03-26-2010, 06:31 AM
I had to vote for online shopping as I have no LHS with US equipment anymore. Only some paint, glue etc. is still bought local.
We have 5 nice shops shops with remarkable amount of US equipment in Germany I use frequently. The nearest is a two hour drive. All 5 have good online shops. They get about 60% of my volume. The rest is directly from the US (about ยง30 shipping cost per parcel!) and 1-2% for paint and glue from the LHS.
But I agree, a LHS should be supported if possible. My LHS was extrem helpful when I converted from DC to DCC some years ago (with a German layout). I got the control unit, power pack and three engines with DCC decoders for a test run over the weekend for free. The weekend was a great success and I spend a lot of money on Monday afternoon
The same happened with the airbrush compressor. I was concerned about the noise and got it for a test run. I kept it and payed. The LHS is not a discount store but the owner understands the business and support me very well. I had never a problem to pay the (extra) price for that service.
Could you imagine the trouble if you buy a DCC starter set and find out you don't like DCC at all or get a very loud compressor and your wife is jelling on you due to the noise. I am a fan of my LHS (having no US equipment)
We have 5 nice shops shops with remarkable amount of US equipment in Germany I use frequently. The nearest is a two hour drive. All 5 have good online shops. They get about 60% of my volume. The rest is directly from the US (about ยง30 shipping cost per parcel!) and 1-2% for paint and glue from the LHS.
But I agree, a LHS should be supported if possible. My LHS was extrem helpful when I converted from DC to DCC some years ago (with a German layout). I got the control unit, power pack and three engines with DCC decoders for a test run over the weekend for free. The weekend was a great success and I spend a lot of money on Monday afternoon
The same happened with the airbrush compressor. I was concerned about the noise and got it for a test run. I kept it and payed. The LHS is not a discount store but the owner understands the business and support me very well. I had never a problem to pay the (extra) price for that service.Could you imagine the trouble if you buy a DCC starter set and find out you don't like DCC at all or get a very loud compressor and your wife is jelling on you due to the noise. I am a fan of my LHS (having no US equipment)
Reinhard