EBay madness

[Nick C]

1 hour ago, Swissrail said:

I take it you mean he inadvertently gave them your email address?

I have a fairly common full name, and an email address of "my.name@wellknownprovider.com" - so I get a lot of mistyped emails. Usually they just get deleted, but I have on occasion received things that are clearly important to the intended recipient - including, in one case, medical records! In such cases I do reply with a "please check the address of the person you're trying to contact" before deleting...

 

Mrs C gets it the other way around - she's got a number in her address, and occasionally doesn't receive stuff. She phoned someone once, after not getting something, and asked them to confirm the address they'd got - they read it out, without the number. "No, it's got <number> there" "oh, I thought that was a typo so I deleted it"...

[PieGuyRob]

https://www.hattons.co.uk/1291404/dapol_hm010_po06_diesel_brake_tender_b964038_in_br_green_special_edition_for_hornby_magazine_pr/stockdetail

 

This from hattons, or, this from Hornby Magazine?

 

https://shop.keypublishing.com/collections/models-automated-collection/products/br-diesel-brake-tender

 

🤔

[The Johnster]

Ah, but the Hatton’s model includes a very good box!!!

[rab]

8 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Ah, you young uns! Back in the day there were no easily obtained overdrafts, credit cards, spare money trees etc, you bought what you wanted with the money you had in your pocket, and that meant having patience, unlike the current me, me, me and I want it now attitudes which seem to prevail.

 

Mike.

I remember my dad telling me how he bought a (hand) drill, (the ones with the gear wheel on the side that you caught you hand in if you weren't careful). in Woolworths (remember them)

 

At that time Woolworths were known as the 3d & 6d store, everything was threepence or sixpence.

(similar to today's pound shops). Because the drill cost a shilling, it was sold in two parts.

He bought one part on one visit, then when he'd saved up, went back and bought the other part

Edited May 19, 2023 by rab

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

Ah, but the Hatton’s model includes a very good box!!!

 

Maybe so, but the Hornby Magazine model would include a "PRISTINE" box!

 

[MrWolf]

9 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Ah, you young uns! Back in the day there were no easily obtained overdrafts, credit cards, spare money trees etc, you bought what you wanted with the money you had in your pocket, and that meant having patience, unlike the current me, me, me and I want it now attitudes which seem to prevail.

 

Mike.

 

Back in the day.... That's why I bought my first car when I was fifteen. By the time I was seventeen, I had it welded, painted and the cracked engine block repaired and that included learning how to do all of the above myself!

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, PieGuyRob said:

https://www.hattons.co.uk/1291404/dapol_hm010_po06_diesel_brake_tender_b964038_in_br_green_special_edition_for_hornby_magazine_pr/stockdetail

 

This from hattons, or, this from Hornby Magazine?

 

https://shop.keypublishing.com/collections/models-automated-collection/products/br-diesel-brake-tender

 

🤔

 

Today's Golden Chisel Award goes to....

[kevinlms]

19 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Ah, you young uns! Back in the day there were no easily obtained overdrafts, credit cards, spare money trees etc, you bought what you wanted with the money you had in your pocket, and that meant having patience, unlike the current me, me, me and I want it now attitudes which seem to prevail.

 

Mike.

Who's young or rich?

 

So I wouldn't have purchased any of the kit, until I could afford to buy the important bits. Stuff like paint/couplings etc could wait. But the basics would be important to me.

No point buying the kit as per box, then finding out later that the motor was discontinued! I've done that sort of thing before - eBay and the like does overcome that particular issue, because potentially you have a worldwide market.

Edited May 20, 2023 by kevinlms
More info

[kevinlms]

11 hours ago, rab said:

I remember my dad telling me how he bought a (hand) drill, (the ones with the gear wheel on the side that you caught you hand in if you weren't careful). in Woolworths (remember them)

 

At that time Woolworths were known as the 3d & 6d store, everything was threepence or sixpence.

(similar to today's pound shops). Because the drill cost a shilling, it was sold in two parts.

He bought one part on one visit, then when he'd saved up, went back and bought the other part

At one time tender locos came as complete, or as seperate locos and tender. Now why did this latter practice die out? Because it was impractical.

As did CKD kits - as simply not worth the trouble for makers, from customers who thought that the few pence they saved would be great. But many lost parts and so became a liability to manufacturers, so the idea abandoned, never to see the light of day again.

I believe that the EM2 CKD was last available in 1970. I thought about buying one, but the Woodhead line, was a low interest for me. As not made of money, certainly as early teens then, I didn't buy one, even though I saw them in shops brand new, long after 1970. Not a great selling item?

Edited May 20, 2023 by kevinlms
Missing words

[Swissrail]

1 hour ago, kevinlms said:

I believe that the EM2 CKD was last available in 1970. I thought about buying one, but the Woodhead line, was a low interest for me. As not made of money, certainly as early teens then, I didn't buy one, even though I saw them in shops brand new, long after 1970. Not a great selling item?

I had the EM2 CKD kit. I think I got it as a Christmas present around 1968. The two OLE masts and about 15 inches of wire that were included in the box gave me my lifelong interest in electrification!

[Enterprisingwestern]

5 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Who's young or rich?

 

So I wouldn't have purchased any of the kit, until I could afford to buy the important bits. Stuff like paint/couplings etc could wait. But the basics would be important to me.

No point buying the kit as per box, then finding out later that the motor was discontinued! I've done that sort of thing before - eBay and the like does overcome that particular issue, because potentially you have a worldwide market.

 

1 hour ago, kevinlms said:

At one time tender locos came as complete, or as seperate locos and tender. Now why did this latter practice die out? Because it was impractical.

As did CKD kits - as simply not worth the trouble for makers, from customers who thought that the few pence they saved would be great. But many lost parts and so became a liability to manufacturers, so the idea abandoned, never to see the light of day again.

I believe that the EM2 CKD was last available in 1970. I thought about buying one, but the Woodhead line, was a low interest for me. As not made of money, certainly as early teens then, I didn't buy one, even though I saw them in shops brand new, long after 1970. Not a great selling item?

 

I'm assuming you're younger than me because, back in the day;

There wasn't the range of items to buy, so things going out of stock was less of a worry, and if the shop was a META member it would be odds on that a decent range would be held.

The "slight" saving of a few pence on purchase tax for CKD was a worthwhile amount when you didn't have much money in the first place, similarly with kit cars.

 

Mike.

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, kevinlms said:

As did CKD kits - as simply not worth the trouble for makers

 

CKD kits were a means of circumventing Purchase Tax and so were quite cheaper than the RTR equivalent.  They were worth it for Triang/Triang Hornby because Margate manufactured all the bits and had them to hand. An assembly line would probably produce a run of a particular kit for an afternoon now and then, depending on demand.  The low parts count of the era also made the kit practicable.

 

CKD was discontinued in the early 70s in the run up to the introduction of VAT in 1973, which had different rules and wouldn't provide a tax break equivalent to that under Purchase Tax.

 

[kevinlms]

37 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

 

I'm assuming you're younger than me because, back in the day;

There wasn't the range of items to buy, so things going out of stock was less of a worry, and if the shop was a META member it would be odds on that a decent range would be held.

The "slight" saving of a few pence on purchase tax for CKD was a worthwhile amount when you didn't have much money in the first place, similarly with kit cars.

 

Mike.

Perhaps I am younger than you, I'm 66. But as I suggested before, I've never been rich. So I know all about catalogue items/numbers staying the same for decades and I know what a META member was.

There used to be one near my grandmothers home, not that I had money to spend there - least of all on models that didn't interest me - none of the CKD models did and anyway gone by the time I could afford them!

[kevinlms]

3 hours ago, Swissrail said:

I had the EM2 CKD kit. I think I got it as a Christmas present around 1968. The two OLE masts and about 15 inches of wire that were included in the box gave me my lifelong interest in electrification!

I always preferred the AC locomotives. I eventually purchased a couple of Hornby Class 86s & a couple of Lima Class 87. Never did buy any OLE.

[The Johnster]

13 hours ago, kevinlms said:

At one time tender locos came as complete, or as seperate locos and tender. Now why did this latter practice die out? Because it was impractical.

As did CKD kits - as simply not worth the trouble for makers, from customers who thought that the few pence they saved would be great. But many lost parts and so became a liability to manufacturers, so the idea abandoned, never to see the light of day again.

I believe that the EM2 CKD was last available in 1970. I thought about buying one, but the Woodhead line, was a low interest for me. As not made of money, certainly as early teens then, I didn't buy one, even though I saw them in shops brand new, long after 1970. Not a great selling item?

 

Trix ‘Trainmaster’ range were their version of CKD; I had a Western, and IIRC the Britannia and Standard 5MT were also available in this form.  It was a way of circumventing purchase tax, the predecessor of VAT.  As kits, they were very simplified and could be assembled without glue, everything either clipped or nut/bolted together with the screwdriver and spanner in the kit, and there was no painting.  My Western took me about fifteen, maybe twenty, minutes from opening the box to (successfully) test running, and included a lit headcode panel.  You saved about 30% IIRC, and there were no discounts or offers in those days, so it was worth doing!

Edited May 20, 2023 by The Johnster

[Swissrail]

On 19/05/2023 at 17:45, PieGuyRob said:

https://www.hattons.co.uk/1291404/dapol_hm010_po06_diesel_brake_tender_b964038_in_br_green_special_edition_for_hornby_magazine_pr/stockdetail

This from hattons, or, this from Hornby Magazine?

https://shop.keypublishing.com/collections/models-automated-collection/products/br-diesel-brake-tender

I wrote to Hattons and pointed out this fact to them. Their response was classic early 21st century euphemistic focus-group generated claptrap:

 

"Thank you for contacting us today.

Our pre-owned items are priced by our expert pre-owned team according to a variety of factors such as current market, availability and currency demand and use this data to accurately value the items in our pre-owned range."

 

Annoyed by such blatantly rhetorical drivel, I responded:

 

"Your "team" is not very expert if they can value a second hand item that is available new from the manufacturers at more than double their retail price. Your statement is complete twaddle designed to disguise the fact that you're a bunch of utter chisellers preying on the ignorant."

 

So there! 😁

[PieGuyRob]

22 minutes ago, Swissrail said:

I wrote to Hattons and pointed out this fact to them. Their response was classic early 21st century euphemistic focus-group generated claptrap:

 

"Thank you for contacting us today.

Our pre-owned items are priced by our expert pre-owned team according to a variety of factors such as current market, availability and currency demand and use this data to accurately value the items in our pre-owned range."

 

Annoyed by such blatantly rhetorical drivel, I responded:

 

"Your "team" is not very expert if they can value a second hand item that is available new from the manufacturers at more than double their retail price. Your statement is complete twaddle designed to disguise the fact that you're a bunch of utter chisellers preying on the ignorant."

 

So there! 😁

That's excellent. Hopefully they will take it on board and adjust prices accordingly, but, I fear that is merely a pipe dream. If they did they might have less second hand stuff cluttering up their shelves.

I wonder what their reply will be?😊

[John M Upton]

I am becoming increasingly convinced that companies and organisations are now far more interested in composing pretentious buzzword laden meaningless drivel and setting up increasingly larger Department of Stupid Ideas than they are of actually conducting business these days. 

[The Johnster]

So, their expert team is pre-owned (they stated it to be an expert pre-owned team, right?).  It is good to hear that they’ve replaced the inexperienced intern at long last (he/she was there long enough to become highly experienced at being inexperienced), but one has to wonder if the second-hand expert team were put on the market by their previous owner because they were so bl**dy useless…  I hope they came in a good box!

 

Mendacious chisellers.  With mendacious chisels. 
 

I, too, wonder what their reply will be; bet it’s a repeat of the first, pro forma style. 

[SteveyDee68]

3 hours ago, Swissrail said:

Annoyed by such blatantly rhetorical drivel, I responded:

 

"Your "team" is not very expert if they can value a second hand item that is available new from the manufacturers at more than double their retail price. Your statement is complete twaddle designed to disguise the fact that you're a bunch of utter chisellers preying on the ignorant."

 

So there! 😁

Bravo, sir! Bravo!!

 

Now, I don’t use the Twittering service thing as recently purchased by the “genius”* Elon Musk, but apparently most companies these days use it. I wonder if any of the denizens of this list who are less Luddite than myself when it comes to such things might want to post something about items being available direct etc on their Tweeter Feed - I’ve heard that doing such things with the likes of British Gas, United Utilities and BT (to name three other incorporated bunches of mendacious chiselers chosen at random) gets tangible results!

 

HOURS OF FUN!

 

* Apparently named as such by no lesser authority than … his mum! 🤣

[gwrrob]

26 minutes ago, John M Upton said:

 pretentious buzzword laden meaningless drivel 

 

Also known as bullsh*ttery.

[Phil Parker]

4 hours ago, Swissrail said:

I wrote to Hattons and pointed out this fact to them. Their response was classic early 21st century euphemistic focus-group generated claptrap:

 

"Thank you for contacting us today.

Our pre-owned items are priced by our expert pre-owned team according to a variety of factors such as current market, availability and currency demand and use this data to accurately value the items in our pre-owned range."

 

Annoyed by such blatantly rhetorical drivel, I responded:

 

"Your "team" is not very expert if they can value a second hand item that is available new from the manufacturers at more than double their retail price. Your statement is complete twaddle designed to disguise the fact that you're a bunch of utter chisellers preying on the ignorant."

 

So there! 😁

 

So you wrote to Hattons, they replied, and you fired back some abuse. Well done. Your parents must be proud of you.

[Steamport Southport]

5 hours ago, Swissrail said:

I wrote to Hattons and pointed out this fact to them. Their response was classic early 21st century euphemistic focus-group generated claptrap:

 

"Thank you for contacting us today.

Our pre-owned items are priced by our expert pre-owned team according to a variety of factors such as current market, availability and currency demand and use this data to accurately value the items in our pre-owned range."

 

Annoyed by such blatantly rhetorical drivel, I responded:

 

"Your "team" is not very expert if they can value a second hand item that is available new from the manufacturers at more than double their retail price. Your statement is complete twaddle designed to disguise the fact that you're a bunch of utter chisellers preying on the ignorant."

 

So there! 😁

 

So you are an expert at retail then.

 

Might be worth considering that Hattons have been in business since the 1940s.....

 

They've got one. When the Hornby Magazine models sell out, they'll probably still have one. How much will it be worth then? It's basic capitalism. They aren't a charity doing people a favour.

 

 

Jason

[Chris M]

When I occasionally look at Hattons secondhand it does seem laughably over priced. So I merely don’t look their very often if I am after something. Telling them that have got their prices wrong does seem to be a strange way to waste time. They know far better than us what they can sell at what price. 

[Swissrail]

2 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

So you wrote to Hattons, they replied, and you fired back some abuse. Well done. Your parents must be proud of you.

I wouldn't know. They're both dead.