SVC Trains–A dealer’s perspective of the Internet train business

e*Train Issue: Feb 2003 | Posted in: Collecting, Manufacturers

By Bill Oberst

I think the Internet has been exactly what we’ve needed to level the playing field for customers as well as dealers. The prices have come down and the merchandise moves more quickly than before widespread use of the net.

One example of the speed with which trains can change hands is our SVC Trains “Free Bulletin Board” where sellers & buyers can deal directly with each other. Ads placed there are immediately viewable by anyone who checks this board for the latest ads, and believe me, a lot of hobbyists look every day, some every hour!

The advantages offered to hobbyists by these types of websites are many. In addition to being able to compare prices and selection at their convenience and e-mailing in questions, they don’t have to wait six weeks for the magazine or train club ads to come out, only to find that someone has already purchased the best deals two weeks before the literature was delivered. Ordering from the web can also be done twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

SVC Trains is located in an area that has very few train hobbyists. Our walk-in train customer traffic is very low, but we’re still able to communicate with thousands of potential train customers through our web site each day.

This is as good or better than being located in a large metro area. Sale items can be posted on our web site and customers alerted by e-mail every day, if needed. We’re also able to service a lot of customers that don’t have a local train store. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, many local mom & pop train shops, after struggling to meet the overhead, have thrown in the towel the last three years.

As for online auctions, I know some dealers don’t like Ebay, but it has had a huge influence on model train prices. The prices on Ebay are a better indication of current prices than any of the guides that have been published in the last couple of years. The info a hobbyist can obtain from past and ongoing auctions is invaluable in making buying decisions. It has also enabled many small dealers that do not have a web site to move overstock merchandise.

Nothing I’ve seen can touch the instant transfer of opinions and information that you get on Internet message boards. They can be a great source of help to beginners as well as old timers, in spite of the juvenile messages and rumors sometimes posted there. I’ve had customers alert me to problems with products and the solutions long before the Manufacturer notified the dealers.

All in all, I think the Internet has been great for model trains.

Bill Oberst
SVC Trains
2417 Highmarket St
Georgetown SC 29440

Shop Amazon and Help TCA

TCA members who shop at Amazon.com can have each of their normal purchases generate a modest payment to TCA! And it won’t cost you anything!

The Train Collectors Association is now a participant with AmazonSmile, which is a special website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com.

The difference is that when customers shop at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

The process is simple. Just search for and select Train Collectors Association when you sign up and shop at smile.amazon.com.

You use your regular Amazon.com username and password, but when you log in to smile.amazon.com, you’ll see that you are supporting TCA with your purchases:

Note that if you just log in to the regular amazon.com, this benefit does not operate.

There are no costs to either you or TCA, but TCA benefits!

This is a great way for TCA to earn extra cash to offset costs, so sign up today to help support TCA.

* Note: TCA is not a party to any of your Amazon transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors.

Helping TCA with your ebay purchases when you use PayPal

If you’re an ebay user and have a PayPal account you use to make payments, you can designate a donation for TCA when you’re checking out — any amount, small or large.
If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can pre-designate a percentage of your sales to be donated automatically in your name to TCA as long as the purchaser pays with their PayPal account.

In both cases, you will receive a donation receipt from the PayPal Giving Fund, and enjoy applicable tax advantages.

How to do it:

Click on the image above, or use this link. This will take you to ebay, where you will see the following page (log in to ebay if you are not already):

This offers TCA as an option. Click on the “Add to My Charities” button where indicated with the red arrow. Thereafter, when you make a purchase, at checkout you will be offered the option to make a donation to TCA in any amount of your choosing. Small amounts add up, larger ones are great! It’s always up to you!

The option will appear at the lower part of your checkout page, something like this:

If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can allocate a portion of your sales proceeds to be donated to TCA. Look at the green arrow marked “Optional” above to see how to do it. Details on how ebay calculates the donation may be read here. This is a wonderful way to share the financial benefits of your hobby with the organization that promotes it!

An added benefit to TCA is that these donations are not subject to normal processing fees, so that makes your donation work harder!

* Note. TCA is not a party to any of your eBay transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors. PayPal issues the receipts to you for your donation, not TCA.

SVC Trains–A dealer’s perspective of the Internet train business

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