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QUOTE The Internet can be a blessing or a curse - it depends on which side of the fence you are on.
One Hobby shop group here in Australia is getting out of model rail due to the net.
Hornby in Aust is good prices compared to UK while Bachmann is at least 33% dearer than UK even taking into account postage.
Sometimes postal service from UK is extremely good - it has been known for goods ordered from Mainly Trains in Watchet to arrive down under in 4 days. That beats even local postage. Thats very true. Most non-Australian outline here is sold at prices far higher than the source country. I find UK outline is up to 50% dearer here and German is close to 100%. Australian outline is dearer anyway because of the small runs of models.
I have actually been round the main model shops here in the last couple of days and three in particular are worth looking at here in Melbourne.
Trainworld, Branchline and Hearns Hobbies are all fairly good. They have a reasonable stock of small bits and pieces but for locos and coaches I always buy from the UK or Germany. I too have had packages in four days from Rails and Harburn Hobbies.
In short you have no option but to buy from the internet if you live here. It's too small a market so prices are very high.
One Hobby shop group here in Australia is getting out of model rail due to the net.
Hornby in Aust is good prices compared to UK while Bachmann is at least 33% dearer than UK even taking into account postage.
Sometimes postal service from UK is extremely good - it has been known for goods ordered from Mainly Trains in Watchet to arrive down under in 4 days. That beats even local postage. Thats very true. Most non-Australian outline here is sold at prices far higher than the source country. I find UK outline is up to 50% dearer here and German is close to 100%. Australian outline is dearer anyway because of the small runs of models.
I have actually been round the main model shops here in the last couple of days and three in particular are worth looking at here in Melbourne.
Trainworld, Branchline and Hearns Hobbies are all fairly good. They have a reasonable stock of small bits and pieces but for locos and coaches I always buy from the UK or Germany. I too have had packages in four days from Rails and Harburn Hobbies.
In short you have no option but to buy from the internet if you live here. It's too small a market so prices are very high.
