FAQs

While we are proud to offer the world's best selection of model model railroading items, we also strive to be your one-stop shop for ALL things hobby-related!

We carry plastic model kits, plastic model figures, RC vehicles, and more. We are constantly expanding our selection to include more of the hobbies, brands, and lines that bring you joy.

If you'd like to suggest a product line for us to carry, we'd love to know! Just click the gold chat button at the bottom right of your screen and share your thoughts with us!

We are online-only. Our online store factorydirecthobbies.com is open 24 hours a day, all year round!

You'll earn 5% store credit on every purchase you make with us. This also includes sale and preorder items!

Plus, if you refer your friends, they'll get 10% back on their first purchase, and you'll get $10 store credit for each referral that results in a purchase.

Your rewards will show up in your rewards balance within several days after placing your order.

Yes! Rewards can be applied to preorder down payments as well as on the invoice when it's time to pay in full for your preorder.

Yes! Preorders are awarded reward dollars at the same 5% rate. You'll receive your reward after you pay the balance of your preorder notification invoice.

Yes, rewards expirations are noted on the rewards when they are issued. Rewards on purchases expire 120 days after issue.

Please don't do this. We reserve the right to cancel duplicate accounts and any associated rewards. If you accidentally created a duplicate account, please contact us and we will remove the duplicate account.

Our carriers calculate shipping fees based on item weight and size, excluding applicable sales tax.

To see your estimated shipping fee, simply go to the checkout screen, which will display a shipping estimator. Once you enter your destination details, you'll be able to view rates for all available shipping shipping methods.

We use USPS and UPS. 

Our carriers calculate shipping fees based on item weight and size, excluding applicable sales tax. To see your estimated shipping fee, simply go to the checkout screen, which will display a shipping estimator. Once you enter your destination details, you'll be able to view rates for all available shipping shipping methods.

Note: Due to increasing rates of "porch pirate" package thefts, we suggest adding Extend Shipping Protection to your order. This option will appear when you checkout.

Items marked with a blue "FAST SHIPPING" badge usually ship within 24 hours on weekdays. All other items take 3-5 days to process, regardless of the shipping method you select.

Once shipped, orders take 5-7 business days to arrive at destinations in the United States. We will email you a shipment confirmation when your order is ready to ship.

Overseas deliveries can take anywhere from 7-16 days. Delivery details will be provided in your confirmation email.

Yes! With a few exceptions, we ship all over the world.

Because our products are warehoused in multiple locations across the United States, your shipping costs can add up fast if each warehouse ships separately to an international destination. To save you nnecessary shipping costs, our warehouses first ship your items domestically to our headquarters in Asheville, NC, where we then combine and dispatch your entire order in one parcel for international transit to its final destination. As a result, your initial tracking information may initially reflect ASHEVILLE, NC as its destination. Please rest assured that this information will be updated, you will receive your new tracking information as soon as we have packed your parcel for international transit. 

Some products cannot be shipped to international destinations; please submit a message to us if you would like to discuss international ordering options.

Factory Direct Hobbies is not responsible for any additional charges, tariffs, import taxes, courier fees or other charges levied by other countries or entities other than Factory Direct Hobbies. The customer assumes responsibilities for these fees as they are not fees levied by Factory Direct Hobbies. Refusal of packages as a result of these fees does not absolve the customer of the cost of transport of the order back to Factory Direct Hobbies, nor is the original outbound shipping fee refundable.

Shipping to Russia takes 6 weeks.

Shipping charges for preorder items are calculated using the same process as for in-stock items. Currently, our website's shipping estimator cannot provide estimates for preorder items. If you would like to get a rough estimate of how much shipping on a preordered item might be, adding in-stock items of roughly the same size to your cart and then using our shipping estimator should provide a ball park shipping cost. There is no additional handling or surcharge.

Once we email you an interactive invoice to pay in full for your preorder, the checkout process will provide you with an option to select a shipping method, with shipping charges viewable at that time.

Factory Direct Hobbies has a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after your item has shipped to request a return.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it and in its original packaging.

To start a return, click to our Returns Center. If your return is approved, we'll send you emailed instructions on how and where to send your package. You will be responsible for return shipping costs, unless Factory Direct Hobbies made an error in the fulfillment of your order. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted and will be returned to sender.

Please inspect your order upon receipt and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged, or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on gift cards.

The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and make a separate purchase for the new item on our website. Please note that we cannot process manual exchanges over the phone.

We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method. In certain instances, store credit may be provided instead of a refund. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.

1. Guarantee your reservation on any item marked with the red "Preorder item" flag, by paying just 10% down. Preorder items also display a date badge indicating the anticipated arrival.
2. We will email your invoice approximately 30-45 days before your preorder item lands at the warehouse. This interactive invoice will allow you to select your preferred shipping method, and pay the balance of your order, right online!
3. We'll ship you your preorder once your item arrives at our warehouse. Preorder fulfillments are queued in the order in which they were paid for.

Recently, our suppliers have made a major policy change and are no longer accepting product returns for non-paying end customers. After much consideration, we unfortunately must also change our policies to align with the realities our suppliers have created.

As our preorder offerings have grown, we’ve found that a large percentage of preorder reservations are canceled or left unpaid without notice. We pay our suppliers for every preorder item that arrives at our warehouse, so when a customer does not pay for their item, we are left no choice but to absorb that cost. We have tried our best to cope with the effects of this change; however, after more than a year of trying, we have found we cannot continue to do so.

We understand that this is an unwelcome change, and no one wants to pay earlier than necessary. However, this is unavoidable in order for us to be able to continue to offer the wide variety of preorder options you’re used to getting from Factory Direct Hobbies.We must now ask that customers pay a 10% good-faith down payment toward the price of their item. Thisnon-refundablegood-faith payment is applied to the price of the product, and the balance (plus shipping and any applicable taxes) will be invoiced approximately 30-45 days before the item is slated to arrive at our warehouse.

We thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have questions or would like further clarification, feel free to contact us through the gold chat bubble.

The good-faith down payment is not refundable if you choose to cancel your preorder or do not pay your invoice.

However, if a manufacturer cancels a project for which you have made a down payment, you will receive a refund for your down payment.

Yes. We know that paying ahead of time can be unnerving when delivery dates are distant, and not every project makes it to the production line. Rest assured that, in the event the manufacturer cancels your preorder project, you will be refunded your 10% down payment.

Hobbies should be fun, not stressful!

The manufacturing process involves many different moving parts, and this complexity often renders production timelines unpredictable. Therefore, some level of unpredictability in timing is inherent to preordering hobby products. Down payments are not refundable in cases of routine manufacturing, delivery, or other short-term delays.

However, we know it can be frustrating when a project gets delayed for many months. In the event a project is delayed more than 6 months beyond the delivery window originally estimated by the manufacturer, we will handle refunds of down payments on a case-by-case basis.

Friendly Reminder: Should you choose to cancel a preorder, it will no longer be reserved for you; in the event the item becomes available on our website, all customers will have equal access to purchase the item.

Nope! The policy is not retroactive: if you already made a preorder reservation before this policy update, you do not owe a down payment for that reservation. However, any future preorders you make will require the 10% good-faith down payment.

We make every effort to keep our website updated with information that reflects manufacturers' current estimated delivery schedules. To find the estimated delivery month of an item, you can visit our Preorder Section and use the filters to narrow down your selection.

However, we encourage you to directly visit the manufacturer's site for the most current delivery dates.

Approximately 30-45 days before your preorder items land at the warehouse, we'll email your invoice to you to pay in full. At this point, you'll be able to provide your shipping address and select your preferred shipping method.

Your item will be reserved for 7 days, beginning when your invoice is sent. After 7 days, your preorder will be canceled.

Recently, our suppliers have made a major policy change and are no longer accepting product returns for non-paying end customers. We have tried our best to absorb the effects of this change; however, after more than a year of trying, we have found we cannot continue to do so. After much consideration, we unfortunately must also change our policies to align with the realities our suppliers have created.

As a result, we must now ask that customers pay in full prior to the supplier finalizing shipment to FDH, about 30-45 days ahead of product arrival. This gives us the time we need to cancel with our suppliers any unpaid orders prior to shipment.

We understand that this is an unwelcome change and no one wants to pay earlier than necessary. However, this is unavoidable in order for us to be able to continue to offer the wide variety of preorder options you’re used to getting from Factory Direct Hobbies.

One silver lining is that this change will result in preorder items getting to your door even faster, as all payment processing will be well out of the way and the usual several day wait after product has arrived will be eliminated. We thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have questions or would like further clarification, feel free to contact us through the gold chat bubble.

Manufacturing schedules can sometimes be unpredictable. In the event your preorder item does not arrive at our warehouse within 60 days of your invoice payment, then you will have the option to cancel your preorder and receive a refund OR you may elect to continue waiting for the item.

Friendly Reminder: Should you choose to cancel a preorder, it will no longer be reserved for you; in the event the item becomes available on our website, all customers will have equal access to purchase the item.

We know life happens, and missing out on a great item can be a drag!

We're here to help; just contact us via the gold chat bubble and we'll do all we can to work with you!

If you have an account with factorydirecthobbies.com, you can view all your preorders, as well as your active orders. Login to your account, and select the “My orders” option. All your preorders and active orders will be listed along with the current status of each order. If you have further questions about your order, please feel free to reach out to us through the gold chat bubble.

Although we try to keep our preorder arrival estimates as accurate as possible, we encourage you to visit each manufacturer’s website to find the most up-to-date delivery information.

For instance, with Athearn and Walthers, you can enter the part number into their websites and navigate to the item. Most of the time, the delivery date will be listed there. Broadway Limited has a published delivery schedule, as does Rapido.

If we still haven't answered your question, please click the gold messaging bubble in the bottom right of our site, and we'll help in any way we can!