Last Friday Squadron had 70% all in stock items (which wasn’t much).
Today their website said the store was closed for renovation.
I know they have been going down hill the last couple of years but I never had any issues and always got my product within a couple of days when I ordered from them. Don’t know if this is the end and I know there are other good/better online sellers out there but I would hate to see them go.
I first used them in 1988 and they were my “go to” throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s. Their main competitor was Great Models, which was more like “Wait Models” while you waited for GM to order whatever it was you ordered from someplace else.
I once did an unscientific test between using Squadron and Great Models. GM was marginally cheaper, but some of the stuff I wanted wasn’t on hand so ordering from Squadron would have been the better deal based on getting everything I wanted with one shipping charge.
I last used Squadron in June 2020. Just this Saturday, I clicked their email to check out their 70% off clearance sale. I was amazed that their armor selection did not include many of the major armor brands. It used to be the place to get Tamiya.
I don’t think I’ve spent any $$ on the hobby for the last six months. Of course I have a big stash so it works out.
Im sure at some point we will all be using Amazon Prime.
Bill
I have very good memories of Squadron Shop. I used to buy from them and used their catalogs all the time in the late sixties until recently. ( I still have a few of them). I last got a kit from them last year. I’m lucky that we have couple of well stocked stores in Denver nearby. I do recall driving with a few friends in 1972 or so, from my home in Iowa City to Chicago to a Squadron Shop to have shopping spree. It was fantastic! Squadron really got me into the hobby deeply. Along with Shep Paine and I won’t forget Steve Zaloga, as long as I’m going down memory lane. I’m pretty stocked up so I don’t buy much any more.
I have been using Squadron for a long time and never had any problems with them. I’ve always kept the last years catalogs on file and replace the oldest with the newest.
I’ve got one heck of a stash so I don’t order much except glue and paint lately. Treated me OK so I hope they stay in business.
Jim [cptn]
Stay Safe.
Hopefully it’s to reorganize. They have to realize that today’s customers want mail order items as fast as they used to be able to go to the LHS. Squadrons website was horrendous. I think they all should follow what scalehobbyist has done with their site.
An LHS owner told me about a year ago Squadron was in dire financial starights. They were taking orders from customers and then putting orders in to manufacturers. When they got the stock, youo got the stock. Drop shipping, I think it’s called. Yelp has several scathing reviews. Two years ago, I tried ordering form them at their Black Friday sale to seed our raffle. . Over a month later, I had one model. I called them and spoke to a rep. She told me everything else in my order, listed as “avaiable to order” was on back order with no timeline for delivery. I had to order from the website with her.
“Can I get this?”
“Nope.”
“How about that?”
“Not yet.”
“How about this?”
“Yes.”
“Put it aside right now.”
On and on it went.
That was the last time I dealt with them.
That was basically Great Models business plan (aka Wait Models). It didn’t work back in the day either.
Rob - it was a long tima ago, but I have good memories of doing busines with GreatModels. This shop evolved from a modelling database - something scalemates does now (and probably better). Per definition most of it’s inventory was there for reference only, so you had to carefully read about every item if it’s available (in stock!) or just available (not in stock!) not at all. When I ordered “in stock” items only they arrived on the other side of the pond in just a week or two. And the prices were really good at times.
Now I can understand that labeling a product as “available” when in reality you don’t know when it can be delivered is not a good thing to do.
Thanks for reading and have a nice day
Paweł
Great Models would also hit you up for multiple shipping charges which then made their price that might have been marginally less than Squadron’s not a great deal.
If I remember, they eventually changed their inventory to say “in stock and on hand” so you knew before hand if it was actually there or if it was something they had to order.
Squadron, on the other hand (back in the day) had virtually everything listed on hand, unless it was something they were selling on clearance and they sold out before you got a chance to order one.
They always had awesome customer service and I will be sad to see them go if that is what’s happening to them now.
Hi;
Well, it’s been years since I bought from them. I have Hill Country Hobbies for supplies and if David doesn’t have it, I got Hobby Lobby.
Every time I ordered from them (only when they had a 25% off or free shipping) I recieved it in a couple of days. I orderd a couple of Battlestar Galactica kits Friday when they showed the 70% off and got them last Tuesday.
I did see on their facebook that many unhappy custormers ordered last Friday/Saturday recieved refunds on Monday for product no longer available.