versions.

But on dealing with the REAL Tower Pro we found returns are virtually none existence . They have been without doubt one of the best ranges of servos we’ve ever sold. Our orders have increased and increased . The real Tower Pro are proud of their manufacture and have their name to protect - It reflects in the reliability .

So by buying the 9g servo cheaper from BG or eBay are you saving money ? Possibly not as those of other Manufacture do not care about the reputation of the real Tower Pro and in my experience are more likely to have failures. And then there’s Fake Fake as I call them , the ones manufactured by companies totally unrelated to servo manufacture . The Fake Fakes can have huge failure rates. Unfortunately the 9g Servo is probably the most copied ( re produced) Faked servo there is.

It might surprise you to know that on occasions in the past we’ve had Tower Pro Servos purchases and the purchaser has almost by return of Post claimed 4 or 5 or 10 servos to be faulty . Very unusual as they really are incredibly reliable . They are returned to us and found to be fakes . The resulting conversation with the customer follows the same pattern . How they have accidentally returned the 10 servos they bought elsewhere . Of course it’s not a mix up - it’s when someone buys eBay fakes from China and they come up with an idea of how to not loose money. Buy the same servos from servoshop and return the fakes! To us. What’s hilarious is they think they are the first person to try this. Most apologise for the ‘mistake’ . Some backed in a corner continue to claim the fake ones are ours, Not possible we deal with the REAL Tower Pro.

Toward Pro. Some Tower servos have been labelled Toward Pro . They are in fact REAL as Tower Pro were prevented the use of the name Tower in the USA resulting in the Tward or Toward labels.

Tower also make servos for many companies . So some of the 9 g servos out there are Tower .

How to avoid being ‘ got’ ? Deal with a reputable dealer is one way, but you mentioned a very good way. If the price looks to good to be true. It probably is.

I knew a chap that got 4 Futaba 3003 servos from eBay for £4.99 post free from China . To good to be true and they were . They were the worse fakes I’ve seen . Apart from burning out his aileron channel on his genuine Futaba RX ( the RX was being returned and we asked for the servos to come with it) . The burnt electrical smell was because the polarity was wrong on the fake aileron servo. The labels looked to be almost hand drawn!

Futaba RX £50 + ruined . Yep not such a good buy. Not all servos on eBay are fake , but caution should be taken .
someone selling 10 brand new unused Futaba Servos they haven used - could be a good buy . Some one charging £1 a servo post free from China is unlikely to be a good buy. It’s a case of buyer beware on some platforms.
BG - it’s a difficult one as it’s like an Amazon . Lots of different sellers , I’ve purchased some balsa kits myself off Bang Good. It was how I originally found Tony Ray kits. The only major problem I ever had was that the packing was appalling . Balsa flat packs chucked in a plastic mail bag with no packing. Customer service was none existent .

i have an email which states balsa is fragile and no point sending a replacement as it would only break again.

thanks for the posting Steve
 

 

 

 

Edited By Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models) on 07/04/2020 14:19:27

Edited By Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models) on 07/04/2020 14:20:59

Edited By Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models) on 07/04/2020 14:26:21

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

Posted by Airtek on 06/04/2020 18:01:16:

We have managed to get some help so have just re-opened Airtek Hobbies for internet orders only. Like everyone else things could be delayed so please bear with us but glad to be back!

**LINK**

Peter - That is good news. For a while it looked like we’d all be closing , but mail order is holding up for us. It’s not as straightforward there’s delays getting stuff, delays sending stuff. Hopefully you will find most customers sympathetic to the current issues. We are finding 99% to have some idea of what is happening.

Not sure if you have an eBay presence . We have a small one . My Mrs often takes care of cobbewebb on eBay and we have SWM on eBay also . I mention it as it’s incredibly busy compared to normal times. I think lots of people in lock down are browsing eBay. The downside - the fees , costs but it is a platform that seems to be benefiting from the lock down

good luck Peter

Steve

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

Posted by Robin Colbourne on 07/04/2020 13:45:28:

Posted by Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models) on 07/04/2020 12:54:32:

HI Steve, I'm not sure if you are pllaning to build a Sleek Streak, or are reminiscing. If planning to build, SAMS Models are listing a Sleek Streak-type prop unit, and according to their Facebook post of a fortnight ago, they were endeavouring to stay open for mail order.

SAMS Models - Propellers

Thanks Robin, very useful info. I might get a handful of those for building planes with my Grandson Logan . We have model building sessions. Foam, balsa , paper , boats and planes currently . Usually from the scrap box or using spare bits from broken kits or what ever . Unfortunately I can’t see him at the moment and I’m missing our sessions!

Steve

[Nigel R]

"The downside - the fees , costs but it is a platform that seems to be benefiting from the lock down"

I read somewhere - and this might now be inaccurate - but up to a certain trading threshold, costs were lower on Ebay. You get the search engine and the customer base and the payment mechanisms and all that.

Amazon marketplace is vying for the same type of service, as is Banggood, alibaba, etc.

Obviously at some stage - so for someone like yourself - it becomes more profitable to have your own page and system.

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

John

SWM - Yes - very let down 2007 to recent times regard fair trading / cheap Vat Free imports from China. It does seem to be changing. Goodness knows what the retail landscape will look like after all this.

I made comment elsewhere that a company (Amazon) that has to advertise on TV and hold public education tours to show how happy it’s staff are probably has problems with how happy it’s staff are. Propaganda comes to mind.

Craig - Thanks for the support for traders in this thread . Thanks.

Ron ,

Chris Foss stuff is selling well. By that I mean the kits. The ARTF stuff sells well. But doesn’t it say something when other kit manufacturers closed as ARTF took hold and yet Chris faced with ARTF of the same designs he kits and yet the kits still sell.

I think that says loads for how well thought Chris’s Kits are.

Chris has put his time in supporting the UK model trade. I used to tell him ARTF would sell. Let’s just say Chris came around to ARTF idea very slowly! I still wonder how Nick Moss at Ripmax persuaded him?

But there’s a place for ARTF and kits and the popularity of the ranges prove it time and time again.

Erfolg

Thanks - interesting posts

There is moral problems with The Royal Mail , The NHS ( although they don’t deliver ) . I mean parcels , we can all see the service they deliver. Will it be remembered ??. I’ve seen the low moral at first hand in the NHS. The PO has some similarities regard the happiness of staff. Something that comes with the sheer size of the organisation? I think large organisations feature some unaccountability , which can cause problems.

Your second post , I live in Helsby now a days , but I read that and I want to move back to Frodsham !

I had some happy times living in Frodsham . The Helter Skelter Pub had something to do with that

Yes it’s a great place to visit, but to remind all at the moment the store is closed to visitors / callers and is trading via web site and phone . I mention it as people reading need to know not to turn up. I know it should be obvious , but with some that’s obviously not the case

Zflyer

Cracking company Gliders , Brian and John . When they were Graupner Distributors , we used to get our Graupner from them. They were always very good , totally professional .

Keep posting!

Keep safe, protect the NHS . It’s a dreadful time , fingers crossed it does not turn out as bad as they expect

Steve

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

Posted by Nigel R on 07/04/2020 15:25:44:

"The downside - the fees , costs but it is a platform that seems to be benefiting from the lock down"

I read somewhere - and this might now be inaccurate - but up to a certain trading threshold, costs were lower on Ebay. You get the search engine and the customer base and the payment mechanisms and all that.

Amazon marketplace is vying for the same type of service, as is Banggood, alibaba, etc.

Obviously at some stage - so for someone like yourself - it becomes more profitable to have your own page and system.

Interesting Nigel , I’d need to look into it more. Recently didn’t it get quoted that Amazon were 57% of all on line sales.

Last year at the SWM end of year company meeting which was about 6 months late . I was chatting to our accountant and he has a number of Power Sellers on eBay with Turnovers of over the 1 to 3 million size. SME Small to Medium Enterprise now a days. One seller had large turnover but high costs because his items were not high value. I’m not sure how it was costed but he said they had costed this sellers listings and he had to sell an item for £2.58 to make a profit . But that was if the item was free to him. So an item that cost him nothing needed to be £2.58 to break even. I’m not sure if it was a costing that took in further costs than just pay pal , listing fees or if it could be taking in average ad word or free post or subsidised post or what ever.

it made me look at some listings !

[Martin McIntosh]

Interesting about the TP servos. I posted a bit about fake ones on another thread very recently.

Basically I bought 15 of the supposedly lousy MG995`s a long time ago for £2.99 each. They all still work well despite severe abuse and are surprisingly accurate, so on the strength of this I got hold of 4 each MG90S and MG16R. One of the 16`s is fine and has been flown (on air brakes) for at least 15 years, but the others ran to one end and burned out due to inferior material on the pot centre connection. The 90`s were for autogyros but if I stopped one manually it would not restart without control stick input. Turns out that the Gyro designer was using the same with some interesting events in the air.

The latter two types were indistinguishable from the real thing presumably.

[Paul Marsh]

Cloud Models are still taking orders. I ordered a Tornado kit to go with my Crescent Bullet. So it anyone wants a retro model, give them a ring.

[Ron Gray]

2 more still trading, Quadcopters and BuzzFlyers

[Mike Blandford]

Not sure if they have been mentioned but I had a delivery from DB Sport and Scale yesterday. As with all deliveries it is now in quarantine for 72 hours before I touch it, a glove was worn to get it to the quarantine area, and the glove is also in the quarantine area.

Mike

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 07/04/2020 16:43:27:

Interesting about the TP servos. I posted a bit about fake ones on another thread very recently.

The latter two types were indistinguishable from the real thing presumably.

Hi Martin,

if you get another good electronics manufacturer making the 9g servos, it would be difficult to tell the difference. In China that might not be seen as as a copy or counterfeit - if selling at a similar price to Tower they could even be quite good. I always think they don't have the dedication Tower Servos have as their clones or copies are just a small part of their business which might be Motors or Batteries or something related.

But the Fake Fakes - The ones made by one time unemployed labour that had never put a servo together you could be buying a heap of trouble. Poor quality components leading to failures. Tower must get fed up of thinking failed servo's are seen as TP when they are fake.

The MG servos you mention at £2.99 were probably fake. The price is not always the way to spot a fake as fakes can sell for high prices. But if you see 20 servos for £10 I can Guarantee they are not Original Tower Pro Manufacture. So price can often determine a fake, but not always. Back in the 90's my first delivery I was told they were Tower and they were not. But they were a reliable manufacturer. Better than some. When we discovered the REAL Tower Pro, the return rates are virtually zero. Fantastic for a servo in the budget price range.

I have toyed with the idea of a servoshop own brand of servos. I think I would ask Tower Pro to manufacture the smaller and micro servos if I did.

Its as always Buyer Beware when dealing direct with China. Mind you that's probably the same for everywhere!

Steve

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

Posted by Paul Marsh on 08/04/2020 19:47:57:

Cloud Models are still taking orders. I ordered a Tornado kit to go with my Crescent Bullet. So it anyone wants a retro model, give them a ring.

Hi Paul,

Excellent kits they are too. Totally retro. Hope you are well

Steve

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

Posted by Mike Blandford on 08/04/2020 20:52:41:

Not sure if they have been mentioned but I had a delivery from DB Sport and Scale yesterday. As with all deliveries it is now in quarantine for 72 hours before I touch it, a glove was worn to get it to the quarantine area, and the glove is also in the quarantine area.

Mike

I had a news letter for Microaces, it sounds like Jon's getting back to work after being ill.

On his news letter he advises to wipe kits down and leave in quarantine for 72 hours. I've been doing that with my own deliveries to home. I had a delivery from Free Flight Supplies - Mike Woodhouse and an engine from Peter Tarn. An SS 40 converted to diesel. Its lovely an the Mavic Fly More Combo I have been waiting for - at least 5 months! I missed the first ones. Its a Mavic at 249 g - under the registration weight. My big Mavic comes under my registration. I am not a quad person. But I do like the DJI flying cameras. Some call them Quads. But I think of the them as a sophisticated flying camera.

All had to sit in quarantine for 72 hours. I was like a Kid asking the wife...is it time yet... is it time yet?

Steve

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

**LINK**

As mentioned Jon at Micro Traders has been 14 days poorly and is returning to work. Like all traders advise, wipe down deliveries and leave for 72 hours if possible. He has some problems with his RC packages as that's still messed up from the problems in China. If you have never visited his website. Treat your self. I've made a couple of his models and they are interesting to build. I've just finished a Scrappee - His only Sports Model. The rest are all scale.

Steve

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

Ron and Mike - Thanks for posting.

DB Sport & Scale.Strangely i've been chatting with members of the Tornado's blog recently and some details came up about the DB range. From what I hear many of the kits are modernised and using modern manufacturing Techniques. Very impressive.

Steve

[Keith Berriman]

Placed an order for a Wot4E balsa from Kings Lynn Models yesterday and arrived in under 23 hours. Good price and free delivery feels like I have had a small lottery win.

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

RC Plane Flyer - That's damn good going. 23 hours it's better than Argos. You might not have had a lottery win, but you have had a win. They are excellent models the foss range. Balsa - do you mean as in kit to build while locked down or the little Wot 4 mini Electric? Apparently I have one of those. I think some one pinched to display.

Steve

[Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models)]

Just a bit of an update . Earlier in this thread it was mentioned some suppliers had closed. I'm pleased to say that Ripmax have reopened their Warehouse with skeleton staffing. Logic RC have done similar. I think Overlander are doing the same. SWM is in its 3rd week of closed to callers. I'm still having problems grasping that, but Mail Order available. I'll be honest when it first happened I thought we'd be in total lock down by now. I am i'm afraid. Unwell and staying a safe as I can from the Virus. Can't afford to get it on top of my other problems. Like many others I expect.So keep safe and post your trader news. I know it's not easy to operate in this present situation. All though model store and model business are not seeing the public they can't pass phones to each other, they are trying to keep 2 mtrs apart, constant sanitiser and wiping down parcels and post etc. My lot are taking the stay safe thing seriously - I try to make sure of that as I want them all to be safe. To ritoriate they can't see callers, many other business will be saying the same, but there's still requests to open for people. Its so embarrassing and hard to say to long standing customers - No you have to mail order. Even when they say ' but its me, I've been coming here 25 years'... We would like them to be around for many more years. The only way the staff can be in, is with rules and if Mail Order is to continue , it has to be Mail Order only at the moment. I really wish it wasn't and these were normal times, but they are not. Hope that some people can learn to under stand its just the way it is.

Take Care, Stay Safe and Keep Supporting the NHS and the Care Workers.

Steve

P.s

One of my indoor flying pals has been printing Visor shields on his 3 D Printer for staff in a local care home as they don't have protection. Isnt it amazing? He's gone from producing his little fans for his pals and us to printing stuff to help out. Great stuff. Maybe some other chaps out there with 3D printers could do similar. I'm, sure the local care homes would appreciate it.

[Keith Berriman]

Good Morning Steve it was the Wot 4 E the scaled down model in the blue &white livery ARTF . I have the motor servos etc from a previous model the I flew some years ago.

[Ray Wood 4]

Hi All,

Just like to thank TJD Models at Dartford for amazing service 24 hours from my call to delivery of vital materials. The radios for a future project, balsa cement for the KK Gypsy & tissue for my Invader

Well done guys

Regards Ray

[Capt Kremen]

Big Thanks to Stan Yeo at Phoenix Model Products (PMP). Superb service as always even in these difficult times.

Well done Stan!

[Cuban8]

Well done Steve Webb. I've been a customer of Servo Shop and your modelling website for many years and because I'm 150 miles or so from your location have never visited in person. Just thinking out loud, but I wonder how cost effective it is for businesses like yours to continue with a traditional shop given the overheads that seem to be crippling so many other high street businesses? I wonder what the revenue ratio is, footfall versus internet for the remaining model shops that we have? Jeff Bezos saw the writing on the wall years ago and look what he's wound up with. Maybe the recent enforced closure of high street  model shops will tip the balance for some and cause a switch to on-line only?

For me, it would make very little difference, when I can usually order what I need by midday and if I want to pay a bit extra, have my goods (in normal times) on my doorstep next morning. As an example, how many would buy an engine or electric setup only  from their local (if they have one) model shop or be prepared to drive a considerable distance to make a purchase? I suspect that we shop around on-line, cast our net wide and find the best price/ availability and then hit the buy now button. I can't think of many modelling products that I'd really need to see before I bought them  these days (balsa or a new tranny perhaps).  I can make a decision from the reviews that are all over the internet or are already very familiar with what I need - glues, covering, hardware, batteries, servos, receivers,  tools etc.

A new build project will almost certainly come from an on-line supplier e.g Sarik, Tony Nijhuis, Balsa Cabin or SLEC as a few examples. So many other smaller on-line only companies as well..

 

 

 

 

Edited By Cuban8 on 16/04/2020 12:23:20

[Alan H]

Have had great mail order service from Wheelspin Models at this difficult time.