Stock Indicators and Stock Levels

Stock Indicators

Under the title of each product, on it's product page, is shown one of three different indicators:

Stock Level: In Stock - The item is in stock but stock levels are not high.
Stock Level: Good Stock - The item is in stock either in good quantities OR we have stock and can get more quickly.
Stock Level: Service - The item is provided as a service. For some models, the item will be special order - this will be shown clearly in the title or description. Spare parts also all show as Service - with spare parts we hold a very large inventory but also draw every 48 hours from supplier stock - you are best to order spares - anything not available will be posted on without further delivery charge as soon as it comes in, or you can simply ask us to cancel and refund outstanding items at any time. Due to the way that Tamiya (in particular) give multiple codes to some items, our large in store stock, our graveyard of kits continually being broken down and variable day to day stock levels at the importers, we regret it is actually impossible to quickly answer the obvious question of "how many do you have.".

Stock Policy

Items marked Pre-Order: Items marked Pre-Order are not yet released, we are taking orders on these items for fulfilment when the maker releases stock to us. The makers give guide dates in their catalogues but in general these are not overly accurate. Although you can pay for express delivery on pre-orders, this will only improve the delivery speed when the item leaves our warehouse. Pre-payment with Paypal or Credit Card is permitted, although we tend to advise that buyers do not pre-pay for diecast models due to the slow supply many ranges are currently exhibiting. Choose Pre-Order for payment and we will only charge on release.

All Large Items: All large items such as RC Cars, Scalextric & Hornby Sets, Hornby Locos, Slot Cars etc we adjust stock levels on DAILY. If the item is available to purchase it was in stock during the working day. Now, obviously, sometimes we'll have a low stock on some lines and there is a possibility that it may sell out - in these circumstances we will ALWAYS contact you as soon as we receive your order, and if you've paid we will process a full refund if you don't want to wait for a restock.

All other items: We carry a vast inventory of stock. Everything shown as available to order is either (1) In Stock or back in within 48hrs as it's a stock line that's booked in on a pending delivery or (2) an order-in line that our suppliers maintain good stock of - and that we can get usually in only a few days. Items that are order-in will show as stock level Service.

Order In Lines: This applies to some (by no means all) RC spare parts, some more expensive or unusual radio control kits and a small number of replenishable diecast models - if we don't have the part or model you've requested we will order it up the same day we get your order. Usually we get two or more deliveries a week from every one of our suppliers, so there is no significant delay.

"But XYZ shop says they have all this available for dispatch within 24 hrs?" Yes, we know of a specific one of our "competitors" who's web site implies they have £100000's of stock, and also claims to ship everything within 24 hrs. We also know that this particular 'store' works out of the back room of a terraced house and in fact orders in a large percentage of the items they claim to stock. We do hold the stock, we also have the booked deliveries, the clue is that we have a real shop and don't hide behind a PO BOX address - and as a legitimate business who's been around for years, we will always put our hands up and tell you when we can't supply.

Do you need to ask if we have it: If you ask if we have an item in stock, you will get a reply that's only accurate to the moment when we reply. If you then order 3 days later (as many people strangely do) you run the risk of someone beating you to the item.

Do we have 15 of X or 12 of Y? Unless you're asking about a commodity item such as Hornby track, then we're not going to keep that many in stock. We'll order them in for you. It will only take a few days.

Amazon and eBay: As many of our customers initially come to us via one of our Amazon or eBay stores, we are often asked about stock on there. As a rule it's the same stock. We employ a sophisticated control system which should ensure that items that sell on one site are updated on the others. This is relatively reliable but not infallible though, and can take time to update.