Low Inventory?

Perhaps neither. It could be that stores have been thinning their stock due to lower anticipated sales.

I have noticed demand is up so it is tough to find what you need.
Last year at the train shows here locally they were void of any new products. Just the same old stuff.

Is it me or are Lionel and MTH always selling the same old stuff?

For example, a hundred variants of the polar express?

Welcome Jeff........Enjoy lots of great people and info on here...

 

       
       


I believe you have hit a valid point. Seems volumes are higher on 027 and holiday items

The holiday item catalog with all the lionel themed Christmas decorations was a welcome addition.

I've noticed that inventory is remarkably low at some big I stores. I figured it is in anticipation for the coming Big Boys, Berks, LCS, etc. this fall.

IMO, Lionel  would not have closed its office in Michigan, a warehouse in Pennsylvania and its service center in Ohio to consolidate in one location in SC if the toy train market was expanding..

Joe

 

Didn't Lionel also have an office in NYC for Jerry C ?

sales at the hobby store I work at are down 50% and inventory is up 30%. We are moving towards a reduction in our train department seeing as it is only 3% of our sales

Lionel is now outside Concord NC (near Charlotte) not SC.

 

 

On a similar note.....asking prices on auction sites seem to be up. I have a formula for buying things I want......less and less of the  items fit that formula.....which may be a good thing for me!!!  I have all I need really. I passed on a number of items I have been looking for as the price was over my threshold.

I agree Dave, it does seem like the prices are up.

I am in the same boat as you.

Most local stores are stocking close to what they expect to sell quickly. The old days of large extra inventory on hand is gone even at the distributor level. If you like it better buy while it's available.

Jim

One issue that may be driving old inventory down was the change in the Lionel warranty which affected NOS items.

 

Lionel may have consolidated their location to be in a better position to serve the market. They already had their die-cast product business in the NC location so why not consolidate the train business as well.

 

The service department is in a separate location across from their HQ and warehouse location.

Matt, just curious, what store do you work at in the Twin Cities?

Sounds like more of a sound business decision, I think. Why pay rent on 3 or 4 offices/buildings when you can do it all from one and combine it with your other business?  It puts the people working on the products together which should provide better communication and hopefully better products and ideas and lowers overhead at the same time. Unlikely, but maybe they will even lower a few prices due to the savings? Makes sense to me anyway.

IMO lionel consolidated all these offices because after taking over the dies-cast business they had excess building space and it makes good business to have everything in the same space.

There's other considerations. North Carolina is a 'right to work' state, with the exception of Michigan, the other mentioned are not. Ohio, ranked 47th worst, and New York, ranked 49th worst, as the least tax-friendly states for business. I'm certain there are other sound reasons for deciding such a move. I would also think that there would be considerable savings with all departments located essentially under one roof. Just my 2-cents.

Many of our Forum sponsors have been running some very good sales over the summer months. They obviously are targeting products that want to move out of their inventory. Always a smart move when you consider new additions that are on the water or soon will be.

 

I see no need for any concern about current inventory levels.

I visited Electric Train Outlet in St. Louis this weekend.  They had a ton of cool stuff in stock.  

Hi Clipset

      I like to use the Product Finder on the MTH Page. I have always found this to be very helpful.  The largest brick & mortar store in my area has a large selection of all the major brands. Yes • Some items are in high demand.  

 

Rainy Day Hobbies?

 

Not surprised at all to see that, since we don't really know the seller's motivation to move product.  Folks here on the for-sale forum have basically been "trained" (no pun intended) to wait for price reductions -- hoping to see sellers drop prices each day until stuff sells.    But thankfully, not everybody sells stuff here at fire-sale prices.  

 

I'd like to think that each of us typically has an unpublished threshold for each item we might list.  And if nobody bites at that point (which very well might be the original listing price), then that's fine... the item remains part of the seller's roster.  That's reasonable.

 

So when you see folks re-listing items for sale at the same price, it simply means they're not all that quick to "give it away" -- instead hoping that a buyer will eventually come along and pay the asking price.  The pressing "need" for quick-cash is non-existent in that case.

 

Patience can be a virtue at times.   

 

David

This summer I have had several lengthy conversations with the owners of retail train shops in three different parts of the country, in each case they were lighter on inventory than expected due to higher than expected sales and the inability to secure more of the items from the importer. 

 

Just a a perhap, but with new retail (MSRP) well ahead of inflation, BTO and lower levels of production the importers may have found the profit sweet spot. Brining somewhat of an end to large inventories and deep discounts, most major companies have found this over the past few years or have found theselves in bankruptcy court.

 

I for one hope that is the case it will improve the health of the entire market place as the retailer won't be sitting on inventory they cannot afford with decreasing value, the secondary market will impeove as new retail pricing increases and available inventory decreases, and the importers will have higher margin business and maybe able to focus on new tooling as margins improve and their retail channels strengthen. 

 

 

Well, last time I was at Legacy Station he had a cornucopia of trains there. I can tell you that you will most likely find something to take home or have shipped to you.

John

 

It is still the golden years, some folks need to take off those dark sunglasses.

I was just at legacy station the other day and while I did find a few things I was interested in there was nothing there that wasnt easily found at some of my more favorite retailers

Such as where the new executive team happens to reside?  

 

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.    I can't tell you how many times I've seen corporate decisions made based on convenience of the executive teams.  Numbers can often be made to tell whatever story needs to be told.  But once the new executive team is locked in place, it's amazing to see how geographical decisions just happen to wind up being local to their backyard -- even when current technology provides for unsurpassed connectivity and productivity from remote locations. 

 

David

I've only been back in the hobby for a few years, but things look pretty good to me also. The catalogs are the biggest ever, command control, large selection, more manufacturers competing. I am still overwhelmed at the amount of O gauge stuff since my return to the hobby. There was Lionel only when I left many years ago.

 

My LHS is moving product, there are old items missing and new items replacing them on the shelves each time I visit. They also carry more items now than they ever have before in the last few years and more coming in. Seems like there is always something new to discover on my weekly visits. I have no inside info or official figures, but maybe things are starting to improve?

For the moment, I couldn't agree more.

 

Aside from a few Atlas-O items which have always been tightly built to order (i.e., with seemingly very few extras purchased by dealers), I've had absolutely no trouble finding items I'd like to purchase.  In fact, I contacted Charlie Ro well after the Lionel BTO deadline date, and encountered no problems pre-ordering a couple of BTO items.

 

I just think folks are more tapped out in general -- whether it's because other priorities of life and family have taken precedence or because folks did some hefty pre-order shopping earlier this year.   THAT's why we've been seeing the kinds of deep discount sales being offered by large dealers throughout the entire year -- not just during typically slow Summer months.  And even with these sales, I'm surprised to see some items still showing up in online inventories or on local shelves.  That should tell us something right there.

 

Low/slim inventory levels?   Sorry, but I'm just not seeing it that way... at least not yet. 

 

David

 

 

Yes, Lionel had an office in NYC in recent years.  On one of the lower floors there was a showroom with a few small layouts and products on display.  On an upper floor, were some Lionel offfices. Showroom not open to the public. Got to see it a few times during Toy Fair.

So is mine!  The only problem is that too much of it ends up going home with me each time I visit.  

My LHS, Imperial Trains, seems to be doing well.  The store always seems to have people in there buying even on week day afternoons.  The shelves are stocked.  New items on the wall of engines every week.

 

With a couple of shops that have gone out of business in Pittsburgh, folks are now finding Imperial and their great staff.

So you are the reason for the low inventory!

I got into Lionel Corporation/Tinplate Traditions tinplate trains just a few years ago. I'd have to say it's a bit different in finding products than O-scale items. Seems to me alot of product never hits the shelves due to limited quantities made. If I want something I better make sure I pre-order it.  There are items in the 2013 catalog that were produced and are nowhere to be found. 

I recently purchased a 263E baby blue comet engine from the buy/sell forum. I only found the matching passenger set available at Sidetrack Hobbies.

Agreed.  Standard Gauge, in particular, is a whole different world.  And Sidetrack Hobbies is THE definitive supplier of LCT/TT product for me... hands down.  Although it would appear there's a recent trend of other dealers beginning to test the waters.  It's still a niche within a niche, so I don't expect availability of product to change over the short term.  I have the Ives National Ltd steamer with passenger cars on pre-order, 'cause I wasn't into Standard Gauge when MTH last offered it several years back.  And I didn't want to risk missing out this time around.  

 

I have never encountered any issue locating Standard Gauge accessories though... whether they be current catalog items or older stuff like the 840 Power House, Lionel 305 Hellgate Bridges, or various stations w/platforms.  If dealers don't have them handy, there's been a steady supply available from reliable sellers on eBay.

 

But as far as catalog'd locomotives and rolling stock, you can't always expect to find Standard Gauge stuff readily available 5 years after being catalog'd.  And every now and then, some items go scarce within a year of being catalog'd. 

 

David

Hehe, believe me, I understand completely. I would like to think it's not just me emptying the shelves. Was hoping there were a couple of others assisting.

 

The really bad news is LHS told me last week a bunch of my pre-orders from MTH are now shipping. However, they said not to worry, they don't think the entire pallet coming in is mine, they think one or two items are theirs. 

 

Good news is I have been slowly paying them off prior to arrival and I think I might be close to paid up. If not, I will be wearing a helmet when arriving home with the orders.