# wholesaletrains: personal experience needed



## bombardiermike (Aug 1, 2012)

After seeing the terrible reviews about wholesaletrains.com (people that feel like :rippedhand: because it never shipped) , I tried to avoid the site but the prices are too irrestable like 25% less than any other site, I really want to order from them but still worried about the poor reviews, so I am pre ordering 1 $100 athearn bombardier item, what should I expect? If you have rants, let it rip, if you have had good experiences please defend the site, don't want to waste $100 on an item that ships 10 months late because I am pre ordering it for my birthday thanks in advance


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## Davidfd85 (Jul 4, 2011)

UT OH !!! I didn't know anything about bad reviews hope I didn't make a mistake. I just ordered over $200 worth of Peco switches from them, they showed in stock except for one item.
Maybe I should cancel the order tomorrow ?


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Wholesale_Trains

If you search for "wholesaletrains.com review" on google there are a LOT of sites that come up.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've purchased two items from them, I had no issues with either, both arrived promptly. In looking at the reviews Michelle posted, one thing stands out. It appears they are what you'd expect, a company that doesn't have a lot of stock and just orders to ship, which results in sometimes not having an item for months, if at all, to fill the orders. If you've followed the issues with Chinese manufacturing for model train stuff, you'd know why it's been more problematic recently to get new product.

I don't think they're crooks, they're just using a different business model that sometimes results in customer dissatisfaction due to failure to promptly fill orders. They're not like other suppliers that actually stock the stuff, part of the reason they can be so cheap.


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## Gansett (Apr 8, 2011)

It's not a different business model, it's the new business model. Inventory sitting on shelves ties up capital. I see it more and more with auto parts. "it's coming from the warehouse, be here tomorrow after 2 pm". Seems other types of merchants are following suit.
Grin and bear it.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

Most of the time, there aren't "shelves" at all. Stores are just pass through resellers.


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## James Stoker (May 19, 2013)

My experience with WST is the same as John's. Couple orders, arrived promptly and was the best price to be found anywhere on some Kadee trucks and a few other items. If there is going to be an issue with your pre-order Mike, I think it is related to the whole concept of a pre-order. In essence you are doing the opposite of Wimpy. You are paying for a Hamburger today and they are then supposed to deliver it on Tuesday. A lot of things can happen between now and "Tuesday" as exemplified by Wimpy, because there was always an extenuating circumstance that meant he could not "pay on Tuesday".










If you want to pay them today in promise of something tomorrow that is your choice. Read through some pre-order threads on MRR forums and you will likely see that more often than not there are problems ranging from delays to over selling of incoming shipments to the promised product not being as promised. Most of these issues are directly related to the manufacturers (or middle-man warehouses), not the retailers, but that is where the customer is going to experience an issue, so that is who will get blamed as in the examples Michelle linked to. My guess will be you will see bad reviews of pre-order or drop-shipment transactions with pretty much any retailer you care to look at. I guess you can debate the ethics of retailers taking your money today for something they "expect" to have at some point in the future, but it is hard to argue with the economics of the practice- from their side anyways.

P.S: When it comes to people giving reviews, keep in mind that it is an extreme rarity for people who have good experiences to give a review at all. It is generally those that have some problem that get their dander up and then take the time to enter a review. When you look at the review thread posted by Michelle, the reviews are about a 50/50 split between 5 star and 1 star reviews. That is actually pretty good IMO.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I have two pre-orders waiting from other locations that are NOT Wholesale Trains, one for many months. Pre-orders from Lionel or MTH are frequently measured in years!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Pre-orders from Lionel or MTH are frequently measured in years!


You got that right!

And that is IF they even follow through and make the product.
No more preordering from me!

I might preorder but will NOT pay in advance! :smokin:


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

That's why I buy old stuff. It's been around for 50 years!!


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## bombardiermike (Aug 1, 2012)

Davidfd85 said:


> UT OH !!! I didn't know anything about bad reviews hope I didn't make a mistake. I just ordered over $200 worth of Peco switches from them, they showed in stock except for one item.
> Maybe I should cancel the order tomorrow ?


the bad reviews say that they even charge a cancellation fee which is really ridiculous, it is up to you to either wait or cancel, please keep us updated


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## SvenilVecchio (Jan 19, 2013)

J buy 4 loco and in a week are arrived in Italy, now j have a GP38-2 Athearn in preorder for February 2014.
J live in Italy and cost shipping are very high (min 50$) + tax fee 21%. 
Wholesaletrains is very hard in the sale, unlikely to respond to mail, it is necessary to telephone it you have a problem with order.
The worst thing is that that you have to pay15% if you give up the pre-order, others do not.
However overall j'm pleased with them. The prices are more downs of the other vendors even if they do promotions like Labor13.


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## 05Slowbalt (Dec 19, 2011)

Wholesaletrains is about a hour from my house. When I buy from them I just go pick it up lol.


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## SvenilVecchio (Jan 19, 2013)

05Slowbalt said:


> Wholesaletrains is about a hour from my house. When I buy from them I just go pick it up lol.


Fortunato.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I would suggest that you NEVER pre-order from a place like Wholesale Trains. I stick to stuff they have listed in stock, and even then it's somewhat of a crapshoot. However, I am not about to pay anything if they can't ship it in a reasonable time.


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

I use www.modeltrainstuff.com 

Thay have been very good.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've ordered lots of stuff from M.B. Klein as well, they are a very good source. They also are more of a stocking dealer, so your odds of getting it promptly are greater.


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## Davidfd85 (Jul 4, 2011)

Well I'm guess I'm going to let it ride and see what happens. I read the reviews and it looked to me to run about 50/50 good and bad, yeah the customer service and no notice sucks but can't beat the price either. I'll keep ya posted.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

If they have it in stock, or the supplier has it and ships it quickly, they probably get a good rating.


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## golfermd (Apr 19, 2013)

rrgrassi said:


> I use www.modeltrainstuff.com
> 
> Thay have been very good.


I use them for a majority of my purchases. The team is top notch when it comes to knowledge, service and willingness to work with you. And, their prices are great! Shipping is fast. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

I've ordered one time from Wholesale Trains and had no issues. The items I ordered were listed as "in stock" so I think that is the key.

M B Klein (modeltrainstuff.com) is an institution in the Baltimore area. I live about 30 minutes from the store. They are both a retail and online dealer with a warehouse stock. Their online site is very up to date with the status of stuff. I once bought an item that showed 1 in stock. I went up to the store and purchased it. Checked the status of the item when I got home and it said "out of stock". Very knowledgeable staff. I'm guessing their shipping is top notch as the rest of their operation is. I can only guess because like I said, I go to the retail store when I want something. Going there is dangerous, though. I feel like a kid in a candy store. Maybe I shouldn't tell about them and keep them a secret so I don't have as much competition for stuff.


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## SvenilVecchio (Jan 19, 2013)

for me they are too rigid , sales must also be pliable


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

www.modeltrainstuff.com 

always had good luck here:thumbsup:


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

I thought it's always best practice to check out the local hobby shop, and see what's on hand and possibly purchase previously used items at a reasonable price of course.Reguards,tr1


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## Davidfd85 (Jul 4, 2011)

Well just got a nice surprise in my e-mail. Got a shipping notice and Fed-Ex tracking number. We'll see what happens next when it gets here.


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

I used wholesale trains a few years ago. The problem I found was they only said it was in stock, no how many. At the time, I was getting Athearn parts, Kadee coupler and metal wheels. The best they did was two weeks and several orders went between 3-4 weeks. As I recall they did not tell you it had shipped. Since that time, I have used others who give much better service for a similar price. My current go to places are Cherry Creek Hobbies, Yankee Dabbler and the previously mentioned MB Kline. 
Kline says on the web page how many are in stock. Kline is a bigger operation and has more staff to deal with the purchase. 
I hope they can hold on. I used to use a place outside of Cincinnati that was a good sized operation, Davis trains, they seemed big and then they were gone.


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## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

The biggest threat to MB Klein is the new internet tax that will be imposed on businesses that do more than $1 million in revenue. I'm not sure how much they do but I could see them topping that mark, then they would have to collect sales tax for every juristiction from where a buyer lives. That gets complex because it may not only involve state sales tax, but local sales taxes, also. Not sure they have the wherewithall to do that.

All of our MD state legislatures were in favor of this. I felt like writing them and informing them of how little $1 million in revenue is and that one of Baltimore's (and MD's) iconic businesses could be threatened by this. Doing the math if they are open 300 days a year, that means they have to do only $3333.34 per day in business to top that amount because it is based on revenue, not profit.

MB Klein is an institution. It has been around for 100 years. Started as a hardware store and in the 1970s converted completely to selling trains.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Local governments are looking for anything they can tax. These kinds of taxes are attractive as the companies they're hitting are out of state. Soon, they'll tax the air you breathe.


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## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

Here in MD they are taxing the rain that falls on your property. It's a fixed amount for homes but for businesses it is based on the amount of impervious surface that is on the business's property. It's a runoff tax for Chesapeake Bay Restoration.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

DavefromMD said:


> Here in MD they are taxing the rain that falls on your property.


I rest my case.  It can't be long before they start taxing air. Runners pay more because they use more.


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

Cap and trade, here we come!!!


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## Dano (Aug 26, 2012)

Manufacturers don't want any risk. I refuse to take part. If they want me to buy it then they can make it and supply it and take the same risk I do when I stock something. I don't take any pre-orders on anything except some gaming products but they are being made, pre-order is just to get a piece of the first run.


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## rosella (Oct 5, 2011)

Sorry but i like to feel it and have it in my hands before i part with my hard earned cash.
It is very hard to get money back some times when you pre pay.
I have stoped taking pre orders as it creates to much bad vibes with my customers when it goes wrong ,
just a thought from down under


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## Davidfd85 (Jul 4, 2011)

Well Fed Ex was at the door early this morning and had my order and it was complete just had a $21 shipping charge, man that seems high, but I'm happy I can continue laying track now, just will be very careful about ordering in the future even if it still came out around $30 cheaper than anybody else.


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