Pre-orders

There are lots of good dealers, as of late I find Mr. Muffin is tough to beat, free shipping over $300, some of the best preorder prices out there, and no deposit required. He has some other things in place at his website that offer even more savings.

Prior to that Charles Ro was my "go to" dealer.

ricko,

Are you referring to the "make me an offer"?

Yes

Does Charles Ro offer an online pre-order? I haven't seen anything on their website yet.

There are fine dealers that sponsor the forum . You should do all right with them on a pre-order. The catalog is just released yesterday so some may not have their prices up just yet.  a call to a dealer you might like will get you their latest info.

Jason Cvitanich posted:

Does Charles Ro offer an online pre-order? I haven't seen anything on their website yet.

Yes, he does offer pre-orders. But Ro usually has his pre-orders up about week or so after the catalogs come out. I'm sure a notice will be posted here. Or you can also get on his email list for regular notifications.

I've pre-ordered from Nassau Hobby several times.  They charge 10% up front.  Notify you when the item is in.  Contact you to collect final payment when the item comes in rather than automatically charge whatever you used to secure the pre-order. And ship quickly - often the same day the pallet arrives on their dock.  I've seen cheaper pre-order prices but not cheap enough to persuade me from using a company that has always been great to work with.

Yes, Ro hasn't gotten his preorder prices up yet. Hes usually one of the last to do so. I would think he'll have the 2016 stuff up either this weekend or early next week. You still have plenty of time. I think the preorder window is usually at least a month, Ro has also been known to extend this window .

Ro already has quite a bit listed, perhaps all, it's mixed in everything else, but they haven't yet posted the expected special section for preorders.

Jason Cvitanich posted:

Hi Guys,

I am new to the hobby and wanted to pre-order a few items from the Lionel 2016 catalog. I was wondering who you guys recommend? Not sure who offers free shipping on the pre-order, who guarantees to notify and ship when the items arrive.

Thanks

While all the dealers listed above are great and I'd recommend them in a moment, I would first suggest your Local Shop if one is available that you like.  It's always good to support the local guy so they stay around.  I know this isn't always possible for various reasons but I thought I'd put that out there.

Since so many of the new items have lengthy delays and sometimes get cancelled, I would never place a deposit on a pre-order.  Nothing against Nassau Hobby (mentioned as requiring a deposit) - I've been extremely pleased with the experience of dealing with them.  I sympathize with a dealer's reasons for wanting a deposit, but IMO it's too risky.  In the current economic climate, I don't want to count on someone still being in business a year or so from now, especially when there are many places that don't require a deposit.  And I second the recommendation for Mr. Muffin's. 

I don't know if he offers free shipping on preorders but Pat's Trains in Wheeling WV offers competitive pricing and is small enough to give you his personal service. I would not order from anyone that wants a down payment. Most charge you when they ship.

Jim 1939 posted:

I don't know if he offers free shipping on preorders but Pat's Trains in Wheeling WV offers competitive pricing and is small enough to give you his personal service. I would not order from anyone that wants a down payment. Most charge you when they ship.

Most importantly, he has Dachshunds.

Same as below. Never had a problem. I have used them a lot.

I've pre-ordered from Nassau Hobby several times.  They charge 10% up front.  Notify you when the item is in.  Contact you to collect final payment when the item comes in rather than automatically charge whatever you used to secure the pre-order. And ship quickly - often the same day the pallet arrives on their dock.  I've seen cheaper pre-order prices but not cheap enough to persuade me from using a company that has always been great to work with.

Larry

Ro's prices are posted. They're just in the individual categories. Click Shop Online and Lionel. It usually takes a few days for the brochure version to appear.

MartyE posted:

Jason Cvitanich posted:

Hi Guys,

I am new to the hobby and wanted to pre-order a few items from the Lionel 2016 catalog. I was wondering who you guys recommend? Not sure who offers free shipping on the pre-order, who guarantees to notify and ship when the items arrive.

Thanks

While all the dealer listed above are great and I'd recommend them in a moment, I would first suggest your Local Shop if ones available that you like.  It's always good to support the local guy so they stay around.  I know this isn't always possible for various reason but I thought I'd put that out there.

I agree with MartyE. I try to get as much as I can from my local train store. I like to go there to look at trains and want them to stay in business. They are a pretty small shop, but have quite a bit of O gauge and offer personalized service. I now also know the owner fairly well from several years of going there and purchasing things. Small local hobby shops are rapidly disappearing. If you have one, support it while you can or it may soon be gone.

I also agree that the forum sponsors here are all good dealers and would be able to take your pre-orders as well. Over the years I have ordered a few items from OGR forum sponsors, things that my local shop could not get for me or new old stock items out of production. The forum sponsors I have used have all been very good to deal with, I have not had any problems at all.  

I like to give my local guy all the business i can.  i may spend a little bit more on things with him but it sure pays off in repairs and service.  I even buy my magazine there every month.  That being said, forum sponsors are my second choice and there are a lot of good choices on here.  Welcome to the hobby.  Pre orders are a special kind of WTH at times.  I would check all the policies of each store.  For example, can you live with something that should ship in October 2016 not arriving until 2018?  If not check to see if you can get a refund of your deposit.  Just my thoughts. Often times I would like something but if it is a few years out (which things can turn in to) it is not worth paying a deposit on and I will take my chances on it not selling out once it is shipped.

Mill City posted:

Ro already has quite a bit listed, perhaps all, it's mixed in everything else, but they haven't yet posted the expected special section for preorders.

And there are an awful lot of 12/10/2016 ETA's!!!    And it's only January now. 

David

Spoke to Charlie's team - they are supposed to update the site tonight and if you are one of his customer you will get an email with all the particulars