Small Scale Military Headquarters

I'm new to this forum and have a question to anyone who may have any info. Has Big Boy War Toys gone out of business? Have not been able to get a response by landline or e-mail. Has anyone heard anything? Thanks

No that I know of. I haven't shopped there in a while however, but they used to have excellent e-mail feedback. Then again, they have seemed to be very slow in their acquisition of new stuff. You may want to try again on Monday.

I called today during normal business hours and got no answer. ???

Sounds like these small toy dealers are dropping like flies. Did someone decide to have a depression and not tell me?

Mark

A lot of the manufacturers are dicking with the retailers...margins aren't what they used to be...it's driving a lot of dealers out of the business.

KAMIKAZE wrote:Sounds like these small toy dealers are dropping like flies. Did someone decide to have a depression and not tell me?

Mark

For every one that fails two seem to pop up. I miss the old faithfuls but it's not like there is no place to buy stuff anymore - there are twice as many places!

One reason the margins may be shrinking is the manufacturers are relatively safe so long as competition is so lousy....Right now the Dragon/DiD war produces benefits for retailers and consumers in terms of cool product & plenty of it in 1/6. Same is kinda true for the 32x/FOV showdown - cool new pieces rolling out at a good pace. Where it is not happening: 1/18. The competition for 21st is non-existent so they can afford to take their sweet time (or can they ) with a number of projects simultaneously....If bbi were for real (maybe soon ) and Dragon did not give up on 1/18th we would be enjoying the same type of showdown in that field like we see in 1/6 & 1/32. Product availability & variety is what led me to 1/32

Digger wrote:

For every one that fails two seem to pop up. I miss the old faithfuls but it's not like there is no place to buy stuff anymore - there are twice as many places!

The reason for the large number of dealers is that there are few barriers preventing entry into the market. Start-up costs are relatively insignificant. No large machines to buy, no huge R&D budget, no factory to purchase, heck, just a computer and an empty garage and one is selling on the net. This alone keeps margins down and low prices for consumers. Nobody is getting rich out there, the money is in manufacturing, where there are significant entry barriers.

Hello On Wu,
I agree with pretty much what you said but there are significant risks associated with being a manufacturer as well. First off, if there are more dealers, there's also a greater chance that someone could default on their bills as they face stiffer competition. Secondly, as more manufacturers enter the fray, tastes can and oftentimes do change more rapidly, which can lead to inventory buildup. What may be hot one minute could be passe the next, hence the reluctance on the part of many manufacturers to sign licensing deals.

Anyway, just my two wampum...

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.bigstep.com

KAMIKAZE wrote:Sounds like these small toy dealers are dropping like flies. Did someone decide to have a depression and not tell me?

Mark

Well--I tried again with e-mails and have even sent a letter to see if there is any response. I hope this is just a glitch as I have a small lawaway with them. I do know from speaking with the owner months ago, they were having problems with the manufacturer with order requests so that may have been the last straw. You all are correct--the little dealer has a lot to overcome if his supplier does not cooperate. I did try a call this morning and the line was busy so that may be a good sign or no sign at all. Such is life.

Maybe he's gone fishing and is away for the weekend...try them Monday.

Gambit wrote:Maybe he's gone fishing and is away for the weekend...try them Monday.

I intend to and still have hope that he is just on a long vacation. Its been over two weeks since my first e-mail to the web site without response. It would be a shame to lose this dealer--he has had good prices and nice inventory up until the beginning of June. If I hear from him, I'll pass it along. I am sure there a few of you out there who have purchased items from BBWT.

I went to their site about a week ago, right around the time I came back, and all that was there was some wierd page with a bunch of links, the only similiarity to the original page being the name at the top. I sincerely hope they didn't go out of business, I did enjoy participating in their monthly trivia contest.

Kevin

PanzerArm wrote:I went to their site about a week ago, right around the time I came back, and all that was there was some wierd page with a bunch of links, the only similiarity to the original page being the name at the top. I sincerely hope they didn't go out of business, I did enjoy participating in their monthly trivia contest.

Kevin

Well, it appears that BBWT is going to shut down in the next few weeks per the owner via e-mail. Tried to landline the 800 number but it rings and not even the recording responds. Looks like another good dealer has left the web. What a shame.