Optics Planet is backordering orders in order to raise prices during current surge in prices

[CapnMac]

Ok, I can see the premise Original Poster is presenting.
My problem with that premise is that it presupposes OP is competent enough to engage in that level of market manipulation.
Their record of successful business transactions does not suggest "competent" in the slightest, at least to me.

Now, re-pitch the premise to: "OP's incompetance in drop shipping is causing major price increases for shoppers who have already paid for bu not recieved their goods" and you might have something.
After all, the list of satisfied Optics Planet customers is shorter than The History of Nepalese Naval Victories.

 

[Styx]

Ok, I can see the premise Original Poster is presenting.
My problem with that premise is that it presupposes OP is competent enough to engage in that level of market manipulation.
Their record of successful business transactions does not suggest "competent" in the slightest, at least to me.

Now, re-pitch the premise to: "OP's incompetance in drop shipping is causing major price increases for shoppers who have already paid for bu not recieved their goods" and you might have something.
After all, the list of satisfied Optics Planet customers is shorter than The History of Nepalese Naval Victories.

They're still in business and have been for years. Despite the internet complaints, they've seem to have been doing fine. I ordered a total 6 firearm related items from them since Fri, Oct 12, 2018 via separate orders, and I never had an issue. I don't order anything that's listed as being back ordered.

The do $310.7 million in business, and have been around for 23+ years. They're doing something right and they must have a lot of happy and returning customers.

 

[1KPerDay]

Optics Planet is good.......until they are not...........way down my list of places to look for things.

I don’t even bother

 

[jmorris]

as for employee of a company…. they can give two cents about custom loyalty or any sense of customer service (Wade’s EastSide … I’m calling you out, you did me wrong and laughed in my face about it)

Yeah, it was the letter to Larry, that went unanswered (for better or worse) that sealed the deal for me.

 

[dogtown tom]

They're doing something right and they must have a lot of happy and returning customers.

You could make the same argument for McDonalds.

You could view "a lot of happy and returning customers" but it's not always easy to document " angry and dissatisfied will never go there again customers".

I think in the last twenty years I've bought exactly one item from Optics Planet. I haven't bought anything since then because its not that difficult finding a seller with a better price.

 

[Styx]

You could make the same argument for McDonalds.

You could view "a lot of happy and returning customers" but it's not always easy to document " angry and dissatisfied will never go there again customers".

I think in the last twenty years I've bought exactly one item from Optics Planet. I haven't bought anything since then because its not that difficult finding a seller with a better price.

I go with who has the better price. The few times I went with O.P., they had the best price with shipping to my home.

As far as your McDonald's example goes, that phenomenon is true with most businesses. The difference and why I made my original argument is that a few have asserted that it's hard to find and their aren't that many happy O.P. customers. If that was the case, they wouldn't have grown and increased sales over the years to become one of the top online retailers in the United States. Logically, they have to be doing a lot of things right and have many happy customers.

I'd wager dissatisfied customers will be loud and verbose about their dissatisfaction while you won't hear much from their satisfied customers. I've been happy with them over the past 5 years, but never once mentioned them or brought them up until today. The complaints I've heard about them were always with regards to them talking and allowing backorder.

 

[armoredman]

Any of y'all remember that "OpticsPlanet" is a member of THR?

He has not logged in since February 2022, but he'd been a member since 2011 with more than 800 posts.

Been gone for over a year and a half? He doesn't work there anymore, most likely. And my negative experience with Optics Planet means I, too, will never again ever spend a dime there.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Agsalaska, backordering orders seems to be SOP at Optics Planet. It happens all the time.

I hope this is appropriate and I understand if it is not. OpticsPlanet.com is doing the exact same thing Cheaper than Dirt did in 2012 when they committed company suicide by cancelling orders to raise prices.

They have been doing stuff like this for years. They ain't dead yet.

WIlling to lose a client and get a bad review over, what, $80??

Doesn't seem to phase them at all, does it. Never has.

 

[Hokkmike]

The reviews for Optics Planet were terrible when I read them. Looked elsewhere.

 

[herrwalther]

My one experience with Optics Planet was trying to buy a pistol light. They had the best price and it showed in stock. Ordered, they charged my card, and I waited. Three months with no shipping update. They then charged my card two more times before I put a stop to it and got my money back. As far as I am concerned they are a scam website that occassionally has a happy customer.

 

[Show Me]

Years of constant orders from midway. I mean month after month. No problem ever. No one is perfect but I'm lucky

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I would not buy from optics planet in any situation. Better/more honest companies out there.

 

[Lo-Profile]

I stopped using Optics Planet years ago for doing that crap. It's nothing new.

 

[tarosean]

Cheaper than Dirt did in 2012 when they committed company suicide by cancelling orders to raise prices.

Except they are still around..

 

[Navy87Guy]

“Back order” seems to be the default status for Optics Planet. I never order anything that advertises such a status up front - and I cancel anything that shows “in stock” then turns to “back ordered” after I've checked out. I’d say that about 25% of my purchases actually get delivered.

I’ve had better luck with their sister-site, Dvor.com. If they list it, they have it it. The downside is that the “deals” are limited duration and change constantly. The only way to know is to check often for specific things you’re looking for. When they have them, though, you can get some great deals.

 

[BobABQ]

Thank you everyone on the “heads up” on Planet O. I was considering ordering Leupold rifle scope from them, now, not likely to happen.

 

[dogtown tom]

Except they are still around..

Well, the name is still around.
Cheaper Than Dirt was at one time a catalog business with a retail store and internet sales warehouse in Ft Worth. Later they added guns to the internet sales.
Multiple "owners" of CTD and even a separate FFL business inside the retail store made any discussion of Cheaper Than Dirt confusing at best.

From what I was told, CTD's catalog sales operation was separate from any retail or gun business, they just shared a name and website.
You could go to the Ft Worth store, browse guns, buy one.....but any other merchandise was a separate checkout. If you had seen something in the CTD catalog, but it wasn't on the shelf, you could go to the back counter and the clerk would go pull it from the warehouse. You had to pay at the back counter. So if you bought a pistol....from the gun counter. Ammunition was at the store cash register and if the holster you wanted wasn't on the shelf you went to the back of the store to the catalog register and the clerk would go pull it from the warehouse.

It was explained to me then that the gun sales were a separate business, the retail gun accessories were separate and the catalog sales were separate and each had a different owner.
To make it even more confusing, Cheaper Than Dirt Guns opened in McKinney, about sixty miles away from the CTD retail/catalog warehouse. It was only open around a year. Same with the Cheaper Than Dirt Guns in Round Rock near Austin.
At some point the gun store inside CTD in Ft Worth left......and became Ft Worth Guns. I think FWG is defunct now.

 

[plainsdrifter]

Not exactly the same.
CTD accepted orders for firearms that they didn't actually have in stock. Panic buyers, flippers and neckbearders placed orders that they thought would be fulfilled only to discover CTD didn't have those guns in stock in the first place. Orders were cancelled. When those SKU's came back in stock, CTD raised the price. That wasn't unique to CTD and happens quite often with some internet retailers. There are distributors like Davidsons that allow any kitchen table dealer with a website to show thousands of guns "in stock"......when they really aren't, they are sitting on a shelf at a Davidsons warehouse.

CTD even had different pricing depending on which "warehouse" it was sourced from. By "warehouse" CTD means another company or distributor because CTD didn't have but one warehouse in Ft Worth.




Which tells me Optics Planet knows that ammunition sku's will likely be in short supply for several months. Thats good planning and good business math.

It's not good business when someone already ordered. Thats thievery.
Why buy ammo from an optics place anyways?

 

[Ignition Override]

Put this documented info on multiple gun websites.

They could eventually suffer as CTD.

CTD got so desperate about ten years ago that they offered some very nice Greek HXP .303 ammo at attractive prices.

They were trying to do “penance” for their flagrant And inexcusable Sins committed during either the Newtown panic or a similar scenario.

 

[dogtown tom]

It's not good business when someone already ordered. Thats thievery.

It's not thievery when no one $$$ was stolen.

Why buy ammo from an optics place anyways?

Because they sell ammo?

Staples sells more than staples.
Whataburger sells taquitos.
Total Wine sells beer and liquor.
Gun stores sell more than just guns.

 

[crestoncowboy]

I hope this is appropriate and I understand if it is not. OpticsPlanet.com is doing the exact same thing Cheaper than Dirt did in 2012 when they committed company suicide by cancelling orders to raise prices. I ordered 500 rounds of Aguila 115gr 9mm on Oct 10. It was showing available for .20c a round. They then sent me a backorder notice out to some distant date that will never happen. But in the meantime they broke all of the cases down to 50 round boxes and priced them .28c a round. Available right now. So they have it, they just won't ship it. And the kicker is they even admitted it to me over the phone two different times that they will not ship it because its worth more in 50 round boxes.

WIlling to lose a client and get a bad review over, what, $80??


Hopefully some of you read this and avoid the same issues.

Has anyone else had the same experience?

A LOT of people hate optics planet and the reviews are terrible. I have ordered from them a few times with no issues though. But yes.... thats pretty dirty

Ah, yes! Good ol' Optiks Planet

OK, I ordered 3 parts from them, and I knew how to check if it's really in stock or not!

So...... 2 days later an email oh we are so sorry Sir, one of the items is illegal to ship to you Sir. So I called them, cause, the email stated I COULD call & order the suppos-ed illegal part Sir. Supposed, the part mystically went from illegal to legal, if I called...
Soooo.... during that call I said, I REALLY don't want anything illegal, just cancel the entire order and that was THE last .

Oh, for the bots, Feds, and curious, the offending illegal item was a plain ol' shotgun choke tube.... IM if I remember correctly...

Well when you improve on the already modified nature of a choke it makes it a more lethal choke and hence illegal.

Speaking of Midway. I ordered a air rifle from them. When it came. The rings were missing for the scope. They wanted me to send the whole gun back. Im like i just need rings. She said no need to send the whole gun back. I told here never mind ill pickup a set.

Four wheel parts sent me 2 correct wheels (5x5) and 2 wrong wheel (5x4.5) ....wanted me to pay shipping for all 4 wheels back to them to send me the 2 right wheels.

Not their fault. Just following what the computer tells them. But my shop won't order from them anymore over it.

Not exactly the same.
CTD accepted orders for firearms that they didn't actually have in stock. Panic buyers, flippers and neckbearders placed orders that they thought would be fulfilled only to discover CTD didn't have those guns in stock in the first place. Orders were cancelled. When those SKU's came back in stock, CTD raised the price. That wasn't unique to CTD and happens quite often with some internet retailers. There are distributors like Davidsons that allow any kitchen table dealer with a website to show thousands of guns "in stock"......when they really aren't, they are sitting on a shelf at a Davidsons warehouse.

CTD even had different pricing depending on which "warehouse" it was sourced from. By "warehouse" CTD means another company or distributor because CTD didn't have but one warehouse in Ft Worth.

'

They also canceled ammo orders that were already charged for and relisted the ammo at a higher price.

 

[N555]

Are they willing to lose a client and get a bad review over, what, $80??

Yes.
It's already happening again.
There's at least 20 million first time and new gun owners over the last 3 years, over a period of time where there might have only be 1 to 2 million organically grown and nuclear new gun owners.
So ammo and gun shortages are only going to be deeper and longer lasting than even what we saw in 2020.
Glad I got my 3 cases of small rifle and 2 cases of small pistol primers for about 7 cents delivered and 9 cents out the door for 2 cases of win No.41s.

 

[Riomouse911]

I think “Optics Planet” means when you order an Optic it has to circle the Planet before you receive it. The one order I placed took over six months to arrive.

I learned then and there that the Pony Express had faster shipping than OP. Bought once and burned once, never again for me. YMMV.

Stay safe.

 

[JFrank]

I’ve had a positive experience with Optics Planet, Scope was indeed backordered however to confirm the approximate time frame to they're possession I called Nightforce. The scope arrived about when it was expected and several hundred dollars cheaper than any other vendor and even cheaper than veterans PX prices.
Hard to complain about a major purchase like that.
Component prices vary so much I wouldnt do a backorder just because of that nor would I hold a middle company responsible or trash them on line, but some guys just like to spread sour grapes.

 

[wesmonster]

I kicked OP to the curb many years ago. They'll claim they have eveything in stock and sit on your order for months. Sometimes the cheapest price isn't the best deal.