Hobby stores charging for cataloges?

That's my understanding.

My dealer gives them away. He told me he gets them for free and he doesn't think it is right for him to charge for them. 

I'm sure the forum sponsor could speak to this but I imagine they would have to purchase them.  Probably not at full price. 

Then again I never pay for one being member of the LCCA and my LHS, Imperial Trains, is awesome at getting me a copy.

I believe most shops with regular customers pass them out without charge.  Probably even some with not so regular customers.

I know with MTH a one time $5 charge will get you on their mailing list.  LCCA members get them with membership.

Hi Bagelman,

I know when I had my train store 2003-2006, we used to get a case or two from Lionel and MTH for free. After that we had to pay for them. I used to give them to my better customers. If you bought anything I also gave them away. If someone just came in for a catalog I would only charge them $3.00.

Mike R

If you  buy something, or have bought something from my LHS he will let me take a copy for free.

Otherwise I think they are 2 to 5 dollars.

Personally I think it's a bad business practice to charge for catalogs.  From a consumer perspective why should I pay to see items in a product line?   Catalogs can only help a manufacturer - they should be giving them to their dealers and customers for free.

I don't blame the dealers for this at all - they're just trying to recoup costs forced on them.

--Greg

My LHS gives the catalogs away for free. 

Paying to read great informative magazine articles (as in OGR) is fine,  but I do not pay just for looking at someone's business advertising that is there to entice people to buy their product. I am financially secure and its not about the money. I'll hold steadfast out of principle for even 50 cents!   

My online stores send them to me... usually they nest it in with an order shipment.  I don't have a LHS.

Every store is different.  Most will charge you if you just come in for the catalog, unless you are a long time customer.  My now closed LHS charged me the 1st couple times I went in, but once I was a regular customer and friend to the owner, he set a side a set to give me on my next visit.  The other LHS is all pro MTH, so as a customer you get the MTH catalogs free, but have to pay for the Lionel ones.  So I don't get many catalogs anymore.

Depends on the store. In Atlanta, Hobbytown USA in Kennesaw charges for them and they are one of the largest hobby stores in the area that caters to everything, trains of all gauges, slot cars, models, rockets, RC everything, and more.

Legacy Station, however, offers free catalogs to their customers in the store regularly.  I often have to thank them and remind them that I already have one at home.

At train shows in the area, we often see some dealers and tables often selling catalogs (new and old).  At our club table, we usually get a few box from MTH and Lionel and we just give them way (one per person including kids who like them a lot) so not to feed the inventory of the guys that want them to sell on their own tables.

According to the LHS, who is a 2nd tier dealer, he gets a limited amount for free, the rest he has to pay for. He would make sure the good buyers got a copy for free, the rest he charges.

Believe it our not there are those who come into a store, demand a catalog and never even buy a piece of track, so of course they get charges

MTH charges for their catalogs at York, supposedly a one tome $5.00 charge which is supposed to sign you up to get more sent to you at home, I've paid twice and never got a catalog at home.

Lionel gives them away for free at york but just down the aisle Ro is selling them.

     bagelman in my experience If I have shopped at A LHS they have given them to me. When I went somewhere new they have charged me. Choo Choo Kenny

Why anyone in their right mind would actually pay for a catalog is beyond me.  It's all online now, anyway.

Our local store charges for them. They sell product at near list price.

My LHS puts a price sticker with a bar-code on the back cover of the catalog. If you're a regular customer, you are not charged. the Looky-Lou gets charged. I'm picking my catalogs up tonight, and placing my order, which I already formed looking at the on-line catalogs. 

Wow! Do I feel lucky. I receive both Lionel and MTH (reg & tinplate) catalogs several times each year USPS. My nearest train store is 80 mi. away.

 The exact reason I haven't bought a new Lionel train in many, many, years. I heard about this new command system called tmcc. When I called Lionel to inquire about it, they would not tell me anything, someone tried to sell me a book about the product I wanted to learn more about before buying. I will not pay a dime to review a product.

 I would have sold the tmcc I do own, but they were gifts.

I normally protest by ignoring a company (Burger King got 7 years...twice)

Lionel got me so mad that day, I've only recently really considered something new from them (2years off for good behavior, mostly due to the efforts I see Mike making). 

Just this morning I was into a shop that I thought just sold used trains, and they had

a tall case of Lionel catalogs, unopened, that just came in.  They slit the top of the

case and gave me the Signature and the ready-to-run one.  I alsways feel guilty taking

a free catalog because I usually find little or nothing I want.  These are high quality

and expensive catalogs (to produce); just wish there was more interesting stuff in them.  Because of the guilt feeling, I was prepared to pay for it, just to see what was

in it...hoping...

I usually get them for free however a few years ago I had bought $500 worth of train item from my LHS and I had also picked up a couple catalogs. The girl at the counter charged me $3 a piece for them, when I asked how come since I just spent a sizable amount the guy at the door told her to give them to me for free. Other than that I've never paid anything for them since I'm a long time regular (since 1979)

Jerry

 I only make a purchase from Ro every couple of years if that. I've been getting free catalogs from Ro ever since the first purchase 10 years ago.

I received an email from my LHS, on Feb. 3rd. asking me to stop by and pick up a copy of the New 2015 Catalogs. They are free. When I walk into the store he calls me by name. Plus he gets all my service work.

      You have to have a working relationship with a LHS.

Yep.

Lionel catalogs are still free to their dealers. However the dealer has to pay for shipping. Pay or free is strictly a dealer decision.

A LHS that charges for catalogs to customers who orders and/or buys will probably mean a non-returning customer to that LHS.  

LHS will probably have more customers in the store in the long run if the customer walks away with a complimentary catalog.  Seeing that catalog at home again and again may make that new or returning person to the hobby return come to that store and make their purchase and keep that LHS in business.

Probably worth noting I haven't picked up a catalog last 2-3 times from LHS or York. I look online and download the PDF. Sure it's different, but the info I need is there. 

I figure if if I don't pick one up at the LHS it's one more person, hopefully new, that the dealer can reach out to. 

Walthers has been charging dearly for their catalogs through the LHS or their website for many years now, and their catalog prices seem to keep going up!

Bill in FtL

If you regularly to business with your dealer of choice, you normally get one in the mail, no charge.

My LHS (it's actually my LTS as they are trains only) gives me Lionel and MTH catalogs for free as I buy a lot of stuff there.

We have a hobby shop in town that charges $5 for a Lionel Signature catalog. Never have seen any MTH catalogs there. They have about 3-4 Lionel sets, some HO & N, but very little and the rest is all slot cars, model kits, and RC cars, boats, planes & helicopters. They have the catalogs on the rack with the magazines for sale. They are really not a train store.

I get mine for free.

In 30 plus years and two owners, I have never paid for a catalog at Mohawk Valley RR where I do business.

Excellent point, but personally I really dislike(I'm being nice) the catalog format used by them.

It leans to tablet/pad style browsing, not basic pc friendly in my eyes.

I turn normally unused "pad features" off, and its pain to zoom & navigate without them all on.

I'm not bothering resetting things for them only.

And its design is not intuitive to me, very un-enjoyable.

And MTH is the same story .

I find WbB catalogs easier to be browsed. 

If I don't see it on paper at my brothers, I don't see it.

 (My 120gallon recycle goes out bi-weekly, "garbage" is a monthly event.

Conservation state)

Originally Posted by Jim 1939:

 At $2-$5 for non select customers, it is not a simple reclaim of shipping costs.

I feel "handling" should be factored into the shops prices as part of an advertising budget.

I joined the LRRC for $20. This got me all the Lionel catalogs shipped to the UK. I think the shipping was more than the catalogs.

 This was so worth doing as the UK dealer in my experience in the past changes full MSRP in dollars to pounds so $5 becomes £5. Main reason I don't deal with them.

Again it's well worth joining LCCA for the catalogs if you live abroad.

If I am in the States and make a purchase at a store I normally get offered a catalog I tend to decline as it is more baggage weight that could be used for trains.

MTH I look at the online catalog on a ipad (Other tablet computers are available)

Nick

I received the 4 catalogs in the mail yesterday. Return address was LLC, but I am guessing it was off the LCCA membership listing.