JC ShallProlific poster1,515 posts JC ShallProlific poster Wrong! . . . Amazon recently built a HUGE distribution center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where we have inventory taxes. Did I mention that this place is HUGE? 😁 Reply22
Guessing Amazon doesn’t locate warehouses in any of those states that tax inventory.
MustangokFrequent poster975 posts MustangokFrequent poster Wrong! . . . Amazon recently built a HUGE distribution center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where we have inventory taxes. Did I mention that this place is HUGE? 😁 Same here in an inventory tax state (which really must provide at least some disincentive for keeping good stocks on hand). I'm guessing without knowing, that materiel passing through a distribution center is not counted against Amazon as inventory. At any rate it's easy to imagine that special deals are cut for mega corporations to bring their operations to a given area. Kent B Reply44
lamingSuper User4,079 posts lamingSuper User Here's the email I just received minutes ago: My name is Joe Grubba, and I'm the President of Factory Direct Hobbies. Today, I'm reaching out with some exciting news. I'm thrilled to share that MB Klein and ModelTrainStuff.com are now part of the Factory Direct Hobbies family. We're an American company based in Arden, North Carolina, and we're passionate about our hobby and the model train community. I know that the recent changes in ownership and the unexpected shutdown have caused a lot of confusion, disappointment, and even anger. I want you to know that I hear you. These are feelings we never want our customers to experience, and I'm truly sorry for the stress and inconvenience this has caused. As we move forward, I want to assure you that our team is dedicated to not only bringing back the ModelTrainStuff.com you know and love, but also making it even better. We're committed to maintaining its unique identity and ensuring that it remains your go-to source for all things model trains. Here's what we're working on: Faster Shipping: We're improving our logistics to get your orders to you quicker and more reliably. Rewards Program: We understand how much the rewards program means to you, and we're committed to bringing it back in the best way possible. While our ultimate goal is to restore your previously earned points, we kindly ask for your patience as we carefully review the program to ensure its future feasibility, sustainability, and fairness. A Familiar Team: We're delighted to welcome back John Weigel, MTS' Customer Service Manager, to provide continuity and experience. Additionally, we're reaching out to other previous team members to bring back the expertise and familiarity you've valued in various departments. Improved Search: We're enhancing our website's search capabilities to ensure you can easily find the products you're looking for. Independent Identity:ModelTrainStuff.com will keep its distinct spirit, brand, and website, providing the specialized experience you've come to appreciate. While we're eager to relaunch the site, we want to make sure everything is just right. We don't have a set date yet, but we promise to keep you in the loop. Please visit our landing page at www.modeltrainstuff.com to sign up for updates. Your feedback is incredibly important to us. If you have any thoughts, concerns, or suggestions, please reach out to customercare@modeltrainstuff.com. This is a journey we're on together, and your input will help shape the future of ModelTrainStuff. Thank you for your patience and for sticking with us through these changes. I believe that the best is yet to come, and I can't wait to share this next chapter with you. Warm regards, Kansas City & Gulf: Ozark Subdivision, Autumn of 1964 The "Mainline To The Gulf!" Reply55
joefMRH Founder17,680 posts joefMRH Founder Interesting! Sounds like they’re bringing back Model Train Stuff as its own website just as it was, but with improvements. Good strategy if they do it well. Joe Fugate Reply44
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine
YoHoProlific poster3,186 posts YoHoProlific poster On the side conversation about inventory taxes. Most inventory work the companies I've worked for have to do is actually for asset management and depreciation schedules. Aka how long does it count as an asset on the books. Which does factor into taxes, but isn't an inventory tax. For example the person discussing IT inventory. That is almost assuredly for asset management. $100k servers depreciate and that needs to be counted for on the books Reply22
draftpointNew member22 posts draftpointNew member @SeeYou190 - Quote: "I read two articles and just decided that the whole system is stupid beyond belief." You couldn't have said it any better... 👈😁 Reply22
CandOfanProlific poster1,608 posts CandOfanProlific poster Interesting. modelstrainstuff.com appears to be operating on someone else's behalf, as it is advertising only Lionel stuff. Not sure what's going on there. I had a look at FDH's site the other day, and I'll be placing an order next week. Modeling the C&O in Virginia in 1943, 1927 and 1918 Reply33
TenpennyActive Member57 posts TenpennyActive Member All my years in a wholesale business, assets were assets, inventory was inventory. Inventory is goods you stock for sale. Assets were things like computers, equipment, furniture. They were very different things. Reply44
David Emerydeemery2Prolific poster1,561 posts David Emerydeemery2Prolific poster Interesting. modelstrainstuff.com appears to be operating on someone else's behalf, as it is advertising only Lionel stuff. Not sure what's going on there. I had a look at FDH's site the other day, and I'll be placing an order next week. PURE Speculation: Maybe the idea is to use the ModelTrainStuff brand for O/Lionel and Factory Direct Hobbies for HO/N. dave Modeling 1890s northeast US Reply33
Rodney EdingtonRods UP 9000Regular poster177 posts Rodney EdingtonRods UP 9000Regular poster Don't think so. They said they are going to try to bring the rewards points back to MBK. So I would think that HO and N was their largest part of the business, that they would try to bring those customers back to MTS/MBK. Later Rodney https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/western-pacifics-feather-river-canyon-sub-12804908 Reply44
PURE Speculation: Maybe the idea is to use the ModelTrainStuff brand for O/Lionel and Factory Direct Hobbies for HO/N.
rb10deActive Member89 posts rb10deActive Member Looks like the MTS website is back up and working under a pre-launch status. I got an email advising that an item I was interested in was back in stock. I didn't have much time to look at the site closely but there doesn't appear to be much difference at first glance. Rick Reply55
NCR-BoomerFrequent poster523 posts NCR-BoomerFrequent poster The 'back end' seems to be at least functional for the site, I managed to login and see my previous purchases. Site link is https://www.modeltrainstuff.com in case you tried following other links on this thread. Tim B. Reply33
SeeYou190Prolific poster1,882 posts SeeYou190Prolific poster I saw an explanation that all previous rewards and points were restored. Then I could not log into my old account. -Kevin Living the dream and happily modeling mySTRATTON AND GILLETTERailroad in HO scale. The SGRR is a freelanced Class A railroad as it would have appeared on Tuesday, August 3rd, 1954, in my personal fantasy world of plausible nonsense. Reply33
Rob GalbraithNew member24 posts Rob GalbraithNew member I have had good experiences with Factory Direct with locomotive preorders as well as buying in stock items. I have probably been buying periodically from them for 8 years or so. Modeling an HO proto-freelanced CSX line in the Pittsburgh area on a 16 foot shelf layout. Recovering N Scaler. Grandson of a Union Railroad locomotive engineer and great-grandson of the URR's Duquesne Yard supervisor. Reply44
rb10deActive Member89 posts rb10deActive Member I saw an explanation that all previous rewards and points were restored. Then I could not log into my old account. -Kevin I was able to log into my old account. The few rewards points that I had left were restored as was my order history. I didn't do much looking but I did check out inventory for two manufacturers. I had been buying Diecast Masters Caterpillar equipment for my quarry scene. They are no longer available. The other manufacturer I looked at was Plastruct. In recent years MTS would only have a few items. They currently show 259 different items in stock. Not the entire catalog but better than it was although they don't seem to have elbows and tees. Luckily I am done with the project that I needed those for. I didn't have time to look at rolling stock or locomotives. (I also didn't want to be tempted.) Rick Reply22
Neal MFrequent poster581 posts Neal MFrequent poster I was able to get into my old account and see my points. I did check some of the manufacturers, and a few were a little light on inventory. Hopefully they will add more. Neal Reply33
craig3Regular poster339 posts craig3Regular poster I was able to log on as well. All my past info and orders are there, but no points. I thought I had some built up, but maybe they expired as I hadn't ordered in a while. It does state that this is a "Pre-Launch" phase and more will be coming, so don't log on expecting to see a huge inventory. Craig Reply22
JwmutterRegular poster369 posts JwmutterRegular poster I thought Factory Direct was in the Midwest, but the address given on the MTS website is Arden, NC? Jeff Mutter, Severna Park, MD Reply22
Chuck StuettgenFrequent poster538 posts Chuck StuettgenFrequent poster I was also able to log in. I only placed one order with them back in Dec 2020, but the order history was still there. I'm actually quite impressed with how well they seem to be doing reviving their digital presence. The fact they expended the effort to recover all the customer account data and order history speaks to how much value they put on that information. It would have been all too easy to just start fresh with a blank database and ask everyone to just create a new account. Chuck S. "It's a hobby not a race." What I tell people when I'm asked when my layout will be finished. Reply44
David Emerydeemery2Prolific poster1,561 posts David Emerydeemery2Prolific poster I was also able to log in. I only placed one order with them back in Dec 2020, but the order history was still there. I'm actually quite impressed with how well they seem to be doing reviving their digital presence. The fact they expended the effort recover all the customer account data and order history speaks to how much value they put on that information. It would have been all too easy to just start fresh with a blank database and ask everyone the just create a new account. Chuck S. Yeah, very few companies have been successful taking over customer information in an order system. That's an excellent sign for their investment in the business! dave Modeling 1890s northeast US Reply22
gmpullmanProlific poster1,212 posts gmpullmanProlific poster I got an email earlier this week from ModelTrainStuff informing me that an item that I had placed a 'want' request was now in stock. I went to the site and logged in without a hitch. Glad to see them rise from the ashes and I hope they will begin refilling their inventories soon. Regards, Ed Travel and Sleep In Pullman Safety and Comfort! Reply33
john holtRegular poster404 posts john holtRegular poster Sadly, I always found Factory Direct Trains to be higher priced than other vendors. I really can't remember the last time I made a purchase there. I got some of my best deals through M B Klein/Model Train Stuff. Just my 2 cents........John Reply33
