I have had no problems with them at shows, willing to dicker a price. If you live in PA., and order on line, you'll get hit with 6% sales tax.
They offer new items released ages ago that Lionel's warranty would not cover like the 1989 PRR B6 0-6-0 and the Reading T1 4-8-4 also of 1989. My question is would they repair or replace the item if defected. If they opened and test run the model then would it still be considered new? Maybe going to the store and buying it in person would be the answer but its too far away for me.
Purchased a lot from them. Never had a issue. I prefer to call them and check if my want item is in stock. I actually do it that way with all the dealers when I find items on their web sites.
They have been a very good source for me in locating hard to find items.
Larry
They offer new items released ages ago that Lionel's warranty would not cover like the 1989 PRR B6 0-6-0 and the Reading T1 4-8-4 also of 1989. My question is would they repair or replace the item if defected. If they opened and test run the model then would it still be considered new? Maybe going to the store and buying it in person would be the answer but its too far away for me.
IMHO, if they open and test run an item, it would not be considered new to a collector. Any operator might not care.
If you want to know their policy on a new, old stock item that is defective out of the box, I think you need to ask them.
I had nothing but trouble with Grzyboski's trains/ J.TRIPP3. I bought a FEF3 from them that did not work and was out of warranty. In the end I had to buy the parts and fix it myself. I will never buy from them again with the way they treat there Web customers.
My wife and I just made several purchases from them over the last month. I have purchased from them in the past and never an issue. Very nice and easy to talk with, heck Joe even carried stuff to my truck for my wife while I was busy browsing which led to a surprise gift for me at christmas time. At about an hour northeast of me this is now my "local" go to shop.
Gentlemen,
The Big G has always been a 1st class business, been around many many years with a great reputation!
PCRR/Dave
C W Burfle posted:They offer new items released ages ago that Lionel's warranty would not cover like the 1989 PRR B6 0-6-0 and the Reading T1 4-8-4 also of 1989. My question is would they repair or replace the item if defected. If they opened and test run the model then would it still be considered new? Maybe going to the store and buying it in person would be the answer but its too far away for me.
IMHO, if they open and test run an item, it would not be considered new to a collector. Any operator might not care.
If you want to know their policy on a new, old stock item that is defective out of the box, I think you need to ask them.
I would consider it new, collector or runner. I have always thought it was downright dumb to never open a sealed box to test run a loco. I probable would feel safer with that behavior if it were an Apple or Sony device but with Lionel that's too risky. Out of say 15 new engines, I guess maybe 5 of them had no issues at all.
After all, we do hope they test run it before they put it in the box at the factory...or is that the problem?
I usually buy stuff from them at York.
In thinking about it, I think the issues with QC at Lionel or toy trains in general, make it really difficult for any dealer to have a 100% positive review. I have purchased at Ro, Grzy, MTS, Just Trains, Trainz, Nassau, Nicholas Smith, Legacy something or other, and probably a few more and find them all caring and trying to price, ship, and do the best they can while trying to make a living and stay in business. I think it's a tough business and the customers may not always be the most capable and talented in using the product.
Always a good experience with Grzyboski’s and as others have mentioned their Lionel inventory is deep. I’ve mostly bought from them at York (great specials) but have ordered a few times online.
Having said that also will plug Model Train Stuff (M.B. Klein to many of us) and owing to their location they are one of my main go-to dealers. I order online and usually do in-store pick up to save shipping. Inventory not as deep as G’s but they have great prices. And the best web site in the business. Real-time, updated inventory. 
Great reputable dealer. I've purchased many items. No issues.
There are different ways to look at everything. Buying new old stock always comes with the risk of something not working as designed. Most stores will gladly exchange a defective product when it's "current production", and they have extras in inventory. New old stock is a different animal, and a given store may be the only place who has that item... and they often might have just one at that.
When in doubt, just ask about the store's policy before completing the transaction. The whole warranty discussion is more a problem at the importer level than any given dealer anyway. In what other industry does the warranty clock start ticking when the manufacturer or importer ships something to their dealers? The warranty clock usually starts when a consumer buys something. And the manufacturer or importer should ultimately stand behind their product.
BTW, Grzyboski Trains gets high praise from me since 1980. I sometimes arrange for them to bring something to the Allentown ATMA meets. And they accommodate to save shipping costs and PA sales tax (if you're paying in cash or check at the show).
David
Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with this dealer, I really appreciate it. My concern is their return shipping policy. Let's say the LC+ loco I want cost $12.50 to ship via UPS ground, and if the item is defective for whatever reason (wont start, defective MB, etc...) then I have to pay the return which will probably be higher than $12.50 at a retail UPS center, then pay to have another shipped. I think it may work out well for in-store, but I'm on the fence for mail order. I think I may order the two LC+ locomotives from them and take a chance. My budget is limited to about $800 a year, so I want to maximize every dollar, and these two locos will cost $626 with shipping, the remaining balance to be spent on a few more ME signs, some switches, Lionel Pigtail connectors and some structures.
And specifically to Steven, MA is too far out. At that travel cost point, it would be cheaper to pay close to the MSRP that others are selling the locos at.
Thanks again to everyone, I really appreciate it.
No issues with them
Good people only bought 1 item but I'm probably gonna make several more purchases this year
Top notch dealer!
MDuppy posted:I had nothing but trouble with Grzyboski's trains/ J.TRIPP3. I bought a FEF3 from them that did not work and was out of warranty. In the end I had to buy the parts and fix it myself. I will never buy from them again with the way they treat there Web customers.
Out of warranty are the operative words here. Why anyone would buy anything with a motor out of warranty by mail is beyond me, but to each his own. I have been buying in person and by interwebz from Grzyboski since the mid 90s. Never had a problem until I bought the LC+ Lackawanna Camelback. HOWEVER, I am fortunate enough to have 3 Lionel/MTH authorized service stations within 15 miles of my home. That camelback was in and out of the shop for 5 months in 2015. That's not on Grzyboski, that's on Lionel. Your mileage back and forth for warranty work may vary.
Gigabyte posted:Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with this dealer, I really appreciate it. My concern is their return shipping policy. Let's say the LC+ loco I want cost $12.50 to ship via UPS ground, and if the item is defective for whatever reason (wont start, defective MB, etc...) then I have to pay the return which will probably be higher than $12.50 at a retail UPS center, then pay to have another shipped. I think it may work out well for in-store, but I'm on the fence for mail order. I think I may order the two LC+ locomotives from them and take a chance. My budget is limited to about $800 a year, so I want to maximize every dollar, and these two locos will cost $626 with shipping, the remaining balance to be spent on a few more ME signs, some switches, Lionel Pigtail connectors and some structures.
And specifically to Steven, MA is too far out. At that travel cost point, it would be cheaper to pay close to the MSRP that others are selling the locos at.
Thanks again to everyone, I really appreciate it.
One issue with the "discount" is that the margin is so low that providing return shipping might not be possible. I was told that it cost about 15% of gross just to pay the bills. Salary, building costs, insurance, taxes, inventory loss, and on it goes. So if the price is really a bargain, then the risk is that you might have to pay return shipping should some issue occur.
Almost makes a dealer say that they charge a few dollars more, but it insures that the hopefully few returns are post paid.
ns1001 posted:They offer new items released ages ago that Lionel's warranty would not cover like the 1989 PRR B6 0-6-0 and the Reading T1 4-8-4 also of 1989. My question is would they repair or replace the item if defected. If they opened and test run the model then would it still be considered new? Maybe going to the store and buying it in person would be the answer but its too far away for me.
On this, I think the Lionel warranty expiration is a bit to harsh. Seems like they could extend the warranty to cover out of the box issues to 10 years or some such. Of course this doesn't account for lack of repair parts that far out.
BTW, different industry and product, but BMW motorcycles have many, and almost most, parts for models up to 50 years out or more. I have ordered suspension springs for a 1960 model and received one spring, and a back order for the second spring marked "ordered for manufacture by outside vender". Try topping that with Lionel...except for Mike R's efforts on the gears for the Niagara. Good show on that by a true train guy I am learning.
