The new Lightfighter website allows me the capability to list the number of items in stock. I have the option of displaying it or not displaying it. On the surface this sounds like the easiest thing in the world to have; but in reality there is alot to it that could send you away (as the customer) alot madder than if we leave it alone. The problem is one of logistics and it comes in two forms:

1. If you buy an item from my website, I have to have someone change the website to reflect this change in our inventory. Without custom inventory and invoicing software that integrates with the website (not an affordable solution), this will not happen in real time. What this mean to you is that if the website says that an item is in stock, but someone called on the phone and bought the last one twenty minutes ago but it is not reflected in the online inventory staus -- then you will be LIVID with our service because we lied to you. Most, if not all, of the high end gear manufacturers and resellers are small businesses. The largest companies in this arena have less than 300 employees -- only about half of what the federal government considers a 'small business'.

2. No one has anything that you want in stock; and not for a lack of trying. The sellers can not order it fast enough, the factories can not make it fast enough, and there is no commonality in production lead times. Often, the item that you want, such as a USP holster, is so low on the list of priorites for these companies that are trying like hell to get items that deploying units need, that they might not even plan on making an item like that for a few weeks or months. To make this short, when a shop runs out of something, they don't know when they will get more of it and they don't know how much of what they ordered will actually show up. There is no planning or forecasting possible and anyone who tells you on the phone what day your backordered package will arrive is lying to you.

The trick, if you need something for an upcoming gig, is to call any of the companies on the phone. The better ones have easy phone serivce, are honest and work hard; and they shouldn't try to bullshit you about lead times. I instruct my order taking pros to be honest and tell you that they don't know (when pressed, they might give a 'best guess' but will not tell you something that they don't know to be true). None of this makes us perfect, but shops like mine can't afford to embellish.