Seawatch Books

[dvm27]

Regrettably, there will be no Vol. 3 (or 4).  I believe Vol. 3 was almost ready for press but it just didn't happen.

[thibaultron]

I ordered a couple books from them, and they arrived in a reasonable time. To add to the prior post about the US mail delays. I just received a photo that was mailed out 12/12, almost 7 weeks, so be patient, it likely is not their fault.

[chris watton]

Well, I did ask them if I could buy three of their books, and arrange a UPS pick up myself to collect the books.

 

Frustratingly, this is the reply:

 

'No, sorry.  I talked with Bob, and he said that the warehouse can only handle US mail.  I'm very sorry, but we can't help you on the shipping charges.'

 

Not sure why, to be absolutely honest. Oh well, I did ask, and I am not paying for postal service that's seemingly broken right now.

 

( I wanted the Rogers Collection of Ship Models at the US Naval Academy The Third Rates, Volume II and the 2 Speedwell volumes)   

Edited January 30, 2021 by chris watton

[bruce d]

1 hour ago, chris watton said:

Frustratingly, this is the reply:

 

'No, sorry.  I talked with Bob, and he said that the warehouse can only handle US mail.  I'm very sorry, but we can't help you on the shipping charges.'

 

Frustrating, but at least it avoids the 'admin charges' that are then imposed on the recipient if a commercial carrier is used to deliver items originating outside the UK. I'm currently arguing with DHL over £40 they are trying to charge me on top of the duty for an item that cost $70 including P&P. The sender was not aware of this when they chose the carrier.

[shipman]

Bruce, now we are getting the dubious benefits that Brexit rewards us with.

I gather any and all imports are being slammed with arbitrary customs and handling charges.

[bruce d]

16 minutes ago, shipman said:

Bruce, now we are getting the dubious benefits that Brexit rewards us with.

I gather any and all imports are being slammed with arbitrary customs and handling charges.

 

Haven't seen that first hand yet. I abbreviated the story a bit; there is one delivery from the US where I was charged £28 'admin' and another from China for the £40 'admin'. Both these are outside the EU and my understanding is that the carrier automatically adds this charge if they settle up the duty. It also happens with Royal Mail but the fee is smaller.

The sinister part of the situation is (a) the sender is often not aware of the fee and (b) in the case of DHL the item will be delivered and then the invoice sent out and aggressively pursued.

[glbarlow]

I get items from Chris sent to the US via UPS in a few days.  Items from a UK model shop sent via Royal Air Mail can take weeks or months. Items sent within the US from Chuck via US Post can take two days or two weeks. It makes little sense these days.  I could probably purchase the books for Chris and send them to him via UPS and get them there sooner than the US - Royal Mail route - granting that might cost as much as the books. Note none of this is the fault of the senders. 

Edited January 30, 2021 by glbarlow

[Tankerman]

4 hours ago, shipman said:

Bruce, now we are getting the dubious benefits that Brexit rewards us with.

I gather any and all imports are being slammed with arbitrary customs and handling charges.

 

No they are not, this month I have had two packages from the EU with no import charges applied, one from the USA and one from Australia with the normally expected charges applied. Please keep politics out of it.

[chris watton]

Have decided to wait for this instead:

 

Pen and Sword Books: Historic Ship Models of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries - Hardback (pen-and-sword.co.uk)

[dvm27]

Interesting. they already published a revised edition of the first printing. Wonder how different this one will be?

[James H]

1 hour ago, Tankerman said:

Please keep politics out of it.

 

Agreed.

[Landlubber Mike]

Funny thing here is over the past couple of months, I ordered some modeling supplies from a variety of places all over the world.  I had packages sent within the US that took longer than it took to get packages from the UK, Australia and China.  That made no sense to me!

[Mark P]

On 1/30/2021 at 4:25 PM, chris watton said:

Have decided to wait for this instead:

 

Pen and Sword Books: Historic Ship Models of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries - Hardback (pen-and-sword.co.uk)

 

Thanks for posting this Chris;

 

I normally keep a close eye on Pen & Sword's upcoming books, but I had not seen this one yet. I have been trying to get hold of the 2nd edition of the Kriegstein collection for years, but they just don't come up (and I probably couldn't afford it if one did) However, this new book will fulfil that need. Great!

 

All the best,

 

Mark P

[glbarlow]

On 1/28/2021 at 6:15 PM, glbarlow said:

just ordered Vol 2 of the Rogers Collection

Ordered on Jan 28, got it today Feb 4. Pretty quick. 

[KenFord]

4 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Ordered on Jan 28, got it today Feb 4. Pretty quick. 

Likewise, I ordered TFFM volumes 2 and 4, and The Hayling Hoy on January 29th.  I received them in California today, February 4. 
 

in reading the messages above I was expecting this to take a month to arrive!

 

Ken

[giampieroricci]

Today finally the 4 volumes of the Swan class that I had ordered have arrived. However, I was surprised because I believed that the drawings and plans were included in the volumes in order to start building the model.
Anyone know where I can buy the Pegasus drawings?
Can you help me, please?

[VTHokiEE]

@giampieroricci Take a look here:

 

[dvm27]

Giampieroricci - I am sending you a PM.

[RichardG]

I believe the 3D model is still available as well (although not free) - http://www.admiraltymodels.com/ 

[Justin P.]

Order Feb 11, received Feb 19.  Like everyone else, no email confirmation or acknowledgement of any kind (very uncommon).   Though I’m happy with my order.

 

Edit:  Just a note here that I discovered a random sheet inserted loosely in the box that I almost tossed with the box packaging.  I still don’t know which title this is supposed to come with but very odd that it’s just thrown in the box.  I could have very easily thrown it away.
 

Keep an eye out for it if you are ordering Speedwell or the Hayling Hoy titles.
 

  

Edited February 20, 2021 by Justin P.

[Bob Cleek]

I spoke on the phone with Cathy, one of the Seawatch husband and wife team, a couple of days ago after encountering a problem with their ordering software when ordering a book from them. She got back to me by phone quickly. She's got a wonderful sense of humor and we had a nice chat. To keep the forumites up to date, the problem with their ordering software is "being worked on," but as it turns out, their son did the coding on the website for them and he, who conincidentally lives in my neck of the woods, was one of the many who lost his home and all of its contents in one of the firestorms that we've been having on, it seems, an annual basis, here in Northern CA. All of his data on maintaining the Seawatch website was lost in the fire and this has seriously hampered their website maintenance, so they are limping along at the moment. 

 

Bob, her husband, is presently not ambulatory due to a non-life-threatening health issue which should resolve in time, but that has left Cathy to "hold the fort" and pretty much handle the Seawatch business on her own. Seawatch is a small family operation. Jeff Bezos has spoiled a lot of us who now expect everything ordered on line to arrive in a day or two. Amazon they ain't. Yet, they are a valuable resource to our hobby. So, let's cut them a bit of slack. The shipping of their books is outsourced and shipping is indiscriminately impacted by the pandemic these days. They have no more control over how fast things come through the mail as we do.

[Justin P.]

11 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

So, let's cut them a bit of slack. The shipping of their books is outsourced and shipping is indiscriminately impacted by the pandemic these days.

Agreed.   Though I think it is important for people to keep posting their experiences here - especially for a small business.   Though a bit odd, the transactions are more or less positive.   I, for one, would never have ordered from Sea Watch if I hadn't been able to read the voluminous reports of folks eventually getting their books.   Amazon they aint, sure - but trinkets these are not.   My order was well over a $500 value that I more less had to go into on blind faith alone (no receipt, no email, no pay merchant info - nothing to account for a substantial drop in my bank account).   I think it is totally fair that folks would expect some form of acknowledgement or tracking (it is the law afterall), and be either irritated or worried after a period of time has passed with nothing to go on.     As well - this transaction issue and shipping delay has been around for well on three years.    Some may find it difficult to accept this as a temporary hiccup.   Having read this thread prior to my order, I was well prepared to wait two months -  I was pleasantly surprised when my box turned up yesterday - after only 8 days.    

 

I think it is important for other potential buyers to see it working out, and in some cases quite quickly.  These titles are clearly worth the wait and the money.   

 

 

[carlosgf]

17 hours ago, Justin P. said:

Order Feb 11, received Feb 19.  Like everyone else, no email confirmation or acknowledgement of any kind (very uncommon).   Though I’m happy with my order.

 

Edit:  Just a note here that I discovered a random sheet inserted loosely in the box that I almost tossed with the box packaging.  I still don’t know which title this is supposed to come with but very odd that it’s just thrown in the box.  I could have very easily thrown it away.
 

Keep an eye out for it if you are ordering Speedwell or the Hayling Hoy titles.
 

  

 

Hi,

 

The sheet belongs to the plans of Hayling hoy.

 

 

 

 

[Jack12477]

5 hours ago, Justin P. said:

his transaction issue and shipping delay has been around for well on three years.

The Paradise California Camp Fire occurred November 8, 2018 and was not contained until November 25, 2018.

 

I spoke with Bob right after this fire occurred and he told me his son lived in this area and lost everything in the fire, as Bob Cleek pointed out in his post above, including all copies of the source code for their website.  His son has to start from scratch.  Please cut them some slack.

[Justin P.]

1 hour ago, Jack12477 said:

Please cut them some slack.

All I'm saying is that while its fair to "cut them some slack" it is also fair to have basic expectations, and to be vocal if those expectations are not met.   I personally had a good experience buying from them, and would do so again.  That said, having read the entirety of posts on the subject, I don't think anyone who has a complaint is being unfair.  

[Bob Cleek]

1 hour ago, Justin P. said:

 I don't think anyone who has a complaint is being unfair.  

I don't doubt that, but the issue is, I believe, "compared to what?" Seawatch appears to me on first direct impression after a somewhat protracted chat with Cathy, to be a retirement online business run by a husband and wife. At present, Bob is incapacitated and Cathy is caring for him and keeping the business running. The "heavy lifting" of warehousing and shipping is outsourced. Their website needs to be rebuilt and the coding has been destroyed, so their son, who did the programming, has to start from scratch, this after losing his home in one of our firestorms. (Recovering from which is a near impossible task for many of the victims. "'Socialism' is when the fire department comes to put out the fire, 'Capitalism' is when you try to collect on your fire insurance policy.")

 

What doesn't seem fair to me, assuming one knows the circumstances, is to expect the speed and efficiency of an international online marketing and delivery conglomerate. I didn't get an immediate email response, either, but Cathy called me back right away when I left a phone voicemail message and was most helpful. In the olden days, we had to wait for "mail orders" and nobody complained. We've been spoiled by modern mega-technology. Seawatch provides a very small niche publishing service for a very narrow spectrum of customers. I'm sure that in order to have that business model "pencil out," they have to do it with relatively limited business resources. Given that fact, I don't think it is fair to complain when one doesn't get an immediate response from some fellow working in a customer service "boiler room" in Mumbai when they email an inquiry. As I said, Seawatch ain't Amazon. If it weren't for them, I doubt the titles they publish would be available to the hobby at all. I really appreciate their efforts on our behalves.

 

Everyone should appreciate the small entrepreneurs who provide the ship modeling fraternity access to parts, tools, information, and other products unique to the hobby. We are watching those sources dry up one by one because the smaller "one man band" businesses simply cannot compete with the likes of the huge online conglomerates. Scale wood is becoming increasingly hard to find as is amply demonstrated by the many posts lamenting the suppliers who have gone out of business. Chuck Passaro of Syren Ship Models has just stopped producing his line of scale rope because he can't keep up with the demand and maintain the quality control he feels he must. His posts concerning the abuse he has received from customers exhibiting "bad behavior," while sometimes related in humorous anecdotes, amply demonstrate what our suppliers have to put up with from spoiled and outrageously demanding consumers. I think we really need to take care of and respect the small businesses that are trying to survive by providing us what so many rely upon. When they are gone, there will be nothing but junky pirated Chinese kits, if that, and total scratch-building and that development doesn't bode well for the longevity of the model ship building hobby.

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by Bob Cleek

[druxey]

I think you state the case very well and clearly, Bob. Expectations need to be dialled back a bit.

[mtaylor]

Well said, Bob and Druxey.   Between the weather and the virus normal deliveries are slow going.  Dealing with small businesses really is a joy even if one has to wait.  If they go, we'll end up with Amazon and Chinese ripoffs and next to no new legitimate models.

[Jorge Diaz O]

Hello, this afternoon my book arrived, 65 days late. It is worth every penny and day to wait for it. It is a beautiful frigate and in the 1/48 plans it looks huge.

[kurtvd19]

Just dealing with getting products to the customer is not easy today.  Our cost of getting Journals delivered overseas has more than doubled during Covid.  And the time it takes with the reduction of flights between the US and overseas is a big factor.  We have seen shipments sit at O'Hare airport for 6 weeks waiting for a flight - why we are not using normal mail for Journals now.  It routinely prior to Covid took about 90 days to some counties.  Some places are taking a lot longer now.  It has really complicated business for small places like SeaWatch and the NRG.