Yesterday's Mail Order = Today's Internet

I did mail order, for trains, and remember getting in a cast zamac HO loco kit from  AHC (remember them) that had a warped boiler.   For other hobbies, I did a tremendous amount of mail order.

colorado hirailer posted:

I did mail order, for trains, and remember getting in a cast zamac HO loco kit from  AHC (remember them) that had a warped boiler.   For other hobbies, I did a tremendous amount of mail order.

Was it not AHM?  or did they morph into AMC?

I ordered from Charles Ro back then.  Everything was by phone.  In the early years I would send a money order.  Then wait a week or two, sometimes longer, before the items arrived.  Had to wait for the next issue of Model Railroader to see what was for sale.  Wow, a whole month without being able to look at ads.  No tracking numbers for packages.  No forums, and obviously no internet to do exactly what we're doing here.  

How did we ever survive ?

I was into HO back in the day.  I bought a lot of HO trains from Ted's Engine House in NJ.  I would look at Ted's ad in Model Railroader, fill out the order form, write a check and mail it.  I would get my item in about a month if it was still in stock.  

I would call if I really wanted something quickly.  Long distance phone calls were expensive back then and I avoided them if possible.  Very few businesses had free "800" numbers.

Another drawback of the old days was that we didn't have credit cards.  The only way to pay was by check or money order.  I was thrilled when I got my first card.  Again, very few businesses, especially train stores, accepted cards back in the day.  

Waiting a month for an item made it seem like Christmas when it finally arrived.

The system worked just fine but I do prefer today's internet.

NH Joe  

I sure did when I was a teen in the 1970's. Ads in Model Railroader, Walthers' ..... mailed a money order.

My first compound archery bow was from a mail order catalog. Speed parts for my old cars, too. I've always liked buying stuff that way.

AHC= "America's Hobby Center"...advertised constantly in Model Railroader, at 146 West 22nd Street, New York.  No clue where went or what changed to?  I am looking at their ad in MR  for December, 1962.  I think that was a Varney Ten Wheeler with the warped boiler....lotsa Varney in this 1962 ad.

I purchased mail order from Glen Uhl and Charles Ro in the 1970's.
Rosewood Hobby had a great mail order parts list. I wish I still had some of the stuff I got from them.

I think there were less people taking advantage of mail order. I guess most folks didn't like having to wait, it took a lot longer for the whole process to occur.
I was very friendly with a local hobby shop owner. When it came to Lionel, I could buy my stuff mail order for less than he could buy stock for his store.