How many of us shop online?

[RADRICH]

I do most of my shopping online. Mostly just use major credit cards because all major credit cards have fraud protection. As you say down under,..."No worries!". Fortunately for me, I do have an extraordinarily good hobby shop nearby when I have to have something 'right now'. It may cost more but I'm not just paying for my 'stuff', I'm also buying time.

[hugo111]

I feel sorry for our hobby shops..... there are three problems, one we don't have the time to travel and visit the local shop, the second is that they dont respond to emails or on-line queries (they seem to think you are a time waster if you approach them on-line) and the third is that they can't seem to be able to combine a good shop with a god web-site.

I shop on-line the majority of the time and I am sorry to say that I do not seem to have developed any loyalty to any particular supplier.

[flyingklown]

I'm not an aussie either, but I buy 90% of my stuff online too.

[RMaia]

Not aussie here also, and I do 95% online and 5% LHS.

I did try to support the LHS, but they couldn't "keep up" with my efforts to support them. I do know the owner for some 6 years, but for the past 2 years seems like he "lost interest" in the thing and is not there anymore, just an employee who generally knows almost nothing. APC props? Nah, doesn't exist, never heard of that. That's a typical answer. So I got tired of the 40 minute one way drive to get there and hear these answers, so once I found I real good online shop around here (there is one which is superb, stocks all kind of stuff, even DA engines... ) I only buy from them. Fortunately here in Brazil we have an awesome express postage service on the Postal Service which isn't expensive and works dandy. It usually takes just 2 days to get to my doorstep, with tracking info, insurance and all that. Payments for the orders, with credit card or money order, depending on the order amount. Credit card is more for the higher value orders, as it can be split into monthly payments without interest.

From the LHS I only buy glow fuel, as that's not very practical to have mailed in. However, my glow days seems numbered (I'm really willing to stay only with gassers and electrics) so in the near future probably even that money they (LHS) won't see from me....

[Gil]

Yep, an Aussie
About 50/50.
Fortunate to have a couple of very helpful LHS nearby.
Support them when I can. They play a usefull role in the clubs I belong to.

[DR10044]

I have a couple of LHS that stock general supplies. When you take shipping away, their price is right in line with the online stores. I have also ordered a few major purchases through them. Order on Monday, get on Thursday. Not bad. Anything giant related I usually get online. I am not from Australia.

[Royster]

I buy regularly online from USA and Oz.

I do however buy from LHS as well.

[phred]

Yep I do. Used paypal today in fact.
But after hearing from a previous poster about using a special debit card to shop online I think I'm going to get that up and running. I just don't trust shysters to rob me online.
Will probably purchase my first heli online as I'm not that impressed with the overall quality of service and range in my Local Hobby shops (not as many in Perth as I thought there would be for a city of over a million people). Almost wish I had the funds to setup my own online shop. Be a great business.
Been really disappointed with the fact that you cannot buy 36mhz transmitter in US shops (makes sense I guess), just not much choose fm here.

[rede2fly]

same as every body else. my lhs dosent carry anything for the gassers, even though the owner flys them so if iam in town i will stop by and say hi and see what he has ,fool around with the simm. then go home and place my order. 5 hobby stores around here and not 1 carrys anything for gassers. but if you want anything to do with cars and trains, plastics, and teddy bear making then they have it. i try and support them ,but they wont support me. at least i can get glue oh yea paypal only if you want my money

[TomBob]

I buy most every thing online, LHS has no Giant scale stuff. I use both credit card, and pay pal. I wish someone would make Horizon Hobbies web site easer to navigate. Tombob

[GregA]

I live about 3 hours north of Sydney and shopping on line is important, the local hobby shops dont carry what I need, they say they will order for me but never carry through.
Have used E.Bay and have had no problems, have used Duanes Planes and they take Paypal or direct deposit just for bits and pieces, have used Model Sports, Rojs Hobbies and Col Taylor and they all have been spot on, in fact have just received my new 2.4G JR 9 channel from Col Taylor, Beautiful!.
Two days from Wagga to Hallidays Point, arrived in perfect condition, thank God for online shopping I say, couldn't live without it.
Have a small limit card just for online or over the phone orders, its not connected to any other accounts so the lowlife cant access anything else thats my property.
Lots of other members of our club do the same thing.
Hope this info helps
Cheers Greg

[VKGT]

I buy most things online....Only because places like Tower Hobbies are constantly offering instant savings coupons for money off! Our local hobby shop is great, they even price match Tower and save you the shipping but they won't price match the coupons. Of course I understand where they come from, I worked at a Hobby Shop for several years while I was still in high school and know that they really don't make that much money off of kits and accessories.