Some of what we sell is built to order or comes straight from the manufacturer rather than off our shelf. When you order one of those items, it goes on backorder: your order is confirmed and your place in line is held, and we ship as soon as the item reaches us.
Backorders are normal in this industry, particularly for precision rifles, triggers, rails, and anything the factory builds in batches. This page explains exactly what you are agreeing to, what we owe you, and how to get out of a backorder if you change your mind.
How you will know an item is backordered
Backordered items are marked on the product page before you add them to your cart, and again on your order confirmation. If an item goes on backorder after you order — because stock sold through before your order was picked — we email you within one business day with the situation and your options.
You will never be left to work it out from a tracking number that does not move.
When you are charged
Backordered items are charged in full when you place the order. That payment is what reserves your unit in the production or allocation queue and locks your price.
Because we take payment up front, the cancellation terms below are deliberately generous. You are never locked into a backorder you no longer want.
You can cancel a backorder any time before it ships
Cancel before the item ships and you get a full refund with no restocking fee. No reason required, no authorization needed, no deduction. Text 858-367-3097 with your order number and we will process it — text is the fastest way to reach us. You can also email chris@kazuarms.com if you would rather have a mail record, or use the chat on our site when it is online.
The 25% restocking fee described in our Refunds & Returns policy applies to merchandise coming back to us. It does not apply to a backorder you cancel before shipment, because nothing has moved.
Once the item ships, normal return terms take over.
Lead times, and what happens when they slip
Any lead time we quote is an estimate based on what the manufacturer tells us. We pass on the best information we have; we do not control factory production schedules and we will not invent a date to make a sale more comfortable.
What we commit to instead is a schedule of honesty:
- If we cannot ship within 30 days of your order, we will contact you before that deadline with a revised estimate.
- That notice always includes the option to cancel for a full refund. If you do not want to wait, you do not have to.
- If the revised date slips more than 30 further days, we will not simply keep holding your money. We will ask you to confirm in writing that you still want to wait — and if we do not hear back, we cancel the order and refund you automatically.
- On long-lead items we send a status update at least every 30 days, even when the news is that there is no news.
These terms reflect the Federal Trade Commission’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, which governs how online retailers must handle shipment delays. We would rather state them plainly here than have you discover them in a dispute.
Your price is locked
The price you paid is the price you paid. If the manufacturer raises the price while your backorder is open, we absorb it. We will never ask you for a top-up payment on an order we already accepted.
If the price drops before your item ships, contact us and we will refund the difference.
Orders containing both in-stock and backordered items
By default we hold the order and ship it complete, which keeps shipping costs down. If you would rather have the in-stock items now, tell us and we will split the shipment at no extra charge — you will not pay shipping twice because of our stock position.
Cancelling the backordered portion never affects the rest of your order.
Backordered firearms
A backordered firearm follows the same path as any other firearm we sell, just on a longer clock. Nothing about the transfer process changes.
- The transfer clock starts at shipment, not at order. We do not send your paperwork to a receiving dealer until we have the firearm in hand.
- Your background check happens at pickup, as always. A long backorder does not expire, shorten, or pre-authorize anything — the Form 4473 is completed at the counter when you collect it.
- You can change receiving dealers while the backorder is open at no cost. If you move, or your dealer closes or stops accepting transfers, just tell us before it ships.
- If the law changes while you wait and the firearm can no longer be lawfully transferred to you, we cancel and refund you in full, with no restocking fee. That is our risk, not yours.
Arizona residents: backordered firearms come through our Chandler shop before they go anywhere else, so you are welcome to collect yours here rather than pay to have it forwarded to another dealer. Select local pickup at checkout and we will arrange an appointment when it lands.
If a background check is denied after a backordered firearm arrives, the terms in our Refunds & Returns policy apply. New to this process? Start with how FFL transfers work.
NFA and SOT items
Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and other NFA items have two separate waits stacked on top of each other: the manufacturer’s lead time, and then ATF approval of your Form 4. The backorder terms on this page cover the first wait only.
Once an NFA item reaches us and your Form 4 is submitted, the sale is final and the cancellation rights above no longer apply. We will confirm that transition point with you in writing before your paperwork is filed, so the deadline is never a surprise.
A backorder is not a special order
This distinction decides whether you can return the item later, so it is worth being precise about.
- A backorder is a catalog item we normally sell that happens to be out of stock. When it arrives, it carries the same return rights as any other catalog purchase.
- A special order is something we do not normally stock and are bringing in specifically for you — a custom configuration, a non-catalog finish, or an item sourced at your request. Special orders are final sale.
If an order of yours is a special order rather than a backorder, we will tell you in writing before we place it, and you will have the chance to back out. We will not reclassify an ordinary backorder as a special order after the fact to avoid a return.
How refunds are issued
Backorder cancellations are refunded to the original payment method for the full amount, including any shipping you paid.
- Card payments: processed within 3–5 business days. Your bank may take an additional cycle to post it.
- Cryptocurrency: crypto payments are converted to US dollars when you buy, so a cancelled backorder is refunded in US dollars — the amount we received on your original purchase date. Refunds are not issued in cryptocurrency and are not adjusted for exchange-rate movement in either direction.
Questions before you order
If you need something by a specific date, ask us first. Text or call 858-367-3097 — text is preferred — or email chris@kazuarms.com, and we will tell you honestly whether the timeline is realistic. We would rather lose the sale than miss your date.
Related: Refunds & Returns · Terms & Conditions