The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Firing Line Gun Show > Retail Deals and Feedback

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old March 2, 2014, 03:56 PM   #1
ghbucky01
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 14, 2014
Location: Northern, KY
Posts: 176
Ordering from Brownell's

This post may be in the wrong section, but I want to make sure that my fellow reloaders take note.

Last week I ordered a batch of bullets from Brownell's online. They had customer service available via chat, and that guy gave me what turned out to be great advice, so I was pretty happy with them and thought I would be a return customer.

However, I have since discovered that I was really had.

I ordered 500 230gr 45 cal RN bullets made by SNS. With shipping it was $83.44

I since discovered that ordering the same thing direct from SNS would only cost $54.45, shipping included.

<<Please note that I have moved this thread to Retail Deals and Feedback. The "stickied" rules for the RD&F subforum apply to posts made after the move. JohnKSa >>

Last edited by JohnKSa; March 3, 2014 at 11:40 AM. Reason: Added Note.
ghbucky01 is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 04:06 PM   #2
nemesiss45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 6, 2014
Posts: 526
Thats some bad shipping... like $20? A lot of gun related sites seem to have high shipping. Thats why I stick to midway when I can
nemesiss45 is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 04:22 PM   #3
ghbucky01
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 14, 2014
Location: Northern, KY
Posts: 176
It wasn't just the S&H. The bullets were considerably more from Brownell's.
ghbucky01 is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 04:32 PM   #4
BillM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2009
Location: Amity Oregon
Posts: 791
How do figure that "you were really had"? Did they mis-represent
the product? Not tell you the price? Tell you one price and
charge you another? Add charges without telling you?

Ignorance on your part---not knowing what a current price on a
product is--is not Brownell's problem.

I buy a lot of stuff from Brownell's. Some stuff they are pretty much the
only source. Some stuff they have great prices on. Some stuff I can get
a better deal elsewhere---that stuff I do not buy from Brownell's.
BillM is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 04:53 PM   #5
ghbucky01
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 14, 2014
Location: Northern, KY
Posts: 176
No, they did not mis-represent the product.
No, they did not mis-quote the price.

What they did do was charge way over market.
The other thing they did was lose what would have been a repeat customer over a few bucks.

So, yeah... caveat emptor. It cuts both directions.
ghbucky01 is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 04:59 PM   #6
NoSecondBest
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 7, 2009
Location: Western New York
Posts: 2,736
Quote:
Ignorance on your part---not knowing what a current price on a
product is--is not Brownell's problem.
100% correct. What do you do when you buy a new car and find out someone else got theirs cheaper? It's your job to know what things are worth, not the sellers. Brownell's doesn't advertise that "we beat anyone else's prices". Brownell's offers a lot of things you can't get anywhere else and provide good customer service. They probably don't sell enough of those bullets to get a really great deal on them. I've found that most retailers don't sell bullets as cheap as the manufacturer does. Another good example is LaserCast bullets from Cabela's. They cost the same except LaserCast will ship free and Cabela's doesn't. I still buy a lot of stuff at Cabela's, just not LaserCast bullets. I shopped around and found this out.
NoSecondBest is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 05:27 PM   #7
Pahoo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,783
Always do your homework !!!

Yah,
I rarely buy anything without knowing the price up front and whenever possible, go shopping and get some price comparisons. Last week, I went shopping for an item and Brownell's was cheaper, including shipping, than Cabelas by just a few bucks. Decided on Cabelas cause I had some points I could use. I think in your case, I'd cut Brownell's some slack. ... ...

Sorry and;
Be Safe !!!
__________________
'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.
Pahoo is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 06:25 PM   #8
AllenJ
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 11, 2009
Location: Northern California
Posts: 1,766
Quote:
What they did do was charge way over market.
I doubt they made more on the bullets but rather they paid more and are passing that cost on. I know how you're feeling, I've had the same thing happen to me but holding the seller responsible for what in reality is my fault is not the answer. An easy way to do a price check is to use Gunbot.net. You can sort the search results by price per unit.
AllenJ is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 06:58 PM   #9
ghbucky01
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 14, 2014
Location: Northern, KY
Posts: 176
Gunbot is how I ended up there.

I am learning that gunbot and ammoseek only represent a handful of sellers, and they seem to have a bubble going on there.

Anyway, lesson learned on that one.

That was my first ever order of bullets.
ghbucky01 is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 07:19 PM   #10
Gadawg88
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 2, 2013
Location: Georgia
Posts: 241
http://www.xtremebullets.com/category-s/48048.htm

http://precisiondelta.com/index.php/...et/45acp.html/

http://www.missouribullet.com/result...=12&category=5

All good choices.
Gadawg88 is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 07:52 PM   #11
Grizz12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 11, 2012
Posts: 527
Quote:
What they did do was charge way over market.
Based on what? There is no standard price for anything, some shops are more expensive than others and you should have done your research before buying.

That being said - I gladly buy (and sometimes pay more) from Brownells because I like that they have pleasant and knowledgeable staff members on hand to answer my questions. Good quality employees are hard to find and I dont have a problem paying for the extra service.
Grizz12 is offline  
Old March 2, 2014, 07:57 PM   #12
rlc323
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 23, 2013
Location: Forgottonia, Il
Posts: 217
I saw that exact box of bullets for $49.99 before tax at a local retailer. I passed on the deal because I like the Missouri Bullet Company cast bullets.

I generally wait until I need enough to make the shipping cost pay. Missouri Bullets will ship 2000 (4 boxes of 500) under 240 grain bullets for $14. They will ship 3000 or 6 boxes of under 150 grain bullets, same price.

http://www.missouribullet.com/index.php
rlc323 is offline  
Old March 3, 2014, 12:38 AM   #13
nemesiss45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 6, 2014
Posts: 526
I like brownells for what they are, but excessive shipping bugs me. If I can ship 70lb of lead in a usps flat rate box for $13, there is no reason a high volume mail order company shouldnt be able to ship a 5-10# box of bullets for apreciably less. Not to pick on brownells, countless online retailers make up for their low prices with excessive shipping
nemesiss45 is offline  
Old March 3, 2014, 10:46 AM   #14
Don P
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 17, 2005
Location: Swamp dweller
Posts: 6,187
They do less shipping for smaller items and the fact that they do a flat rate no matter how large the order is good in my opinion. Buyer beware.
Not Brownell's fault that you didn't shop around and you never did state what the shipping charges were. I would assume it was their standard flat rate shipping charge.
I have a FFL on file with Midway. If my order is under $40 I pay an extra $4.00. If a non FFL holders order is under $40 they pay $3.00
I don't do a lot of business with Midway for that reason being they have stated that FFL holders do not get any special pricing anymore BECAUSE their prices are so low to begin with.
__________________
NRA Life Member, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, NRA Certified Pistol Instructor,, USPSA & Steel Challange NROI Range Officer,
ICORE Range Officer,
,MAG 40 Graduate
As you are, I once was, As I am, You will be.
Don P is offline  
Old March 3, 2014, 11:14 AM   #15
Jimro
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 18, 2006
Posts: 7,097
Brownells often doesn't have the best prices.

But it is still often cheaper for me to buy all the parts I am ordering there than to order all the cheapest parts from the cheapest vendors when I consider one shipping charge verses multiple shipping charges.

Jimro
__________________
Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.
Jimro is offline  
Old March 3, 2014, 11:21 AM   #16
Grundy53
Member
 
Join Date: November 24, 2013
Location: Lake Stevens, WA
Posts: 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillM View Post
How do figure that "you were really had"? Did they mis-represent
the product? Not tell you the price? Tell you one price and
charge you another? Add charges without telling you?

Ignorance on your part---not knowing what a current price on a
product is--is not Brownell's problem.

I buy a lot of stuff from Brownell's. Some stuff they are pretty much the
only source. Some stuff they have great prices on. Some stuff I can get
a better deal elsewhere---that stuff I do not buy from Brownell's.
Exactly. I don't see how this is Brownells fault.
Grundy53 is offline  
Old March 3, 2014, 11:40 AM   #17
JohnKSa
Staff
 
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 24,929
<<Moving to Retail Deals and Feedback. The "stickied" rules for the RD&F subforum apply to posts made after this point. JohnKSa >>
__________________
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
JohnKSa is offline  
Old March 4, 2014, 06:18 PM   #18
BillM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2009
Location: Amity Oregon
Posts: 791
So you screwed up a bit on your first ever bullet order. Stuff
happens. You learned a little lesson, and the tuition was only
around 30 bucks.

I've had a few of those "life's lessons" where the tuition was W-A-Y
more than $30
BillM is offline  
Old March 5, 2014, 09:20 AM   #19
ghbucky01
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 14, 2014
Location: Northern, KY
Posts: 176
Quote:
So you screwed up a bit on your first ever bullet order. Stuff
happens. You learned a little lesson, and the tuition was only
around 30 bucks.

I've had a few of those "life's lessons" where the tuition was W-A-Y
more than $30
One of my father's favorite sayings used to be: "It costs money to go to school"

[edit] to clarify a bit: my intent here wasn't to whine about it, it was simply to give a heads up to other people shopping to pay attention when ordering from these guys.
ghbucky01 is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:53 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.08887 seconds with 10 queries