Getting Bachmann UK products in the US

[xero1123]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the correct area to post this in, but I want to model some of the Great Western Railway. However, I have found it very hard to get a hold of Bachmann's 0-6-0 Pannier Tank in the US without paying through the nose on shipping from ebay or the one other us retailer that sells British stock in the US. I was wondering if there was any way to either order the item directly from Bachmann themselves or if there are any sites that are re-sellers in the US.

[Cooped]

Hi

your best bet for buying Bachmann UK products is through an online store in the UK. My 3 favourite are www.ehattons.com, www.railsofsheffield.com and www.modelrailwaysdirect.co.uk

Having said that the loco you are looking for has been out for quite some time and is pretty scarce in stores now. The only example on any of the sites I listed is a 57XX with a late BR crest on modelrailwaysdirect.co.uk. There are plenty of other GWR tank locos on all 3 sites however.

The prices listed include sales tax at 20% which if shipped to an address outside the EU is automatically taken off, which usually covers the shipping costs.

I've bought from all 3 with no problems. Happy shopping!

Dan

[the Bach-man]

Dear Xero,
Try:

models11.com

Have fun!
the Bach-man

[Cooped]

The site recommended by the Bach-man does appear to have the pannier tank you are after so hopefully that works out for you. Bear in mind it is cheaper to buy from the UK online stores, sometimes by quite a lot.

[xero1123]

Great! Thanks a lot guys! One more question. If I order from a european site, how will the conversion from dollars to euros go. I've been one a couple european sites where they have an option to view the price in dollars, but it seems to have the conversion rate of about a year ago. Will a conversion be made by the banks, or is there a set dollar amount that the sites list? Also, I was considering ordering from an ebay international dealer. Does anyone have any experiences with these?

[Cooped]

Xero

the sites I gave you are UK sites so you are looking at British pounds, not Euros, the site the Bach-man gave you is in the US (Texas). The UK sites will charge you in pounds then your credit card company/bank will use their exchange rate. You can call them before ordering to find out what their current rate is, or there are many online currency convertors you can use like http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert/?Amount=1&From=GBP&To=USD

Your bank/credit card will give you a slightly worse rate than this i.e. the current rate on this site is $1.60305 per pound, you will probably get something between 1.61 an 1.63. You should also check if your bank/credit card charges a foreign currency conversion fee. Many don't but some charge up to 3%.

As an example the Bachmann LNER Gresley A4 Mallard http://models11.net/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=34071 is available from Models11 for $201 plus $7.95 shipping, so $208.95

The same model is available from ehattons
http://www.ehattons.com/38450/Bachmann_UK_31_952B_Class_A4_4_6_2_4468_Mallard_with_valances_in_LNER_garter_blue_/StockDetail.aspx

for 99 pounds, or 82.50 once the sales tax is deducted. There is a wide range of shipping options, I usually go for DHL as the most trustworthy, a little more expensive but fast (2 days) and reliable, 12 pounds in this case so a total of 94.50 pounds. Assume an exchange rate of 1.63 and assume your credit card charges an additional 3% that's a grand total of $158.66, $50 less. Of course they don't have the pannier tank you're after.

Can't give you an opinion on the ebay dealer, I've bought from some with no problems, but there are so many who knows.

One advantage of ordering from models11 is as they are in the US it will be easier to sort problems, but the UK stores are very used to dealing internationally so it's not something I would worry about.

Happy shopping!
Dan

[xero1123]

Great, thank you so much! I meant to say pounds but ended up typing euros instead haha. I will definitely give one of those british cites a try.

[Searsport]

For info, Hattons (of Liverpool) do not take Paypal, but Rails (of Sheffield) do.  But whilst Hattons on-line catalogue is reliable in showing numbers actually in stock, Rails on-line catalogue does not link to their stock control system, so you are best to check by email that they have an item in stock before you buy.  Both have good reputations.

Hope this helps,
Bill.

[Br 98.75]

I live in California and it takes a week to get stuff from this lady:
http://www.ajmrailways.com/