|
Pre-Orders
Pre-Order
Discounts -
Our suppliers give us an additional discount if we pay them
within 5-10 days of shipment. In most cases that means we
have
to write the check the day the shipment arrives. We pass
this discount on to our customers who place a timely Pre-Order and have a valid credit
card on file with us. Customers with a valid CC# on file
are processed
automatically and always get Pre-Order pricing on items
they Pre-Ordered by our posted order date.
Occasionally we accept Pre-Orders from customers who wish to
pay by USPS (or foreign postal service in $US) Money Order.
Those items must be paid for within 10 days of our e-mailing
the customer of the amount before a reservation will be recorded. After
10 days if payment has not
been
made we
reserve
the
right to release
the
item
to other reserve orders or inventory.
Pre-Order
Policies -
As dealers we like to think a Pre-Order is a binding contract.
For that reason we have gone into the retail market
to locate items
that our distributors failed to deliver on several releases.
We lost money on each item but we kept our commitment.
We ask customers to keep their commitments too. However, we
understand that things happen and people sometimes lose their
jobs etc. We accept cancellations, the first time with a smile.
Later reservations will require a deposit.
We have
noticed recently a large percentage of modelers making
reservations "lightly" and then canceling when their spouse/significant other
finds out. In most cases we commit cash (non-cancelable) on
the order date and may be left with the item in inventory.
It's not a great situation as it forces us to consider if
we should put a cancellation factor into the calculation of
how many units we order. No business (from General Electric,
to EMD, to Fairbanks-Morse, to us) has unlimited capital to
throw at inventory.
Modelers that don't honor their commitments cause strains
to business' cash flow.
Please
be prepared to provide a credit card number, expiration
date and CVCC code
either by phone (505-298-7177), fax (505-323-2419),
or by splitting your CC# over more than one e-mail. We
no
longer
accept
reservations from customers for purchases
to be paid for by money orders without pre-payment.
It's a case of the few that ruin it for the many. Sitting
on items waiting for payment costs us valuable financing
dollars.
We've had some items here for over 4 months.
Also, be sure your reservation e-mail includes your
FULL NAME. At our pricing structure we can no longer afford
to refund shipping to Australia for items that were supposed
to go to Texas because both customers use their first name
as their e-mail name.
Still
Confused about Pre-Orders?
Please consider that this is the way we pay the
rent, utilities, salaries, and put additional items in inventory. Taking
Pre-Orders allows us to order enough to cover known demand.
We're not independently wealthy -- we simply enjoy model railroading
and hope to provide the service to modelers that we wanted
to receive before we opened.
We attempt to gauge (ok, guess) how many will be ordered after
the order deadline plus enough to allow us to have the item
in stock for 45-60 days after shipment by the manufacturer.
Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we don't.
Occasionally when an item is not likely to be produced
again (C&EI RS-1325s for example) we order beyond
our guess to have a few for longer than that.
Those new to
the hobby may wonder why people Pre-Order
new items and why we ask for Pre-Orders.
Below are some reasons that might help you understand why:
- Manufacturers make limited
runs of most products. Usually they try to make just
enough
for the market to handle. This allows for the increased
variety of products but not perpetual manufacturing
of the
same products. These items tend to be built to order.
- When products are built to
order Pre-Orders are very helpful to us. Pre-Orders
enable us to order enough products to fill customer orders.
If we dont get Pre-Orders for a product we may not
order it at all.
- Manufacturers may also allocate
a product. This means that there is a limited production
capacity. In order to produce a high quality product in
a reasonable amount of time there may not be enough products
produced to fulfill overall demand. This is very limited
production. Pre-Orders are always recorded on a first-come first-serve basis.
|
Invalid
Credit Card Numbers and Declined Purchases
We
need an e-mail address and phone number to contact you in
case your Credit Card declines your purchase.
Please be certain that you provide an accurate account number
in your e-mail or fax. If you call it in we will repeat it back to you.
If the charge is declined for an invalid account number or simply
declined we will make one attempt to contact you.
If we are not able to contact you or get the charge cleared
within 10 days of the initial attempt, we will return the
product to stock.
|
A
Note on Stock Status:
Virtually every page that lists products on
our website includes these phrases:
Not all items can be
in stock at all times.
Due to minimum order requirements and shipping charges
we "bunch" up
re-orders to save you money.
Note: Not
all of the items on any page may be in stock or available but the information
is provided for reference purposes.
|
Regarding
Stock Checks:
Inventory is a fluid commodity. It changes by the hour (sometimes by the minute).
To operate within our pricing structure we maintain stock levels designed
to turnover 6+ times each year. We cannot guarantee stock status till we
have an order in hand. All product is subject to prior sale. If we confirm
that we have it, and, while we are waiting for payment info it sells,
you would be
upset that
we did not
hold it.
We used to hold items but learned a VERY EXPENSIVE lesson. When items
are held for customers’ orders, the order never materialized 80%+
of the time. We lose out on the orders placed while the item was on hold.
Also,
we
waste
staff
time that could be used to pull actual orders.
Since we are well known for finding older stock, the fact that it is
not on our shelves at this minute does not mean we can’t get it.
So, we don’t do stock checks without an actual order having been
placed.
|
Pricing
on our Website:
We strive to show both the Pre-Order Price
and the In-Stock price on items that are available for
Pre-Order. We do this to show the savings you could realize
if you
Pre-Order the item.
We try to announce on our Wig-Wag,
LLC News Page when a "Pre-Order-able" item
ships to us. That gives you several days to place a last
minute
Pre-Order and still take advantage of the additional discount
offered.
However,
even if the ship date to us isn't announced (Athearn
just
ships w/o notice to us), when the item arrives In-Stock
pricing applies. We will not change the listing to
remove
the Pre-Order price. That info is retained to show new customers
the benefit of Pre-Orders. When we determine an item
is
absolutely no longer available, as
time permits, we will indicate
it as sold out.
We
also reserve the right to correct errors and change prices
(based on changes in MSRP or manufacturer pricing policies)
without prior notice.
|
Discounts
We
discount Pre-Order orders by 35% (Ex: $145 retail is
$94.25 Reserved) and,
in stock items by 30% (Ex: $145 retail is
$101.50 In-Stock)
for the following manufacturers:
Atlas tools, books
and electrical items are discounted 20%
Atlas and Kato track
components are discounted a flat 32% off MSRP. NO
bulk pricing is offered to us on purchases less than
$10,000(our cost) so please don't ask for a bulk price
on purchases smaller than $12,000(your cost).
We discount Pre-Order
orders by 30% and,
in stock items by 25% for the following manufacturers:
Athearn
We discount Pre-Order
orders by 28% and,
in stock items by 25% for the following manufacturers:
We discount Pre-Order
orders by 35% and in stock items by 32% for
the following manufacturer:
We discount Micro-Trains
Line monthly releases reserved by OUR
posted monthly due-date by 28%. In-stock items
are discounted 20%. Micro-Trains
trucks, couplers, detail parts and Z-Track are discounted
20%.
Other
- We order in other product lines regularly.
We have
similar discounts on these product lines as well.
|
Other
items or 'late' requests
There
are several distributors that do not offer the 'normal'
pricing structure
in the industry. Those distributors are what we refer to
as 'short discounters'. They may not be the most up-to-date
but
they sometimes have stock on hand for months or years after
all others are sold out. We try to keep digging up little
known items but ones that people want (we hope). However
if
a 'short discounter' sells an Atlas loco to us at only
33% off MSRP we can't sell it to you at 35% off MSRP. In
those
cases please understand that our pricing is controlled
by their pricing and our price may be @ a lower discount
than
normal. |
Hold
for Shipping
This
is one of our customers' most popular features. It
is an option you elect. We
will hold ALL your orders for up to 45 days in order for other
announced or out-of-stock items to arrive. We do, however,
have to have a credit card on file in order to run the charge
for the item we are holding. If we don't charge promptly,
it ties up capital, costs us more to do business, and we will
be unable to continue to offer you our current pricing structure.
We will not charge for the shipping until the package goes
out the door. You should note that once you request Hold-for-Shipping,
it applies to all orders. It is not possible
to manage a listing that has multiple exceptions. If you request
to come off Hold-for-Shipping then you will be off for good,
no exceptions.
Time
is a major factor in financing any business. Our pricing is
based on getting things out as quickly as possible when they
come in. You may combine Pre-Order purchases with other
in-stock items. However, we cannot send e-mails to people
who want to add to their Pre-Order when it arrives. |
Advance
notice of charging credit & debit cards
Please
budget for your purchases. Some customers have asked to
receive advance notice prior to charging their credit or
debit cards for their Pre-Order purchases. If
we must send a notice and wait for your response we can't
take advantage of prompt payment discounts and will charge
you the full retail price. Please
check our news page
often. We post notices of shipping to us on major items
when the distributors advise us. However, some lines just
show up w/o notice to us including: Athearn, deLuxe Innovations,
Red Caboose & Intermountain. In those cases we try to
announce when they arrive and MAY extend the reserve period
BRIEFLY. |
Privacy Policy -
please read
|
FAQ's page -
please read
|
Returns:
In ALL cases contact us before sending anything back.
Any return w/o contacting us first and getting authorization
from either Debra or George will be assessed a 20% re-stock
charge.
If you change
your mind about wanting a reserved item before it ships
to us and we can adjust our order, no-problem.
However once the item ships to us, or our order is locked
in there will be a 20% re-stock charge on any cancellation
or return. Items in scales other than N or Z scales (and
MTL HOn3) are considered Special Order and are non-cancellable,
non-returnable.
When
we goof - (it happens -- we're human) we may elect to send you
a check to refund any
overcharge
and the shipping cost for the item sent in error. For regular customers we can credit the overcharge to future purchases.
In some cases it is cheaper to credit you with a
refund and you keep the item so we occasionally do
that.
Warranty
Issues:
If an
item is less than you hoped for but is what the manufacturer
produced, the warranty is with the manufacturer. The manufacturer
should be contacted after you contact us.
Do not return
any item to us without authorization by either Debra
or George. No other person has the authority to
authorize a return.
Most manufacturers have a repair or replacement policy within
90 days of purchase.
Also, most want you to return the item directly to them.
This reduces the time involved in resolving the problem
(getting you happy) and wasted shipping charges. Insurance
and Damages in route:
Please understand that every item we send is securely packed.
As
appropriate, items are wrapped individually in bubble
wrap.
Then they are boxed and the box is filled with
packing "bubbles" or "peanuts". Occasionally
(about one in 1000 shipments) a package is damaged by the
carrier.
If damage occurs in shipping and you did not elect insurance
we cannot replace the item. If you elect insurance
then you must file a claim with the USPS or your country's
postal service. |
|
|