New "no more 24-hour holds" policy - clarification?

[RangeRover]

Noted the new policy on your website about no more 24-hour holds, and I'm looking for some clarification about options for us out-of-towners who need a bit of time to receive some photos, for example. Commitment to buy pending photos, with required quick response? Buy it on-spec and return it, with attendant costs?

I understand your desire may be to cut down on the tire-kickers and avoid missing a sale during the hold period, but just want to see how this is going to work for those unable to actually handle the firearm before buying it.

Thanks.

PS. Just want to add that I've had nothing but great experiences in my dealing with you guys.

[epps]

29 April 2012

Unfortunately, as our website is now live and updated by the minute, there is no accommodation for holds at all. If you wish to place a firearm on hold for any length of time, you must place a minimum deposit equal to 1/3 of the retail price against that firearm to initiate a layaway. This will hold the firearm under your name for 90 days to complete payment.

If you cancel a layaway at any time, a restocking fee of 10% is deducted from the deposit prior to refund.

With regard to photographs, we now have two individuals working to keep up with the requests for photos of any firearm. They are getting pictures sent out to all requests as quickly as they are able, but all guns remain subject to sale to the first buyer who makes payment on that purchase during that timeframe.

[fugawi]

I saw your new policy today too, as I was browsing your site. And I was thinking about the same as RangeRover about 'not in person' sales.

Why don't you post the pics on your web site? It seems that even with two people emailing out photographs an interested buyer might not be able to have time to evaluate the photos before an item might be sold.

[epps]

Unfortunately, the sheer volume of our sales prevents us from being able to keep up with the turn-over of firearms through our store. Quite often we receive a used gun in our store from the original owner, only to have that gun sold within minutes of it entering our inventory.

Most other retailers show photographs of their new in-stock guns, taken from the manufacturers' websites. Very few of those retailers who sell anywhere near the volume of used guns that we carry display photographs of their used firearms for this very reason.

Case in point: We have a collection of some 300 guns arriving within the next few weeks. By the time we get those guns entered into inventory and posted on the website, many will be sold within 24 hours. There is no way for us to keep up with that volume to post photos that quickly.

For those reasons, we offer photographs on-demand as required by potential customers.

[Bigbubba]

I'm with Fugawi...why not have links to the photo on the site....so you click on the link and there are the pics....? Better than emailing the same pic to 20 different guys every other day.

Also, a suggestion for the new/used listings. Can you either list them alphabetically by manufacturer or list them first by calibre and then by manufacturer with in the group. Or put in a sort function?

When I am looking for (say) a bolt action 22 I have to sort through 20 pages to find one.

And along with the OP, I have had all very pleasant experiences at Epps both in person and shopping by mail. Keep up the good work.

[epps]

We are currently working on redesigning our website. You should see the new site with new features -- including enhanced search features -- roll out in the near future. Please remain patient. The wait will be worthwhile!

[spooksar]

I saw your new policy today too, as I was browsing your site. And I was thinking about the same as RangeRover about 'not in person' sales.

Why don't you post the pics on your web site? It seems that even with two people emailing out photographs an interested buyer might not be able to have time to evaluate the photos before an item might be sold.

Why can't the person wanting to buy the item go to the manufacturers website and look at it on their own. Or do people need their hands held and be spoon fed to make a decision on buying something.

[Deckard]

Case in point: We have a collection of some 300 guns arriving within the next few weeks. By the time we get those guns entered into inventory and posted on the website, many will be sold within 24 hours. There is no way for us to keep up with that volume to post photos that quickly.

Or drop me a hint what that could be so I can spend before it is in inventory.

[fugawi]

Why can't the person wanting to buy the item go to the manufacturers website and look at it on their own. Or do people need their hands held and be spoon fed to make a decision on buying something.

No hand holding or spoon feeding needed...

I'm thinking specifically about milsurps not NIB modern firearms. I don't need to replace my hunting rifles every year so it doesn't matter what the manufacturers do.

Plus to be honest most rifle designs are many years old and if anything (for some brands: 'Hello Marlin') quality seems to go down as price goes up. Not much advantage to buying new hunting rifles. Deer die just as well with a bullet from my 1954 Savage or my 1904 Winchester as they do from my 'modern' Tikka.

With milsurps or collector's firearms condition, next to rarity, is everything.

[RangeRover]

Thanks for the prompt clarification from Epps. I should have made clear in my original post that my question was related to used firearms, rather than NIB from the factory.

Photos help support stated condition or provide verification of the presence, or lack thereof, of specific features or markings which might not be captured in Epps' otherwise (I've found) pretty detailed and accurate descriptions.

I'll just have to visit the site even more frequently now...