Cheaper Than Dirt
Is This Your Business?1.9
2.8
Overall Score
Author: Kalicia Bateman
Cheaper Than Dirt was started in 1993 with the idea of becoming America's "ultimate online resource" for all things shooting and outdoor activities.
With over 150,000 products in their sporting goods inventory, Cheaper Than Dirt sells outdoor products ranging from firearms to crossbows, fishing poles to hunting knives, military surplus, survival gear, and bug-out-bags, Cheaper Than Dirt seems to have it all.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Affordable Pricing
- Large Selection of Products
- Customer Service
- Return Policy
- Shipping
- FFL Dealer Location Tool
- Knowledge Center
Affordable Pricing
The main benefit of Cheaper Than Dirt resides in their company name, it's cheap.
For those that are looking for guns at a lower price for themselves and gifts for others can most likely find them on their online retail store.
Cheaper Than Dirt is also well known for their lower-priced ammo. In fact, they sell boxes of certain types of ammo for less than $5.
In general, customers can expect to find the ammunition rounds they need for a decent price. Cheaper Than Dirt also promotes online sales and deals on a regular basis.
Large Selection of Products
Cheaper Than Dirt offers a wide selection of products on its website including firearms, ammunition, parts and accessories, gun care products, hunting gear, camping supplies, range and shooting sports gear, survival gear, tactical gear, and several other items tailored to the average outdoor enthusiast.
The amount of options available for sale provides a level of convenience for customers as it allows them to buy everything they need in one place.
Customers can also purchase their firearm, ammo, and their gun accessories all on Cheaper Than Dirt's retail store website.
Customer Service
The online retailer has years of note-worthy customer service experience.
According to their website, Cheaper Than Dirt offers a guarantee that states they use the "latest encryption technology" to keep customers' personal information secure. This fraud protection guarantee includes customer names, addresses, and credit card information.
In regards to customer service, the company does offer a good amount of shipping information on their site.
Return Policy
Cheaper Than Dirt has a flexible 90-day return policy for all bought items. The company's 90-day return time frame is significantly longer than what some other companies in the guns and ammo industry offer.
Shipping
Cheaper Than Dirt strives to ship each order on the same day as it was made.
Some orders may take longer to ship based on when the item purchase was made, what item was purchased, and what state the item is being shipped to.
Cheaper Than Dirt will charge $9.95 for standard shipping on all non-firearm purchases. All shipping on firearms is free and, according to their website, firearms "typically ship within 1 to 2 business days" to an FFL dealer.
All ordered items come with a tracking number to make sure customers know where their items are in the shipping process.
FFL Dealer Location Tool
The company has a helpful FFL dealer locator tool on its website. This tool is filtered by states and then filtered by cities.
Customers can easily locate which FFL dealer is near them and can choose to receive their purchased firearm at that location. Cheaper Than Dirt also offers a phone number for each FFL dealer listed on its website.
Knowledge Center
Cheaper Than Dirt offers an online knowledge center that customers can take advantage of.
This knowledge center includes information about purchasing a gun online (covers what they require, what customers need to do before placing an order, and more), ammunition information, scope information, AR-15 information, etc. This knowledge center is designed for those who are planning to buy a firearm for the first time.
The Bad
- Limited Selection of Firearms
- No Specialty Firearms
- No Comparison Tool
Limited Selection of Firearms
Since Cheaper Than Dirt has more than just firearms and ammunition inventory.
Potential hunters and shooters may be drawn away from placing an order with Cheaper Than Dirt since they do not commit all resources to their firearms and ammunition departments.
Their selection of firearms and ammunition for sale is not as wide as other arms dealers because of their variance in items.
No Specialty Firearms
Cheaper Than Dirt does not carry specialty firearms like left-handed guns or muzzleloaders, and they only feature one firearm specifically designed for younger users.
Despite their flexible return policy, Cheaper Than Dirt does charge one of the most expensive restocking fees in the business at 25 percent.
No Comparison Tool
The search options that Cheaper Than Dirt has are very specific, but they are confusing, and unless the customer knows exactly what they want to buy/ what they are looking for, it is difficult to maneuver the company's website and see all types of firearms and munitions that are available.
Additionally, it's important to note that the store does not have a comparison tool for customers to use.
The Bottom Line
Cheaper Than Dirt does have a decent price range, offers a wide selection of products for the average firearm and outdoor enthusiast including shooting sports items as well as hunting products.
The company also has reliable customer support, provides a great 90-day order return policy, offers fast shipping, has a helpful FFL dealer locator tool, and provides a knowledge center for first-time firearm buyers.
Unfortunately, their variety in the selection of ammunition and firearms suffer, as well as their dedication to those two departments because they also focus on other outdoor activities such as archery and backpacking.
Overall, they have low-cost products, but there are other areas where their business lacks.
For those looking to spend less money on ammo, guns, parts, and accessories, this is a good online retailer to use. For those conducting research or looking to compare different brands or manufacturers, you may want to read Cheaper Than Dirt customer reviews or look elsewhere.
Doug Seagrove, NC
10 years ago
