Sponsored by:

ABOUT

MRRADS.com is an alternative to the shotgun search approach for model railroad merchandise used on the many search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, AOL, etc.  Our aim is to provide an easy way for buyers to find the merchandise they want and provide to the merchant a high performance way of bringing customers to their website or store. Customers come to MRRADS with an interest in products to buy, no other reason.  MRRADS.com will be heavily advertised on the web (Google, Yahoo, Bing) for all things model railroad.  Currently about 999,999 items, 600 visits/day and 1800 merchant pages viewed/day.

We encourage merchants to maintain their own page. Merchants with hard to find, specialty items and merchants that do not have a web page are welcome here.

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To open your own page FREE:

Want your as to be on TOP always, click here.

1) At Create your Page create a sign-in and password  - write it down

3) Sign in to Managers desk (Have a sign-on)

4) Go to New Photo and load one image.

5 Go to Update/Add/New and load the remaining images to a maximum of 70. You must delete photos if you have 70 before adding new.  More than one page (additional sign-in) is allowed for different scales and construction and complete.

6) You can reload the same image name (to update picture) or add new ones from Update/Add/New Photo

7) Delete images from the delete photo option

8) You can edit your Profile from managers desk for different best photo or change text.   The best photo name in profile MUST match exactly the name of the uploaded photo you select as your best photo. Most errors are due to a mismatch in naming between  the actual uploaded photo and best photo listing in the profile.

9) From managers desk you can open a second window to check page for look.

11) Pages that have no photos for 5 days will be deleted.

13) There is an additional text box for 500 words for construction or more info which becomes available after the site is open and a mid page text box for dividing photos top and bottom like construction at top and finished at bottom.

12) You can arrange the photos on your detail page by sort photos in managers desk.  0,1,lowest number = top   70,highest number = bottom or multiple photos at 1 will be higher than multiple photos at 3.  The default is 0.

13) You can add individual text per photo, limit 250 characters, (use special characters with care, they might not work).

14) Merchants are arranged on the summary page by category choice and last update.

Contact -

This contact has no information about the merchants listed or products sold. This contact is for merchants who wish to take ownership or use Premium Merchant.

1-800-540-1708 . (Backdrop Warehouse- sponsor) If there is a problem with the program., or you need help with sign-on or paid Premium Merchant.

email     4help (at)  mrrads.com         (at)=@

About images:

There are three settings for jpg images.  All 3 are independently adjustable.

We recommend an image aspect of about 900 pix wide x 600 pix high at 72 ppi,  jpeg only which means the extension MUST be .jpg  not .jpeg or .gif or .bmp or JPG .

Try to make your photos close to this aspect otherwise they will be smaller and not fill the available space. It only takes a few seconds to adjust the size. Also try to get clear, well lighted photos.  No advertisements or promotions allowed.  We can remove photos that are other than your layout or promote a product.

To get good depth-of-field and sharp image, you need plenty of even lighting, a high f-stop (f16, f22) and a tripod. 

An optimum size to load is 900 pix wide x 600 pix high x 72 ppi (74kb) low quality setting on jpg   check this .   Recommended file sizes are 40 - 80kb, maximum size 100kb.

Crop images that are high and narrow or of a much different aspect.

Most digital cameras come with photo manipulation packages.  Your operating system may have the necessary Photo program.  A good, reasonably priced editor is PhotoShop Elements by Adobe (not to be confused with PhotoShop also by Adobe). This is available on-line like (  http://www.ebuyer.com     USA or UK pricing) for around $80 or at COSCO and other retailers.  There are many other editors but you get what you pay for.  Tutorial on Photoshop Elements

Other editors like LITE version  http://www.reasoft.com/products/reacompressor

and   http://www.reaconverter.com

Backdrop Warehouse does not recommend an editor and takes no responsibility as to their use and results. Links are for your reference only.

Be sure to save the new photo as a new name.  Don''t overwrite the original, you can''t get it back.

Also jpg is a lossy format. Always start from the original. Each copy loses detail.

On file names - do not use special characters (&%$#'@)," only _ underscore is useable.  Do not use spaces. The computer cannot handle space and will change to %20.  Do not use .jpeg. This is true on all computers worldwide, web, home.

Good examples:  myphoto.jpg    my_photo.jpg    more_my_photos.jpg

Bad examples;  my   photo.jpg     myphoto&more.jpg     myphoto.jpeg   my(photo).jpg    myphoto.JPG   myphoto's.jpg

More detailed information on .jpg

More detailed information on resizing and resizing programs.

More detailed information on photographing your layout.

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TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR PAGE Targeted ads, customers here want your products Paid choice get enhanced availability to search engine spiders, bots. Create and maintain your own ad  - 10 categories listed on DETAIL page      We can help create your page, it is simple - new pages get a complimentary "promo top of listing" Category and Keyword search     Keyword search in Detail Text box Goodies to promote your page   BLUE LITE SPECIAL   FEATURED    SALE     SPECIAL and Premium Merchant

The choice is 1 most important category you sell, 2 next important, 3 next, 4 next

If there are no paid, the paid below move up. If paid choice 4 is the only one, it will be on top.

There are only four PAID positions for each choice and you also remain in FREE (two showings)

DO NOT LIST CATEGORIES YOU DO NOT SELL. False listing will result in removal of page, paid or not.

The GENERAL INTEREST category is limited to museums, organizations, scenic RRs, some publications

indicates a division between paid positions

High profile choices are limited  actually all choices are limited Not everyone can be on top.  You might consider some less high profile categories for your top choices. You might be better with a higher standing in LIGHTING or TRUCKS or FIGURES than down 75 in ROLLING STOCK.  ROLLING STOCK will still show on detail page even if choice 8. Suggest not using both ROLLING STOCK and LOCOMOTIVES as each get heavy traffic. ALLCAPS are higher usage then lower case, example LOCOMOTIVES vs decals.

Beware there are only four paid positions per choice. If your first choice is SCENERY and you want to pay and there are already four paid positions taken,   SORRY.  If you are paid and change choice you will be level 6b but that may be on top if no other positions taken. Level 6b only applies to a change in a paid choice category. Limited manual adjustments may be made by a new pay, ie. moving from a paid category choice 1-6 to another paid choice 1-6 that is open, no refund on old pay.

It is important to keep the same look and format as all the other pages. We block the page for all CAPS, oversize images, violations and other tricks to make the page stand out. Use our GOODIES to push up your page. Approved use of paragraph, bold and color is ok.

Listing of total choices used 1-6 paid and free  list   aide in deciding your choices

Display order of listings - PAID above FREE

Paid choice 1  four available positions      Premium Merchant

Paid choice 2  four  available positions     Premium Merchant

Paid choice 3  four  available positions     Premium Merchant

Paid choice 4  four  available positions     Premium Merchant

Paid choice 5  four  available positions     Premium Merchant

Paid choice 6  four  available positions     Premium Merchant

Paid level 6b   unlimited positions - for changes from original category - all changes go to level 6b

This is not available to buy but if you start at SCENERY and change to WIRE you go to 6b

Free

Example: For SCENERY if there are two merchant paid choice 2 and one paid merchant choice 4

Top two positions alternate paid choice 2

Paid choice 4 next

Any choice 6b

All FREE

We have tried to arrange pricing according to views and position

Price chart by color  Click Arrow ACCESSORIES Adhesives Airbrush Equip Art-Railroad Bridges & Trestles BACKDROPS Books Brass BRASS Locomotives Calendars Cards RR Catalogs Cleaners Collectables Couplers Computer Software Custom Painting Custom Builders Decals & Dry Transfers Dept 56 DETAIL PARTS DIGITAL COMMAND ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS FIGURES People/Animals Club General Interest Hardware Kits&Scratch Build LIGHTING LOCOMOTIVES Lubricants Magazines Miscellaneous Operating Accessories Paint Paint Brushes Repair ROLLING STOCK Railroadiana Scratch Build Accessories SCENERY Signals Signs Smoke Fluid & Accessories Special & Unique STRUCTURES Sound System Toy Trains TOOLS TRACK & SWITCHES Tramway, Cable, Trolley TRAIN SETS Trucks Used, Preowned, Auction VEHICLES Videos Wire    $100  $200  $300( $200)  $400

GOODIES 

FEATURED - FREE           SALE - FREE         3 paid choices  (min $300/yr) Your can feature a category for 7 days or have SALE on your detail page for 7 days Requirements:     select from managers desk - profile You must have at least 3 paid choices. You are allowed to set featured or SALE every 60 days Featured is not currently in use and featured will stay up for 7 days   For 4 paid choices SPECIAL - FREE             4 paid choices    (min $400/yr)    Maximum exposure Your can have your detail page come up directly from the home page for 7 days Use with paid choice and Blue Lite Special to put your page on top. Have a special on your web page like a sale. Requirements:     select from managers desk - profile You must have at least 4 paid choices. You are allowed to set SPECIAL every 60 days SPECIAL is not currently in use and SPECIAL will stay up for 7 days SPECIAL has a RESERVED option that can be set so your name replaces current on expiration     ALSO   "This is a PREMIUM Merchant"   on the Detail page for 4 paid choices No time limit as long as you have 4 paid choices Also has direct link on home page "Visit Premium Merchants" Also "Premium Merchant" on the by state listing      ALSO     For 5 paid choices    (min $700/yr) For a limited time 20% discount for 5 paid choices. (not added to other discounts, max discount 20%) "This is a PREMIUM Merchant"  is on all 10 choices. Choices 7-10 are not moved up but have the Premium Merchant logo. This applies if conditions are met, no request is required. Have Everything Merchants - Must have 10 choices and paid for 5. Also indicates "AND MUCH MORE" on detail page that there are more categories sold than listed. This applies if conditions are met, no request is required. Note: We may check that you actually sell a reasonable quantity of items of the each of the categories listed. If not  the Have Everything Merchant will be blocked. This only effects this goodie and does not effect listing the category or paying for categories.   ------------------------------------------------------ We reserve the right to increase the charge for services but paid merchants will not be effected until renewal. We may add or change GOODIES but existing GOODIES will remain until renewal. We also reserve the right to end any page without refund if the page violates our requirements. Notice to fix will always be given and removal is a last resort to protect the site, however if violations are serious and effect other pages or the site, immediate removal is certain. No refund for removed pages because of violations. We have the right to refuse/block any page or ads on this site and there will be no charge.