Ever Felt your LHS was cheating you?

[tymyshu]

for me a while ago I dropped out of the RC scene for almost 2 years in which time I didnt even START my Nitro RS4 that I had spent so much money for. In fact I sold the damn thing for a whopping 245 bucks. Now I still kept up with the RC scene and Idecided to jump right back in. I had relocated and finding a LHS was kinda tough. Thank god I found one that was nearby and It was like I felt another home. I met other friends that Raced their car's and I even decided to Start and Underground Racing Club in the City since getting Insurance for Organized race's is so tough. So now we kinda have a Underground racing club with rules, and sometimes without rules depending on the racers that are racing and we change up the location to abandoned building parking lots and shopping center lots. We have a portable track that we use to race complete with Pylons and stuff that we use to mark it out. The only rule that we have is that we gotta leave where-ever we raced clean. Now I'm used to buying most of my RC stuff online but some times shipping time just dosen't cut it like instant gratification. However, it seems that my LHS owner might be taking advantage of my inexperience with RC's and costing me a lot of money. I dunno how do you guys avoid getting taken advantage of? Or Do you pay the little extra to support your LHS?

-tymyshu

[Superdood]

i support my lhs wiuth buying parts from them. they simple sell the cars for far more than online shops. i go to them for alll my other little needs

[rocknbil]

.... since getting Insurance for Organized race's is so tough.....

ROAR membership is $25/year, a little more for track owners, not so tough.

If you shop the 'net and know the pricing, compare it with the LHS and it's off the hook, the only way you can get cheated is if you take out your wallet and let them.

[slink]

While it may seem at times like the LHS is more expensive its not always the case.The same is true with online dealers while the price may appear lower its not always the case.Sometimes once shipping is factored in the price is near the same as LHS.If I can put my money into the local economy I prefer to do that.I buy most of my stuff local.If none of the LHS have what I need then I buy online.I try to buy what I need from the shop that has the track I race at but they really dont stock much for my buggy so other nearby shops get alot of my business as well.The best way to avoid being taken advantage of is research....Know how much it would cost online with shipping.Browsing the net for information,stats & pricing certainly helps you make informed wise choices.

[Crana]

My LHS are okish, a little overpriced, but the dude that works there has given me loads of info/tips and he even put my engine together for me :)

[z-man280]

Mike, my LHS guy, is great! His prices are very resonable, SLIGHTLY higher than Tower on a few things, and actually cheaper on others. I guess its where ya go...i cant leave there without a 30 minute "shoot the bull" session most of the time, and if i need to look something up, he just spins the pc towards me. I consider myself very lucky tho to have a LHS like that.

Ron

[brc358]

Well that sucks if you feel that way.
Lucky for us drivers here in the So Ca. area, as there are probably 8 to 10 great shops, and most of the manufacturers are located within 30 min from me.
I shop in about 5 to 6 different shops, and because a lot of the shop owners also race at the same tracks as we do, they give us a pretty good discount on all of the parts we buy.
It really works out great, beacuse if we happen to break something at the track on the weekend, usually one of the shop owners is at the track, and he will make a note on which parts to order if he does have them in stock.
We kinda got the best of both worlds, local shop owners that are also drivers at the races on the weekends, discounts on parts because we buy so much, and manufacturers that are very close by.
I have heard that sometimes it can be very difficult to order items if the racing is not as popular as it is here in this area.
I feel for you, as it must be very frustrating not to be able to get the things you need when you need them.

[Kuldeep]

I got a few shops around me.

To be honest, I bought my car only for a TOTAL price of $230(ship, incld).
At the shop, its $300. Now hows thats for money saving lol.

The shop owner is a nice man. (im not like that, man like man lol). He gave me alot of advice and helped me break in my engine. I bought my...

$26 for 30% Odonnel Racing Fuel.
$6 Air Filter Oil (Ofna).
$6 After-run Oil (Ofna).
$5 HPI med cold glow plugs, 2. ($5 each)

Well, glow plugs, I got them online ALOT cheaper and free shipping.

Hobby Shops well are a little pricy at times but they gotta get there hustle on lol. I respect that, so I buy all my replacement parts from them. They carry my car aswell so its easier for parts.

[Crana]

$26 for fuel? :| I pay £20 ($37) for my 16% fuel :( and $8 for glow plugs.

[Kuldeep]

OMG damm lol, 16% for $37, $8 for glow plugs, wow man thats alot.

Guess I should stop complaining about my stuff being pricy lol.

[tymyshu]

lol I dunno earlier today I purchased

Venom 2400 AA"s X2 Total of 8 batteries
Prolux TX/RX AC Dual Charger for my Futaba Radio
Modified Starter Switch Harness from JR
Venom 1200 5 Cell Reciever Pack

Total = 87.88 For some Reason I feel kinda Ripped lol... Idk... What you guys think0?

-Tymyshu

[rs4 rally boi]

i used to feel that way about my old lhs. when i first started going there it was fine, but then they went under new management and its like the place went to hell. i would be lucky if they had fuel i wanted or any of the parts i wanted in stock. if i asked where a part was, they would just point to a random wall in the store. after i came back and told them that the part wasnt there, they would tell me they would order it for me. somehow they figured that because they used thier phone/internet to order the part they should charge me $2-3 more than it coast than on hpi's site :confused: . needless to say i dotn shop there anymore and the hobby shop i go to now is great. they always have stuff in stock, and they remeber my name when i come in. :D

[RoadrashAZ]

The only decent place to get parts and supplies here (Mesa, AZ) is the local HobbyTown and I think they are too expensive. I only go there to buy paint or small stuff but I would never buy a kit or radio from them. I buy most of my stuff online plus I'm never in a big hurry to get stuff. Not only that but they (HobbyTown) mostly carry Associated, Traxxas and Losi but yet I drive only Tamiya vehicles. I know they always want you to support your local hobby shop but most of us would rather get the most from our hard earned money!

[Secretsg]

My LHS's kit price for all the popular items are actually on par with online retailer. It's the parts and accessories like ESCs, Engines, wheels and shock fluid that are way over priced.

[hijacker]

The LHS prices are higher than Tower and Great Planes and the others because they don't get as a good a discount as the "big guys" do. They have to charge more to make some money. Also, if we don't support the LHS then where are we going to race? Unless you just like to bash in the yard or a vacant parking lot, we need to support the LHS to keep the hobby alive.

[Neon_Dave]

I think I'm lucky to have such a good hobby shop near where I live. My parents would gladly take me pretty much anytime, it's close. As compared to the other ones, 45+ mins away, me going more than 3 times a month = no go :p The other thing that I love so much about the hobby shop is that they don't try to leech you for money and reccommend certain things they know they'd make most money on or something... if you ask them that if part A) is better than part B) but one is clearly more expensive they will still give you an honest answer. Other hobby shops don't seem to do that. Most just have money as priority # 1. Aside of all that, the guys at my hobby shop are very nice, and they are very helpful too. Another thing some hobby shops don't seem to offer. I love sitting down and spending 45 minutes just talking to these guys :p

The only time I wouldn't go to my LHS is when they either don't have a part at the moment and I need one quicker than they can order one in, or if they don't stock or don't have a certain part I'm looking for.

The prices online may be less, but if you consider the extra charges and stuff you have to pay on top of $________ amount for what you bought, including shipping, insurance, customs, more shipping, and whatever small fees post offices charge, it comes out to either the same or just a tad less. For whatever little extra money stuff costs in hobby shops, it's worth it. You get the product in your hand when you buy it (even before ;)), there's no unexpected fees and additional charges, and the big online retailers can live with one less customer.

So as my dad says, "Why not just go to the hobby shop?"

-Dave :)

[T/Perfect STORM]

Hey guys, I have been out of the hpbbie for a few years and I walked back into my LHS and it was like I never left we bs'ed for 3hrs. Hows the kids, business so on. I was looking at a a few kits and price wise he is right on with tower. Not ok I will match but the sticker on the box is what tower sells them for. He even runs the same promotions as tower. like so much off when you buy so much. He is only a little mom and pop as well. I started looking at a truck and he shouts out hey welcome back if you like what see it 30% off. So yes it liked what I saw. A few year ago when the menace came out I looked at them but never took the plung. He still had the same one I was looking at a few years ago. I got a deal of a lifetime. A NIB Menace for $225. I walked out the door with fuel, rx pack, and spare parts for under $300. It was a good day.

[sobonam]

I think the way of the future is Ebay Chop Shops. I needed a new clutchbell and at the lhs it was 20 dollars plus 1.20 for tax and at least 5 dollars for gas to get there. I bought it for 7.99 plus 2.25 for shipping. The guy just buys the lst 2 and strips them for parts. It is the greatest thing in the world and it usually takes two to three days to recieve them. I only go to the lhs for gas. I like the people there and they are cool, however alot of people pay more because there overhead is so high. How can they compete with some guy opening a shop in his garage.

[Kuldeep]

How many guys over here own a hobby shop, how do you guys feel?

[Roscco]

I tend not to buy from my LHS, he's incredibly helpfull when he needs to be (i.e when your spending £50 upwards, thats roughly $97) else he doesn't want to know. Also as an example of his costs, he wants £499 for a Hellfire, i can get one online for $550 (almost HALF the price, still more than £100 saved once shipping and customs are included). You do the math.

[Crana]

I'm starting to think HS's in England are more expensive than in the US :|

[XXWoodmanXX]

Personally, I don't really care for my LHS, simply because of their pricing. I ONLY go in the event I run out of damper oil or ball cup ends. Something cheap like that would be silly to buy online, due to shipping costs.

Now-a-days, I just wait, make my ongoing list, then shop @ Tower online. ;)

[cheerwhiner]

you'll find people either have one of the three views of their LHS

1- love them
2-eh go there if i need stuff
3-treated me like dirt never go again