Trainz Rewards just got better!

Nice program Scott, I used your promo code OGR5OFF for $5.00 off this weekend. I'll get it today.

Hey Scott, I love the updates to the rewards program and have been a buyer for several years. I know this might be difficult, but do you think it is possible to implement a saved searches feature like eBay has? It would be great to get an email when something you are looking for comes into stock. This would particularly benefit the private car members so that they could be notified and take advantage of ordering something before it becomes available to everyone. This is just a thought as I don't check your website every week and doubt most do, so there is the possibility of missing out on the items we are searching for.

@bigboy25 posted:

Hey Scott, I love the updates to the rewards program and have been a buyer for several years. I know this might be difficult, but do you think it is possible to implement a saved searches feature like eBay has? It would be great to get an email when something you are looking for comes into stock. This would particularly benefit the private car members so that they could be notified and take advantage of ordering something before it becomes available to everyone. This is just a thought as I don't check your website every week and doubt most do, so there is the possibility of missing out on the items we are searching for.

Second that!

Hi bigboy25,

Great idea on the saved search idea! Actually we have had that in place for several years, but it isn't as visible as it could be ...

We just updated the website last week and updated the header navigation and now you will see the Wish List Link in the upper right corner. This is our version of eBay's saved search and it does exactly what you want it to. Whenever  you see "sold out" listings, they have a heart icon under them, click that when you are signed in and that item will get added to your wish list.

You can also  search our catalog of 236,000(!) items and add wishes to anything. To get to the catalog, click your initials, also in the top right, select Trainz Community on that menu and then scroll down to the Browse the Trainz Catalog button and now you can search and browse our extensive catalog to find all sorts of things you probably didn't know existed and add wishes to your heart's delight.

Then as soon as we post item(s) that match your wishlist, our system automatically emails you. No obligation to buy, just the notification.

Soon next week, I have asked our IT dept. to add a link to go to the catalog straight from your wishlist management page. Seems to make sense to me.

Currently if an item is not in our catalog, you can't add a wishe for it, but we are working on that, and putting in wishes in for parts, and more ...

Enjoy ...

So, I joined the "Private Car' membership, or whatever you call it (I'm a few whiskey's in).  I've been able to order several pieces that I am very happy to have had the opportunity to do so, and at reasonable prices.  But, what's the story with the high shipping costs?  $22 to ship an MTH reefer from Georgia to NJ? 

A few whiskeys in. Lol. This is how I came to be aware of and came to like Trainz.com.

Yeah shipping is always an issue. I try to buy at least 3 items to spread the shipping costs out. $22 shipping for a $22 dollar car makes no sense. Additional items are usually only a buck or two. That said I've bought over 100 items from Trainz over the past 3 years. Wonderful to work with.

@WRW posted:

A few whiskeys in. Lol. This is how I came to be aware of and came to like Trainz.com.

I picked up a couple of flavored whiskeys at the farm market across the street from the "Spring Thaw" show in Allentown today!  My drug of choice!

Ok Scott, I am an engineer by education, so I see things a little differently sometimes.  I fail to see the advantage of membership given the annual costs involved. At last count I've bought 164 cars or engines from Trainz over the last 3 years not including track, switches, buildings etc.   (Don't even want to add those up).  If I assume I'll spend $1000 each year, even at 5 points per dollar I am not close to breaking even. Why would I pay for a membership?

I think you guys are great, I have nothing but praise for the way Trainz does business. I just don't get the membership angle. BTW I have about 300 items on my wish list. (Those notifications work great.) But,  What am I thinking.   ; )

I do have a different question, when you guys made the transition from auction to fixed pricing, I lost all of my past purchases - pre 2020. This is an issue because of the new federal reporting done when items are sold on major platforms. Its a real challenge trying to find my original purchase price plus shipping. Any solutions here?

@ScoutingDad posted:

Ok Scott, I am an engineer by education, so I see things a little differently sometimes.  I fail to see the advantage of membership given the annual costs involved.

I can come at this in two ways. First, when we relaunched the Trainz Rewards program we changed how the tiers work, so as you make more purchases over time you'll find yourself earning 1 point per dollar, then 2 points per, and finally 3 points per dollar without having to buy a membership. Not bad, especially when it doesn't carry a monthly or yearly premium. We wanted to offer bigger rewards, instead of the flat "1 point per dollar spent" we'd been doing previously, to make it a better reward for loyal customers. Not everyone needs a premium membership!

The Private Car membership is going to make sense more for a collector that's looking for rare items and has to have it right away. All of our new collectibles are placed in the Exclusive Preview status for the first seven days on the site, giving Private Car members first crack at the new listings. On top of the early access to new listings, and the five points earned per dollar spent, Private Car members also get an extended 60 day return window (instead of 30), extended 30 day customer pickup window (instead of 15), and no-questions-asked returns.

As to your question about old purchase receipts, I'd ask you reach out to customerservice@trainz.com and open a ticket. They're a great crew and will move heaven and earth to help.

I think you should look into Pirateship.com to bring down your shipping costs, and pass those saving along to your customers. I find Trainz shipping costs to be inordinately high, especially in light of the fact you’re using FedEx Smart Post, which, I believe, is a discount program available only to corporate accounts.

It's true, if you order more than 1 item it brings the shipping costs down to a pretty acceptable level.  It's just that I've recently jumped on a couple of newly-listed single items recently and I had to bite the bullet on shipping or possibly lose the opportunity to buy the items.

1. First thing to do is get rid of Fed-Ex Smart Post. Still waiting on a shipment from a week ago. I live one state away and it can take up to 7 days to receive the item while charging me the same rate as reg. 2-day Fed-Ex. I never know how my orders were shipped. The S.P. tracking generally shows the box hanging up in Georgia a few days. Good thing about reg. Fed-Ex is I get deliveries on Sunday.

@Mark V. Spadaro  I suppose it depends on what we all consider "high" shipping prices.  I ship the bay regularly and also the majors when doing a direct sale. There is only a couple of dollars difference in using the same shipper using either method.  If shipping anything under 2 pounds USPS is the least expensive - although things get lost from time to time. Over 2 pounds either major is competitive. Of course I am trying to save my buyer a couple of bucks not me.  That said when someone tells me their shipping is $40 and I know I can ship for $20 then we have a discussion prior to bidding. Some respond some don't.  I do object to some who charge shipping, plus the box, plus materials plus sometimes a handling fee.

I prefer to buy from sellers who tell me up front what the shipping charges are. We have just gotten used to "free" shipping. IMO Trainz has some of the most reasonable shipping rates around. I've never had anything damaged in shipping - and there were a lot of shipments - when the delivery guy tells my wife here is another train for your husband, you know you have been buying a lot.  Good thing it was all for the GrandKids!!! 

I've bought a lot from @Scott@Trainz and will continue to do so. Maybe I am biased but positive experiences have a way of doing that.   

Hi Scott,

I'm back with another suggestion / request. When looking at items that are sold out that you want to add to your wishlist from the search page, it would be very nice if you could click the heart and have it save to your watch list like it currently works for the items that are in stock. For the items that are out of stock, when you try to click the arrow it opens the item page where you can then add the item to your wishlist. It would be nice to just avoid this intermediate step. Thank you!

@SIRT posted:

1. First thing to do is get rid of Fed-Ex Smart Post. Still waiting on a shipment from a week ago. I live one state away and it can take up to 7 days to receive the item while charging me the same rate as reg. 2-day Fed-Ex. I never know how my orders were shipped. The S.P. tracking generally shows the box hanging up in Georgia a few days. Good thing about reg. Fed-Ex is I get deliveries on Sunday.

Totally agree with this. I have TWO shipments which seem to have disappeared in Ellenwood, GA over a week ago. Supposedly being traced, but God only knows when (or IF) I'll see them. "Smart" post is the dumbest thing ever.

@Frank Mulligan posted:

So, I joined the "Private Car' membership, or whatever you call it (I'm a few whiskey's in).  I've been able to order several pieces that I am very happy to have had the opportunity to do so, and at reasonable prices.  But, what's the story with the high shipping costs?  $22 to ship an MTH reefer from Georgia to NJ? 

2nd that $22.00 027 passenger car shipping 24.00, wish we could pick economy shipping, Have order prior from your site.

I had an order get held up in Georgia for a week also.  Seemed a bit strange, but it arrived safely and in perfect condition eventually and was worth the wait.  So I guess I would recommend some patience, don’t let your toy train item cause you to lose any sleep.

@ScoutingDad posted:

@Mark V. Spadaro  I suppose it depends on what we all consider "high" shipping prices.  I ship the bay regularly and also the majors when doing a direct sale. There is only a couple of dollars difference in using the same shipper using either method.  If shipping anything under 2 pounds USPS is the least expensive - although things get lost from time to time. Over 2 pounds either major is competitive. Of course I am trying to save my buyer a couple of bucks not me.  That said when someone tells me their shipping is $40 and I know I can ship for $20 then we have a discussion prior to bidding. Some respond some don't.  I do object to some who charge shipping, plus the box, plus materials plus sometimes a handling fee.

I prefer to buy from sellers who tell me up front what the shipping charges are. We have just gotten used to "free" shipping. IMO Trainz has some of the most reasonable shipping rates around. I've never had anything damaged in shipping - and there were a lot of shipments - when the delivery guy tells my wife here is another train for your husband, you know you have been buying a lot.  Good thing it was all for the GrandKids!!!

I've bought a lot from @Scott@Trainz and will continue to do so. Maybe I am biased but positive experiences have a way of doing that.   

Agree… on shipping and my experience with Trainz.

@Magicland posted:

Totally agree with this. I have TWO shipments which seem to have disappeared in Ellenwood, GA over a week ago. Supposedly being traced, but God only knows when (or IF) I'll see them. "Smart" post is the dumbest thing ever.

Par for the course.  I live in NJ and I've ordered quite a bit from Trainz.  Never had an issue.  according to the tracking, the packages always leave Braselton, GA, then sit in Ellenwood for at least 4 days. 

Considering I find Trainz' shipping cost high, I would recommend they use someone other than Fedex.

@Frank Mulligan posted:

Par for the course.  I live in NJ and I've ordered quite a bit from Trainz.  Never had an issue.  according to the tracking, the packages always leave Braselton, GA, then sit in Ellenwood for at least 4 days.

Considering I find Trainz' shipping cost high, I would recommend they use someone other than Fedex.

Apparently after 8 days and 18 hours at Ellenwood they've somehow found their way to Martinsburg, WV (still without any estimated delivery date). Google shows it takes 206 hours to walk between the two, the packages took 210. I should probably point out that I've had other orders from Trainz arrive here quite promptly, but those weren't "smartpost" orders.

@bigboy25 posted:

Hi Scott,

I'm back with another suggestion / request. When looking at items that are sold out that you want to add to your wishlist from the search page, it would be very nice if you could click the heart and have it save to your watch list like it currently works for the items that are in stock. For the items that are out of stock, when you try to click the arrow it opens the item page where you can then add the item to your wishlist. It would be nice to just avoid this intermediate step. Thank you!

Done! Thanks to my wizards in IT we've updated Trainz.com with your suggestion. Sold out items can now be added to your wish list. Give it a spin and let me know how it works for you.

Awesome! It works perfectly! Thanks Scott!

Hi Scott,

I’m back with another request. When you are signed out of your account and click to watch an item it will take you to the login screen. This is fine. The problem occurs when after you login, you are delivered to the past orders page. Then, you have to search and find the item that you were trying to watch again. Ideally, after logging in, the site would watch the item and deliver you back to the item page. Thank you!

@bigboy25 posted:

Hi Scott,

I’m back with another request. When you are signed out of your account and click to watch an item it will take you to the login screen. This is fine. The problem occurs when after you login, you are delivered to the past orders page. Then, you have to search and find the item that you were trying to watch again. Ideally, after logging in, the site would watch the item and deliver you back to the item page. Thank you!

Agreed. I find this slightly annoying. I usually go back in my history to find the page I was on.

I put items I may want in my cart and delete when I decide what I really need. If my history clears between views I do loose my cart but thats a personal PC problem. My personal experience with Trainz has been great. Good prices, good packing, acceptable shipping cost and time.

PirateShip is a great idea. Substantial discount on shipping off retail prices. I haven't sone extensive research on this, but where I have done a side by side comparison with eBay shipping costs, I found the costs to be identical.

Pat

BigBoy25,

I understand the problem. Sorry about that and I can see why that would be annoying. I have turned it over to my IT team to fix. I'll post again when they get it resolved. Scott

Trainz has been great for me, too much of a temptation to buy stuff from them.  I also have amortized the 'Private Car' option and as another fellow said, not quite a deal to me as I am not a collector.  But, I love the wish list option.  The problem is to be patient and lucky enough for an item to get in your price range before somebody else gets it because his or hers  acceptable price range is higher than yours.  I just bought a NIB set I had been watching for several weeks and it almost got to my magic number, but then another fellow bought the identical set and feared I might lose it, so had to compromise over $30 more than I hope to spend, but happy camper none the less.    If you see a Trainz item on ebay, be sure to check their website, most things are cheaper on the website, and I am sure they would rather you buy direct than to have Trainz pay Ebays pound of flesh.  As to shipping, they all have gone nuts.  I no longer use UPS, do use the USPS for things that fit in a flat rate box, or FedEx for bigger stuff.  Delivery is also a crap shoot.  I think you actually pay to send stuff as a bet that it will make it in one piece, but the house holds all the card.  Watch those youtube videos on the machinery that sorts and routes packages, and you wonder how anything makes it safely.  Did you know in the fine print of the shipping document it says to use new boxes and a 4"  minimum of packing material on all 6 sides of the item in the box? It also says all packages must be able to survive a 3ft drop.  Poor packing can be used against you in a claim too.  I take pix of everything in the packing process, and it has expedited claims when I can prove what it looked like before being handed over to them.