Price Gouging

[tactical_2012]

Saw this

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/breaking-texas-ag-accuses-cheaper-than-dirt-of-price-gouging/

[Irving]

For those who don't read the article, it seems the issue is that beyond Cheaper Than Dirts usual BS pricing, the price would increase been clicking on an item, and arriving in your cart for check out. What a bunch of crooks.

[Grant H.]

That's special.

It's not uncommon for e-tailers to raise the price if you look at an item more than once before buying. Amazon has done this to me several times. But changing the price between the listing and the cart?

Yet another reason I'll never buy from CTD.

[.455_Hunter]

It appears that Texas listed ammunition as an essential product and by law limits gouging, similar to gas or food.

[00tec]

I was in that store once (prior to Sandy Hook), every single person I spoke with were assholes.

[BushMasterBoy]

Should have traded toilet paper earlier. I got a box of 22 for one roll.

[Bailey Guns]

Because government has to protect people from making stupid decisions. [facepalm] How hard is it NOT to buy a product from a particular retailer?

[wctriumph]

Freedom Munitions is asking $0.59 per round for reman 9mm! Talk about gouging!

[CHA-LEE]

How Cheaper Than Dirt is still in business after all of their price gouging antics in prior years unfortunate "Events" shows all of us just how dumb the average firearms consumer is. It doesn't take much Google searching effort to find better prices on alternate websites, or better yet scathing reviews of prior people getting screwed by CTD.

If people are dumb enough, or lazy enough, to allow predatory websites take advantage of them then they deserve what they get. We can't put a Warning Label, Seat Belt, Air Bag, or Helmet on everything. Accountability in ones actions is still a requirement of being a functional adult.

[Martinjmpr]

Freedom Munitions is asking $0.59 per round for reman 9mm! Talk about gouging!

Funny because I got an email from Freedom Munitions today that said they were having a "sale" and offered - you may want to sit down for this - 5% off!

Yes - FIVE WHOLE PERCENT OFF!!! ZOMG MUST BUY TODAY !!!!!!!11!!!!!1!!

That means instead of paying $29.50 for a box of 9mm reloads I could get them for …. $28.03 That's a whole $1.47 of savings!

I mean, how can I NOT buy at that price? [hahhah-no]

Personally, I would like to invite the good folks at Freedom Munitions, CTD and the other on-line retailers, to make love to themselves. [ROFL1]

[Jer]

Price gouging. Talk about an unamerican phrase.

[GilpinGuy]

Price gouging. Talk about an unamerican phrase.

Here we go again! [Pop]

There is a difference between simply raising prices due to demand and raising the price between the browsing screen and the checkout screen though. That's bullshit.

[Circuits]

Here we go again! [Pop]

There is a difference between simply raising prices due to demand and raising the price between the browsing screen and the checkout screen though. That's bullshit.

The difference is that's not "price-gouging", that's fraud, to wit false advertising.

[GilpinGuy]

100% Total bullshit.

[Bailey Guns]

Here we go again! [Pop]

There is a difference between simply raising prices due to demand and raising the price between the browsing screen and the checkout screen though. That's bullshit.

Of course it's bullshit. So close out your cart and go elsewhere.

[BREATHER]

Fiochi 9mm went up $2.00 a 50 count box overnight

[bradbn4]

Cheaper than Diamonds is not my favorite spot to shop. Some sites indicate that once you put an item in the in basket; the price is locked in for 30 mins. But those sites have a real time inventory and if it is in your basket; it won't go out of stock in the 30 mins for check out.

I was using battery junction to pick up some aa/aaa batteries and did not check out for a few days along with a new flash light(out of stock at the time). The old sale price was still listed and it was not until checkout process that the new price was refreshed. But Battery Junction did flagged a warning message that the price had changed and do I will want to check out. (By a few days I had put items in my cart during a black Friday sale...and checked out last night when the light went back into stock.)

Amazon does a much better when letting the buyer know when prices have changed than any of the other online retailers.

[StagLefty]

I had put an item in my Amazon cart last week and when I went back to it this week it was flagged that the price had increased. Luckily at the same time my son asked what I wanted for Christmas haha. I agree with bradbn4 that Amazon does a better job of informing a buyer of changes.

[hollohas]

CTD wasn't just bumping ammo prices...

TTAG posted this screenshot.

Hahahahaha. Wow. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201218/030c57fa05fd108b053051bb46b27169.jpg

[Jer]

The difference is that's not "price-gouging", that's fraud, to wit false advertising.

Thank you. Had the title said "attempted fraud" or something similar I would have likely agreed. Instead, I see a sensationalized unamerican phrase like "price gouging" and roll my eyes knowing full well the entitled snowflake-authored "triggered" post I'm about to read about someone asking more for an item than they paid like they're obligated to sell you something at a loss or something. How dare they! Profit is for faceless corporate oligarchs ONLY!

It irks me when I see people using catch phrases as hyperbole to drive clicks. In similar fashion I see the term "Bait & switch" used all the time to label practices that don't even closely resemble what that phrase actually means. It's almost like people don't bother to learn the definition of phrases or English words they use these days when they can simply type them whenever they feel like it because they "sound good" or something.

/soap box

[.455_Hunter]

The thread title is correct, because regardless of how you feel about "price gouging", it is against the law in Texas for essential items to have their retail cost inordinately increased during times of hardship. Ammo is on that list, and that is a portion of CTD's legal problems. I am not making a judgement either way, just stating the basis for the charges. Arguing that "price gouging" laws shouldn't exist is a separate discussion.

[Jer]

The thread title is correct, because regardless of how you feel about "price gouging", it is against the law in Texas for essential items to have their retail cost inordinately increased during times of hardship. Ammo is on that list, and that is a portion of CTD's legal problems. I am not making a judgement either way, just stating the basis for the charges. Arguing that "price gouging" laws shouldn't exist is a separate discussion.

When someone says "The price on the page was changed during checkout" that's not price gouging. That's what my statement was in response to. That may be an understandable technical mistake by a reputable vendor or (as is the case with CTD) a shady af business tactic done intentionally as they no longer get the benefit of the doubt in such matters. What it isn't, is price gouging by the letter of the very law you cited. Even the article doesn't draw a direct correlation between this check-out issue and the charges of price gouging as they're not one & the same.

Realize that I'm in no way defending CTD nor do I support them with my money. My larger fear is that ultimately these sorts of laws meant to protect consumers will have unintended consequences that could eventually be used against us. Keep jamming up the sellers of firearms and ammo with litigation and see how long you have vendors willing to sell such products. Say they get a win in court against CTD... who's next? What if it's a vendor you would otherwise approve of? What if the smarter ones realize it's not worth the BS and they can clear the same profit selling cheap imported Chinese phone chargers?

Personally, if I see something I want (or even "need" as is required for "price gouging" laws to apply) that's one price on the landing page and then during the check-out process the price increases for whatever reason... I make a mental note and move on to another supplier instead. I've done this countless times over the years with other vendors who clearly have profit margin built into their S&H fees and other random fees and upcharges. This is no different. Nobody is forcing anyone to follow through with what is clearly a shady transaction.

[Bailey Guns]

So-called conservatives: "We want smaller government. We want less interference of government in our lives."

Same so-called conservatives: "We want the government to make a law to prohibit retailers from charging the price they want to charge."


I'll never understand how people who say they believe in less government, capitalism and free-market ideals can reconcile the idea of "price gouging" with these ideals. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. These are the same people who denounce socialism as the first step to communism. But that's exactly what they're advocating for when they call for laws against "price gouging"...it's a step where the community (or the state at the behest of the community) controls part of the economic and/or market process.

Does it bother me that some companies/individuals do it? Yeah...sometimes. But I move on and either buy what I need at the inflated price or I don't. Because I'm an adult with free will and I make countless decisions like that every day practically. I've seen how CTD and some others do business and I'd think long and hard before giving my support to a company like that.

But... We've had this discussion numerous times here. It always goes the same way.

[MrPrena]

Bruh...y'all all commie bruh.

Selling medication for $10,900 insulin, $4000 for 1 day worth of antibiotic, $1000/mo internet services is considered Suppy and Demand fuckconomics 101 bruh...

So many fuckonomics doctorates ...

[Sarcasm2]