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What Traders are still offering Mail Order? Services?


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Posted by Andy Joyce on 16/04/2020 16:16:40:

Has anyone used a company called Drones Direct? Seems far too good on its prices to be genuine.

These guys registered 2001

Check out the UK Govt page here **LINK**

Their website is increadible

The showroom has the same details and postcode as the Govt listing

I think I would stick my neck out confidently

Edited By Denis Watkins on 16/04/2020 16:36:57

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@Martin - I placed an order for some LiPos with the EU store and it didn't reject my order unlike a week ago when it did. Don't know when they will arrive though!

Another company still trading, Solarfilm, but they are only sending orders out once a week, which is fine by me.

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Posted by Martin McIntosh on 16/04/2020 16:33:09:

MB, do you know if that includes lipos?

Hello Martin. I do not know if it includes Lipos. I needed fiberglass cloth and thought I would try and see if Hobby King were delivering to UK again from EU and the order went through with no problems. EU orders are normally with me in 5 working days. If you need Lipos just try and place the order. If they are not delivering them to UK it will tell you. Mike.

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Posted by Andy Hat on 17/04/2020 09:49:36:

I have a Hobbyking UK order arriving today and it includes lipos. I was prepared to receive it after lockdown was over but the order was processed quickly.

Edited By Andy Hat on 17/04/2020 09:53:27

So it seems Hobby King UK are working again Andy. Thats good but I always check EU as well because delivery is often cheaper from EU. Mike

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R/C Plane Flyer. It’s quite a cutie. Mini Wot E

RayWood and Capt. Kremen Thanks for posting. Good info.

Cuban 8

Shop V Mail Order or Mail Order

Excellent Post.

Thanks for the kind words and support.

Shop v Mail Order. Not that it hasn’t been discussed many times, especially in more recent times when the store has been quiet for callers and yet Mail Order has been busy. I mean pre Covid 19 measures. A couple of times in anger I have threatened to close the shop and go mail order only. That usually happens when shop lifting occurs, and I expect many a shop owner would say the same in the heat of the moment.

The current Mail Order Only situation has been forced upon us. I must admit I thought this is going to trial Mail Order only. I had no idea if it would work. I have to say it is working. But its hardly a fair trial as No ones going out racing and flying or boating. Or at least very few people are. I’m sure there’s frustrated flyers up and down the UK. What I’m saying is with 90% locked down except for essential journey’s etc the current Mail Order only situation doesn’t sample what it would be like in normal time. Then again are some areas of sales increased. Because modellers are buying things to do. We’ve been selling a lot of glues. It seems to be that Cyanoacrylate and other adhesives are the model trades ‘toilet rolls.

What is worth mentioning is when I had the idea for servo shop, the staff at the time were very against it. ServoShop was born from the reluctance to go online selling. Mainly the staff would say how will we cope with orders when the shop is packed out all the time? Where will we put the stock, we are over full etc

So, I said – servo’s we’ll trade servos – servo shop. Servos are small, that’s storage sorted. Reluctantly the staff agreed to try it. It worked and the other directors said…. Could we put other things online? So, we did and it’s a good Job we do have servo shop as foot fall in in decline.

This current situation  isn’t going to be representative of trading Mail Order, but in some ways it will reveal the problems and benefits of mail order only.

Re > 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<<

It’s great that you support UK business. I believe the decline in UK traders has been felt by almost every model club in the land. Clubs that onetime had 70 members now have 10 or 20 members. This current crisis will only add to Club Problems. Unless the Club has a strong ‘heart’.

Thanks for the posts. Steve

Edited By Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models) on 17/04/2020 14:22:04

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Alan H, Chris Walby, Martin Harris (Any one reading this - Model Shop Leeds, worth a visit after the clamp down – a terrific long standing Model Trader).

Michael Barclay, I1tofly,

Andy Joyce – I’m sorry I do not know the company.

When ordering from sites you don’t know, search for google reviews or face book reviews or simple the website having the Padlock in the Url etc

BUT… IMO… Drones Direct web site looks professional and it secure etc. Says UK based advice on a 13p per minute number). I just paid £459.00 for my Mavic Mini Fly More Combo and they are £499.00. Not sure about the rest of the prices. Typical I waited months for stock and now I have one and we are locked in home and can’t use it. The website looks genuine to me. Its secure etc. Much to good of a Website to be fake.

Martin Mcintosh – I can’t answer your question but this info could be relevant - Generally if items are coming from China some stuff is not reaching the UK. One supplier we have had his parcels to mainland Europe turned back. I’m wondering if Chinese shipping to the UK came via Europe if the same thing would happen? We are on hold on Tony Ray stuff at the moment as he’s had problem in China returning to work and now, he’s not sure his parcels would get to us. Some stocks we are low on. We are the Tony Ray UK distributor as off November 2019. Doesn’t answer your Hobby King question. There’s a few asking about HK – why not mail them and ask?

Dennis – see what said. Yep looks genuine. Re Drones Direct

Andy Joyce – that’s’ strange, only because I could not select Pay Pal on the Post Code Lottery – just. I would select it and it didn’t work. Coincidence or do Pay Pal have an issue?

See how you get on.

Lee Damms – Thanks - A new name to me, they do appear to have contact details on the net

**LINK**

Thanks all! Keep Posting – Support UK traders and they can support the Hobby. Stay at Home and Support the NHS.

Anyone else twitching from not flying?

Steve

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks again for all the posts regard business that continue to trade in these difficult times. I think the situation remains unchanged many traders are continuing to offer Mail Order services. The situation still feels many miles away from normal.

At SWM we are operating with less staff than usual and this situation presents lots of problems / solutions that would have never been thought off if it wasn’t for the current situation. Take the usually simple procedure off passing a phone to a colleague . Now there’s spraying and wiping down phones before passed to another person. The continual wiping down of surfaces and hand sanitising makes most people appear very Howard Hughes. Keeping 2 mtrs apart sounds easy , but I’m assured it isn’t. On the plus side , support has been good and thanks to all that have been supporting UK traders at this time.

I thought a few snippets of information might be of interest . At SWM we have found our presence on eBay to be trading well. That platform has become very busy. Considering the much smaller range of goods we have listed . Kits - from the Vintage Model co, Tony Ray , Dumas , Ripmax Keli Kraft through to the Buckle and Foss kits are all selling in higher numbers than usual . It seems people are taking the opportunity to build during the lock down. Big thanks to all our suppliers for keeping us supplied . Especially Colin Buckle and Chris Foss who will also be facing the problems of lock down. Hi y TV IV

We still are experiencing some delays in supply and although most Mail Order is arriving OK with customers , there’s been the occasional delay with Royal Mail and carriers in general . But the delays are very few.!

Thanks again, can I encourage MF members to post praise for suppliers that have managed to supply them. Any stories of encouragement welcome. 

 

good night

 

Steve

 

Steve Webb

Edited By Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models) on 06/05/2020 01:24:52

Edited By Steven Webb (Steve Webb Models) on 06/05/2020 01:29:28

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The Balsa Cabin posted this on their Facebook page on the 22 April.

"We would like to thank all our customers old and new for there patients in processing there orders. Due to the current covid-19 lockdown we have a very high demand of orders and are unable to turn orders around in our usual 2-3 working days. We have put this notice on a pop up on our website and when speaking to customers advise of them of the situation. There is only 2 of us working and we are doing 13hrs a day 6 days a week to process these orders and unfortunately we do have a back log of orders. Just like most of the mail order businesses at this moment in time.
We just wanted to say that we have had a few rude customers abusing us saying how disgraceful it is that we cannot get these orders out in a reasonable time. We do not lie to you, we are honest about the back log of orders situation yet you abuse us. This is very upsetting when we are working long hours to get your orders processed. Please understand we do not just put wood into an envelope, the wood is selected to your requirements and we have all different shaped parcels of which will contain not only wood but also other items, so this is not just uniform packing.
Please stay safe and take care".
Vanda and David

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I am ever more convinced that trading on line is the way that our hobby will increasingly be the normal way for modelers to purchase their requirements.

I do not know, nor be able to hazard a guess as to how many model materials retailers (shops) only, are at present closed for trading. I suspect that many will not reopen. I am expecting that at best each region will have at best two major model shops, possibly the one. They will will have an internet presence and be as welcoming and accommodating, with great staff, moving with the times, as SWM,

The abuse issue is raised frequently, particularly where the complainant is at some distance, be it on the phone, Email, or some other non proximity method. It says more about ourselves, when guilty, than the recipient. Of course not all is black and white, there are occasions where some will accuse others of verbal abuse, be it swearing, shouting, abuse phrasing, as a means of seeking the high ground, when defending the indefensible.

Personally i have waited some time now for a number of items, and in some cases this remains the case. I am accepting the situation, recognising the problems of often low staffing levels, shipment issues, in addition to traders restocking problems. Pales into insignificance to the other issues of our present times.

 

Edited By Erfolg on 07/05/2020 11:22:44

Edited By Erfolg on 07/05/2020 11:23:45

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