Hobby Shops in Tough Times

[Will_Annand]

Time has come for the hobby shop owners to get tough as their competition...The days of paying full MSRP is over thanks to the computer...Savvy hobby shop owners knows and understands this and has adjusted by offering a modest discount and having a web page for internet sales..Those that cling to the old ways are going by the way of the dodo bird...

Easy to say, hard to do.

I look at some items out there and the internet only guys are selling them for 5% over what I can buy them for.
If I have to sell with that narrow a margin, I could not keep my doors open.

Some of these shops are run from guys basements and as a part time thing to make some spare change.
There was one guy I know who started an online hobby shop, set his prices, then found out if he placed smaller orders from the supplier, they charged him shipping. The last couple of orders he recieved before he shut down his business, were costing him more than he was selling, he forgot about incoming shipping, customs charges and cost of packaging materials.