Members' Sales

[The Sales Team]

Blair: I think you are shown in the timetable as

         'Q  -  runs as required'

But your help is appreciated anyway, as always.

The Sales Team.

[Hobby]

Yep, that sounds about right!¬!  8)

[The Sales Team]

Just a note to all Members to thank you for your patience while the team have been 'on holiday' and below strength over recent weeks, especially if emails have gone unanswered or packages delayed. The good news is that the team is getting back to what passes as normal, although we're not all quite there yet (okay - some of us haven't been for a long time now...)

We had hoped to get a Listing out last week - we're aware it's been quite a while since the last one - but there was a lot to discuss and catch up on (and extra doughnuts to be eaten) so it will have to wait for now - our apologies. There's only so much that can be achieved in one morning, unfortunately.

The Sales Team.

[The Sales Team]

We're pleased that the listing finally saw the light of day last weekend, and produced a gratifying response which kept the team busy last Thursday. We could have sold one item nine times over! - and apologies to all those who were disappointed and missed out on it. Sometimes you have to move fast (and stay up late)!

Hopefully some plump envelopes will be dropping onto doormats over the next few days...

The Sales Team.

[cnw6847]

See and purchase from the members sales next Saturday in Beccles, Suffolk.

See details in the Exhibition Publicity section.

[Stephen Rainsbury]

Hopefully some plump envelopes will be dropping onto doormats over the next few days...

Indeed they did thank you
Stephen :-)

[The Sales Team]

The Sales Team are sorry to inform members that the Members' Sales Service will be suspending operations for the time being. This is in a large part due to the current coronavirus emergency which makes it very difficult for the team to meet to undertake their duties.

We therefore ask that, until further notice, members do NOT send items for sale to our Colehill (Wimborne) postal address as they will not be dealt with. Anybody who sent items which arrived there after 12th March or handed in any items at Narrow Gauge North please email us to discuss how we deal with them. However, if you are really keen to sell items you can post them to:  009 Sales, 1 Corinthian Road, Chandlers Ford, Southampton, SO53 2BA, and we will endeavour to value them and send you a cheque (if you accept our valuation) in due course.

Members can still email Sales with queries etc. but no individual orders will be taken for the foreseeable future. However, it may prove possible for a Sales Listing to go out at some future date, when members who have already registered for such lists will automatically receive notification.

As far as our presence at shows and other events goes, the current situation is that they have all been cancelled until at least the Skills Day at Pewsey on 1st August, so we will sadly be unable to serve members at shows until they resume.

We are sure members will appreciate the situation and we assure everyone that normal service will be resumed just as soon as we are able to get up and running again.

Best wishes,

The Sales Team.

[Hobby]

Something that came up in a discussion on NGRM may be worth "airing" on this thread. Over the past couple of decades the amount of RTR 009 has increased a lot, but that's nothing compared with Continental HOe. I think(?) that most of the current sales team are more into traditional 009 rather than the newer HOe (excepting Minitrains, obviously!) and would like to offer my services should they be unsure of the value of the more modern HOe stock. Prices for the Liliput Uh (for example) are now nearer (if not above) the £200 mark due to it's limited production and non availability  and whilst I wouldn't expect the Society to sell for that price it's worth knowing that so the Society can post a realistic price both for buyer and seller.

[The Sales Team]

Thanks for this offer, Blair.  We'll have a chat about it tomorrow and let you know!

At present we are otherwise preoccupied with setting up the online sales site of which more news to everyone soon...!

The Sales Team.

[MickT]

Blair,
Good idea and I hope that your extensive knowledge of these things will be accepted and utilised. In the current transitional circumstances may I suggest that it would be a good idea to put your proposal into writing and email it to Julian Evison, the Chairman and to Lee Bryant, Sales Officer, both have contacts published in 009 News. This to ensure that your proposal/offer is properly recorded and will be addressed.

Mick

[Hobby]

Thanks, Mick, in view of their reply which acknowledges my offer, I'll leave it with them for the time being, more important things for them at the moment!

[Julian Evison]

Blair,

Thanks very much for the offer (and no need to put it in writing because now both Sales and I have seen it); I am glad that the Sales Team have already responded as they progress getting things going again in very changed circumstances.

Julian

[The Sales Team]

Hi again, Blair -

We did indeed discuss your kind offer of help yesterday and thank you for it. We have just begun sorting through no fewer than nine boxes of stock which have recently arrived from the continent (that's the part of Europe which lies across the [English] Channel) so it was particularly timely.

Our current main sources of intelligence on HOe and the like are Alan Hamer, one of the team members who knows quite a bit about these things, reference to commercial prices online and occasional anecdotes which come under the general heading of 'eBay madness'. But additional help is always welcome and we will be in touch as and when required.

One comment which arose out of our discussion was that whatever the 'true' value - on eBay or wherever - of an item, if such a thing exists, the main question for the Sales Team is 'What do we think is the best price we can get for it?' Given the relatively limited demand for Continental HOe in the UK (and we recognise that some members are elsewhere) we may decide that - if we want to shift the item - we may need to opt for a somewhat lower price than might be charged elsewhere. While we obviously want to give the seller the best price it does have to realistic - at the end of the day any item is only worth what the relevant market is prepared to pay for it. Obviously if you're a potential buyer the take-home message is always to check 009 Sales first for the best deals - but that is always the case, hopefully!

Finally, we hope that if and when we ever again find ourselves at a local event or show we might benefit from your personal presence and help behind the Sales stand, as you have kindly done in the past.

The Sales Team.

[Hobby]

No problem. I think, certainly for German/Austrian and further East I could give you a ballpark figure and then it's up to you. I wasn't expecting you to adhere to the price I give you, simply use it as a guide. "eBay madness" isn't always madness, though, whilst we may think it's high it may well be the going rate for the item due to it's rarity, it's too easy for people based in this country to think a price is "madness" for an HOe item when it's anything but. So although £200 for a Liliput Uh might seem mad to many 009 modellers it's not.

[The Sales Team]

While we're naturally sorry that we can't sell you anything right now, either at a show or online, the Sales Team are planning something new to offer to members, namely an online

               Instruction Manual Library.

We are currently assembling a collection of various spares sheets, manuals and similar paperwork which we can make available to members online. Clearly the more items there are in the library the more useful it will be, so we are asking for members' help in making contributions to the library.

At present we have about fifty sheets which mainly give details of Continental / HOe locos.  These show not only how they are put together but also, more usefully, how to get them apart and maybe attempt repairs or modifications. It's clear already that foreign manufacturers are much better at providing these instruction sheets, so any UK contributions would be especially welcome. Any paperwork which might be useful to members would be gratefully received.

The project is being masterminded by our 'spares and repairs' guru, Alan Hamer, and he would be pleased to receive any leaflets or similar paperwork at:   spares@009society.com

Just email him a copy, ideally in PDF format, or drop him an email if you have any queries. The plan is for the library to hopefully be available in a few weeks' time with the information being viewable / downloadable from the Society website.

Thanks for any help you can offer,

The Sales Team.