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Black Friday Disappointment


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Well,

 

Our friends at Squadron are having another one of the best sales for plastic modelers on the freaking planet! Unfortunately, of all the 1/32 scale Trumpeter Kits...they're out of stock....all of them..... :( I was hoping to grab a F/A 18F and some other goodies to put me in the 30% off offering but it looks like they failed to re-stock any Trumpy 1/32 before the darn sale. I searched hi and low for other kits et al and No Kittyhawk in stock (except the Gripen), No Meng 1/48 F-35A, No 1/32 Italeri F-35A and not even a freaking Hasegawa 1/48 F-15C. Looks like I'm off to "the other" large US Vendor. Your results may vary upon the area of interest.......

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Maybe it is a plan to have such items "out of stock" for such events? To be honest, the companies need to earn money and such kits sell easily for normal price. Am I bad when I have such thoughts??

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What they may miss in retail price (or the normal price) they make up in volume of sales. I'm a consumer...I want to save money and believe me....my wife wants me to save money more than I do. When you look at the 40+% markup, they really do not do so bad.

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With Squadron, the frustration comes from they way they push the sale. They send very effective, well written emails which stir up enthusiasm,  and it is so tempting to click the link and go shopping.  Since it is a big sale, and you need to spend a lot of money, the easiest way to get there is to buy big expensive kits for which you may not otherwise be able to justify the expense.   A couple years ago the sale was something like spend $500, and get 50% off.  By any measure, this is a good deal.  I figured it would be a good time to get a few Trumpeter and Tamiya 1/32 monsters.  So much stuff was out of stock, I could not even get to $500 with anything I had even the faintest interest in.  After that experience,  I do not bother with squadron sales.  

Edited by Kurt H.
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3 hours ago, Wolfgun33 said:

I feel Sprue Bros isn't much better. Theirs is save 20% if you spend more than $30. I thought Black Friday Deals were supposed to be big deals?

 

 

20% is a big deal, especially considering the fact that Spruebrothers actually has kits in stock to sell. Let's use the ZM Phantom as an example. The kits sell for $75.00 even. After the 20% discount, the price drops to $60.00. Put 2 in your basket and you've met the threshold for half price shipping (to my zip it's $6.25 via SurePost). That's $126.25.........is it a huge savings? Maybe not, but show me ONE other retailer that can currently sell you two ZM Phantoms for that price shipped.

 

Based on the lines they carry and the stock they actually have on hand, Spruebrothers 20% off is better than almost every other on-line retailers currently being offered.

 

Squadron Sucks, period. What's the point of having a 40 to 50% off sale if you have nothing to offer? They do it every year.....and every sale they have. Big discounts, but no products in stock to actually buy! Hell, True Details is THEIR house brand and they're always out of stock on most of the line!

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7 hours ago, Mr Matt Foley said:

What they may miss in retail price (or the normal price) they make up in volume of sales. I'm a consumer...I want to save money and believe me....my wife wants me to save money more than I do. When you look at the 40+% markup, they really do not do so bad.

It seems very easy to sit at our computers and tell retailers what is an appropriate amount of money to make with no idea of what the expenses are and the fact that they have to pay for all those kits we want.  When you deal in low margin and high volume you are hoping to stay ahead of the approaching tidal wave of debt.  All it takes is a hiccup in the economy to put you into financial trouble.  Internet retail is a race to the bottom if all you want to do is supply the lowest price product.  Sprue Brothers offer very straight forward pricing without all the hype and excellent service to boot.  That is what it takes to stay in business.  Not affiliated with SB except as a customer.

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11 hours ago, Geoff M said:

It seems very easy to sit at our computers and tell retailers what is an appropriate amount of money to make with no idea of what the expenses are and the fact that they have to pay for all those kits we want. 

 

Geoff speaks the truth.

 

I've found more than enough models (and in the case of Squadron, accessories) to take full advantage of the sales at both Squadron and Sprue Brothers. Both are first class companies that have earned my support for years.

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Isn't Squadron (MMD actually) the main/sole US importer for a lot of these brands?

If that's still the case, then why on all their "sales" is most of that stuff IN STOCK SOON? 

 

My former model club used to pool their orders, so it was easy to meet the minimum purchase for the greatest discount.

As a single buyer, I can't do that on my limited income. Fortunately, I have most of the kits I want/need in my stash. Now it's just aftermarket that I look for.

 

Larry

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22 hours ago, Mr Matt Foley said:

Well,

 

Our friends at Squadron are having another one of the best sales for plastic modelers on the freaking planet! Unfortunately, of all the 1/32 scale Trumpeter Kits...they're out of stock....all of them..... :( I was hoping to grab a F/A 18F and some other goodies to put me in the 30% off offering but it looks like they failed to re-stock any Trumpy 1/32 before the darn sale. I searched hi and low for other kits et al and No Kittyhawk in stock (except the Gripen), No Meng 1/48 F-35A, No 1/32 Italeri F-35A and not even a freaking Hasegawa 1/48 F-15C. Looks like I'm off to "the other" large US Vendor. Your results may vary upon the area of interest.......

 

Squadron always dissapoints me, so I don’t even look anymore.

 

They use to be my go to source.

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17 hours ago, Wolfgun33 said:

I feel Sprue Bros isn't much better. Theirs is save 20% if you spend more than $30. I thought Black Friday Deals were supposed to be big deals?

 

20% off is fabulous. And for Canadians, Anthony worked on getting us affordable shipping. I knew it existed and he found it. He is the only US seller I buy from now.

 

I’m a very crafty buyer. I search hard for deals. As Dave has already mentioned, $60.00 for a ZM Phantom is amazing. That is the lowest I have ever seen them so that is what I purchased.

 

I am shocked it hasn’t sold out, because at various forums I have heard a lot of people went for that deal.

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13 hours ago, Geoff M said:

It seems very easy to sit at our computers and tell retailers what is an appropriate amount of money to make with no idea of what the expenses are and the fact that they have to pay for all those kits we want.  When you deal in low margin and high volume you are hoping to stay ahead of the approaching tidal wave of debt.  All it takes is a hiccup in the economy to put you into financial trouble.  Internet retail is a race to the bottom if all you want to do is supply the lowest price product.  Sprue Brothers offer very straight forward pricing without all the hype and excellent service to boot.  That is what it takes to stay in business.  Not affiliated with SB except as a customer.

 

I am a die hard Sprue Bros customer myself. They offer the best customer service I have ever experienced from the industry. Now, back to your "Sitting at our computers" comment. I am a consumer. I want the lowest prices. Nothing wrong with that, that is the game in retail. As far as limited mark-up, I have on occasion also worked in the hobby industry and have first hand knowledge of the markup. The minimum from the big two (2) distributors in the USA is 40%. That is plenty to play with and in the case of Squadron/MMD you have a unique situation where you're a large distributor AND a major Internet shop. So, there is a decent profit margin there without any doubt. Still very disappointing to offer this sale and understock your product lines.

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Squadron is notoriously understocked 365 days a year. It isn't just for one sale each year.

Even so, with a couple of recent Airfix and Meng releases, several Ginger books, and a 1/32 Tamiya F4U-1D plus paints, I was able

to hit the 40% mark easily. The key was combining the order with a buddy of mine. Individually we wouldn't have gotten to the $400 level. Think outside the box they want you want you in. 

 

Rick L. 

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Best deals at show tables. I buy what I need, no need for excessive amounts of

plastic stashed in a closet. That's what shows are for, seeing as brick and mortar

has died a painful death. Black Friday is just another fad about to die like shoppig

malls. JMO---John

 

Edited by john53
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33 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

There was some unusual Black Friday excitement at our mall.

 

http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/2017/11/25/fight-ends-with-man-bear-maced-mall-evacuated

 

 

Chris

They make "Bear Mace"? I need to get some of that, for when I go walking in my neighborhood. :smiley-char029:

 

Larry

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7 hours ago, john53 said:

Best deals at show tables. I buy what I need, no need for excessive amounts of

plastic stashed in a closet. That's what shows are for, seeing as brick and mortar

has died a painful death. Black Friday is just another fad about to die like shoppig

malls. JMO---John

 

Totally agree, no need for a big stash of kits, thats why I try to keep it under 300 : 0

 

Geoff M

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20 hours ago, MacStingy said:

Canadian retailers have tried to cash in on Black Friday hype . I don't think it will survive the transplant. People in lines certainly aren't fighting.

 

 

It's because youre too polite and celebrate thanksgiving at the wrong time.

 

 

 

 

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44 minutes ago, TaiidanTomcat said:

 

 

It's because youre too polite and celebrate thanksgiving at the wrong time.

 

 

 

 

 

No, because we are a lot smarter than you. We celebrate it twice. The proper time and the alternate time.

 

The only thing you do right is you take the entire week off.

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