Do AR companies accept payment for “skipping to the front”?

[officerX]

When you say large, quality manufacturer...I get a little suspicious.
Most large, quality manufacturers are not taking back orders because their production is maxed out for at least the next 18 mos.
The forecasted POs from your large distributors, retailers, and even brick and mortar dealers leaves virtually no room for backorders.

We're legitimately at 100% capacity and I dont anticipate expanding that capacity. I can probably tell you down to the detent what parts are already spoken for in December 2021.

Make sure the guys you're ordering a rifle from aren't running a ponzi scheme. Personally, I wouldn't take someone's money upfront for something I hope will work out in 6mos with all the uncertainty we have in this industry.

I suppose if you paid a premium and got it tomorrow that protects you... although if they were a large, quality manufacturer you could probably just buy one of their rifles on gun broker for the same premium...

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Are you all still producing parts to sell or mainly just complete rifles? And if only complete rifles, are they only going to contracts or to dealers for public purchase?

[Warp]

That starts to smack of Geissele's debacle from Black Friday of 2019. They bit off more than they could chew production-wise, and once the sale was over they publicly admitted that anyone paying full price would take precedent over those who bought at the sale price when it came to shipping priority as stuff came back into stock. Bullshit if you ask me.

That did rub some people the wrong way, and rightfully so. But, they were open about it, so there's that...and 35% off everything G branded they had for days...and if you really had to wait, you got a 20% and a 35% off coupon when your order did ship (which, they did)...also they seem to have learned from how badly the optics on that were, they no longer charge up front (about time) but, rather, if you backorder, doesn't charge till it is actually shipping.

Just thought I'd put that out there.

But, yeah, it does smack of that and it was no popular and is a good case study if why companies don't do Fast Passes to cut in line.

[SOLGW]

Are you all still producing parts to sell or mainly just complete rifles? And if only complete rifles, are they only going to contracts or to dealers for public purchase?

The vast majority our stuff goes to dealers for public purchase right now. Probably 90% or more. Everyday our stuff is in stock somewhere... it just goes very fast.
We are making parts available for purchase, but its extremely limited. Complete rifles are going to absorb most of it.



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[officerX]

The vast majority our stuff goes to dealers for public purchase right now. Probably 90% or more. Everyday our stuff is in stock somewhere... it just goes very fast.
We are making parts available for purchase, but its extremely limited. Complete rifles are going to absorb most of it.



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I can attest to that! I’m working on an 11.5” pistol build and am having trouble finding most of the parts! I have managed to find the barrel, blaster guts and gas block, but that’s it. I’m on every notification list I can find for when parts do come back in stock.


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[rushca01]

When you say large, quality manufacturer...I get a little suspicious.
Most large, quality manufacturers are not taking back orders because their production is maxed out for at least the next 18 mos.
The forecasted POs from your large distributors, retailers, and even brick and mortar dealers leaves virtually no room for backorders.

We're legitimately at 100% capacity and I dont anticipate expanding that capacity. I can probably tell you down to the detent what parts are already spoken for in December 2021.

Make sure the guys you're ordering a rifle from aren't running a ponzi scheme. Personally, I wouldn't take someone's money upfront for something I hope will work out in 6mos with all the uncertainty we have in this industry.

I suppose if you paid a premium and got it tomorrow that protects you... although if they were a large, quality manufacturer you could probably just buy one of their rifles on gun broker for the same premium...

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That’s a good point, Euro can you get what you want on GB?

[Dukr]

Closest I've seen is, I don't recall where but a couple shops have offered "I Can Wait" discounts at times for folks willing to step to the back of the line in high-demand times.

LaRue used to do that with their triggers, when they were higher priced.

[Eurodriver]

When you say large, quality manufacturer...I get a little suspicious.
Most large, quality manufacturers are not taking back orders because their production is maxed out for at least the next 18 mos.
The forecasted POs from your large distributors, retailers, and even brick and mortar dealers leaves virtually no room for backorders.

We're legitimately at 100% capacity and I dont anticipate expanding that capacity. I can probably tell you down to the detent what parts are already spoken for in December 2021.

Make sure the guys you're ordering a rifle from aren't running a ponzi scheme. Personally, I wouldn't take someone's money upfront for something I hope will work out in 6mos with all the uncertainty we have in this industry.

I suppose if you paid a premium and got it tomorrow that protects you... although if they were a large, quality manufacturer you could probably just buy one of their rifles on gun broker for the same premium...

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To be fair, I haven’t contacted anyone. But I was referring to companies like Noveske, Larue, BCM, KAC, etc.

Like if I just said hey here’s an extra $1000 for an SR25 can I have it next week? Would they accept? What about $2000?

Surely there’s gotta be a number or are companies just not setup to do something like that?

Like if you were offered $4,500 for a new Broadsword in .224 Valkyrie by March 1st would you accept it? Could you even do it? (Not asking as a slam on you, but just given the state of the industry right now)

You don’t need to answer that, as that’s not a real proposition, but that’s the scenario I’m proposing with the OP.

I have paid more for rushed service for holsters, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting about. Those were all options offered at the time of sale. Ive also seen some pistol smiths charge $1000 for fast VIP service as an option right on their website.

But I’ve never just called up a company and said “hey I wanna buy your xyz rifle but I don’t wanna wait 20 weeks. Would $1,000 get me one by Friday?”

(For what it’s worth, I’m talking about rifles that cost $4,000+ MSRP so $1,000 is quite a bit of money to the manufacturer in terms of margin but also not a ridiculous amount extra for the buyer.)

[Armadillo]

I don't think it's possible because it would damage the brand.

I collect custom knives that are hard to get because they sell out right away.
I also collect other gadgets that are overpriced for what they are but they have collector value because they are made by valued machinist / artists that have a cult following.

I thought to myself - hey - I'll pay you $500 now for item X that you sell for $150. You can end up with more money and I'll have my gadget.

If they would do that - it would throw off the natural pricing and value of the items that are being created.

I can't quite put it into words but it would hurt the makers in the long run.

There is a way to get your premium items...

A "want to buy" ad or look on Gunbroker.

People know "what they got" and sometimes they are willing to part with it for "a fair price".

Sometimes I see rare things for double the cost or more of MSRP.

If you are willing to part with your money those are the people you want.

Just like when the Playstation 5 came out...

They were impossible to get because of the bots. People were literally left out in the cold.
But, for the right price you could buy one.

It's tougher to source rare guns though because they are all serialized.
It's not like you can grease the palms of a guy who sells things out of his trunk.

If you really are looking for an SR25, I've seen them pop up on Gunbroker.

You might have to win an auction or just pay a high "buy it now" price.

[SOLGW]

To be fair, I haven’t contacted anyone. But I was referring to companies like Noveske, Larue, BCM, KAC, etc.

Like if I just said hey here’s an extra $1000 for an SR25 can I have it next week? Would they accept? What about $2000?

Surely there’s gotta be a number or are companies just not setup to do something like that?

Like if you were offered $4,500 for a new Broadsword in .224 Valkyrie by March 1st would you accept it? Could you even do it? (Not asking as a slam on you, but just given the state of the industry right now)

You don’t need to answer that, as that’s not a real proposition, but that’s the scenario I’m proposing with the OP.

I have paid more for rushed service for holsters, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting about. Those were all options offered at the time of sale. Ive also seen some pistol smiths charge $1000 for fast VIP service as an option right on their website.

But I’ve never just called up a company and said “hey I wanna buy your xyz rifle but I don’t wanna wait 20 weeks. Would $1,000 get me one by Friday?”

(For what it’s worth, I’m talking about rifles that cost $4,000+ MSRP so $1,000 is quite a bit of money to the manufacturer in terms of margin but also not a ridiculous amount extra for the buyer.)

I can only speak for SOLGW, but I'd imagine the other companies you mentioned are in a similar position.
Making an extra $1000 on a rifle is negligible right now...at least when considering the big picture. We have 20,000 rifles on order. That's not even counting the individual parts, halves etc
We honestly wont be able to fulfill all of it. Our dealers know that...but they keep those POs open as place holders. We're operating in a deficit of supply.
It makes no sense to change the production schedule or short our dealers and distributors for a $1000. Not when you have millions and millions of dollars in obligations to entities that forecasted their orders months in advance. Efficiency and throughput are way more important.

To give you an example, I watched someone sell one of our stripped lowers on gunbroker the other day for $720. If we were trying to maximize margin I'd be selling direct to consumers...but production would slow to a crawl. You'd lose your ass in the long run...and for those of us who actually believe in the cause...you would arm considerably less people as a result.

Again, this probably applies to the other brands as well, our stuff is in stock somewhere weekly. It can be had immediately if you find it. Or, you can pay the premium on gun broker from resellers... but I wouldnt halt or alter production for $1000...or $10k for that matter.
The people at those companies you mentioned who can even make that production decision are probably looking at the big picture, too.

I accept that our industry might suffer catastrophic damage from this administration, but you still have to plan as if you're going to be here in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years etc... chasing the short run is no way to build a brand.

If youre willing to pay extra, gun broker is your best bet.



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[Eurodriver]

I can only speak for SOLGW, but I'd imagine the other companies you mentioned are in a similar position.
Making an extra $1000 on a rifle is negligible right now...at least when considering the big picture. We have 20,000 rifles on order. That's not even counting the individual parts, halves etc
We honestly wont be able to fulfill all of it. Our dealers know that...but they keep those POs open as place holders. We're operating in a deficit of supply.
It makes no sense to change the production schedule or short our dealers and distributors for a $1000. Not when you have millions and millions of dollars in obligations to entities that forecasted their orders months in advance. Efficiency and throughput are way more important.

To give you an example, I watched someone sell one of our stripped lowers on gunbroker the other day for $720. If we were trying to maximize margin I'd be selling direct to consumers...but production would slow to a crawl. You'd lose your ass in the long run...and for those of us who actually believe in the cause...you would arm considerably less people as a result.

Again, this probably applies to the other brands as well, our stuff is in stock somewhere weekly. It can be had immediately if you find it. Or, you can pay the premium on gun broker from resellers... but I wouldnt halt or alter production for $1000...or $10k for that matter.
The people at those companies you mentioned who can even make that production decision are probably looking at the big picture, too.

I accept that our industry might suffer catastrophic damage from this administration, but you still have to plan as if you're going to be here in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years etc... chasing the short run is no way to build a brand.

If youre willing to pay extra, gun broker is your best bet.



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Perfect. This is great info.

I wasn’t necessarily trying to do what’s in the OP, just more trying to understand why it isn’t offered.

I guess my $1000 isn’t as much as I thought it would be