How dedicated is everyone to supporting their local hobby store? They've got a heli I want that would be about $545 with tax. But I can get the same heli brand new on ebay for $450 shipped.

Would depend on if they're trying to rip you off. I was going for a local hobby store despite their higher prices, but then they sold me a kit with shoddy and mismatched parts and tried to sell me the replacement parts even tho the kit was junk. I bought a few more spare parts and most of them didn't fit and insisted i was doing it wrong (later looked it up and learned that the parts i got were for a different model!!!). Last straw was when they sold me a tail set that was shorted and ended up turning my GeniusCP into a sparkler. I dropped them and bought replacement parts online instead. So far, every component bought online fit perfectly even tho they were cheaper.

I don't twist peoples arms not to buy from them, but i do give out warnings and don't include them in my recommendations. The newbies will learn by themselves. So far most of them are switching to different hobby stores as well. Unfortunately, not all the locals are capable of buying online (no credit card), so they end up going back to them anyway.

It's hard to support a local hobby shop when the price for the same heli is $95 more.

The only advantage I can see in this situation, is that you could open the box at the local hobby shop and inspect it throughly to insure all parts are there and no damage.

With e-bay or any online site, it's always a crap shoot on the contents of the box.

Originally Posted by choppersrule

The only advantage I can see in this situation, is that you could open the box at the local hobby shop and inspect it throughly to insure all parts are there and no damage.

Except when you buy a kit and you wouldn't know the holes were stripped, screws were missing and things don't line up until you take it home and actually start putting it together.

Went to my local shope, a couple items and over $100 . I could of got the same items for about 25 to 3 online. NOT! going to the local anymore

Thanks guys. I decided to postpone the heli purchase as I found a sweet multirotor on the forums here. But yeah, I'll have to ponder some more on just how much more it's worth paying to buy local.

My 2 LHS are pretty useless, 1 is never open and the other doesnt seem to carry or know much about helis. He has one little shelf of Blade helis and some replacement parts, the rest of the place is full of over priced plane and car stuff, plus its a tiny strip mall shop. I dont feel bad at all using the internet for all my purchases. But its also being that there arent many heli guys around here.

my local hobby shop has become a toy store . even though they claim to to be a hobby grade hobby shop . and its like revisiting high school days again . if you are not part of the popular group and racing cars then its like trying to get help from a walmart floor worker . plus they have nothing for align helicopters nothing spektrum and so on . now if i want anything i have to drive 60 miles away (if i want same day) to another shop. or order and wait .

My "local" (60 miles away) hobby shop carries blade but nothing CP, only the basics and no Align even though they are a franchise store (HobbyTown). No interest in cp helis I am told. Not even an mcpx in stock. This lead me to go ahead and order my Genius CP online instead of sticking with the Blade line. If I have to order online anyhow, well, the Genius was simply a much better value with the programmable tx. They could have ordered cp helis in for me but if I have to wait for an order to come in, may as well wait and have the order delivered to my door.

I feel like I live in a "dry" area of the country here... are there really no heli freaks in South Dakota? Doing a search for rc hobby shops in the entire state brings me back a list of three, including the one that doesn't carry any cp helis!

Jim

Originally Posted by jcmors

My "local" (60 miles away) hobby shop carries blade but nothing CP, only the basics and no Align even though they are a franchise store (HobbyTown). No interest in cp helis I am told. Not even an mcpx in stock. This lead me to go ahead and order my Genius CP online instead of sticking with the Blade line. If I have to order online anyhow, well, the Genius was simply a much better value with the programmable tx. They could have ordered cp helis in for me but if I have to wait for an order to come in, may as well wait and have the order delivered to my door.

I feel like I live in a "dry" area of the country here... are there really no heli freaks in South Dakota? Doing a search for rc hobby shops in the entire state brings me back a list of three, including the one that doesn't carry any cp helis!

Jim

WELL SINCE YOUR POST I REALY THOUGHT I HAD IT BAD . but you win by far

Originally Posted by trucker41

WELL SINCE YOUR POST I REALY THOUGHT I HAD IT BAD . but you win by far

LOL well this is one time I would have preferred to "lose"

My second post here.

I'm like some of the others, my local hobby shop only carries Blade and Heli-Max, they mostly carry RC Car / Boats / Planes. Plus they're pretty rude too. The next closest, good, LHS is 25 miles away, so with the cost of gas these days, it's usually less in shipping. But you do have to wait.

I've cut back in my fleet over the last 3 years, currently I have a Trex 500, Mini-Titan E325 and a Chaos 450. Also, three multicopters, 450 size quad, a 550 size hex and a home built H-quad that's 24 inches x 24 inches.

My lhs specialises in helis also, the prices are the same or cheaper than online. For example, they sell he 130x for $10 cheaper

there is one hobby shop about 10 miles from my house and I've never been inside. the place looks run down even though it's open all the time it seems. I haven't even seen any sort of advertising for it.
the next nearest store is a 45 min drive according to Google.
Online is just more convenient overall.