I'm about 1 month in to this copter thing. Yep, pure unadulterated noobi-ness... and I'm about to get slammed by some folks.
So my buddy built a quad from scratch. I see him have loads of fun and I'm thinking, man with a GoPro, I can use this in my real estate photography business. Maybe... if the FAA doesn't arrest me.
My buddy says he got everything from HobbyKing. I figure, ok cool. I mean, what do I know? Then I figure, why not check out some local hobby shops here in the Seattle area first and see what they got for DIY quad-copter building. I'm the kind of person that will actually pay a bit more to buy from a local shop. Advantage? I can ask questions, get guidance, touch/feel/buy/take home right then and there. (yeah sure)
Called about 12 shops from Seattle down to Olympia. No go. Out of the 12, only 2 even sell parts for copters. Of the 2... one of them had 3 ESC's in stock. Yeah three! 1 - 30 amp, and 2-12 amps. The other shop had a bit more stuff in stock. Some frames, motors, ESC's, props, etc. Then the owner started bragging about how everyone else sucks. How HobbyKing is ruining the industry. How all the crap stuff comes from China. How he calls Turnigy... TURD-A-GY.... and god left our planet and left him in charge... blah, blah, blah followed by hot air.
Then he shows me ESCs that cost $40 each. Having been a business and marketing consultant for 25+ years, I'm scratching my head thinking... "No wonder HobbyKing is kicking butt!" These local retail Hobby Shops are run by verbose, self-appointed knuckleheads that think they know everything.
In case any of you run a local brick & mortar, here's the bare knuckle facts:
Only reason to buy online: Selection, Price, Not-So-Convienent Support
Only reason to buy local: Selection, (not price) Great-Support, & IT'S IN STOCK... repeat. IT'S IN STOCK
YES... it costs a bit less to buy online. But then you gotta' wait several days to touch and feel. If you buy local... "in theory", you can touch, feel, buy, take home. That's where these local yokels screw up.
You walk in, there's a 450 pounder standing behind the counter with greasy hair like he's literally been playing with RC Models his entire life (no showers) and socially inept as it gets. Their shop is located in an expensive strip mall with high rent, and they gotta' make a 50 margin or their going out of business. So when you finally wrap your brain around paying the big buck and you need a part right now, they comment:
"Uhhh... we don't have that but we can order it for you."
Yeah... no sh*t Sherlock. "I can also order it for me and have it delivered to my home for half the price. THAT'S WHY I CAME HERE TO YOUR LOCAL STORE, WHERE YOU BRAG ALL DAY ABOUT SUPPORT, AND HAVING IT IN STOCK."
If you're a local brick and mortar retailer and you don't have a good selection, and it's all in-stock... do yourself a favor and close shop. Cuz it's gonna' happen sooner or later. Online retailers? Same thing HobbyKing... you got a TON 'O STUFF that's NOT IN STOCK. Or your product is coming from 5 bajillion warehouses that I'm too confused to buy from.
I ordered all my parts last week to build a basic copter. I literally have 12 shipments coming from 12 different places.
Why is all this so hard?
(FYI... this is just all my personal experience over the last month)
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