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Offline michelvr  
#1 Posted : 20 August 2014 01:52:34(UTC)
michelvr

Canada   
Joined: 06/07/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,287
Good Evening and Good Morning to my fellow Marklin forum members,

If I may I have a few question?

How many forum members are there?

How many are Marklin insider members?

The reason why I'm asking is that I found out today that there are around twelve hundred Marklin North American Insider members and over forty thousand Marklin European Insider members! And as one Marklin Insider I must say I'm impressed with the numbers!

But I would love to know how many of us are Marklin-user.net forum members? What do you think!


Best regards, Michel
Offline Tom Jessop  
#2 Posted : 20 August 2014 04:48:12(UTC)
Tom Jessop

Australia   
Joined: 14/12/2002(UTC)
Posts: 800
Location: Newcastle NSW Australia




Puts hand up as a member of both & quite a few other train related sites .


cheers Tom in Oz
Offline Bigdaddynz  
#3 Posted : 20 August 2014 05:01:11(UTC)
Bigdaddynz

New Zealand   
Joined: 17/09/2006(UTC)
Posts: 18,661
Location: New Zealand
There are around 6500 forum members, but not all of those will be active at any given time.

I don't know how many are Insider members but there are a few, including myself.
Offline H0  
#4 Posted : 20 August 2014 07:51:54(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
I'm a member of the Märklin Insider Club.

In the ides of September I will be a member of the Märklin Outsider Club.

Since a few weeks I'm planning to start a poll about Märklin club membership.
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
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Offline H0  
#5 Posted : 20 August 2014 10:04:59(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Since a few weeks I'm planning to start a poll about Märklin club membership.
The poll is here:
https://www.marklin-user...LGB-Club.aspx#post465049

Scroll to the top of that page to cast a vote.

Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
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Offline sjlauritsen  
#6 Posted : 20 August 2014 16:19:00(UTC)
sjlauritsen

Denmark   
Joined: 18/08/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,081
Location: Denmark
I am a member of the Trix Club. I always wondered what the total membership count of the Trix Club is. I don't know anyone who is a member of the Trix Club. Especially in Denmark there is really no use for it, if you run Danish trains. But in Germany I would expect it to be a different matter.
Søren from Denmark
Blog: https://railway.zone/ | Danish Model Railway Forum: https://baneforum.dk/
Offline kweekalot  
#7 Posted : 20 August 2014 16:37:13(UTC)
kweekalot

Netherlands   
Joined: 27/06/2012(UTC)
Posts: 3,435
Location: Holland
Not entirely on topic... but I just read today that in Germany 500,000 enthusiasts spend almost all their freetime to the mrr hobby. Woot
This number excludes hobbyists who spend occasionally some time on the mrr hobby.
So M-users has much potential to gain some more German members. BigGrin

The German article is here: LINK

Marco
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Offline river6109  
#8 Posted : 21 August 2014 02:15:40(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
I have some inside information, I'm still a member on this forum and I'm happy to say I'm not a member of any club, inside and outside, my wife recently became a permanent member of the:"Waste Of Money Club" and since we've got married she joint the "Kids Corner Club". and I bought my wife a book for her recent birthday: the happy life after 12 o'clock midnight trains written by John Heymans
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
Offline waorb  
#9 Posted : 21 August 2014 15:08:54(UTC)
waorb

Brazil   
Joined: 31/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 868
Location: Brazil
Originally Posted by: river6109 Go to Quoted Post
the happy life after 12 o'clock midnight trains written by John Heymans

Wow!

Even in the other side of the planet, I finally discovered: I'M NORMAL!!! Laugh

Cheers,

Walter
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Offline utkan  
#10 Posted : 21 August 2014 16:34:00(UTC)
utkan

Turkey   
Joined: 14/07/2009(UTC)
Posts: 19,116
Location: Istanbul,
I am a member of Marklinistanbul.....Flapper Flapper
Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you...
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Offline river6109  
#11 Posted : 22 August 2014 07:40:53(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
Originally Posted by: utkan Go to Quoted Post
I am a member of Marklinistanbul.....Flapper Flapper


Was this before or after you became president ?
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
Offline river6109  
#12 Posted : 22 August 2014 07:44:09(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
Originally Posted by: waorb Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: river6109 Go to Quoted Post
the happy life after 12 o'clock midnight trains written by John Heymans

Wow!

Even in the other side of the planet, I finally discovered: I'M NORMAL!!! Laugh

Cheers,

Walter


I would call it rather inexperience than normal. for some members who have been married for a long time this may touch a cord and it looks like the place you live in it hasn't come to this stage yet.
apparently you don't have a wife who comments that suddenly after 12 o'clock midnight your interests have changed, what is normal for men to proceed with tasks up a ladder isn't the same for a wife where she stands in respect to a location on the ladder.
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
Offline H0  
#13 Posted : 24 August 2014 22:18:09(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: michelvr Go to Quoted Post
The reason why I'm asking is that I found out today that there are around twelve hundred Marklin North American Insider members and over forty thousand Marklin European Insider members! And as one Marklin Insider I must say I'm impressed with the numbers!
Today I found out that per December 31st, 2005, there were 96,490 members in Märklin-Insider-Club, Trix-Profi-Club, and 1. FC Märklin.

I didn't find newer figures. I presume they lost a few members during those 8 years.

Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
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Offline sjlauritsen  
#14 Posted : 24 August 2014 22:25:23(UTC)
sjlauritsen

Denmark   
Joined: 18/08/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,081
Location: Denmark

Originally Posted by: H0 Go to Quoted Post
Today I found out that per December 31st, 2005, there were 96,490 members in Märklin-Insider-Club, Trix-Profi-Club, and 1. FC Märklin. I didn't find newer figures. I presume they lost a few members during those 8 years.


Holy smoke, that is a lot more than I would have guessed.  Perhaps they lost some, but they probably gained some as well. I would assume that the number is fluctuating in that area. I would also assume that the Märklin Insider Club holds the most members. I still have not meet any other member of the Trix Club, perhaps I am indeed the only one. LOL! 

Søren from Denmark
Blog: https://railway.zone/ | Danish Model Railway Forum: https://baneforum.dk/
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Offline NZMarklinist  
#15 Posted : 21 September 2014 06:12:50(UTC)
NZMarklinist

New Zealand   
Joined: 15/03/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,757
Location: Auckland NZ
Originally Posted by: utkan Go to Quoted Post
I am a member of Marklinistanbul.....Flapper Flapper




And we all remain Outsiders until we gain our Zertificate and join you and the 9 Kids Mehmett Blink Laugh Wink
Glen
Auckland NZ

" Every Marklin layout needs a V200, a Railbus and a Banana car", not to mention a few Black and red Steamers, oh and the odd Elok !

CS1 Reloaded, Touch Cab, C Track Modules, K track layout all under construction. Currently Insider
Offline baggio  
#16 Posted : 31 January 2015 05:19:56(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Tom said:

"Today I found out that per December 31st, 2005, there were 96,490 members in Märklin-Insider-Club, Trix-Profi-Club, and 1. FC Märklin."

Sorry, but I find it hard to believe that there were so many members.Confused.

I think maybe one tenth of that may be closer to the real number.

Still, I want to share a picture I took from an Italian forum, Ferrovie news, about the Nuremberg Train Fair. Enjoy>

baggio attached the following image(s):
Ovale a due piani - bellissimo.jpg
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Offline H0  
#17 Posted : 31 January 2015 09:29:54(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
Tom said:
"Today I found out that per December 31st, 2005, there were 96,490 members in Märklin-Insider-Club, Trix-Profi-Club, and 1. FC Märklin."

Sorry, but I find it hard to believe that there were so many members.Confused.
That figure was published by Märklin. Would they lie to us?
They also wrote that the clubs lost 4.4% of members since 2004 (so in 2004 there were more than 100,000 members).

I haven't seen any other figures published by Märklin.

The figure includes "1. FC Märklin" aka "Märklin Kids Club" aka "Märklin Startup Club". That's the low-price club for children.
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
Offline kiwiAlan  
#18 Posted : 31 January 2015 12:57:54(UTC)
kiwiAlan

United Kingdom   
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC)
Posts: 8,082
Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
Tom said:

"Today I found out that per December 31st, 2005, there were 96,490 members in Märklin-Insider-Club, Trix-Profi-Club, and 1. FC Märklin."

Sorry, but I find it hard to believe that there were so many members.Confused.

I think maybe one tenth of that may be closer to the real number.

Still, I want to share a picture I took from an Italian forum, Ferrovie news, about the Nuremberg Train Fair. Enjoy>



I don't know about 1/10, but bearing in mind that some will be members of both the Insider and Profi clubs (like me) and that some (like me) have both German and English memberships, that will reduce the 'number of bodies' a little, maybe 10-20%.

The figure they quote will be the number of membership numbers they have registered.

Offline baggio  
#19 Posted : 31 January 2015 13:59:58(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Do some math: if we really had so many members, the sales would be incredibly high. They are not.

Ask yourself another question: what percentage of all Marklin users are NOT insiders? I am not but have developed quite a collection since I re-started in this hobby less than three years ago. There are lots like me, I am sure.

So, if one were to say that for every member there are ten who are not, we would have close to one million Marklin supporters/buyers. I do not think we are so many.
Offline H0  
#20 Posted : 31 January 2015 17:16:12(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
Do some math: if we really had so many members, the sales would be incredibly high. They are not.
More than 100,000 members in 2004 - but how many will be left by now? I'd guess between 40,000 and 70,000.
Startup club members probably don't buy much.
Not all Insider members buy Insider locos - maybe they are happy with the free car, the DVDs and the Märklin Magazin.

Wild guess: 50,000 members spending €200 per year on the average are €10m per year - about 10% of Märklin sales.

Some MRR fans buy 10 locos in one year - some buy one loco in 10 years.
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
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Offline kweekalot  
#21 Posted : 31 January 2015 17:32:04(UTC)
kweekalot

Netherlands   
Joined: 27/06/2012(UTC)
Posts: 3,435
Location: Holland
1 million Marklin supporters worldwide may be right.

See post 7 ... in Germany are at least 500,000 mrr enthusiasts who spend almost all their freetime to the mrr hobby.
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Offline Mark_1602  
#22 Posted : 31 January 2015 22:08:51(UTC)
Mark_1602

Luxembourg   
Joined: 24/09/2014(UTC)
Posts: 704
Location: Luxembourg
Hi,

The total number of MRR (or Märklin) fans is hard to estimate, but it's easy to find out the circulation figures of the Märklin Magazin, which are related (though not identical to) the number of Insider club members, who get a subscription automatically.

According to the book "Märklin: Die Legende lebt" (i.e. Märklin: The Legend Lives), Märklin used to print 100,000 copies of the Märklin Magazin. This book was published in 2009, so the figure presumably refers to the year 2008.

According to a link I have found, the circulation figure of the Märklin Magazin was 64,416 in the first quarter of 2014.
Mediadaten Link
2nd Mediadaten Link

Another link tells us that between 2006 and 2012, the number of Märklin magazines sold at newsagents actually went up. That was unusual as compared to other print media. (A circulation figure of 120,000 is mentioned, but that number was out of date in 2012.)
3G Media Link

I have also read that about 70 per cent of the Märklin Magazin readers are subscribers, and the vast majority of those are probably Insiders. So the Märklin Magazin must have more than 40,000 subscribers right now, and the total number of Insiders might be below 40,000. The fact that the number of people who buy the magazine at the newsagent's has gone up suggests that a lot of MRR fans must have left the club but still take an interest in Märklin.

There might be a few hundred thousand Märklin fans around the world, but only a fraction of those are still active buyers. Many factors must have contributed to the steady decline: a shrinking market for MRR, mismanagement before the insolvency, quality issues in the last ten years, etc. The company has probably lost a large percentage of its customers since the 1990s. Every year I wonder who will buy all of that stuff when I see the news catalogue. Well, nearly everything that was new in 2014 can still be ordered from Göppingen now, as I recently found out on their website ... so I wish them good luck!

Best regards, Mark

Edited by user 01 February 2015 12:46:04(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Best regards, Mark

I like Märklin items produced in the 1960s or early '70s, but also digital locos & current rolling stock.
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Offline H0  
#23 Posted : 31 January 2015 22:34:14(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
In Q4/2014, the MM had 52,228 subscribers. I presume the figure is for the German edition only.
Not all subscribers are Insiders. And there are two other clubs.

Source:
http://www.ivw.eu/aw/print/qa/titel/623
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
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Offline Mark_1602  
#24 Posted : 01 February 2015 13:13:12(UTC)
Mark_1602

Luxembourg   
Joined: 24/09/2014(UTC)
Posts: 704
Location: Luxembourg
Hi,

I used to be a member of the Märklin Club for Belgium & Luxembourg in the 1990s, but I did not renew my membership after the year 2000. Some time after that, that club was discontinued and Märklin fans in Belgium or Luxembourg were invited to join the Insider Club, but I never joined because I'd realized back then that there was nothing exclusive about the club models, which are among their best-selling items. I don't want to be a member now either because I'm not interested in the Insider wagon that is included in the deal, and I don't agree with Märklin's marketing strategy of focusing on one group of customers only.

I would join a Märklin Club that simply provided a membership card, a free catalogue, the Märklin Magazin plus the Club News, and privileged access to the Club website, where all videos would be available as downloads. If all of that were available at a price of about 40-45 euros, membership might actually increase again. Obviously the Märklin Magazin should not mostly consist of advertising and publicity, as it does now; a lot of Märklin fans think that it used to be better in the past. The so-called Insider models should be available to all of those who want to buy them, because that would only reflect the reality of the market place.

It's sad that Märklin is not interested in fans who have been regular customers for decades if they are not Insiders. If they know my name, it's because of the items I returned due to quality issues!!

Best regards, Mark
Best regards, Mark

I like Märklin items produced in the 1960s or early '70s, but also digital locos & current rolling stock.
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