View Full Version : Caution on buying AR15 related items
Beyond the shortages and possible price hikes, there are some merchants implimenting some sneaky constraints. I found a site that had some items listed and when i ordered, they appeared in the cart ready for shipping. Fortunately i read the fine print; nothing is mentioned about the items being in-stock. If for any reason I cancelled my order, there would be a 25% fee, even on back-ordered items. Most sites will indicated immediately whether an item is in stock or not, but this place didn't. Had i ordered then found they were out of stock, and cancelled, i would have been charged a 25% processing fee. So be careful and whenever possible, stick with sellers you have worked with in the past.
Not just online either. That is why I am sticking with the dealer I have an annual range membership with. I have been waiting for a DPMS A4 Carbine but there is no way of elling when it will come in. He called me today and said they had a few CMMGs come in today and wanted to know if I wanted it. I have 25% down on the order and he could transfer it. Any experience with CMMG AR products?:confused:
texasrangers
11-17-08, 21:45
yes if you cannot get a colt/noveske/lmt/bcm then definitely get the CMMG. Much better quality than the DPMS. Check out Rob_s chart and other threads in the AR discussion.
Thanks Texasrangers, I will
This is why I deal ONLY with people that I have spent money with in the past, or people like Grant from this forum who have an excellent reputation, whom I purchased an RAS M5 rail from after verbally confirming that it was in stock.
yes if you cannot get a colt/noveske/lmt/bcm then definitely get the CMMG. Much better quality than the DPMS. Check out Rob_s chart and other threads in the AR discussion.
+1
It's all relative.
The strangest thing about the buying surge is that ( in general) prices for the low quality stuff have exploded , prices for decent gear have risen quite a bit , but the top shelf items are relatively stable - maybe some increase but not all that much.
From the 7.62x39 world: WASR's sell out at twice last summer's price but VZ58 prices are stable. VZ58 still sell , but buyers just walk away from a bad price.
Beyond the shortages and possible price hikes, there are some merchants implimenting some sneaky constraints. I found a site that had some items listed and when i ordered, they appeared in the cart ready for shipping. Fortunately i read the fine print; nothing is mentioned about the items being in-stock. If for any reason I cancelled my order, there would be a 25% fee, even on back-ordered items. Most sites will indicated immediately whether an item is in stock or not, but this place didn't. Had i ordered then found they were out of stock, and cancelled, i would have been charged a 25% processing fee. So be careful and whenever possible, stick with sellers you have worked with in the past.
What site is this? Give us the name so we can avoid it like the plague.
Crosscheck Gunbroker for the WASR's and VZ58's. You can search both active and closed auctions. There are time period options for closed auctions. People could also check various brands of AR's for quality v price trends.
www.gunbroker.com
Gunbroker is not the whole market , but it is better than pure rumour.
There are also some threads on price & availabity trends under General Discussion at :
www.theakforum.net
What site is this? Give us the name so we can avoid it like the plague.
my experience may have been isolated with this company, so i won't be specific. my post was to give others a warning and be cautious so that they take the time to be sure of who they are doing business with. Yep, always best to stick with known outlets ESPECIALLY with major buys. But i'll try new places and send in a small order to see how they are. This place looked good but when i read the details, i cancelled the purchase. A call to their CSR would have verified things but i didn't like what i was seeing so i bailed. Not quite sure i want to start a thread that ID's the retailers to avoid; much rather start one that ID's the gold plated ones that have a very high satisfaction rate.
FromMyColdDeadHand
11-18-08, 09:49
Not to defend them, but when things get tight, some people that need, say like, twenty mags will place multiple orders with different vendors and after they get the first order, cancel the others. I've seen it with other things like hotel rooms and rental cars. Not saying it is right, and it definately is a bit heavy handed, especially if they don't let you transfer the cash to another item.
I don't know how Grant and others are dealing with it. The demand so out outstripping supply as to be making a huge headache.
my experience may have been isolated with this company, so i won't be specific.
Perhaps you should disclose the company. If you ordered on a publicly accessed website, then what you saw was not isolated to you and could be relevant to some here.
Charging 25% for an item they don't even have is absurd.
Agreed. It's like telling us you know a secret, but then not telling us what that secret is. A tease so to speak. If this company is operating this way, then I would like to know who not to support.
Perhaps you should disclose the company. If you ordered on a publicly accessed website, then what you saw was not isolated to you and could be relevant to some here.
Charging 25% for an item they don't even have is absurd.
here is the company.
http://www.recon-tactical.com/product_info.php?products_id=1926
has anyone else had dealings with this business?
you have to go nearly all the way through the purchase, to view their terms and conditions.
I don't mind putting in an order with the knowledge that the item is on backorder. When i ordered from Grant (knowing that one of the integral components was on BO), he called me within 10 minutes to confirm that i understood it was on BO, and that i might be waiting for a bit.
most places don't charge until the item is shipped, and on rare occaissions the cc is charged prior to shipping, but i knew of that. at the same time there was no indication of a penalty for cancelling an order involving BO's that weren't even on-site. As was mentioned there are some idiots that will place several orders then cancel after receiving confirmation of one (may they burn in hell and get stuck in the passing lane having to follow a blue haired old lady that wants to drive 10 mph :eek:); unfortunately they give the majority of net buyers a bad name.
edit - they have now added the line identifying the product as out of stock.
Not to defend them, but when things get tight, some people that need, say like, twenty mags will place multiple orders with different vendors and after they get the first order, cancel the others. I've seen it with other things like hotel rooms and rental cars. Not saying it is right, and it definately is a bit heavy handed, especially if they don't let you transfer the cash to another item.
I don't know how Grant and others are dealing with it. The demand so out outstripping supply as to be making a huge headache.
I will tell you it is scary. I sent 62 boxes out today. I got 3 boxes in. My inventory is burning up and I am NOT getting re-stocked. :(
C4
I will tell you it is scary. I sent 62 boxes out today. I got 3 boxes in. My inventory is burning up and I am NOT getting re-stocked. :(
C4
Would you say the water is still rising? Or have things leveled off?
And then ...there are companies that surpass our expectations. I had an order in for another 1k rounds of 55gr 5.56, along with some 9mm from Ammunition to Go. They said on their site that it would be late shipping due to the extreme volume of orders. Lo and behold, they ran out of the Prvi Partizan 55gr before my order was filled. They emailed me to apologize and offered me 62gr at no extra charge. Now that's the type of company I'll support in the future. Kudos to them.
And then ...there are companies that surpass our expectations. I had an order in for another 1k rounds of 55gr 5.56, along with some 9mm from Ammunition to Go. They said on their site that it would be late shipping due to the extreme volume of orders. Lo and behold, they ran out of the Prvi Partizan 55gr before my order was filled. They emailed me to apologize and offered me 62gr at no extra charge. Now that's the type of company I'll support in the future. Kudos to them.
They have been exceptional with me as well over the past couple years. I have thousands of rounds of their ammo. Really good people.
I don't know how Grant and others are dealing with it. The demand so out outstripping supply as to be making a huge headache.
I don't charge a customer, except in the case of very special orders, for the merchandise until it is ready to ship so if you cancel, we are all good. I never had your money and you don't pay a penalty for canceling.
How do you charge a 25% restocking fee for something that was never stocked?:confused:
Now that’s gouging.
They have been exceptional with me as well over the past couple years. I have thousands of rounds of their ammo. Really good people.
perhaps we do need to start a thread of the companies that are maintaining their high levels of customer support............might be something for a Mod to consider.
Would you say the water is still rising? Or have things leveled off?
Water is still rising. I turn away more customers than orders I take/send out! :eek:
C4
The good new is the only sector of the U.S. economy operating at full capacity right now is the one Obama thinks shouldn't exist. :D
The bad news is all the others continue to crumble at the notion that he will soon be in charge. :mad:
The bad news is all the others continue to crumble at the notion that he will soon be in charge. :mad:
agreed that the gun industry is definitely going at 100% capacity (i hope the exception is Cooper Arms), and as much as i dislike the prospect of the POTUS elect taking office, in all fairness i don't think the continued downturn in production output is a result of the upcoming change over.
agreed that the gun industry is definitely going at 100% capacity (i hope the exception is Cooper Arms), and as much as i dislike the prospect of the POTUS elect taking office, in all fairness i don't think the continued downturn in production output is a result of the upcoming change over.
Markets ARE speculative....
maybe some of the retailers here could help with this question: on out of stock items, is it better to just put in a back order and wait, keep checking on item and hope to catch it when it's in stock, or give them your email and wait for message??? Which works better from the retailers point of view?
Is a complete lower receiver worth $300 cash FTF? Comes with buttstock, trigger, pistol grip and all. I thought that it was a ripoff but then I saw the prices on gunbroker and that everyone who stocked a lower in the past is out of stock now.
depending on components it could be very good deal or acceptable.
here are a couple links you can check on that will give you an idea of what lowers with good components will run you
http://www.gandrtactical.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=312002&reference=/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi%3Fsearch%3Daction%26keywords%3Dlower%20not%20follower%26searchstart%3D0%26template%3DPDGCommTemplates/FullNav/SearchResult.html
http://www.gandrtactical.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=L7C2&reference=/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi%3Fsearch%3Daction%26keywords%3Dlower%20not%20follower%26searchstart%3D0%26template%3DPDGCommTemplates/FullNav/SearchResult.html
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