The margins in diecast models aren't high, the competition is strong and both of those factors mean it is a volume business. The proliferation of these little stores run basically as hobbys by teenagers is interesting but hardly likely to be sustainable. If they are offering amazing deals they are probably not making any money from them and are trying to gain marketshare, which evaporates as soon as they are forced to charge sensible pricing again. Putting your trust in someone who is still at school or college doesn't sound like a particularly sensible idea most of the time. They simply are unable to put the effort in to keep it going, don't take it seriously enough and don't have the financial backing to make it work in the long run. You are likely to get burned eventually, not always but that is the chance you take.
It hasn't helped that several of these new stores have been promoted heavily by Youtubers, who are barely adults themselves. Obviously they get kickbacks for that, which is fine but is it good for their customers in the long run? It is hard to know who to trust - just look at how I got burned by Ali. He was very entreprenuerial but also betrayed my trust at the first sign of anything requiring some moral fibre and sold off his business and MAF after only a short period of time. Clearly Midwest wasn't making any money at all. Ultimately he was just another chancer that couldn't be relied on.
Inciedentally, the current status of Midwest doesn't bode well for the longevity of this forum!
