1911.COM : The $hit List : The $hit List : Voluntary Boycott on Cheaper Than Dirt

Posted: Feb 14th 2009, 05:49 AM

As the first entry to the $hit list, we have Cheaper Than Dirt.
This notice was issued due to unsavory business practices, artificial price gouging and inflation, and contributing to market panic for personal profit. This notice will remain in effect until we receive notice from several CTD customers that their practices have changed. Trying to spread rumors and capitalize on market panic is at the expense of the entire industry. Unfounded rumors are not what we need circulating, and they have shown their true colors in that they will sacrifice the industry - and no doubt, our rights if necessary - if it produces any extra income in their future.

For all of those that have not received it yet; or for those who are not Cheaper Than Dirt Customers:

The front cover of their March 2009 catalog has this disclaimer proudly situated on the upper right corner:
"Possible drastic limitations on your second amendment rights have caused political speculation and market uncertainty. We have sold out of everything that might be banned or taxed and we are scrambling to find more ammo, magazines, and gun gear. Supplies and prices change constantly, we continue to struggle to find whatever we can while it is still legal. We appreciate your patience during this time of uncertainty in the Firearms Industry.
--Your Buddies at Cheaper Than Dirt!"

Additionally, they have been capitalizing and now contributing to market panic. They are one of the very few major distributors that has artificially jacked up prices post-election. I have been reading about many customers experiences with them over the past few months. Notably, people would call in an order only to find the prices had changed by as much as 300% from what is printed in the magazine they had just received, only to get a laugh on the other end and some smart ass remark. People posting reviews or in their forums get their content "filtered" and their time wasted for posting anything that reflects negatively on CTD.

So, America's Firearm Network is issuing a voluntary boycott on CTD until they resolve their business practices. Some may scoff at this but it will carry a little more weight as time goes on, and especially when we migrate to the new site. In addition, we will not be accepting any promotions, advertising, posts or press releases from their company on America's Firearm Network - until and if they resolve this situation. Feel free to distribute this notice on other sites. We have snail mailed CTD regarding this development.

Please remember, they have already lost thousands of customers - permanently, due to the way they have operated in the past few months.

Customers of CTD, remember that the prices you see in any CTD publication cannot be trusted as being even remotely accurate. I highly recommend checking out these major distributors in their place:

Brownells
MidwayUSA
Sportsmans Guide

Thanks,
Head of Operations
America's Firearm Network

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Posted: Feb 14th 2009, 06:44 AM

I've got that catalog. As much as I pay attention to detail, I have to admit I skipped right over that and just wanted to look inside. Glad somebody was paying attention! I've been calling them "Not So Cheaper Than Dirt" for a while now. No great loss to me taking my buisness else where. I also get the other catalogs mentioned above. I did copy/paste this to my other zombie eradicators

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Posted: Feb 14th 2009, 07:21 AM

Now that's a low down dirty shame. I bought from these guys last year, they had some damn good products. Hurts to see them taking advantage of good people, especially in these times. Freakin' pirates, not the good kind either!

CJ

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MS US

Posted: Feb 14th 2009, 07:21 AM

Cancelling my second order for mags, Boss. Thanks.

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MS US

Posted: Feb 14th 2009, 09:40 AM

Well, now that the gate's open, I'll chime in.

I too got that catalog. They are full of shiznit!

I don't buy from Cheaper than Dirt. The only thing cheap there is there name. I do get their catalog also, because I have bought from them in the past. I like perusing their catalog, then finding what I like and doing a search on sites that are much cheaper and have great reps.

Foxtrot,

PM'ing you with another and my reasoning for wanting to add it. If you agree, cool, if not, cool also!

Recoil

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AL US

Posted: Feb 14th 2009, 10:14 AM

I too had a bad experience with ctd. I ordered 4 PMAGS from them before the election, and checked the status of my order AFTER the election, and the price nearly doubled!!!! I cancelled right then and there, and refuse to even look at thier website.

Boss - I love the idea of the $hit list!!!!

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Posted: Feb 15th 2009, 05:47 AM

I used to deal a lot with CTD because their prices seemed pretty reasonable and they would ship ammo to Hawaii...until 9/11. I found that a lot of their stuff is usually cheap imports that should only be used for practice/show. I ordered a collapsible baton from them as my ASP was in one car all the time(and I wanted a second). Good thing I never tried to use it in a life or death situation. I was beating out the dirt from my crappy car's mats and I noticed the baton had bent almost 50degrees just from hitting the mats in the air! My ASPs have been used to hit much harder objects full force without any damage other than paint smears on the steel.

Now that I have a better internet connection and that many distributors/dealers have gone to web sales, I find that there are many companies who will ship to HI without screwing us on shipping rates. Maybe the judgement call on the baton and some other knick-nacks was my fault butI would think the company should have placed some kind of disclaming stating those batons were for show purposes only.

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HI US

Posted: Feb 15th 2009, 11:36 AM

CTD is right up there with Sportsman's Guide for me. They won't even ship a part to Ca. if it has to do with an AR. SG won't even ship me a flip-up front sight. CTD won't ship me a stock for my AR either. Neither one of them would ship a foregrip pistol grip here either. None of these parts are illegal at all but they won't ship them. So, I don't buy anything from either of them.

Both of these companies have made back door deals with the CAs government to save money on taxes. According to a friend of mine that works for CADOJ CA was going to collect sales tax from several companies if they shipped parts for ARs or AKs to our screwed up state. The only two companies that agreed were CTD and SG.

They won't even ship a part here if it can fit on an AR (not including scopes).

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Posted: Feb 21st 2009, 11:40 PM

Almost similar topic

I was at a motorcycle show in Maryland and there was a vendor from Tennessee selling something and he said that he would need to charge me tax on the product.... I thought for a minute and asked why - if your business is out of state and you shipped it to me would I have to pay tax? He said no BUT now he was in Maryland and was told that he needed to charge tax on all sales..... I thought and asked - Maryland tax or Tennessee tax? He said Maryland, you don't want to pay Tenn tax it is 12%; Maryland is only 6%

The Boston Tea Party happened because they wanted to tax Americans at 3% - If I remember right....one penny was a lot of money back then....

I did not buy the item at the show.

Live and learn

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Posted: Feb 22nd 2009, 09:44 AM

Buck,

This is off-topic for this thread, but, well, I feel I needed to say it. I just had my taxes done by a professional. He asked me the question: "Did you buy anything over the internet last year where you weren't taxed?" I asked why he wanted to know. He said it's now taxable. I told him "NO", which is the truth and nothing but the truth of course! If I had bought stuff over the 'net, I would have had to pay taxes on it. I think I'm going to stick with my current policy of not buying anything over the internet! In other words, it's on an honor system at this time...Uncle Sam wants to tax you on it. He also said in the near future, it'll be a mandatory thing when you buy. They'll hit you with taxes from either their or your state. Pitiful!

I'm with you on the Tea Party...I think American's have had enough taxation!

Recoil

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AL US

Posted: Mar 18th 2009, 12:08 AM

I think CTD is a shamless company who would sell us down river if they made a buck. i will refuse to buy from them forever.

I think your Taxman was missing the point on the law. You have to pay taxes on items you bought from retailers in your state, that you didnt pay taxes on. Some states do not have sales tax and I think IIRC there is a standing law stating your home state can not force you to pay a duty tax on items bought from another state whether or not you paid tax on the item. I think they can hit you on overseas sales, and retailers within your state, but not all sales...could be wrong though.

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Posted: Mar 18th 2009, 01:28 PM

Sadly, the price has gone up since this, but it is amusing.

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CO US

Posted: Mar 18th 2009, 10:03 PM

Foxtrot, looks like they got it backwards?
Recoil, do you remember the thread where we talked about how there were some states that were already trying to make people pay sales tax on any item they bought whether internet or mail-order and I said the state I live in has been doing that for many yrs? Well, I guess your state is doing it now too.
I would think when the people who are nominated for the Secretary of Treasure for the U.S. and Some of our U.S. Senators and Congressmen, especially in this last yr., start paying their income taxes(all of them) without being caught slighting the Government, then maybe the rest of us might start feeling the need to say if we are buying goods over the net and not paying sales taxes. I am not saying I am guilty of anything, or anybody here is, but it would be hard to feel any guilt seeing these guys in action. We are talking big money here, not nickle, dime stuff.

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Posted: May 16th 2009, 06:08 PM

CTD is five minutes from my work, on the way home and I use to stop and buy camo and other hunting stuff. Since I am a newby owner of an AR15 looking for ammo I stopped by to compare prices with Bass Pro, Cabellas, Academy and my local Gun shop. I did buy a cleaning kit from the Catalog Department, but decided to continue shopping around. In their online catalog, Bass Pro had Remington UMC Green Box 55gr, FMJfor about $10/20. Checking CTD's catalog, they are asking $14.79. I ordered from Bass Pro and shipping was about $15 which increased the price about .70/box. A couple of days ago I stoped by Cabellas, which is 15 minutes from work and on the way home(Life is Good!) and they had Wolf 55gr FMJ in a 500 count dry plastic box for $168. If I've calculated right that's $334/1000 --> $33.40/100 --> $6.68/20. CTD catalog had the same ammo for $9.70/box.

I like to support local businesses. However, having said that, it appears obvious the placement of CTD on the Sheiit List is likely justified.

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Posted: May 19th 2009, 08:08 PM

CTD are crooks, and even if as the OP has said than several people chime in and say they have reverted back to ethical ways, I'm sorry the damage has been done. And as Pyro said if it has to do with AR they won't ship it here anyway. SG on my list as well.

Cabelas has continued to treat me right, I will support them whenever I can. Brownells, Midway, Able, and many more are still great to deal with. CTD is on my permanent $h!t list.

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Posted: Aug 23rd 2009, 11:53 PM

It's a little late to post this.I purchased two M1A mags Labled W supposed to be Winchesters.I disagree I read they were Westinghouse.These POS mags don't even fit.I had to put them in a vice to make them a little slimmer to fit.Well then they don't latch right.I went to E-mail them about the return and noticed their return policy blows big time!A $5.00 charge if you don't have your return label a 25% restocking fee for not having all the packaging and labels.Product must be in resalable condition.It's a pos they shouldn't have sold it in the first place!Not only that then I have to drive all the way on the other side of town to drop it off at the FED-EX place.I can't because I have this thing called a job I have to be at.Their return policy is total bullshit.This was the first and last time I deal with them.Thats got to be one of the worst return policies I've ever seen.By the time I return the mags it's not worth it.Oh and I pretty much wrote this same E-mail to CTD we'll see how that goes.

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TN US

Posted: Aug 26th 2009, 11:14 PM

CTD responded to my e-mail stating they would not charge me the 25% restocking fee.They followed that with we will not attempt to resale the magazines but must be returned in original packaging with all labels or their will be 25% charge.The only packaging was a ziploc type bag with a plain computer printed label.True Mil-Spec M1A mags come in a blue vapor sealed bag. I ask the customer service department why do they need the packaging and labels if they are not going to resale them? (Because Our Supplier And Returns Department Requires Them.) These people made no attempt to please me as a customer at all.

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Posted: Aug 26th 2009, 11:26 PM

Hence our boycott on CTD! Bastards!

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Posted: Dec 5th 2009, 07:55 PM

Amen to the boycott on those pirates!! Had a situation two years ago with them that really woke me up. Bought some 223 ammo before the "shortage" from these guys. Rcvd. the order and went back to place another order. After waiting patiently for weeks, I contacted CS and was told my order was canceled because CTD decided I was buying too much ammo.

That was it for me and I haven't bought a thing from them since.

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Posted: Dec 8th 2009, 01:30 AM

I had a not so good deal with ctd, ordered a titanium firing pin for my ar, it came in with non returnable on the lable, they shipped me a firing pin, made to damn short. Maybe I'm to blame for not checking but length wasn't an option on the order . never again!!

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Posted: Mar 22nd 2010, 05:08 AM

Well they have changed their practices in the last ten years or so then. see used to be when you ordered something from cheaper than dirt, you did get a helluva price on an item you should have paid quite a bit more for. But if you were really paying attention, they charged you 3 or 4 times what someone else would have for shipping to make up for the loss in price, and the some. They don't have good customer service after the sale, or even during for that matter...I stick to guys like Midway USA, Brownells and Numrich. I have no desire to order anything from CTD...I learned my lesson a long time ago. DON'T BUY FROM CTD!!!!