With Postage rates Up and Fuel Prices Down .

[chippy]

So with the ever increasing rise in posting rates , Royal Mail now over £3.00 for the smallest of parcels and it looks like Petrol will be under £1.00 a ltr. next year is it worth to start visiting model shows again . If you think about the amount of postage you are paying once you have ordered a few kits this would be enough to put a few gallons of fuel in your tank and have a nice day out , pick up a few kits and most importantly catch up with mates and other like minded folk which the sites can never really reproduce .
I hope to get to three shows next year that I missed out on this year .
Let's Hope the Model Shows make a come back in 2015 .
chippy

 

[Blue Thunder]

You see Gordon, since the appearance of e commerce shipping prices skyrocketed: few companies that once done social service like sending pensions, now greed with the astonishing rise in the traffic of small packs. Here , where I live, shiping to Europe a small pack weighting 1kg costed about 3€ a decade ago, now it costs 15€ ....

And the courriers are being privatised, so expect further increases. If you have a monopoly, the price customers pay is the maximum they can pay ... and so Europe is sinking everyday ... While in the far east people are getting welthy, and shipping prices are extremely modest ...

 

[Gra30]

I offer free postage worldwide , by comparison it is cheaper for me not to attend a show as sales are often minimal. Why cast 10 of each to sell 3 when I can sit at home and sculpt or mould new pieces with no outlay. With not paying fees at shows I can offer a lower rate and pass on to customers.
Would you like to know the costs of a table at Euro ?, although the table price is selective.

 

[Blue Thunder]

Hear hear! A key decisive factor for a company in these days: free shipping

 

[Nap]

Hi guys,

Good points raised by all , I run a show and I am only too well aware that sometimes traders do not sell as much as they want , it's the same all over no matter what one ...Euro included.

I totally agree with Graham's comments why have that often expensive outlay for tables and then transport costs , bacon rolls etc whenreally all they need is to offer free shipping and enjoy the sculpting process to produce and tempt their customers.

The Internet is the trades table ..worldwide

I agree with Gordon's comments ..let's hope we see a comeback for the model show in 2015...and beyond

Nap

 

[Babelfish]

People moan about postage but the bottom line is that it's a service provided by a 3rd party, and as a buyer I don't mind paying postage at cost (or rounded up to the nearest Pound or $ or Euro). Just like any other service. I do object to shameless piss-taking though - I've seen similarly priced items on eBay in the States quoted at $8 postage to the UK, yet with another seller quoting almost $30 for the exact same item - and I refuse to play that game.

As for "free postage" well that's all well and good and if someone's offering that, it'll get my attention. But as the old saying goes there's no such thing as a 'free lunch' so you can bet that the seller will have factored the cost of postage into his pricing somewhere along the line. And as postage costs continue to increase, the point always comes when all these companies offering "free shipping" have to "adjust" or "revise" (the usual euphemisms for "increase") their prices to reflect that.

As for the cost of trade stands, especially at the likes of shows such as Euro, it always amazes me how foreign traders can afford to do it, what with travel, hotel, food etc. costs on top. That's a LOT of kits they have to shift just to break even and is doubtless a major reason why Euro has shrunk in size over the past decade or so. Which is a shame.

 

[Gra30]

You are correct that postage to an extent is factored in but I only base it on a standard UK rate ( the minimum anyone will pay) for me it is just easier to offer free worldwide and to take a bigger hit on any profit if posting outside the uk. The hope is it makes it easier for the buyer to see exactly what the final cost will be when shopping and also not to penalise anyone if living outside the UK. It also, hopefully gives a better shopping experience and customers will return. More sales mean that the postage is covered each time and can continue to be offered free. But that is only my way and I'm not suggesting mine is any better than anyone's else's method of running things.
We also cannot forget the PayPal fees we get hit with but that is the norm today for any business.
I do not mean to digress from the main thread, my initial point was realky as Kev states, the Internet gives us a worldwide audience where as at a show you are only relying on those attending to hopefully buy. I enjoy shows and will continue to support, I am a modeller aswell and the meeting of minds cannot be equalled, but as a business they cannot be relied upon for sales and there is a lot of work preparing, where you can sell easily from home, no outlay and or returning with excess stock.

 

[arj]

Let's Hope the Model Shows make a come back in 2015 .
chippy

Would you like to know the costs of a table at Euro ?, although the table price is selective.

My understanding is that the Plymouth show in 2015 will have tables free for traders.
You can check with the organiser, Ian Chanter, who's details can be found on my post regarding the show at:-
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/plymouth-model-show-21st-march-2015.67955/

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[Gra30]

Yes, you are correct Arj, I hope I haven't come across negative to shows, I never meant to as they need to cover their costs. I only do a few over the year anyway. It's a double edge sword that's all between postal costs for the customer and attending shows as a business with sometime overheads. As said, I will continue to support shows when I can as I am a modeller myself.
Best wishes

 

[arj]

I hope I haven't come across negative to shows, I never meant to as they need to cover their costs.

Not in the slightest Graham, and I apologise for my wording being unclear.
My sole intention was to bring to the attention of traders (particularly to any in the SW area) that the Plymouth show was not charging traders for their tables.in 2015 (21 March 2015).
While we can’t do anything about travel costs, it was thought that removing the table costs might tempt some traders.
I’ll be ‘bumping’ my original post in January with similar information.

Cheers.
Andrew