To communicate better with you, we wanted to explain out method of inventory management. Our current website software is set up to offer a few selections and options, but it is not really set up to present the true picture of what we do. So please look over the following information to better understand the process we follow in making bullets and fulfilling your order.
Payments
Our site takes the payment at the time of the order. Some have wondered why we don’t charge the card when the shipment goes out. The answer is, “our site doesn’t allow that.” Unfortunately this is a limitation that we have. Please understand that we need to be as systematic as possible in our operations. Making customized payment transactions is just asking for mistakes and problems. Please pay upon placing the order to ensure that your order is filled in the order it is placed.
CustomThe word, “Custom” is overused and I hesitate to use it, but it is actually a good description of our product. In a real sense, we are a custom manufacturer in that we make the caliber you want, in the profile you want, in the diameter you want, at the quantity you want, and eventually in the color you want. We have 1000’s of product variations, so keeping everything in stock is not an efficient use of our capital or space. “Custom” is a pretty good way to think about it. Your bullets are made to order.
In Stock vs Back Ordered
As mentioned, our software does not allow us to communicate the real picture of our stock levels. Hopefully in the future, we can get a custom site that can do a better job. Until then we have been forced to use only two descriptors, “In Stock” and “Back Ordered”. This system has worked well for most of our past history. If we didn’t have the product on the shelf when the order came in, we’d make it and have it shipped within a day or two. No problem. The site showed the product “In Stock” and even though it wasn’t, for all intents and purposes it was “In Stock”.
Even with a few surges in orders this system worked pretty well. But two things happened that have put us behind. #1 Orders have been consistently high for several months. #2 we had three weeks of limited to no production due to electrical problems. These two combined have prompted us to mark some stock as “Back Ordered”.
Back Ordered: Knowing that marking items “Back Ordered” would cause orders to possibly cease or at least pause, we avoided this status until recently. Here’s what this status actually means. For a “Back Ordered” item, we likely have the bullet profile in the queue for production, but it could be a week or two before it begins. Shipping time on back ordered product is often ~2 weeks give or take.
Should you wait to order until it is in stock? NO! Waiting until the item is “in stock” will always mean you get them later than ordering sooner. Ordering a back ordered item will cause us to queue it up and get it made and shipped. If no orders are waiting for a particular product, we will always focus on completing the outstanding orders first before replenishing the inventory of out of stock items.
In Stock: This status means we either have significant product on the shelf or that it is in production and can normally ship within a few days. In cases of really large orders, the few days could stretch into a week or so. Something else to keep in mind: special sizes of “in stock” product may require additional days to complete. This is because while we do keep a good amount of special sizes in inventory, a large order is going to overrun that reserve, and we will be forced to make it again in order to be able to complete the order. Think of it this way… we can’t make a 0.356 sized 9mm into a 0.357.
Conclusion
We thank you for your support and understanding. We project that the demand will remain high and suggest that you order early and often to ensure that you have the projectiles that you need when you need them. We are committed to keeping our quality high and our prices low to help you get the most bang for your buck. We are adding more space, electrical power, and machinery in the next month to better serve you better. We ask for your understanding and patience as we grow.