Sportsman's guide starting to act weird about gun parts

[Float Pilot]

I ordered a gun part from Sportman's Guide the other day.
The computer was acting up SO I called it in...

The kid on the phone is going through the motions and suddenly he stops and says.. "Oh, I see you are in Alaska , so we have to charge an additional $10 in shipping."

I tried to reason with him about mail rates,,, but no dice... So I was now paying $19 in mailing for a $18 item....

Then he stops again and says, "Oh this is a gun part and that means it is carrier restricted, so we can't send it to Alaska either."

I asked "since when is a bolt part a restricted item and why only for Alaska? "

Oh course he had no answer and I was shoved off to customer service, who has been telling me the same thing...

Sad when a truly Red Neck catalog store gets caught up in politically correct BS to the point that they have no idea what they are talking about...
It was the last thing I would have expected from a company that sells toilet seat lids with shotgun shells embedded in it...

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

Sorry to hear about that. I've noticed they have been progressively moving in a downward trend in the past few years. What part are you looking for. I am a gunsmith in the lower 48. I'll see what I can do to help you out.

 

[THE DARK KNIGHT]

Yeah Sportsman's Guide is crap. They won't ship stuff that's legal in NJ to NJ. Like ammo, or parts. No worries, there's many other websites out there who like my money.

 

[billdeserthills]

As a Locksmith/ Gun Dealer I too would have dumped all over the Sportsman's Guide not long ago. Nowadays I am of a different mind, and here is why. Here this Sportsman Dude has spent a fortune buying all the crap he sells, plus he has to stay up on every POS new state and federal law that might come along. Guy is trying to make a living and he cannot afford to have the ATF come around and put him out of business Permanently just because of a tiny paperwork error. Now do you still think that if you were in his position you would help you out? I Highly Doubt It. Just trying to say, if you wanna blame someone, blame our POS Gov't. That is where the blame is lying.
I am in the position Every damn year, that position is when the ATF decide it is time to check out Bill again. No way in hell I am gonna break the law to make $50.00 selling a gun. Unfortunately the ATF don't seem to understand that. On top of that is the possibility for a paperwork error, plenty of chance for that.

 

[Onward Allusion]

I stopped buying from them almost a year ago. Their merchandise was not up to snuff. Magazines were dented and rusted - and they still sent them out! Returns are paid out of pocket, even though the product is defective. Their ads are laughable, always selling the tacticool aspects of the product. Their customer service folks are neophytes when it comes to firearms.

Float Pilot
Sportsman's guide starting to act weird about gun parts

 

[Wise Lite Arms]

Some changes to Sportsmans Guide...

They were bought out in 2006 by a French company...

July 17, 2006

Sportsman's Guide (Nasdaq: SGDE), the catalog and Internet provider of outdoor clothing and gear, has announced that it has agreed to be purchased by Redcats USA, a division of the French company PPR. Formerly known as Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, PPR controls the Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent luxury brands, among others. Redcats sells clothing via catalogs, primarily for women, with lines including Chadwick's, La Redoute, and Roaman's. It also markets a line of home textiles, gifts, and decor. An odd candidate, you'd think. Let's dig a bit further to see whether the proposed purchase makes sense.....

They just appointed a new company president::

Redcats USA Appoints Jay Berlin to CEO of The Sportsman’s Guide

New York, NY – June 22, 2009 – Redcats USA, a multi-channel, web-driven home-shopping leader,
announced today the appointment of Jay Berlin to CEO of The Sportsman’s Guide, one of Redcats
USA’s premier sporting goods and leisure brands. He will be a member of the Redcats USA Executive
Team.
Jay’s 25-year career encompasses several key positions, including:
Marketing Manager for Fingerhut Corporation, Director of Marketing at C.O.M.B. Corporation, Senior
Vice President of Catalog & e-Commerce Business Lines for Northern Tool & Equipment, and most
recently, Executive Vice President, Business Development for United Health Group Alliances (UHGA).
“With his strong desire to drive strategic innovation and build on the solid foundation that is in place at
The Sportsman’s Guide, Jay is an excellent addition to the Redcats USA team,” said Eric Faintreny,
Chairman and CEO of Redcats USA. “He understands the sporting goods business and the needs of
that unique customer, which makes him a natural fit into this leadership position.”
Jay is a native of South Minneapolis. He will officially join Redcats USA on June 22; his office will be
located at The Sportsman’s Guide facility in South St. Paul, Minnesota.

About Redcats USA
Redcats USA is a dynamic, multi-channel, web-driven home-shopping leader, with numerous well-known brands in its portfolio:
AVENUE®, Woman Within®, Jessica London®, Roaman's®, KingSize®, BrylaneHome® and BrylaneHome® Kitchen sold on
OneStopPlus.com®, The Sportsman's Guide® and The Golf Warehouse®. Redcats USA offers a wide range of value and
quality driven merchandise categories, including men's and women's plus-size apparel, home and lifestyle products, and
sporting goods/outdoor gear.

About Redcats Group
In apparel, home furnishing and leisure, Redcats Group brings together 14 brands in home shopping: AVENUE®, Woman
Within®, Jessica London®, Roaman's®, KingSize®, The Sportsman's Guide®, The Golf Warehouse®, La Redoute, La maison
de Valérie, Vertbaudet, Cyrillus, Somewhere, Daxon and Ellos, present in 30 countries. Redcats Group generated 3.69 billion
euros of sales in 2008, including 42.2% on Internet and employs approximately 20,000 associates. Redcats Group is based on a
multichannel distribution network combining e-commerce, catalogues and stores. Redcats Group is a PPR Company. For any
further information: www.redcats.com.

Contact Information
Pat Cross
Vice President, Corporate PR & Communications
Redcats USA
212-502-9315

 

[Uncle Mike]

Sound like your good ol' boy redneck sold out to some not so good ol' boy, Gucci wearing anti gun dudes.....

 

[madcratebuilder]

I stopped doing business with them more than a year ago because of what I considered poor business practices. I see they are not any better. If you have a C&R, Midway well give you a dealer account. That's good for about 20% off.

 

[Sav .250]

As a consumer .............do not buy anything from them in the future.

 

[jon_in_wv]

The Sportsmans Guide used to be a great business. I used to buy a LOT of stuff from them and I got really great deals. They have since sold the company to overseas investors and they have gone to crap. On another board a bunch of us approached the company because your information was easily obtained on the websight. A crook could search the sight with your zip code and a last name. If you have a common last name a crook could easily find all of your personal info, your address, and every detail of your order. This info stayed on the site for about 90 days. When we contacted the company their response was that they don't care and they aren't going to change it. I wouldn't send them one more penny of my money. I don't think any gun owner should.

 

[Onward Allusion]

That explains a lot... I used to buy quite a bit from them (12+ years ago) and never had any problems with the merchandise or customer service. I took a hiatus from shooting and started doing business with them again a couple of years ago and they were horrible!!!

Wise Lite Arms
Some changes to Sportsmans Guide...
They were bought out in 2006 by a French company...

 

[carbine85]

They don't have anything that you can't get somewhere else. The ammo deals are sometimes hard to beat but I don't buy much from them.

 

[ol' scratch]

I think I might know why. The post office changed some of their policies regarding what they will ship and what they won't. Since you are in Alaska, they have to put the item on a plane. As a cost saving measure, mail items on planes with passengers. This caused some changes. I found this out when I wanted to send some perfume to someone in Alaska. They didn't offer ground or actual shipping (think boats) anymore, so the only option was air. They wouldn't let me mail it because perfume can combust, possibly endangering passengers.


Given the post 911 changes, anything dealing with firearms is a big no-no on planes.

Different companies may use different shipping options. Try someone else.

 

[goldie]

ive noticed their pricing has gone up a lot,mil surplus clothing & the like is much higher than it used to be.used military sweaters & clothing are going for more or as much as new ones they sold about a year or so ago......

 

[Tirod]

They are almost as high as Cheaper Than Dirt.

It's not Gary and the crew anymore. And shipping things is a hassle, most things gun related are Fed Ex next day Air type shipping or not at all. I wonder what Gun Parts/Numrich has to say about that. Ruger had all the LCP warranty work shipped UPS Next Day because of it.

Shipping is not the fault of SG, everyone is suffering with the mandate. What they do with pricing is. I see no advantage of shopping when there aren't drop dead bargains I can't live without. That was the backbone lure of surplus, now it's all gone.

 

[jon_in_wv]

They don't have anything that you can't get somewhere else.

Amen. I like to get the catalogs though. If I see something I really like, I go online and find another place to buy it.

 

[inherentical]

Wow, so that's what happened in the last couple/few years. I used to buy stuff from them all the time and then quality started slipping and I got irritated at some of the stuff that started happening. I signed up for buyer's club and they gave me some hassle about shipping stuff to alternate addresses and such. I usually do that when I have signature required packages arriving so that someone's there, or if I even think they're going to pull that kind of crap on me.

 

[hogshead]

Levis' Gander mountain,and now Sportsman Guide. Looks like we will have to do like the Amish and make it our selves.Seriously I order a lot of boots and clothes from SG and have always had great service,knock on wood.

 

[Float Pilot]

In this case it was a 1903 bolt. Another guy up in Palmer AK. was told he could not order an SKS magazine because he was in Alaska.
Another guy up in Anchorage was told he could not have a TENT sent to him for similar reasons. It must have been an assault tent. I have sent three e-mails to S.G. s customer service and they will not answer.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Ground shipping to AK is available, though lots of distributors and sellers won't bother to mess with it, since we're too small a market to cater to, I guess.

I'd also note that the world seems to be full of companies that just don't know the shipping regulations. I can't order gun lights from Brownells, because they can't ship items with batteries in them to AK (and Brownells has no mechanism to have some guy at the warehouse just remove the batteries for me ), but I can order the same light -- with spare batteries -- directly from Surefire. Who's right and who's wrong? Don't have a clue.

 

[The Sarge]

I quit Sportsmen Guide when the surrender monkeys bought 'em out.

 

[bigalexe]

assault tent

Those are the ones that look like they have spent years in the field straight from the factory and come with custom "Gun Port" slits that look like regular tears. Very Stealthy they are.

 

[Mountie855]

Sportsman's Guide

I've been buying from SG since the '90s, and have spent a lot of $$ there. As posted above, not everything is a bargain- some of their stuff is higher than regular retail!

Other thing I've noticed is their clothing & footwear seem to be seconds or factory rejects- bought many pairs of boots, sent some back because of 2 different sizes or widths, etc., shirts with one sleeve longer than the other, etc. But overall I think I've gotten good value at SG. The Guide Gear stuff I've bought has been worth what I paid for it.

Haven't had any problem shipping ammo, etc. I was not aware that they had been sold, though I've noticed a shift towards domestics, clothing, etc. as compared to the earlier years' dominance of milsurp (which I really prefer).

Again as noted above, Cheaper Than Dirt, and Major Surplus (and others) seem to be priced on the high side these days, and shipping charges can be a bit more than usual.

 

[devildog32713]

What's wrong with Gander Mountain??

 

[Al LaVodka]

I quit Sportsmen Guide when the surrender monkeys bought 'em out.

"Cheese-eating" surrender monkeys to be more accurate.
Al
PS: This is a sample from the top four corners of one case of surplus ammo I got from SG. Ended up cherry picking the whole order and sending the majority back...