Help me stock my LHS

[DaneBramage]

So... I was @ my local HS and I was complaining to them that they need a "model guy" there because the owner is a train guy, and they have an RC guy but their plastic sucks. I ask them how they stock their plastic the answer was "I get what the distributor recommends..."(we all know what that means) Their Model Master Paints are lame I asked if they had RLM 65 and he said "Those letters are supposed to mean something to me?" No Acrylic in the house except Tamiya Spray paints!!

 

Anyway I gave them basically a sales pitch that they need to beef up the plastic section and get some good paints and maybe they will make some money from their plastic.

 

Anyway the owner's wife (who stocks and orders everything) was paying attention----Longer story much shorter:

 

They are moving to a bigger space in the same strip mall and have asked me to help with the stocking and maybe work part time. I talked with Wrangler98 who has to go an hour north to the only decent hobby shop in the state. He thinks it's a good idea. This place is 40 min closer to him.

 

Help me please compile a list of good kits for them to stock I want to focus on the better kits by Trumpeter,Hasegawa RoG, for the big stuff and Academy and Hase for the 1/48 then some suggestions for good 1/72 and 1/144 kits.

 

I appreciate the help so when they pull the trigger on this I have a decent list of what they should order. Definitely the new Tamiya P-51 but I want to keep a nice variation in prices so when deals jump up they can capitalize on them.

 

TIA guys.

 

John aka Dane Bramage

[Cunumdrum61]

I'd be careful with Hasegawa kits. Their prices are crazy and if the owners do not want a large portion of thier cashflow tied up in plastic I think you'd be better getting other brand name kits. Most people I know order Hasegawa out of Hong Kong etc as they are cheaper even with postage.I'd go with Revell Germany kits before Hasegawa kits.

[Guest]

Defently get MM acrylics. They do sell well. My lhs has a very good selection of them and one of the main reasons I do buisness there. Also Floquil. Train guys like them for some reason. Just a sugestion....Harv

[BradG]

Just keep it simple, get in a selection of good quality kits and make sure the prices are reasonable. Brands like Tmiya and Revell are a good starting point. I would avoid trying to appeal to the enthusists, so I wouldn't bother with resin or etch sets.

[Dave J]

You want things like bread and butter....

 

You can never go wrong with things like P-51's, 109's, 190's and spitfires

[LSP_Matt]

I'd be inclined to see if you can get some expert/consult help, even if it costs you a fee. I have no idea but some advice from someone like Gordon at Sprue Brothers might be possible. I'd think he'd have a good idea of what sells and what is going to be dead stock. I would have thought the distributor might have had a good idea of what sells and what doesn't.

 

I think the other thing to consider is the demographic that the LHS will be selling kits to. Plenty of guys on LSP have worked in hobby shops, some even owned them so they also might be good sources for private information exchange. Tim Carrol from LSP could give you good advice.

 

I like Brads idea of keeping it simple to begin with. Ultimately when you're stocking their shelves for them it might not be so much about what cranks your tractor but what is going to sell. Rarely Trumpeter come up with awesome clearance prices. More often its Dragon that if you buy at the right time might offer you great deals on large orders of their kits.

 

HTH...

 

Cheers Matty

[Royboy]

Don't forget the cheap kiddies pocket money stuff that you can get from Airfix and Revell.

Also it wouldn't hurt to have some made up stuff on display to inspire prospective customers.

It's surprising how many LHS's don't have anything built up for displaying the products that they sell?

You need a small but good range of everything, stick to the basics for now and see what turns up! Good luck.

[Neo]

Definitely simple and cheaper stuff to get thing going Like revell 1/48 F-18,F-16,F-15 BUT im sure it would be a good thing to have a couple Hasegawa for the occasional deeper pocket customer.

 

For paint Humbrol enamel are great for people that are hand brushing as it auto levels out real nicely

[big matt]

My awesome lhs does an insane amount of business with die cast airliners. It started out as a small part of the shop but has become a monster. As a result, the amount of quality plastic kits has skyrocketed, armor, ships, sci-fi and most importantly, aircraft. They poll their base of regulars for data on what paint they like and buy as well. I do think one other important factor is the discount they offer to regulars and club members. It allows me to get kits ordered for the same price (roughly) as online and I still get to support a brick and mortar shop.

 

Big business is the instant gratification kid stuff and the die cast collector stuff. That feeds the stuff the hardcore modeller is trying to buy.

 

Just a thought.

 

Good luck.

[Black Sheep One]

My awesome lhs does an insane amount of business with die cast airliners. It started out as a small part of the shop but has become a monster. As a result, the amount of quality plastic kits has skyrocketed, armor, ships, sci-fi and most importantly, aircraft. They poll their base of regulars for data on what paint they like and buy as well. I do think one other important factor is the discount they offer to regulars and club members. It allows me to get kits ordered for the same price (roughly) as online and I still get to support a brick and mortar shop.

 

Big business is the instant gratification kid stuff and the die cast collector stuff. That feeds the stuff the hardcore modeller is trying to buy.

 

Just a thought.

 

Good luck.

 

It's good to keep the planes stocked but don't forget that a lot of people like to build armor as well and cars.

As for paints, I'd sugest to get some Vallejo acrylics and some Tamiya as well.

[mywifehatesmodels]

Good suggestions, so far and I have to second what Black Sheep One has stated, above. Armor and cars sell. What may interest you, may not be a good reflection of the market. I know that if I were to stock a hobby shop with what I wanted, it would not sell in my area. If you have a local club, or know of other modelers in your area, get them in on this and see what their wants/needs are. If you get enough of those guys together, you can also request what you want and the LHS isn't just stocking their shelves for you (and you have to figure that what they need to charge is probably going to be more than what you can buy for online, so it's gotta be something you're willing to support them on).

 

My .02

 

John

[Juggernut]

First Question to be Answered: Is there a market for plastic models where your LHS is located? The two of you, however important, do not make up a market by yourselves, no matter how much money you spend . Speaking strictly from a business standpoint, you'll need to determine what you can get by the distributor's your LHS uses; not all distributors carry the products you may want. Don't be afraid to shop... Distributors can be very competitive if you're spending a large sum of money. Having said that, what type of budget are we looking at and the time frame that this needs to be accomplished? In other words, how much money are they willing to invest and when do they want the products on their shelves? Second, who is your customer? As you've said, your LHS is primarily a train stop, your customers are, at least initially going to be those folks who are looking to either supplement their hobby with a plastic model or they may dabble in plastics on the side. The dedicated plastic modeler such as yourself will not stop there unless there's a reason; now you're giving them the reason. You've got to market the new line in addition to just putting it on the shelves or people will never know you've got it. Having been in the retail hobby business for a few years myself and in the United States, there are some things that sell really well as far as plastics are concerned: cars, race cars (particularly NASCAR stock cars) and modeling supplies (paint, glue, etc). Yes armor,ships and aircraft do sell but unless you've got an entire market made up of people like us, stocking shelves with only aircraft and/or armor is a recipe for disaster. Space/Science Fiction models sell, somewhat along the lines of aircraft and armor and should be included in the intial purchase. I would avoid as much as possible, the expensive, niche market kits like the 1/32 Tamiya kits. It may be good to have one, maybe two of these kits but the idea is to turn the inventory as fast as possible and these kits just won't do it at the prices LHS need to charge. DON'T make the critical mistake of thinking that what you build and how you bild is what everyone wants/needs and therefore thats what you need to order for the hobby shop. I've seen this done on more than one occiasion and needless to say, these shops closed long ago. If at all possible, do a survey of customers that frequent the shop and see if they, or anyone they know builds plastic models, what their interests are (as far as type of plastic model they'd buy) and would be likely to stop at your LHS and browse.

 

 

Third, look at the Wal-Marts, Craft stores and other retailers in the area (5 - 10 mile radius) and see what they're selling for plastics. Note the pricing on the kits and see if the LHS pricing can compete. If not, don't. These stores will usually carry a smattering of kits like I've mentioned above and the craft stores may carry a rack of Testor's paints and some other accessories. These stores normally carry Revell/Monogram kits and maybe a few AMT kits. If it looks like the margin on these types of kits won't be enough to justify the expense for the LHS, diversify the selection to the less known (in the layman's experience) manufacturers such as Hasegawa, Fujimi, Tamiya, Dragon, etc. Then hit the customer hard with the advantages of these manufacturers over what's stocked at other retail outlets in the area...be a salesman. If there's a HobbyLobby or similar nearby, you'll need to really concentrate on beating their prices (which usually isn't hard, except when they have 30-50% off sales). Now there is something to be said for Customer Service. In the stores that I've just mentioned, there is usually nobody there that actually builds the kits or has the knowledge/experience you will bring to the LHS. This is a competitive advantage but you've got to try and get them to buy the kit at the LHS as well as the supplies and free advice. This will be difficult as customers today are extremely price conscious. The most important thing with respect to sales is "know your customer". I cannot stress that enough. Don't sell a 930 piece kit to a person who's built one or maybe two kits in their lifetime or has just re-entered the hobby. What I mean is discourage the purchase based on their limited experience and show them something less complicated but similar (if possible). If they insist on purchasing the kit, forewarn them about the difficulty they may have in assembling the kit. (forgive me if this is obvious, but in my 8-10 years experience in this business, giving someone a kit to build beyond their experience level just leads to frustration and turns them off to the hobby; which is exactly what you don't want to do.) Even for the best of us, small parts are the boon of many a model maker.

 

 

A brief word on modeling supplies.... The generic stores that carry some supplies such as tube glues, basic hobby knives, etc.; try to carry similar, but better quality products in addition to the basics that the generic stores carry. The generic stores carry them for a reason, but they don't offer the customer a choice between brand x and brand y; brand y being slightly more expensive but much better.

 

 

A brief word on distributors: Sometimes, distributors have sales on certain items. Be very cautious about these sales. Sometimes they're kits/accessories/supplies that are not popular and don't move well or there are minimums you have to buy (i.e. cases of the same model) to get the sale price. Other times, it's just an overstock. Knowing your customer is vital. If there's a super sale on items that are "iffy" don't bite, they'll end up as dust collectors and wind up in the bargain bin. If there's a modeling club in the vicinity, management may decide to offer a small discount to members for their patronage. If there's not a model club nearby...START ONE! Nothing gets the name out quicker than a bunch of dweebs sitting around tables discussing, showing and building models (I include myself in that statement )

 

 

And this concludes retail plastic model sales strategy and product selection 101. (I gotta say this cause there's more advanced things, as you well know, you can include in the store and I can go on forever and ever about it)

Edited August 22, 2011 by TimC

[spruebrothers]

It ultimately comes down to what his customers/clientele want to buy. None of us online can answer this. The shop owner hopefully know his customers and what they like.

 

I learned this a long time ago when I started Sprue Brothers - it is not what I think is a good kit as the only thing that matters is what your customers think is a good kit to buy.

[Barry]

It ultimately comes down to what his customers/clientele want to buy. None of us online can answer this. The shop owner hopefully know his customers and what they like.

 

I learned this a long time ago when I started Sprue Brothers - it is not what I think is a good kit as the only thing that matters is what your customers think is a good kit to buy.

 

Rock Solid advice Gordon!

[DaneBramage]

Thanks Gordon. This shop's Bread and butter right now is RC planes. This store is a perfect location for a large number of people who's only alternative is an over priced Tamiya based shop that's 15 miles away who's owner is a jerk and nobody likes him. He does RC airplanes too. Then it's another 25 mi from there to the HS where most modlers get their serious plastic. They sell mostly aircraft then armor. But Cars are the cash machine. Nobody is going to pay 40-50 bucks for a car model like Trumpeter expects...Revell/Monogram are king there and their car section is quite anemic as well. I think the right kind of plastic and word of mouth could get these guys the business.

 

The guy bought it as a retirement investment from out of state. Like I said his knowledge is limited but he wisely got an RC guy in there pretty fast after he bought it about three years ago.