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Sick and tired of shops showing stock then not having it

A.B

London E.C.I 2008 retired
Jul 8, 2002
1,134
41
83
43
hampshire uk
Multiple orders and now the second time of ordering a set of goggles from a second online shop with an 'in stock' item, second time they've magically not been available due to stock error or distributer error.

Load of pish, if you haven't got it don't advertise it! Definitely don't take my money and hold onto it for ages!

Rant over hmmmpf
 
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Tom

Tom
Nov 27, 2006
4,076
1,210
198
Salisbury
www.TaskForceDelta.co.uk
Multiple orders and now the second time of ordering a set of goggles from a second online shop with an 'in stock' item, second time they've magically not been available due to stock error or distributer error.

Load of pish, if you haven't got it don't advertise it! Definitely don't take my money and hold onto it for ages!

Rant over hmmmpf
It's a sign of the times and the small margins that paintball retailers have

Showing stock that you don't have is fairly common. It costs shops money to bring in stock which could just sit on the shelf waiting for someone to buy it, and potentially sit there holding up limited space until it's been there so long that they sell off at a discounted price to move it.

When the supply chain works the distributor has items in stock and any of the retailers can give the impression that they have it and you can buy from any retailer of your choice. Only when you have bought it does it come off the distributors shelf and either sent via the shop or directly from distributor to you.
It's frustrating when this doesn't work and the distributor can't fulfill the requirement, sometimes because they don't have it and are also relying on the manufacturer, sometimes because they have a small number but multiple end customers buy the same item.
Once you've had one retailer fail to fulfill an order it's best to call and ask - you're then relying on the person you call to actually check they can fulfill but you can highlight that you've been trying to get it from elsewhere.
If the shops website refuses to fulfill order that aren't in their stock then they are losing out on orders that are sat in the distributor ready to be sold
 

Alansonit

Member
Apr 12, 2015
20
2
23
35
I had this problem and I've ordered directly from Virtue. The service hasn't been great though so I couldn't really recommend it.
 

A.B

London E.C.I 2008 retired
Jul 8, 2002
1,134
41
83
43
hampshire uk
Canada you say, hmmm. Have to figure in possible custom charges but if the price is right.

As for that being the 'model' shops run too, in my opinion that's a rubbish way to work. Why offer discounts, show stock etc when you're at best hoping its at the distributer? If still consider purchase if it was clear this was the deal. I even had the delivery email from the delivery company before it was recalled as the parcel hadn't been supplied.

My other pastime is mountain biking, this is a massive red warning sign if an online shop does this, just google Dave Hinde and see what sort of response it gets.
 

A.B

London E.C.I 2008 retired
Jul 8, 2002
1,134
41
83
43
hampshire uk
Just had a look at badlands, don't carry the mask I'm after.

And that's it, it's just a mask, I could choose a different colour, I could choose a different shop. But being messed around several times over with several items and it being 'ok' cos it's paintball and we're all mates here isn't really cricket in my eyes.
 

Spikerz

Super Moderator
Mar 25, 2014
1,834
732
148
45
punisherpb.com are great, the shipping may get you...since it's in the states. Or maybe give lips/bz/just a call and have them special order it?
 

Missy-Q

300lb of Chocolate Love
Jul 31, 2007
2,527
1,132
198
Harlem, NY
Just had a look at badlands, don't carry the mask I'm after.

And that's it, it's just a mask, I could choose a different colour, I could choose a different shop. But being messed around several times over with several items and it being 'ok' cos it's paintball and we're all mates here isn't really cricket in my eyes.
Well at least its stated on the site I guess. I gather that if the item is listed there you can tag it, and then when it comes back into stock you get an email asking if you still want it.
 

A.B

London E.C.I 2008 retired
Jul 8, 2002
1,134
41
83
43
hampshire uk
I've cooled off a bit now (y)

Just id forgotten this is how things worked in paintball, my 7 years of mountain bikes showed me how online shops could operate.

For what it's worth the two shops are now at the bottom of my list which is a shame as their prices are keen and the 'carry' a lot of brands.