STM Diecast × STOQ: how preorders became the backbone of a diecast business

Selling cars months before they arrive

Scott Twiford grew up around trains, model cars, and retail. His father owned a toy and hobby shop, and years later, finding his childhood diecast cars in his sister's attic got Scott collecting and selling again.

What started as a side business quickly grew. Today, STM Diecast focuses on 1:18 and 1:12 scale models, including some priced around $1,400, along with display cases, figurines, custom license plates, and other accessories.

But selling diecast models comes with a particular challenge: many of the cars customers want aren't available yet.

Manufacturers release new models on a regular cadence, often months ahead of their expected arrival. Delays are common, too. For STM Diecast, preorders aren't an occasional promotion. They're a regular part of the business.

"Preorders are huge in Diecast." - Scott Twiford

The old preorder process was hard to manage

Before STOQ, Scott didn't have a proper preorder workflow.

He would put "PRE-ORDER" and the estimated arrival date in bold text in the product description and take full payment upfront. Customers still missed the information.

"I was amazed at how many people don't read the descriptions." - Scott Twiford

There was also a practical problem on the business side. Scott needed a way to distinguish preorders from regular orders and manage payments when an item might not arrive for six, nine, or even 12 months.

The delays made full payment particularly uncomfortable. If a customer paid the entire amount and the release kept moving, Scott didn't want to be holding their money for months while they waited.

At one point, monthly preorder offers had also become too much manual work. Orders scheduled for January could roll into February, then March, creating more work and more customer questions about when products would actually ship. Scott eventually moved from monthly to quarterly preorder offers to give himself more breathing room.

A 10% deposit changed the equation

STOQ gave STM Diecast a way to take preorders with partial payments.

Customers put down 10% rather than paying the full price months before the model arrives. Scott said that flexibility matters because customers can commit to multiple upcoming releases without having a large amount of money tied up at once.

It also helps STM Diecast manage the uncertainty that comes with delayed releases.

"I don't want to hold on to all of your money while something keeps getting delayed." - Scott Twiford

The deposit is non-refundable unless the item is never made, which also helps deter cancellations. STM Diecast orders its supplier allocations when customers place their preorders, so having that commitment matters.

Customers who prefer to pay in full can still do so separately.

Preorders became a major part of the store

The scale of preorders became clear when Scott looked at his recent orders during the interview.

In a 30-day snapshot, more than half of STM Diecast's online-store orders came through preorders.

Scott also said that he regularly sells more products through preorders than he has available in stock.

"A lot of times I'm selling more pre-orders than stuff in stock." - Scott Twiford

For a business where new models are constantly being announced, that means customers can commit to products well before they arrive.

The features that fit the way STM Diecast sells

Scott originally came to STOQ for back in stock alerts. Preorders were added later, and the preorder functionality became the bigger part of how he uses the app.

He highlighted several features that help with the day-to-day work:

• Partial payments let customers secure upcoming models without paying the full amount months in advance.
• Estimated ship dates can be set for individual products or across an entire preorder offer.
• Preorder badges make the preorder status more visible on the product page.
• Bulk updates make it easier to communicate when shipments are delayed or arriving.
• Order editing is useful when customers want to swap a delayed model for another car rather than having the order deleted and recreated.
• Analytics give Scott visibility into what customers are signing up for.

The flexibility around estimated ship dates is particularly useful because not every model in a preorder offer is expected to arrive at the same time.

"If I had to do a ship date for every single line for all items that were a Q4 availability, that would be a pain." - Scott Twiford

A better fit for a preorder-heavy business

For STM Diecast, preorders are part of the normal rhythm of selling diecast models. New cars keep getting announced, customers want to reserve them, and delivery dates can move.

STOQ gave Scott a way to handle that process without relying on product-description notices and full upfront payments.

The result is a preorder workflow built around the way his customers actually buy: commit early, put down a portion of the price, and wait for the next release.