Finding ammo online

I've been watching online ammunition sellers. As we talked about on today's Don and Doug program, here's my analysis:

Product is flowing. But plinking ammo sells out in minutes. Higher priced stuff may last a couple hours to a day or so after being listed.

If you're looking to buy, late morning to early afternoon is a good time to check the websites of small to medium size dealers. This time frame is apparently after product arrives, and gets logged into the system. I've found a couple sellers that still have what I call exceptional pricing (at, or not much higher than would have been expected in November). The small mom and pop sellers have a smaller customer base, this allows you a better chance of scoring a purchase.

If you're only shopping in the evening, you'd get the impression supplies have dried up. If you shop midday, you can see inventory counters at some sellers do real time countdowns as just listed items are swiftly depleted.

You'll likely have better luck finding ammo at sellers that didn't take backorders. Without backorders to worry about, what comes in the door is available to list and sell to people like you.

If you see something you want and it's in stock, don't dawdle. Place your order in and pay immediately. This advice is most practical if you are buying in bulk. Makes little sense to buy a box or two when shipping's going to cost about the same for ten boxes or a case. But if you spend too much time surfing a website for something to round out a shipment, keep in mind your initial selection may sell out while you're looking.

We spent the first forty minutes of today's (February 15th) show talking about these and other strategies for finding ammunition in this time of national scarcity  You can tap directly into the show's On Demand player by clicking here.

If you're new to buying ammo online, beware some states and local jurisdictions have restrictions. Most online sellers have these noted on their websites. Get familiar with them in advance and comply. Ammunition when shipped is clearly marked as such.