[Savage GT]

I can understand some of it … stuff shipping from china will get to Europe first  dues to logistics. but even then in this day and age (Covid 19 aside) surely we should only be 2-3 days behind at most ?


But Sideways are a French company, as I understand it they are produced in China, and shipped to France for final assembly/packaging, then shipped worldwide. So how come Spain has stuff from France a few days ago that the UK still hasn't, and we are only a 22 mile boat hop away ?

You may be able to tell, patience isn't my strong point 

[Scuderia_Turini]

Bankers?  Presumably payment within the Euro Zone is quicker and more straightforward than from UK banks.

Leo

[slotloco]

You are in extreme danger of being labeled a whinging POM there Savage.

I take it from your comments you have never been in a business utilising supply chain logistics.
Businesses don't simply revolve around day urgency.
Logistics, finance, the routing of goods through contracted routes, time of staff to finalise order details, the packing and shipping capacity of the supplier.... all can come into effect.
Then add the human factors. We're not all robots. 

The yanks sometimes have to wait 2 or 3 months to get Scalextric or Slot.it product there, so what's a few days......

[Mitch58]

From my observation from the NW of North America Most things are available in the UK a couple of weeks before we can get them in the states.

I've seen guys in the UK posting photos on new releases on their tracks a couple of weeks before our US suppliers have them here.

[dvd3500]

Maybe things get confused on the other side of the road... :-D

[Nonfractal]

Maybe things get confused on the other side of the road... :-D

  I dont think the right hand drive / left hand drive joke really applies here 
I'm sure this all comes down to the individual country's importer/wholesaler.

Alan

[woodcote]

I heard from Matt at Gaugemaster - who distribute Slot.it, Fly, NSR, Thunderslot, Sideways, SCX, LMM etc in the UK - and what Savage says about 2-3 days delay is probably not far off for most manufacturers in non-Covid times.

However, every step of the process is a little slower at the moment. For example, Gaugemaster - with limited staff at the warehouse - are packing up three new NSR cars (2x F1 and another Mosler) today to send out to retailers. Retailers should - depending on couriers and retailers’ opening hours - have them by the end of next week and added to their stock lists and websites - depending on if, when and where the retail and IT staff are working - ready to sell to us punters via a delayed postal and courier system. That’s all happening with those NSR cars in the UK now, but they are listed in stock today at Slot Car Union in the south of France. So maybe it’s a week to ten days behind for NSR at the moment.

However, the Sideways cars - Skyline and M6 - have not arrived in West Sussex yet. France is now on even more restrictive lockdown than the UK, so the UK-bound stock could be sitting anywhere between Sideways HQ and the Gaugemaster warehouse. These aren’t normal times - any new cars are a pleasant surprise.

[JasonB]

First world problems?

[Savage GT]

You are in extreme danger of being labeled a whinging POM there Savage.

Guilty as charged m'lud   

With the wife and kids at home, an excuse to escape to the mancave for few hours tinkering is very much desired, so the shortage of incoming projects is more pronounced !
Still theres a box of bits or two, and a car currently somewhere between being posted and in royal mails system on route.
2 Preorders that are currently available in Spain should hopefully be arriving in to Pendles soon with luck.
When they do, hopefully there will also be some related parts, just how I explain the expenditure, I haven't quite worked out, but better to seek forgiveness than permission right ? 

[Mitch58]

It probably seems that way because you are waiting for something.

As Grandpa said: "The length of a minute depends on which side of the bathroom door you're on".