Archery shops - Are they taking the mick? (Online orders)

AndyW

Well-known member
Blimey, don't tell everyone!!!!! Someone has to buy them new first or the secondhand market will dry up faster than a puddle in the desert.
We're safe while the folks I know are still shooting. I did buy a new one once - 1991
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
Not sure if this breaks advert rules but it is simply a survey on one day.

Just been "stung" - half a dozen arrows and some string wax, a touch under £9 for P&P - that's excessive...
Not sure that's a 'sting' unless they charged you without telling you. Just did a quick survey for 6x ACC bare shafts + delivery
Archery shop 1...... P&P free Total £72.12
Archery shop 2 ..... P&P £3.95 Total £62.13
Archery shop 3 ..... P&P £8.90 Total £72.50
Archery shop 4 .....P&P £9.84... Total £84.24
Archery shop 5... P&P £3.99 .... Total £63.09
Archery shop 6 ....P&P £5.00 ... Total £64.70
Archery shop 7 ....P&P £4.20 ... Total £64.20
Archery shop 8 ... P&P £3.96 ... Total £75.96
Archery shop 9 ... P&P £6.90 ... Total £66.30
Archery shop 10 ... P&P £8.33 ... Total £82.00
Archery shop 11 ... P&P £1.22 ... Total £69.08
I gave up after this - Shops not selling single arrows not included. Cheapest postage selected. Some very slight variation may apply to delivery if VAT was not clear. But these prices were what I was expecting to pay. All were quite clear about delivery, some, annoyingly, only once you had got through registration. So you pays your money and takes your choice :)
 
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Whitehart

Well-known member
Sorry but I am pretty price aware.
Pretty much every other industry manages far better postage costs than archery. I do a lot of other sport - surfing, MTBing, all sorts and Archery has by FAR the most rip off P&P prices. It's annoying and no I'm not some gullible buyer. In fact I do it as part of running our business.
I assume you knew the postage before buying, so your choice to pay the postage - why did you use them......could it be the goods were the cheapest in the UK therefore profit margins were almost non existent.

Postage on a tube of arrows via the Post office is £5.80 tube £1.00 then there is the time packaging it up and taking it to the post office.

Parcelforce for the same would be £8.50 (£16.80 without a contract).

Still a lot cheaper than getting in your car and visiting an archery dealer.

I don't see many archery dealers driving Ferrari's far from it.
 

steve

Member
Still a lot cheaper than getting in your car and visiting an archery dealer.
On a slightly different tangent, although not entirely unrelated, so I'll plead not guilty to going (too far) off topic: I recently saw a letter in a newspaper (they still exist) telling people that they couldn't claim to be "green" if they ever ordered stuff to be "delivered by van".
I would say that ordering stuff to be delivered by van is entirely environmentally responsible because that van has probably only travelled a relatively short distance from its previous drop/delivery; whereas me driving to my nearest archery shop (which is bloody miles away) could equate to 3 weeks of Harry and Meghan's jolly travels.
 

Timid Toad

Moderator
Staff member
Supporter
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
That's a tricky argument both ways: when we used to travel to one place and get a shed load of stuff from different shops which would last us a while so no further fuel spent, then yes, our current lifestyle of one product from here, one there, one today, one tomorrow *is* wasteful. Bearing in mind your courier guy only gets paid around 60p for your delivery I try to work it so that several deliveries arrive on the same day with the same guy in the same load - he never chucks stuff over my hedge - so we both win.

Back to the original subject: Most people's actual examples of feeling ripped off on postage seem to be about ordering a couple of arrows. Have you considered how hard it is to get these particular things safely through the post? Of course it's going to be more expensive than a jiffy bag. I do find it amusing that people want to order two cheap shafts and then moan. Do what Ebayers do. Buy a dozen then sell on what you don't need. And then you'll appreciate the time, effort and cost of dealing with postal services, and have done someone else a favour too.

I'm more interested in customer service, which, especially online, is precious. I've recently dropped a regular, big name shop because they were selling as stock items they didn't have, hanging on to over £200 of my money without communicating with me that there was no prospect of obtaining the kit. After two weeks I contact them. And then they asked if I'd like something else instead. Err no, immediate refund, please.

So instead of grumping about your online suppliers, *cultivate* them. Get to know them, if you have to phone or email them, you'll find they are a mine of information, freely given. They are there to make a profit, yes, it's their job, but they are all in it because they have the same passion for archery as you do. That's a cool thing.
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
Yes, for sure the biggest issue falls under 'customer service', and the biggest gripes have been about misleading/false information given before the order is confirmed.

That said, I'm about to take advantage of actually being able to make an 'emergency' physical trip* to a store, so I'm grateful that shops run by passionate archers still exist, instead of having no option but giant computer-controlled, robot-staffed 'fulfillment centres'.

*See my diary.
 

Kernowlad

Supporter
Supporter
Well I’m about to eat my words because it appears the arrows will be delivered today. I have no idea how as it was a special order!
And TBF they have been helpful.
So I’ll shut up and pay.

Agree about listing items as stock when they aren’t; incredibly annoying.
 

Kernowlad

Supporter
Supporter
Arrows (and wax) just arrived.
I am slightly gobsmacked at how quick that was; custom order with vanes and nock specified, cut to length.
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
Gobsmacked is a pleasant state to be in with the weekend rapidly approaching, no?

I'm well BLT'd & about to depart, having confirmed that they have the bitz I need.
 

malbro

Instinctive Archer
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
So far my dealings with online archery shops have been very good, I am lucky to have a local shop available in Honiton but still use online mainly due to the convenience. I really should give the local guys more support (use it or lose it) but the prices aren`t always competitive even with postage charges.
 
In my very limited experience (one online archery shop purchase) they are brilliant. Kept me informed from the moment I ordered limbs and a pressure button. Then I added to the order, they were ok with that telling me to select "collect from store" but they would send the items together.
Then I added again and they were ok with that, same solution.
Then, on the morning they were going to send my order I asked to change the limbs to a higher draw and they said no prob but the 40lb ones have to be ordered in do I want to wait, have the original limbs or choose different limbs (I said ok to wait for the ones I wanted). Then a couple of days later I found a sight that I liked. On a different website. The site that I'd ordered from didn't do it, but I asked them whether they could get it and they said yes, but it would need to be ordered in (which wasn't a surprise as they didn't have it on their site). They added it to their website and I added it to my order. They even price matched the site where I'd found it!!
When everything this awkward customer has requested arrives in stock it is being sent to me free postage because the order is over £99
They also got their arrow specialist to respond, in detail, to my question about arrows even though I'd said I'm not buying arrows at the moment and am just curious.
I can't really ask for better and am well happy.


Now, my experience of "real" bricks and mortar archery shops on the other hand... very different story and a large part of why I decided to try online.
 
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Timid Toad

Moderator
Staff member
Supporter
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
Really shouldn't be naming names here - it's against the rules - however we do have a product review section where you can give retailers a writeup.
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
Really shouldn't be naming names here - it's against the rules - however we do have a product review section where you can give retailers a writeup.
I looked in the 'Terms & Rules' which is brief and doesn't mention retailer reviews. Looked at the 'User Reviews' and that states ' NO RETAILER REVIEWS - KEEP THEM IN THE DIRECTORY'. I couldn't find the 'Directory'
I've taken the retailer names off the previous post though :)
 
But do you go to the bricks and mortar shop to look and try and then buy online because it's a couple of quid cheaper?
Nope. Absolutely not. I run a bricks and mortar, I hate when people do that!! I wish my bricks and mortar was an archery one!! But it isn't.
My last visits to archery bricks and mortar though... One was to buy arrows, a new sight and pressure button because I have a spare riser now. I bought Easton Platypus so not top top but not cheap either. I explained that the new sight was for the old riser, and the new button was for my spare riser. They said "would you like us to put them on for you?" It seemed like a kind offer to save me a thirty second job with a screwdriver. They billed me £44 PER RISER for "bow set up". Wtf? They never mentioned £44 when they offered to screw the sight on. Probably because they knew I'd be "er no, I have my own screwdriver ta..." Still. at least the arrows were a fair price. Yeah, the arrows.... got home, opened up the arrow tube and out came the arrows... minus TWENTY TWO vanes that were all resting in the arrow tube. Tack on the driving time, burned petrol etc... Not a great experience. Did I really want to drive all the way back? Or trust my nice straight arrows to couriers there and back? So I had to ebay me a fletching jig... I still don't know if I fletched them ok or not. The instructions with the jig were gibberish.
A couple of weeks later I visited a different bricks and mortar store. They performed better, and bonus points for having the item in stock when I arrived that they said they had when I telephoned before I started driving. But boy did they have a problem with the way I anchor for a shot. I know it's odd. I know I don't use a tab with a shelf. Stop trying to sell me a tab with a shelf. I'm ok with it. No I'm not inconsistent with it. I came in for a chest guard. Yes I get ok groups. Leave me alone, I'm here to see if I'm ok shooting with the chest guard, that's what I'm here to buy. I'm ok with the tab. I don't want a shelf tab. It's my tab. I made it. From the tanned hide of the last person that wouldn't shut up about my tab not having a shelf.
I didn't leave there feeling ripped off, but their constant (and it was constant, the assistant followed me out the shop to my car harping on about it) attempts to sell me something that I'd made very obvious I didn't want really made the experience unpleasant.
My on line archery shopping is very, very limited experience. So far though the online shop, through good communication by email and phone, get the win.
That said if I ever part with proper money for riser and limbs and stabilisers etc all in the one hit... well, that would have to be bricks and mortar. You can try different combinations out in the bricks and mortar. Can't do that online.
 

LionOfNarnia

Supporter
Supporter
Just when I thought we'd done this subject to death, today my blood is BOILING over what I just got quoted for P&P by a well-known shop.
The goods were a pair of replacement Shibuya fibres & a Decut plunger, total value just over £17
What did they want for P&P for this small order which needs no more than a jiffy bag & a second class stamp?

EIGHT POUNDS FIFTY

For 'standard' postage, not next-day-blowjob-included super service.
No way. I'd rather do without.
My days of feeling guilt over eBay orders are OVER!!!!
Yes, I used their contact form to let them know what I thought, and nowhere near as diplomatically as here.
I know I'm not allowed to name the robbing bar-stewards but here's a cryptic clue-
- take the first 3 letters of the alphabet & reverse them.
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
That's odd. I just did the same order to check it and P&P but changed the plunger to an Avalon Classic plunger and the P&P drops to £5.00. It's not the button value as adding the Shibuya DX the P&P is still £5.00. Did you ask the supplier why it was so high for the Decut?
 
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