As Lee mentions above, M.B. Klein is tops. Not only an excellent web site for browsing and buying, but they feature real-time inventory update with a product "counter." I know it works because I've purchased the last of an in-stock item and the counter shows zero or "out of stock" immediately.
Really valuable when a new item comes in and you can see how many they have available for purchase. Several times I've jumped on something knowing that they only have a few on hand.
... they feature real-time inventory update with a product "counter." ...
Nassau Hobby's website has a nice implementation of this feature now. You just need to click on the quantity selector, and the drop-box will show the maximum quanitity available for purchase. If you place the remaining quantity in your shopping cart, the display immediately updates to "sold out".
David
... they feature real-time inventory update with a product "counter." ...
Nassau Hobby's website has a nice implementation of this feature now. You just need to click on the quantity selector, and the drop-box will show the maximum quanitity available for purchase. If you place the remaining quantity in your shopping cart, the display immediately updates to "sold out".
David
I actually JUST did an update that shows "Quantity in Stock" a bit more clearly in the Item details...
Timing is everything, Gromet. Nice touch!!! 
David
Want manufacturers model number, engine or car type, a small photo, your price. Clicking on photo should take viewer to manufacturers web page for more details such as road number, MSRP, date released, etc.
HERE is the QUESTION???
Once in LOCOMOTIVES:
Steam or Diesel right?
After You choose Steam or Diesel, should it be just a BIG list and pages of ALL The Steam engines and Diesel Engines we have for that manufacturer in that scale? Should it be sorted by Engine Type (Challenger, Big Boy, K-4)? Road Name (UP, B&O, Santa Fe)? Some Other Way?
Just wondering what everyone's opinion is?
Thanks!
Once in Locomotives:
> Scale or non-scale
> Steam or diesel
> Road name
I would be much more interested in road name than type of engine, whether it is scale size or not and steam or diesel as I have diesels only. It would also be nice to be able to selective search on many of these items to narrow your selections.
Personally, unless you can do multiple categories that will show the same product, I feel you are risking causing people to not find items once you go any further than Steam/Diesel/Electric.
I have no idea how the data base you use works, but if I were to use a simple table in Excel as an example, such a table could support multiple categorization by having columns for each category type, populating with a "1" for any line item where that category is applicable. Set up the Excel filters to only show entries with a "1" for any given category and you get a full subset of of items in that category.
I know the web site does not use Excel, but the sort of multiple categorization this method would allow would be useful, rather than a simple list of items if you do start narrowing it down too much once past Steam/Diesel/Electric.
Another option would be to do something similar to what computer or technology stores do (see Best Buy, Staples, TigerDirect, etc). Have a bunch of characteristics to the left that have check boxes next to options (scale/traditional, price ranges, etc). Each time a box is checked, the full list gets narrowed down (when it works right). Those being much larger operations, I don't know if that type of function can easily be implemented on your site.
After re-thinking my response I'm realizing I'm veering into the world of filtering with the last 3 paragraphs. I probably should have stopped after typing the first paragraph. 
-Dave
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