Online purchases...you (don't) get what you pay for!

The Stalking Show - 11th to 12th April 2026 - Staffordshire County Showground
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Sheprador1973

Well-Known Member
Hi all. Dont usual post in this section tbh but theres something been bothering for while that I hope you might comment on. What is it? Online retailers selling you (as in taking your money for) items that dont actually own themselves!

So my son turned 10 on 3rd June and in the weeks before I'd been thinking of a 'special' present just from me to him (my wife and I had already got him a few bits...including an 8 week old lab pup!) After a few exercise walks in the woods where I made him a bow and arrow to shoot at stumps, i thought he might like a real one. I am an archer btw so if hes into it he can join the local club with me.

So looked online for youth bows, not too dear incase he doesn't get the bug (the archery one!). Found one very cheap on the website of a very well known gun shop. Thought, why not, it must be cheap as it's a clearance item. Anyway, paid for and recieved an email receipt. Delivery between 20th May and 3rd June. Perfect.

Next few days had me very excited. Realised I had a load of accessories ready to upgrade it straight away for him...sight, d-loop, arrow rest etc. Even trimmed and crested a few carbon arrows for him in readiness.

Then I got THAT email. 'Sorry etc, our suppliers dont have that item in stock and we can give you no delivery time at all as it's out of our control'.

Sighed and emailed them every couple of weeks but same story - 'nothing we can tell you'. Still nothing when I called today.

So when did this start to become ok/almost the norm, and what should I do please? Reckon I have 2 choices:

1) Be stubborn and pushy in the hope that they at least make an effort to get it to us (his birthday is long gone of course). Correct me if I'm wrong but in the 'old days' if someone sold you something that had to honour it...even if they'd made a pricing mistake?

2) Swallow it and move on. Just seems a very unfair way of conducting business and treating customers...especially when it becomes a regular occurrence.

Thoughts and advice most welcome thank you😀

Incidentally, the same item is still for sale to buy now on their website with the same predicted up to 2 week delivery info!
 
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Same here mate well known store online to make misses happy picked a suite she loved it so paid then and there 50/60quid delivery as well ,had three emails off them to review the product and purchase i sent one back three weeks ago saying i will review when i get it! been waiting about 8weeks now. nothing at all during buying does it say maybe a wait,i expected a few weeks ,but.:mad: thing is i could have gone elsewhere if i had known about the delay as in sheps case.
 
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Glad I'm not alone in a way mate, but also feel your frustration. It does drive me nuts tbh! Not meaning to make this a sob story but my son has autism and can become anxious very easily. I eventually had to tell him what I'd bought for him (which was to be a surprise) just to stop him worrying and asking about it every day. Hes stopped asking now 🙁 Wouldnt have minded one bit if they'd just called or emailed back saying that there's been a mistake and can we refund you. Also, they have not contacted me at all since that first email, all other communication has been instigated by me.

Not a massive fan of the name and shame thing but for several reasons this has peed me off big time!
 
@Sheprador1973 really sorry to hear about that.

If you need archery equipment the facebook buy and sell groups are a good place to look.

Since you already practise archery you probably don't need any help or advice but if you do, please feel free to PM me.

Used to know the people who owned the few big archery shops on first name terms, when I put an order in with them I always knew it would come through.
 
Seems as though there's two ways to run a business online. One is to buy stock in and then sell it. The other is to advertise stuff for sale and if someone buys one, then you order it, if the suppliers have any, or maybe you have to wait until they make the next batch, if they are ever going to. I can see the advantage of not keeping money tied up in stock, to a degree, but surely customer satisfaction must be of some importance to them, or eventually it'll all come tumbling down.

Frankly, if I find someone is doing the second method, they simply don't get any more of my business.
 
Poor skills from the shop involved. Appreciate that occasionally these things do happen but to still be advertising the item for sale when they know that they have supply issues is pretty pathetic. I’d be demanding a full refund and leaving an ‘honest’ revue on Trustpilot! PS - if the loon happens to be a lefty drop me a PM
 
If they don't have the stock then they shouldn't be selling it in my opinion! If they don't have sufficient finance behind them to carry at least one of ever item they list for sale in stock then I would question their ability to trade. Too many people setting up 'dining room table' businesses & under cutting proper retailers with stores you can go to and see the product and in our game speak to people who in general know what they're talking about. My Mrs orders a pair of boots online, knew exactly what she wanted as they were a replacement for a worn out pair, several months later & no sign of them so eventually she manages to get a response from the seller after asking publicly on her Facebook page (previous e-mails had gone unanswered). The response she got was along the lines of , I'll check with the supplier & if they're in stock I'll get them sent straight to you!
 
If the shop was close enough, I would make sure one of those rubber cup plastic projectiles the toddlers shoot at cardboard target boards stuck to the owners forehead, with the flag that unfurls with the word “BOOM” on it, 🤡
 
Not unusual for a retailer to not actually have an item in stock, it is 99% certain to be made in China and a lot of retailers take orders and the customer then has wait for it amongst the next container delivery full of shyte from the orient, its the wonder of our "global" economy.
 
Cash on the barrel head or nail, spit on the palm of the hand (pre covid of course), these shysters are making money on your money, ...... You want to be a bank?, then go self employed , it happens all the time.
 
caberslash said:
@Sheprador1973 really sorry to hear about that.

If you need archery equipment the facebook buy and sell groups are a good place to look.

Since you already practise archery you probably don't need any help or advice but if you do, please feel free to PM me.

Used to know the people who owned the few big archery shops on first name terms, when I put an order in with them I always knew it would come through.
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Tbh I've had quite a few incidences of this with archery gear too, with a few very noticable exceptions. Currently looking at a win&win field bow which Merlin advertise. But at least they state 'call for availability' with no option to actually purchase. Much more honest.
 
Smelly Yeti said:
Poor skills from the shop involved. Appreciate that occasionally these things do happen but to still be advertising the item for sale when they know that they have supply issues is pretty pathetic. I’d be demanding a full refund and leaving an ‘honest’ revue on Trustpilot! PS - if the loon happens to be a lefty drop me a PM
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Funnily enough we're both lefties! Him genuine, me eye dominance. Will pm is that's ok?
 
To be fair, in some types of retail minimal stock is held, on the basis they know they can get it in next day or certainly within a few days. Covid has screwed that up a lot.

So long as they let you know within a day or two of any supply issues then I’d be tempted to give them the benefit of doubt.

Not easy running a business at the mo.
 
bullet chucker said:
Did you get all, of your payment back?

BC.
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I haven't asked yet mate but just know it will come to that. Thought I'd give them another 2 weeks before 'surrendering'. Wouldnt mind but they're not an obscure one-man-band dealer, more a VERY high profile online retailer that I bet most of you have bought from (I have) in the past. Maybe Covid has affected their supply chain but just tell me that and I'd understand. This feels more like a new way of doing things that I've experienced elsewhere too!

Ps Sorry for the moan! 😀
 
Money has been taken before stock secured for years, I am tempted, but won’t mention the usual suspects down south.And not to be Norf Sarf divide there is one operating a bit North of me too.
 
Sheprador1973 said:
Tbh I've had quite a few incidences of this with archery gear too, with a few very noticable exceptions. Currently looking at a win&win field bow which Merlin advertise. But at least they state 'call for availability' with no option to actually purchase. Much more honest.
Click to expand...
Use a Win&Win recurve bow myself, you won't go wrong with that brand.
 
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