Behind the scenes at Trainz

PH1975 - Shipping to Canada

Well, it seems easy enough, but we made the decision years ago to group items into generic shipping categories - small locomotive, medium locomotive, large locomotive ... Well, it turns out that wasn't a great idea. Some manufactures can put a small locomotive into an amazingly large box, etc. International carriers punish you pretty bad sometimes if your dimensions are off by as little as an inch. We got tired of eating these mistakes and have an open IT project to change our whole dimensioning system to be based off of actual dimensions for each product instead of shipping family buckets. We are talking to a package consolidator that may work for our website. Fixing it is on our IT list, so we will fix it sometime, but it is not near the top of the list, so it probably won't be this year unless the consolidator option works out. Sorry.

Frank Mulligan - This is also why some of our shipping rates are out of whack. If you think it is egregious email us at customerservice@trainz.com and we'll double-check it. Or you can just order $500 or more and we'll make it free!

@Chris1985 posted:

Thank you all for checking out this video and to @hokie71 for posting it here!

At the end of the day, I am still a VERY amateur video-making guy with an iPhone and basement full of trains.

Thanks again! - RBP

Chris, You are a breath of fresh air to train video's.  Just keep doing what you doing.   I enjoyed every minute of this video.   Have fun with your new set as well.   

We all know what its like to score an item we've been looking for - nothing like it.   

I look forward to your next video.

@Chris1985 posted:

Thank you all for checking out this video and to @hokie71 for posting it here!

@wb47 "thanks for the video. Enough of waving your arms at us though." - I will try not to move around so much. Maybe I tie them at my sides or something. I am sorry it is distracting.

At the end of the day, I am still a VERY amateur video-making guy with an iPhone and basement full of trains.

Thanks again! - RBP

Chris (@Chris1985), it was great to see the video and the large operation of Trainz. Continue doing these videos; they are very enjoyable and your excitement always comes through. Thanx for sharing @hokie71!

awesome, had no idea as to the magnitude of their operation

If you see something on eBay listed by Trainz, there is a high probability something identical for sale on trainz.com.

Edit: misspelling.

I am surprised they have that large of an inventory.

I go on their website several times a week and search for Lionchief Plus and MTH Railking ps 3.0 and rarely find anything available.

Brad

I sold almost all my O stuff to Trainz.  Pretty convenient, you give them a list, they give you a price, you agree, they come to your house, load up the truck, give you a check for half right there, after they inventory things, about a week or so, they send you a check for the balance.  Was super easy and I would recommend if you need to sell a collection they are nice people to deal with.  I didn’t have a huge amount of stuff by any means but it was nice to get the dough all at once instead of trying to sell it piece by piece.  They even bought all my Ross track and switches.  I kept a Wabash triple lash up set, I told them upfront, and still paid me the full amount. I was happy with the whole deal.

@illinoiscentral posted:

If you see something on eBay listed by Trainz, there is a high probability something identical for sale on trainz.com.

Edit: misspelling.

Not to mention that the items listed on their own website are usually listed a few bucks cheaper, probably because Trainz doesn't have to pay a percentage fee to the big 'e'.

They do have pricing anomalies - I only watch older 2-rail stuff, but I note that often they start at a ridiculously high price, bring it down in 10% increments for a month, then boom - it goes to 99 cents for an auction.

I had heard the proprietor was interested in a Lobaugh Cab Forward.  I volunteered to help, but no response.  I suppose with thousands of contacts a day such things get lost.

Recently snagged a really nice Std gauge green base 520 searchlight car from Trainz for a decent price, which filled the last hole of every color of 500 freights for me.  Yeah, it got held up in Georgia for an extra week longer than was expected, but it arrived in great condition, well packed and all.  Not something to get your boxers in a bunch about.  Just sayin.

@PH1975 posted:

Not to mention that the items listed on their own website are usually listed a few bucks cheaper, probably because Trainz doesn't have to pay a percentage fee to the big 'e'.

Buying on their website gets you points that you can use towards future purchases.

And you eliminate the hassle of bidding on something, having to check on it, rebidding etc, only to have someone snipe it away from you at the last second.  If it’s a fair price, buy it if you want it.  If you don’t think so don’t buy it, don’t waste your time jerking around at an auction site for a week.  I’d rather pay a couple bucks extra than do all that.  And it’s been serviced by them so it works, instead of ‘the pics are the only description’.

@87smokemetalic posted:

Buying on their website gets you points that you can use towards future purchases.

That I did not know.  I only purchased once, and it was at York.

@hokie71 posted:

Thanks to You tube rbp trains, one of our forum members. Very interesting video visit to Trainz! @Chris1985 ,Well done!

Thanks for posting this.  I am subscribed to Chris' Youtube channel, but just can't keep up...

@Chris1985 posted:

Thank you all for checking out this video and to @hokie71 for posting it here!

@wb47 "thanks for the video. Enough of waving your arms at us though." - I will try not to move around so much. Maybe I tie them at my sides or something. I am sorry it is distracting.

At the end of the day, I am still a VERY amateur video-making guy with an iPhone and basement full of trains.

Thanks again! - RBP

Well done.  You have beautiful arms - your enthusiasm is refreshing.  Really enjoyed seeing this - I had no idea how extensive their operation is.  As I mentioned when we met at York, I appreciate the concise nature of your videos - you keep things moving and there's just enough chitchat to keep it lively.

@William 1 posted:

I sold almost all my O stuff to Trainz.  Pretty convenient, you give them a list, they give you a price, you agree, they come to your house, load up the truck, give you a check for half right there, after they inventory things, about a week or so, they send you a check for the balance.  Was super easy and I would recommend if you need to sell a collection they are nice people to deal with.  I didn’t have a huge amount of stuff by any means but it was nice to get the dough all at once instead of trying to sell it piece by piece.  They even bought all my Ross track and switches.  I kept a Wabash triple lash up set, I told them upfront, and still paid me the full amount. I was happy with the whole deal.

Thanks for the excellent, detailed, and honest assessment of your dealing with Trainz.  That's a very encouraging report.

@Chris1985 posted:

Thank you all for checking out this video and to @hokie71 for posting it here!

@wb47 "thanks for the video. Enough of waving your arms at us though." - I will try not to move around so much. Maybe I tie them at my sides or something. I am sorry it is distracting.

At the end of the day, I am still a VERY amateur video-making guy with an iPhone and basement full of trains.

Thanks again! - RBP

LOL!  I mentioned this too once in jest. As others have said you have a subscriber base that doesn't seem to mind and it does show enthusiasm.  Maybe you have some Italian in you.  LOL!

Chris I really enjoyed this video.  Some nice behind the scenes that shows what is happening.  Lots to see and lots to do at a place moving so many trains.

One thing about Trainz that frustrates me a great deal is that so many engines and transformers are listed as "Not Tested."  Come on!  If there are multiple test tracks handy, why not test them? 

I generally see that tested engines are listed with higher starting bids than untested ones, but I'd rather know and pay a few dollars more, knowing the item works.

@palallin posted:

One thing about Trainz that frustrates me a great deal is that so many engines and transformers are listed as "Not Tested."  Come on!  If there are multiple test tracks handy, why not test them?

I generally see that tested engines are listed with higher starting bids than untested ones, but I'd rather know and pay a few dollars more, knowing the item works.

Yeah, but they stand by what they sell and will pay for the return to either get a refund or they can try and fix it if you really want it.

Testing all the volume would require a huge crew. 

The Toys R Us Shopping Spree!  I still dream about that.  Great video and great tour of the facility!  Thanks for sharing.

@palallin posted:

One thing about Trainz that frustrates me a great deal is that so many engines and transformers are listed as "Not Tested."  Come on!  If there are multiple test tracks handy, why not test them?

I generally see that tested engines are listed with higher starting bids than untested ones, but I'd rather know and pay a few dollars more, knowing the item works.

To them, some stuff probably ain’t worth messing with, ….by the time you pay a person to test everything that comes across the pike, you’re losing money……..yeah, it sounds simple, but in the grand scheme of things, folks gotta concentrate on the heavy hitters to keep payroll ……rolling …..

Pat

Mark, I did the same thing at York.

@bob2 posted:

They do have pricing anomalies - I only watch older 2-rail stuff, but I note that often they start at a ridiculously high price, bring it down in 10% increments for a month, then boom - it goes to 99 cents for an auction.

I had heard the proprietor was interested in a Lobaugh Cab Forward.  I volunteered to help, but no response.  I suppose with thousands of contacts a day such things get lost.

Hi bob2 - I'll shed some light on this for you. We set our prices at what we think is the current market price. We use our own sales history and we research back a year or so on what the same/similar items have sold for and that's what we go with, generally. Nothing is 100%, but that's generally what happens. After an item has been on the website only for 2 weeks, we replicate it eBay, so we are listing our items on eBay and our website that the same time. We have our software tuned up so there is generally a max of 15 minutes before the non-selling site removes it. We have a markdown algorithm that we use to automatically mark our collectibles down every week, and that is about 10% per month. If the item doesn't sell after being marked down 60% we do generally auction them starting at $.99. But here is the rest of the story. We typically sell 5-8% of what we list in the first week on the website in the private car preview phase. Then about 25% in 30 days, 55% in 2 months 75% in 3 months, 85% in 4 months, 95% in 5 months, and 98% in 6 months. So those $.99 auction items are things that we really messed up on our price estimates and/or there isn't much demand for, but with that being only 2% of what we started with, I think it's pretty good!

Not sure about the Lobaugh Cab Forward. I am the proprietor and don't collect much anymore except Lionel Batman stuff!

@palallin posted:

One thing about Trainz that frustrates me a great deal is that so many engines and transformers are listed as "Not Tested."  Come on!  If there are multiple test tracks handy, why not test them?

I generally see that tested engines are listed with higher starting bids than untested ones, but I'd rather know and pay a few dollars more, knowing the item works.

Hi palallin,

I hear you, but we just don't have the time, or the space. We have started testing a lot of the transformers and are listing them as working or not. We do test most of our postwar locos, and all the things we do not test, just takes too long at the volume we do. We do guarantee everything, so if there is a problem we'll take care of it. We already have 5 service technicians and are out of space in our repair center to realistically add more, but we are moving into a new 70,000 sq.ft. building next year and will have double the space we have now, so look forward to that changing as much s feasible.

@Scott@Trainz posted:

Hi palallin,

I hear you, but we just don't have the time, or the space. We have started testing a lot of the transformers and are listing them as working or not. We do test most of our postwar locos, and all the things we do not test, just takes too long at the volume we do. We do guarantee everything, so if there is a problem we'll take care of it. We already have 5 service technicians and are out of space in our repair center to realistically add more, but we are moving into a new 70,000 sq.ft. building next year and will have double the space we have now, so look forward to that changing as much s feasible.

Thank you for that reply, Scott.  I do appreciate it.

If I can do so without putting additional strain on your time, I'd like to ask a clarifying question, please.  It is a based on a real auction I was looking at but passed on.

So if purchase a prewar Lionel loco listed "As Is," and it arrives not running, I can then expect to have the locomotive repaired or my money back?  I ask because I have assumed that "As Is" eliminated any obligation on your part to deliver a running engine.

@Scott@Trainz posted:

Hi bob2 - I'll shed some light on this for you. We set our prices at what we think is the current market price. We use our own sales history and we research back a year or so on what the same/similar items have sold for and that's what we go with, generally. Nothing is 100%, but that's generally what happens. After an item has been on the website only for 2 weeks, we replicate it eBay, so we are listing our items on eBay and our website that the same time. We have our software tuned up so there is generally a max of 15 minutes before the non-selling site removes it. We have a markdown algorithm that we use to automatically mark our collectibles down every week, and that is about 10% per month. If the item doesn't sell after being marked down 60% we do generally auction them starting at $.99. But here is the rest of the story. We typically sell 5-8% of what we list in the first week on the website in the private car preview phase. Then about 25% in 30 days, 55% in 2 months 75% in 3 months, 85% in 4 months, 95% in 5 months, and 98% in 6 months. So those $.99 auction items are things that we really messed up on our price estimates and/or there isn't much demand for, but with that being only 2% of what we started with, I think it's pretty good!

Not sure about the Lobaugh Cab Forward. I am the proprietor and don't collect much anymore except Lionel Batman stuff!

Scott thank you for the insight, and thank you for letting Chris make the video at your facility.

@palallin posted:

Thank you for that reply, Scott.  I do appreciate it.

If I can do so without putting additional strain on your time, I'd like to ask a clarifying question, please.  It is a based on a real auction I was looking at but passed on.

So if purchase a prewar Lionel loco listed "As Is," and it arrives not running, I can then expect to have the locomotive repaired or my money back?  I ask because I have assumed that "As Is" eliminated any obligation on your part to deliver a running engine.

Thanks for asking! Yes if it is as-is, that means it's yours and that assumes we did a reasonably good job of showing you what you are buying. If somehow we manage to screw that up and say only take a photo of one side, and then the other side has some egregious damage or missing parts that we didn't disclose, that's on us. I don't think I would fix it for you, but since it's our fault, we would take it back and refund your shipping both ways.  If we say not tested, but not as-is, then that means we assume it will work and will take care of it. Our policy is to be fair and do what we ourselves or a reasonable/rational* person should expect.    *Arggh ...

And thanks again for the clarification.  I will keep that distinction in mind in the future and try to rational about it.

Just the opposite. Amazon instructed their sellers NOT to use FedEx because it was taking longer than the 2 day Prime guarantee.

I would think a reasonable/rational person can wait more than 2 days for a toy train item.  Arghh is right.

I purchased an older Williams steam engine from Trainz through eBay. Upon arrival the pilot was snapped off as was one of the valve gear hangers. This particular engine sits in its box not on its side (like almost every other model) but is laid in on it's wheels; it was obvious that the damage occurred when, after testing, the loco was forcefully crammed into the very tight fitting foam.

I contacted Trainz and after a little back and forth received a reasonable price adjustment, so no complaints here.

PS;  I was able to address both of the above mentioned issues (with JB Weld) and the engine is a good runner...

Mark in Oregon

It seems everyone has had a good experience or if they had issues, it was resolved. Unfortunately, my one and only purchase from Trainz didn’t go as smoothly. I found their resolution quite insulting. Refused to also repair the faulty item they stated was functional prior to purchase. I sure do wish the experience went differently. After reading all the positive feedback, it’s sorta even more upsetting/confusing that my experience wasn’t pleasant.

Trainz was the only place that I could find an old kline truck assembly I needed. Fair price, shipped quick and looked absolutely brand new even though it was listed as used. Very happy.

Brad

Just throwing out more positive vibes for Trainz.

I'm new to them. Like others, I've had two packages disappear in FedEx's Ellenwood Ga. black hole. But, then the story got much more complicated. Nobody's fault, really.

Trainz immediately stepped forward and made it right. Excellent customer service. Jessica even  sending me emails on Saturdays.

I don't buy a real lot of trains, but Trainz is definitely on my list of preferred sellers.

That’s what happened to the 520 searchlight car I got from them.  Spent a week in Georgia.  Of course you get concerned something got lost in the translation, so to speak, so I did email them to follow up.  Was reassured by them so I certainly could wait a couple extra days.  Once it left Georgia it took 2 days to be delivered to my Chicago area post office.  Maybe it’s peach harvesting season…. But it did arrive well packaged after all and it is a really nice add on to my small collection so I’m thrilled to have it.  Thanks Trainz!