Always double check

I've seen people haul cases of Menards cars and buildings to meets, and try to get retail+ for them.  I don't get it, because the majority of the items are still available direct from Menards.

I've examined Menards track - doesn't look bad, but I prefer to buy good used track.  People have posted reviews here on the forum.  Also, tubular track isn't particularly popular these days - I haven't checked recently, but a few months ago new pieces could still be found at major train store websites.

There are many states where there are no Menards stores. 

So, perhaps this is why, under certain circumstances, people are willing to buy on Ebay.

I may certainly be wrong, but I'm not totally certain that Menards will ship product directly to you.

Mannyrock

@Mannyrock posted:

I may certainly be wrong, but I'm not totally certain that Menards will ship product directly to you.

You've probably just made them mad, they've shipped a ton of stuff to me!

Early on, guys at shows were really marking up Menard’s rolling stock. Just throw away the outer box, and display it in the plastic liner. Not many folks outside Menard’s region were familiar, so it looked like a good deal. I’d imagine that is getting harder to pull off now, as people know what is out there.
Out of stock Menard’s buildings, however, do seem to pull a premium.

Menards will ship to your home.  You should look at their checkout options before stating things which may not be true. 

They sell traditional track and it is very well made.  Not flimsily in the least bit.  Every train item I've purchased has been well made.  Quality is quite high in my opinion.

Bought a building (Hermann's Sauerkraut).  Shipped to my house, which is in SE PA. The bldg. works. No issues. I am happy. Mark

@Mannyrock posted:

There are many states where there are no Menards stores.

So, perhaps this is why, under certain circumstances, people are willing to buy on Ebay.

I may certainly be wrong, but I'm not totally certain that Menards will ship product directly to you.

Mannyrock

It would be truly odd for a retailer with a regional presence, and such a large website, to require that you stop in to pick up everything you order on-line from its site.

Not impossible I guess, but I've never seen any retailer with a website do it.

Mike

Allegheny,

I didn't state that anything was true. I plainly said that I was not totally certain.

Attorneys choose their words very carefully.  :-)

Thanks for the clarification.

But, I actually tried to buy something from Menard's last year during the biggest outbreak of COVID, and their website said "shipping not available" for the product.   :-O

Mannyrock

@Mannyrock posted:

Allegheny,

I didn't state that anything was true. I plainly said that I was not totally certain.

Attorneys choose their words very carefully.  :-)

Thanks for the clarification.

But, I actually tried to buy something from Menard's last year during the biggest outbreak of COVID, and their website said "shipping not available" for the product.   :-O

Mannyrock

Manny,

Please accept my apologies - I'm not used to dealing with attorney's

Do you live in Calif?  Possibly the item you wanted couldn't be shipped there due to your states regulations? 

There are a number of items that Menard's will not ship to California. When I bought some 1/48 Jeeps for my army train, they had to be shipped to a friend in Arizona, then shipped to me. Double shipping costs and more hassle.

Allegheny,

No worries.  As others on this Board will tell you,  I make mistakes every day!

I probably had the bad luck of trying to order something for shipping on the one or two days they may have temporarily suspended shipping during the initial Covid panic.  :-)

Mannyrock

Menards ships most of their train equipment to California with a few exceptions. The exceptions have to do with contents that are known to be carcinogenetic and did not get the proper sticker attached at the factory. In order to ship to California, they need to attach a warning sticker. For the most part all Californians ignore the warning because everything has carcinogenetic contents! Please learn from this warning that you should not eat your model trains.
I have made several purchases from them and my experience is that their flat cars with neat little vehicles on them are what they will not ship to California. I think that maybe they cannot just add the sticker because they do not handle the shipments themselves, but rather they use a contract fulfillment service.
The most irritating part of dealing with them is the 11% discount that cannot be used in California!
But lets also talk about the quality of their O gauge model railroad cars. The quality is good for the price. A large number of cars that I have purchased from them have couplers that are broken from day one. Some won't open and one car, a gondola, could not be used at all since the coupler would open within a few seconds of starting the train. I love everything that I have bought and I am willing to try to fix these cheap, poorly made couplers. I will buy more from Menards, but I am unwilling to call their products well made. Lets just say that they are well made for the price.

@CALNNC posted:

My evening stroll through Ebay brought up an ad for 24 brand new sections of 72 inch radius 3 rail at $107 plus 25 to ship,  and said it was a Menard's product.  Soooo, looked it up at Menard's, a 24ct case was less than $50 before shipping/handling/taxes, and another $6 off if you buy it at the store.  Not sure why they include their 'mail in rebate' with their online ad when you can't redeem it for an online purchase.  I have no idea of the quality of this track, but just commenting why it is always best to check prices.  Folks many times ask too much for Menard rolling stock on Ebay too, sometimes 3 times the price of something available at the store for 16 bucks.

I stopped by Patrick's Trains in Wheeling WV on the way to York.  He had several boxes of nice tubular track.  Had lots of O-72 - used but very clean - for about $3 per piece.  I'm sure he'd love to ship it to you.