Nov 2, 2009
Buying Airsoft Rifles On The Internet – What To Look For
It is no surprise that many new airsoft rifle websites are being put up pretty much every day. This is due to the fact that the sport of airsoft has become extremely popular over the last few years. This can be a good thing (due to competition), but you will definitely want to do your homework before you purchase an airsoft gun from an online airsoft retailer.
What are the most important factors to consider when purchasing an airsoft gun online? Well, first of all, it is a good idea to check their shipping policy. Many online airsoft rifle shops dont even ship the gun out for literally 3-5 days or so, and on top of that, they usually ship UPS or FEDEX ground, which can take up to 6 business days AFTER they ship the item!
Also, it is highly recommend that you find and thoroughly read their return policy. The most important thing to look for is how they handle defective airsoft rifles. Basically if they dont offer at least a 15 day time frame to return a broken/defective airsoft rifle for either repair or replacement, then you may want to move on.
The reason why it is so important for an online airsoft store to have a good return policy, is because of the fact that it is fairly common for the electric airsoft rifles (and spring airsoft sniper rifles) to have problems. This is because many of them come out of China, where quality control seems to be very minimal, depending on which manufacturer the gun comes from.
Depending on what brand you go with, you wont have to worry much about the airsoft gun being defective. However, a few brands that tend to have a lot of problems are: Jing Gong, WELL, AGM, and Cybergun (although Cybergun airsoft sniper rifles rarely seem to ever have any issues). So if you are going to purchase one of those brands, then definitely be sure that the website that you are buying from has a decent return/replacement policy for defective items.
As far as prices go, pretty much all of the airsoft rifle stores are priced fairly competitively. However, watch out for the occasional website that jacks their prices up to ridiculous amounts. Just do a fair amount of shopping around, and then choose the site which has reasonable prices AND a good shipping/return policy.
While there certainly isnt a lack of quality airsoft gun and airsoft sniper rifle retail websites, there are 3 sites that you cant really go wrong with. These 3 site are: Airsplat, Pyramydair, and AirsoftGi. For the most part Pyramydair and Airsplat are the sites with the lowest prices, but AirsoftGi has great prices too, and has exceptional customer service.
Between Pyramydair and Airsplat, in many cases Airsplat will have the lower price tag. However, Pyramydair tends to have faster customer service (and you wont have to wait on hold very long when you call them). Also, Pyramydair is located in Ohio, while Airsplat is in California. This can greatly affect shipping time, depending on where you live, since both sites generally ship via UPS ground.
