FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Customers have filed thousands of complaints about price gouging in Texas since the start of the pandemic.
But a North Texas company has angered customers both locally and nationally.
Dozens of customers have filed complaints about Cheaper Than Dirt, an online firearm and ammunition seller based in Fort Worth.
“I was looking at getting about a thousand rounds of their .223 ammo, which is normally around $300, but their price was $1,000,” said Kyle Wiggs, who filed a price gouging complaint.
North Texas Gun, Ammo Seller Hit With Dozens Of Price Gouging Complaints From Customers
The problem we have in the Gun Community is that we do no communicate well. Every time that we have a panic spree, CTD goes into Robber Baron mode and people bitch but still buy and then keep rewarding the bad behavior when the panic is over by continuing to buy from them.
On its Facebook page, the store issued a statement that partially read, “Those who did not plan….will run into limited supplies, higher prices, and stress.”
One thing I have never seen CTD (maybe I missed it) is complaining that ammunition manufacturers double or tripled the price so they cannot sell them at the same old prices. Probably they can’t say it because other ammo sellers are not tagging their merchandise that high, but I am just speculating here.
Simply stop buying from the assholes or take up reloading.
Hat Tip Gary E.
This is not the first time for the. Remember after Sandy Hook.
https://www.guns.com/news/2012/12/28/cheaper-than-dirt-stays-in-the-gun-game
I remember them from the last scare, when they had a single box (50 rounds) of .380ACP for $79. I vowed after that never to give them a nickel ever again.
Here’s the thing, though about price gouging: it’s a perfect example of supply and demand. As demand goes up, price goes up until demand drops to meet the supply. I really don’t care that they’re doing this, because ammo is not ultimately necessary for life. Now if they were doing this with bread, or rice, or gas, then I’d feel differently.
I’m reminded of the asshole liquor store owner in my little town, when he took heat for being so much higher than anywhere else. He barked, “If you don’t like the price of my beer, buy it somewhere else!” His store is closed now. That’s how the market works. The same thing should happen to CTD.
I agree. Sadly, some people have either forgiven or forgotten about the last 3 times. I refuse to patronize a business that takes advantage of shortages like this. If a business thinks that short term profits are more important than long term, repeat customers, then they are free to try this, but I won’t shop there.
Pure Supply and Demand is a bit like the perfectly spherical cows of uniform mass on a frictionless surface in a vacuum examples used in physics.
Yes, it’s a good natural law and a good explanation, but it’s not the only factor in play in the market place, or even the most important.
Those of us who know, know. CTD has been dead to me for years. You can’t get deader than dead.
There is the Skin Horse comic about shooting a zombie. From imperfect memory “you just shot him deader”, “it’s OK he doesn’t have a pulse”, “I’d hate to be guilty of 52nd degree manslaughter”.
Back to CTD, I never bought anything from them, and unsubscribed from their email when I saw their money grab. Like Dick’s they are unworthy of our business.
My approach is to try to never be in a situation where I feel desperate enough to order from them.
Any word as to whether the AG is taking action against them? Gov. Abbott has been very up front about legal action for anyone or any company that ‘indulges’ in price gouging, especially such obvious ones as ctd (they don’t deserve capital letters).
Meanwhile one gas station about two miles from me has regular for $1.42 per gallon 😉
I can’t believe they are still in business after the $100 Pmags when everyone thought Sandy Hook was gonna cause an AWB.
I stopped buying from those a-holes years ago.
Thing is … Nobody’s forcing me to buy from CTD, and if nothing else their pricing means that at least some ammo is likely to be available at some price. The guy who just bought a .380 might not be able to find ammo anywhere else; but he can get it if he’s willing to spend 1/3 the cost of his gun per box. (Good luck finding a place to actually shoot said gun, but that’s another discussion.)
If Mr. 380’s neighborhood is experiencing a ramping-up crime wave, he may well feel it’s worth it in this particular moment.
Hopefully Mr. 380 also learns that the best time to buy something you might need, is before everybody else needs it also.