Stock, what stock??

[milly0812]

I get what your saying, and i totally agree but i'd hate for our shops to disappear!! I get the whole sales makes stock and stock makes sales argument. I've had the same conversation with guys at the field about the stock levels at Midlands, Fastlads, Align-Trex, skyline and various others but in the next breath they will say how they saved 10p by ordering from spain or germany and it just angers me that they are moaning about UK stock availability but they are grey importing and not supporting the shops.

Dave I've said this before in other threads, you cannot support a shop that is not stocking what you need. I'm all for buying local but it's just not possible atm. The demand is still here but the shops are not keeping up with the demand. Why the hell should I make 3 separate orders from 3 separate shops and pay 3 X shipping when I can get it all from one place overseas ? For one as a working man who isn't home when the postie calls I'd rather just one trip to the PO to pick up my delivery.
And regarding the big mikado order there weren't any NEO vlink at all and I was straight on the link when the email arrived. Things like blades are pretty much consumables and always in demand as are canopies booms skids etc etc
i don't buy the Brexit argument, whether a set of blades costs £80 or £110 we still need them and regardless of the state of the British pound we will have to pay more if we buy them from Germany or here.

[Peteski]

i don't buy the Brexit argument, whether a set of blades costs £80 or £110 we still need them and regardless of the state of the British pound we will have to pay more if we buy them from Germany or here.

All well and good IF the shops can actually afford to buy the stock AND the demand actually does remain the same at the higher prices. Not suggesting Brexit is the sole cause of the low stock issues, but I hardly think it's helped either.

[cjm180]

Thinking about it, a few years ago if a shop didn't have stock, they would say something like " we have a shipment coming in next week"

now a days it just seems to be "we don't have it. Out of stock and don't know when they will be in..."

[DaveG]

Thinking about it, a few years ago if a shop didn't have stock, they would say something like " we have a shipment coming in next week"

now a days it just seems to be "we don't have it. Out of stock and don't know when they will be in..."

Very true, perhaps this is a knock on effect of a larger problem. Not just shops struggling and not carrying as much stock as they used to but a supply problem with the distributors and manufacturers not having the stock either??

[cjm180]

Yeah, I honestly can't see it being the manufacturers. There is nothing about this kind of issue on helifreak from what I have seen.

[p4ddy]

I blame quads. Oooops sorry I mean 'drones'

[dan4132]

Thinking about it, a few years ago if a shop didn't have stock, they would say something like " we have a shipment coming in next week"

now a days it just seems to be "we don't have it. Out of stock and don't know when they will be in..."

I have had that same reply last week when asking for info.

[KevDavies]

My 2p

Ive been keeping an eye on shop stock as I want to build up a stock of spares. You know me I crash a lot. Theres never any 690 blades in when I have money to buy them, The spares for all brands Even Align, SAB and Mikado are pitifully low.

The spares and consumables are bread and butter of the model trade. If they arent stocking them then the hobby is in dire straights indeed.

I had quite a lengthy chat the other day with a shop owner and the problem is stemming from importers not bringing the items in. And these importers have sole rights with the manufacturers so they cannot buy them direct.

I was after a fairly specific item, the shop who is the distributor didnt have it neither did anyone else. How are we supposed to deal with that??

I have sinced placed 2 orders from europe, 1 from Aerobertics, and 1 from World of Heli. Everything I needed instock at World of heli for yup helis, and the plane thing instock at Aerobertics.

And please lets not think its a heli only thing, its fixed wing aswell.

Unless the distributors start stocking and supplying the shops, Im sorry to say the model trade in the UK is all but doomed. I dont wanna buy from abroad and I know a lot of the model shop owners quite well, and want to support them. But unless the importers start to support the trade then were all buggered.

I think the acid test will be Weston Park. Lets see how many shops are there and what there stock levels are like. I just hope for the sake of the hobby, it starts to turn a corner and soon

[ChrisB]

I blame quads. Oooops sorry I mean 'drones'

Me too

[Crashalotjoe]

Surely this can only be a demand issue. The problem seems to be accross the board, all items from all manufacturers are affected so it's not an individual importer, distributor or shop problem. If the demand was there (other than the few posting here) the shops would be clamouring for stock and the importers/distributors would be doing likewise. There doesn't seem to be a supply problem in Europe or the US so it is unlikely to be a manufacturer problem.

I've noticed a couple of times that when new stock comes in, it's in very small quantities and the stock disappears pretty quickly. The shops are not ordering much because they are not seeing the demand is my guess. It's frustrating because my levels of demand have not dropped off but I guess that is not reflecting the general situation.

[mahbouni]

The shops are not ordering much because they are not seeing the demand is my guess.

My 2 pence... I think most of the individual shops would order from their UK distributors if stock was available. When stock arrives in one shop it tends to come in stock in the other shops soon after. So I think the problem is the distributors aren't ordering enough reserve stock. I think they're just ordering the minimum amount to fulfill existing orders from the shops they supply. There are 2 reasons why they would do this;

1. Lack of cash flow. They don't have enough money to make a massive order and hold 6 month's supply of stock in their warehouse.

2. Risk. They don't want to risk ordering too much stock in case the £ goes back up and they could buy it cheaper later, or the demand drops and they can't sell it.

[Crashalotjoe]

My 2 pence... I think most of the individual shops would order from their UK distributors if stock was available. When stock arrives in one shop it tends to come in stock in the other shops soon after. So I think the problem is the distributors aren't ordering enough reserve stock. I think they're just ordering the minimum amount to fulfill existing orders from the shops they supply. There are 2 reasons why they would do this;

1. Lack of cash flow. They don't have enough money to make a massive order and hold 6 month's supply of stock in their warehouse.

2. Risk. They don't want to risk ordering too much stock in case the £ goes back up and they could buy it cheaper later, or the demand drops and they can't sell it.

I think your 2nd point probably sums it up. When demand is pretty low and variable, holding any real level of stock is a risk. The shops are ordering minimum quantities when they know the demand is there (i.e. People requesting parts or using the email notification facilities) and so are the distributors/importers.

I'm not sure where this is going to end. More and more people are having to buy from Europe because the UK stock is just not there. There must come a point where this business model becomes unsustainable.

[Peteski]

We run an accountancy business and in the last year we've seen many small businesses suffering due to the present economic conditions and especially so if dependent on imports (rising costs due to exchange rates etc). Demand is also falling in the UK market in most sectors. So I'm not surprised that a fragile business like RC helis appears to be hard hit. Unfortunately I don't see things improving in the foreseeable future and will most likely get worse. My prediction (and I hope it doesn't come true) is that some of the shops will die off and the remaining few will serve the reduced demand at premium prices. In other words the hobby will get more expensive, with less choice and few sales.

[mahbouni]

We run an accountancy business and in the last year we've seen many small businesses suffering due to the present economic conditions and especially so if dependent on imports (rising costs due to exchange rates etc). Demand is also falling in the UK market in most sectors. So I'm not surprised that a fragile business like RC helis appears to be hard hit. Unfortunately I don't see things improving in the foreseeable future and will most likely get worse. My prediction (and I hope it doesn't come true) is that some of the shops will die off and the remaining few will serve the reduced demand at premium prices. In other words the hobby will get more expensive, with less choice and few sales.

I'm struggling to disagree with you but can't find any evidence to support the opposite.

[Peteski]

I'm struggling to disagree with you but can't find any evidence to support the opposite.

I wish I could disagree with myself, but the economy is what it is i.e. seriously messed up with all the recent political games.