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MicroMark General discussion
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Frequent poster 711 posts Rick Beatty hbgatsf Frequent poster 711 posts
Rick Beatty hbgatsf
I got an email saying that their loyalty program was ending in October.  The last time that happened to me the retailer was sold a few months later.  

Anyone know what the scoop is?
Rick
Reply 2
Goober Frequent poster since 2014 2,155 posts
Goober
I think the past few years of the pandemic has caught up with them. Plus they have raised their prices quite a bit. The overall economy for Micro and other has not helped. They've been around for a very long time and don't think they are going anywhere. However, I do see changes in their operation. When I built my first O Scale layout they were instrumental as i had no hobby shops in my area, and Amazon , and others had not train items available back then. I spent a small fortune with them but Like Scenic Express, they had great customer service, excellent shipping, and decent prices. I recently bought their new paints. Great product. If the economy ever shapes up, I think we'll see some robust activity from them...
Luck = labor under correct knowledge'          
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Reply 4
Rick Beatty hbgatsf Frequent poster 711 posts
Rick Beatty hbgatsf
Before Al Gore invented the internet if you weren’t lucky enough to have a good LHS nearby you would need to peruse the ads in magazines or order from the MicroMark catalog/mailer.   I never ordered much actual train stuff from them but many of my hobby tools are from them.  You could generally count on the quality even if the price was a little higher.  

I still feel that way about their tool offerings and customer service is still good.  I bought a pricey table saw a couple of years ago that had a faulty power switch.  I contacted them and they offered to replace the saw.  I told them I would save them the cost of shipping if they would just send me a new switch and not void the warranty because I worked on it and they agreed.  It was an easy fix.  

I won’t miss the loyalty program all that much but I will be disappointed if they go away.  
Rick
Reply 3
Andy Reichert Super User 2,253 posts
Andy Reichert
I remember buying some very simple metal working items from them soon after they first appeared. But I noted everything iron came from India.
 
I haven't kept up with them at all since the early days, but I suspect that as resellers of many cheap imported items, the tariffs are really hurting them.
 
The problem with much of our low volume MR needs, is that there are no US manufacturers to switch to. Ditto for many other hobbies.
 
Andy
Reply 3
Kevin Parson SeeYou190 Prolific poster 4,556 posts
Kevin Parson SeeYou190
I might be wrong about this, but I seem to recall that in the early days of laser-cut wooden structure kits, Micro-Mark was the best source for N scale models. I seem to recall ordering quite a few from them.
 
I also bought my first paint booth from them, but I don't think they got much more of my money.
 
-Kevin
Living the dream and happily modeling my STRATTON AND GILLETTE Railroad 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.
Reply 2
Goober Frequent poster since 2014 2,155 posts
Goober
I think it's just the economy more than tariffs . Imported items under $800.00 are tariff free.  I remember years ago 1960s as a kid everything model RR related was through mail order from ads in magazines. Funny, I never had a problem getting what I needed. Of course we were all used to having less and doing more with we had..
Luck = labor under correct knowledge'          
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Reply 1
David Emery deemery2 Prolific poster 3,481 posts
David Emery deemery2
I think it's just the economy more than tariffs . Imported items under $800.00 are tariff free.  I remember years ago 1960s as a kid everything model RR related was through mail order from ads in magazines. Funny, I never had a problem getting what I needed. Of course we were all used to having less and doing more with we had..
Uh, the "under $800" rule, the "de minimus exemption" was cancelled.  And that's apparently why foreign mail to the US has dropped by 80%!  
 
I've always had mixed feelings about Micro-Mark.  Sometimes I've gotten some great stuff on sale.  But generally their prices are pretty high.  The quality is good, their hex shaft pin vises run true, unlike others I've gotten at train show tool booths.  And I gave them a product suggestion they took, but never got an acknowledgement/thank you.  
 
dave
Modeling 1890s northeast US
Reply 4
Goober Frequent poster since 2014 2,155 posts
Goober
I know Model-U, in England was getting hit a 18% tariff by the Royal Post, to US customers. Then a few days later they canceled that tariff and mail from him is back to normal...Was never ceap, but is manageable.
Luck = labor under correct knowledge'          
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Reply 1
Rick Beatty hbgatsf Frequent poster 711 posts
Rick Beatty hbgatsf
Sometimes I've gotten some great stuff on sale.  But generally their prices are pretty high.  
Bingo. The key to shopping at MicroMark is to be patient and only buy when there is a sale or you have a coupon. If you are lucky you can cash in on both.
Rick
Reply 4
David Emery deemery2 Prolific poster 3,481 posts
David Emery deemery2
My favorite Micro-Mark anecdote was when they sold a $1 eyebrow brush as a $7 "static grass rake".  😎
 
dave
Modeling 1890s northeast US
Reply 6
TomO Prolific poster 1,280 posts
TomO
Bingo. The key to shopping at MicroMark is to be patient and only buy when there is a sale or you have a coupon. If you are lucky you can cash in on both.
They used to have a booth at the Mad City train show. It’s when they were pushing their compressor free airbrush. Got lots of coupons from them which is the only times I purchased from them.
 
i doubt they’d fold up but I could see them selling out. No matter how long the tariffs stay  it’s going to take time for the markets for these smaller vendors to come back. Does MM have a strong enough financial backing to weather the next few years? Heck does Walthers?
Reply 3
Mark B New member 27 posts
Mark B
I used to get MM catalogs regularly. Haven't see one in ages. I was a hit and miss buyer and only if it was on sale. I did buy a sprue shear about a year ago. It was defective. They said keep the old one and they sent me a new one. Great service and would hate to see them go away.
 
Mark B.
Reply 3
CandOfan Prolific poster 2,306 posts
CandOfan
I'm not much of a fan of MM. If I have a problem to solve and I don't know what tool will do it, I go look at what they offer. Sometimes they offer something I've never heard of. But then I go try to find the original manufacturer. It's always a LOT less. I'm a service-oriented customer, so I am fine with paying more for the service. I used to patronize my LHS for precisely that reason (and got lots of good advice from them). However, I'm not keen on paying 50-80% markups for that.
 
As far as the catalogs - yeah, you're right. Up until a year or two ago, I used to get catalogs from them fairly often. Haven't seen one in quite a while.

Modeling the C&O in Virginia in 1943, 1927 and 1918
Reply 1
chepp Super User 290 posts
chepp
I have 1,508 loyalty program points. Wow! I could use them on my next order to get....nothing. I would need another 492 points to get $5 off.
 
Anyway, I buy a couple of oddball tools from MM each year or two. Absolutely the best for me is this:
It's great for spraying diluted cement for scenery because it give a soft spray that doesn't blow the scenery material or ballast away even when I'm close up and want to really soak it. The downside is that I only get about 3 minutes of spraying* before I have to spray plain water through it to keep it from clogging**. I ruined the first one then, when they went on sale, I bought two more. Despite knowing I shouldn't exceed 3 minutes I did. Now I've only got one left. They're $13 each (but they were $8 on sale a couple of months ago).
 
*1/3 matte medium or Woodland Scenics scenic cement, 1/3 91% isopropyl alcohol, 1/3 distilled "wet" water
** Once clogged I haven't been able to unclog it. The sprayer is NOT designed to be disassembled and nothing I did externally could fix it.
See my MRH Journal at https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/charleys-ho-1939-socal-journal-12472209?pid=1333937494
Reply 1
David Emery deemery2 Prolific poster 3,481 posts
David Emery deemery2
I have 1,508 loyalty program points. Wow! I could use them on my next order to get....nothing. I would need another 492 points to get $5 off.
 
Anyway, I buy a couple of oddball tools from MM each year or two. Absolutely the best for me is this:
It's great for spraying diluted cement for scenery because it give a soft spray that doesn't blow the scenery material or ballast away even when I'm close up and want to really soak it. The downside is that I only get about 3 minutes of spraying* before I have to spray plain water through it to keep it from clogging**. I ruined the first one then, when they went on sale, I bought two more. Despite knowing I shouldn't exceed 3 minutes I did. Now I've only got one left. They're $13 each (but they were $8 on sale a couple of months ago).
 
*1/3 matte medium or Woodland Scenics scenic cement, 1/3 91% isopropyl alcohol, 1/3 distilled "wet" water
** Once clogged I haven't been able to unclog it. The sprayer is NOT designed to be disassembled and nothing I did externally could fix it.
That's not a bad price.  I bought some similar bottles on Amazon for $21, although i've seen similar there as low as $6.  And yeah, they do work well.   I keep 'wet water' in one and alcohol in another.  For spraying matte medium, I've used regular spray bottles.  
 
dave
Modeling 1890s northeast US
Reply 1
Lirrlirr Regular poster 420 posts
Lirrlirr
I used to get MM catalogs regularly. Haven't see one in ages. I was a hit and miss buyer and only if it was on sale. I did buy a sprue shear about a year ago. It was defective. They said keep the old one and they sent me a new one. Great service and would hate to see them go away.
 
Mark B.
I still get their catalogs….
Reply 1
Goober Frequent poster since 2014 2,155 posts
Goober
I've been getting their catalogs up until a few months ago. I think if you don't order after a certain period they stop the catalogs...
Luck = labor under correct knowledge'          
[259338%2F9466822%2Fmceclip0]
Reply 2
Dave B datbruce Active Member 73 posts
Dave B datbruce
I was just looking at their website and their model railroad inventory, at least in HO, is next to nothing.
Modeling a small section of a hypothetical AT&SF mainline extension from Denver to Cheyenne WY. Go Birds!
Reply 1
Rick Beatty hbgatsf Frequent poster 711 posts
Rick Beatty hbgatsf
I was just looking at their website and their model railroad inventory, at least in HO, is next to nothing.
It has been that way for a long time. I don't think I have ever bought anything train related from them. They have a large offering of tools and such.  
 
 
Absolutely the best for me is this:
It's great for spraying diluted cement for scenery because it give a soft spray that doesn't blow the scenery material or ballast away even when I'm close up and want to really soak it.
That sprayer is great. I never used it for glue so thanks for the tip that it will clog. Now I know to never use it for that.
Rick
Reply 0
Everett Union Station lst Sub. Regular poster 225 posts
Everett Union Station lst Sub.
Around 2008-9 I bought quite a few Bachmann Spectrum locos (steam) from them when they had really good sale prices on them, which was fairly often.  No longer the case looking at their catalogs I received over the last couple of years.
 I do have to say that I bought a tweezers style sprue cutting tool that is the best I've ever used, around that time and it's still sharp!  
 
They were never (almost never) the cheapest source but, especially for new modelers, their catalog (and online catalog these days) is a great resource for learning what kind of tools and gadgets are out there.  
 
Some of their "copied" products like the original Northwest Shoreline chopper clone weren't always of the same quality and being a guy who usually respects the effort an original manufacturer/seller  put into their , then, original product/design I usually try to purchase from that originator.
E.U.S. GN lst Sub
Reply 1
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