Where is all the stock???

[hedge]

Anyone else noticing a general lack of stock across the board in the big 3 retailers? Motors, Batteries, Kits just does not seem to be much about, or maybe it's just what i am look at?

[bigpops]

Put yourself in their shoes.
Would you want to keep stock of something where the price could change substantially given the currency situation?
Almost everything we use in this hobby is imported and paid for in dollars or euros.

[chrisleematt21]

Put yourself in their shoes.
Would you want to keep stock of something where the price could change substantially given the currency situation?
Almost everything we use in this hobby is imported and paid for in dollars or euros.

Yes, if I wanted to stay in business

I've also noticed a lack of stock in various props, batteries kits etc.

[crash-test-tomo]

Its swings and roundabouts though, they obviously dont want to keep shelves full of stock of which the value may change but at the same time if there is no stock we are forced to shop elsewhere and they lose the sale anyway!

[bigpops]

I suppose it depends what the margin is. If you sell at 100% markup, things would have go pretty bad before you lose money.

I know in the PC hardware business, stock is usually bought on 30 days credit. Margins are tight (as you need to be competitive), so you can buy products, sell them at what you think is a profit, then get a bill that works out more than what you sold the items for because the currency took a dive.

[DaveG]

The hobby in general is seeing its quietest period for quite some years, and this will be having a knock on effect to the shops. Shops are having to follow what's sells, and that at the moment is quads or racing quads. I have noted that more shops have drifter from the helicopter specialisms to quads, fixed wing aircraft and other r/c modelling areas.

Plus us as buyers also dictate the behaviour of the shops, how many of us buy outside the uk shop base and 'grey' import our modelling items? I have a friend of mine who buys from the states because they give him a 'discount' even though it cost him more to ship it to the uk and then get stung with import duty and fees he still see's that he is getting a deal so continues to buy from them but then only the other week he was moaning about UK availability... Go figure!

Shops have also become so competitive that margins are tight I'm guessing, this with the weak and shocking pound value and price hickes in the 10-15% arena will no doubt be making matters worse for all. I've seen servos that cost me £116 a few months ago now costing £132.

Unless we want the shops to wither and die we have to help them and buy from them, if they haven't got what you want, ask them to get it for you.

[milly0812]

Its swings and roundabouts though, they obviously dont want to keep shelves full of stock of which the value may change but at the same time if there is no stock we are forced to shop elsewhere and they lose the sale anyway!

Exactly, I know many guys that would have bought if they had been in stock. The shops are losing out by holding out to see where the pound goes. There are many that are blaming brexit but some lipos are up 40% in price and IMO that's bull****

[waveydavey]

Chuffin Brexit a right old game of speculators and hedgers, in real terms what has changed absolutely eff all, an olive still costs the same to grow in Greece or Spain as it did before June the 23rd and it still costs the same in diesel to ship to the UK. It shouldn't be allowed to happen, the UK in manufacturing exports is 11th or so in the World with exports up due to the weaker £. It's a load of old cobblers and a form of control, we're not even out of Europe yet. Anyway the Toon have just gone 1 up against the Villa

[electricsceadu]

maybe the shops should include an order option on their web sites
then perhaps it would keep sales up and the shops open.
if all you see is out of stock your not going to bother again and move to another source of the product

[philipjdall]

Completely agree, I've been waiting for ages to pick up a logo 700, over christmas they had ONE kit in stock, and no stock since. A joke if you ask me. I have emailed and asked but they say 'a few more weeks'. You can order from germany, it'll be here in two days.

I could go and buy direct from miakdo and I may well have to, but i really would like to support the local retailers if possible. Price increases are inevitable - suck it up the pound isn't miraculously going to bounce back overnight!

[milly0812]

Phil the big question is, why should we support our retailers it they're not supporting us it's a two way street or it's supposed to be

[electricsceadu]

we support our local retailer in a hope that they will have or get the spares we need
but if its too much to ask of them then the answer is a closed door on the business no uk jobs
and an internet order

[Ross Northcott]

in the last 2 weeks, i was after a kosmik, 2 x mikado vbars, and a motor for the logo 700, non of which was in stock so i went abroad, all arrived within 4 days, i would have bought from UK but zero stock, if honest it was pretty painless ordering abroad, and i will probably just stick to that from now on if the UK suppliers don't want to carry the gear we need.

[hedge]

its a shame that's for sure, last 4 odd years I've bought mostly from the big three now I am scratching around in Google trying to find stuff, ended up buying a G700 belt from Ireland (the European bit)

[Grumpy]

Maybe the problem is that with the size of the hobby today there is oversupply in the UK market, so individual dealers aren't shifting the products they need to justify holding stock?

Trouble is that them people are forced to buy overseas which only compounds the UK dealers problems..