Direct to customer shipping of preorders

The retailer wants you to visit the store was often as possible so that, perhaps, you'll purchase additional items.

The LHS owner might look at it as an opportunity to see you again, say thanks, make sure it runs okay, and maybe sell something else.

We don't have a LHS anymore. All of my purchasing is Internet or York.

Also understand your feelings about timing and inconvenience. It's like Christmas came for some and you have to wait a week and go pick it up.

So order it online, and have it shipped directly to your front door from one of the many dealers that offer shipping. You seem to want it both ways... either support your LHS, walk in the door and risk loading up on other stuff while you're in there, or buy it online and save the trip.

I suppose you could buy it from your LHS and have them mail it down the street for the low price of sales tax AND shipping, depending on how much gas you burn to drive to the LHS, maybe its worth it.

I cant imagine the handful of people that make up MTH's shipping department really want to deal with individually labeling and shipping out locomotives and cars, when they can probably slap one label on a pallet and send it on its way.... it makes every potential customer a shipping account.

Many of us do not live next door or anywhere close to our LHS. So unless we want to make a five hour round trip, pay gas & tolls, shipping costs are a heck of a lot cheaper. And the part about tying up our money with a deposit, I guess that depends on your LHS. My dealer has NEVER asked for one and have handled all of our orders very professionally and on time. As an example, we had our Daylight Cab Forward in hand before most across the country got theirs'.

I think there are already any number of retailers that offer to your door service.  Oddly enough, these outfits are generally looked down upon by most around here.  All I have to offer is that, for the manufacturer, shipping a pallet of whatever is much, much, less expensive than shipping individual items.  

I'm a noob to the preorder process.  Most of my collection is second hand.  However, when MTH responded to our request for a Western Maryland 2-8-0 in #734 livery as a un-cataloged item I did not want to risk missing out and pre ordered it at my LHS.  I wish I could support my LHS and buy more retail stuff but I simply can't afford to.  Guess I'm lucky to have a LHS with a owner I really like doing business with.  I do understand that picking up in person will give me the opportunity to test run, and get more stuff/answer questions.  Just that I preordered spring 2014, it was due to ship Christmas 2014, and now its on stock states away but not here, just an hour from MTH headquarters.  When I do get it I promise I'll make a nice YouTube and share it with y'all. 

I've never had to place a deposit with my LHS.

Rusty

I owned a hobby shop in the 70s. With all the mail order or phone orders I am really, d--ned happy to be out of it. I had customers who would by from me and oprder and wait, I always had the coffee pot on for them. I had the rude ones who would talk my ear off and buy nothing, all mail order. One guy bought a loco mail order only to have it cost more that I would sell it for only because he refused to ask. Boy was I happy.I gloated for a week.

Dick