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stefanj · Member

Hello all:
New here and already I have questions. I just purchased a Crosman Phantom 1000 off Amazon. Gun arrived and seemed ok. Barrel was a bit rusty (typical) but shot real nice (first 25 shots all grouping under 3" at 35 ft. open sights from a bench). I went to put the gun away and noticed that the stock under the barrel was all gouged up. At closer inspection the pin that links the cocking lever to the spring lever was half way out and only holding one side of the lever. I was going to try to tap it back in, but decided that it was a new gun and this should not have happened. A quick Amazon replacment request and the new gun is on the way. I hope this was an isolated occurance as this gun seemed to have some real potential. Anyone else have this problem? Also THANKS go out to all those how provided those downloadable targets! It was so awesome to get those for free (worth the price of registration). Saves me from having to get out the compass and the sharpies! Thanks all!

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Sounds like a unit that got abused somewhere- should not have had rust (mind-you, don't confuse the brownish-yellowish goo the Chinese coat the steel in as rust) nor a slipped pin.

One thing to keep in mind is that anything other than brand-new books bought "from" Amazon are in fact being sold to you by someone else- Amazon is only listing the item on it's website and collecting the payment (for a significant fee and commission). You can likely determine who actually sent it based on the Amazon website or any paperwork you received, but the fact is the seller could have been one lonely guy in his leaky garage who is actually selling it. Amazon can be treated as a sort-of insurance plan for non-delivered packages and a payment processing service (i.e. you don't have to give your credit card info out to some unknown vendor), but the actual products that are delivered are not from them.

stefanj · Member

Oh I am very aware of how Amazon works (the company I work for ALMOST started selling thru Amazon- but the insane commisions they require steered us away). I double checked the return shipping label and all supplied paperwork- Nothing- THis shipped from (oh no) Returns Center out of Kentucky (Amazon's returns center). After digging into the UPS tracking I see that the Original pickup was made in Carlisle, PA- but no vendor name. Kinda made me feel sick to my stomach! Whoever or whatever supplied the rifle is supplying a replacement so I guess we can see how that goes. ( Thanks for the tip on the yellow goo- I never even considered trying to clean it off and just assumed (yea I know) it was rust.

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Well, there's no significant airgun sellers in Carlisle, PA that I'm familiar with- so who knows.

Might be possible it is inventory being held at an Amazon warehouse (you stock the shelves for them and pay a monthly space rental charge- it's called "Amazon Warehousing"- they basically pick and ship the boxes for the seller, take all the freight charge and their usual commission and the actual 'owner' of the inventory gets the leftover payment- but they may never have actually seen the item.

stefanj · Member

Well the second gun arrived (say what you want about amazon- they do have an easy return/replacment policy), and what a difference! NO rust (or yellow perservative), the linkage pin was fully seated and the stock was free and clear. After a couple erratic loud shots the gun settled right down. Grouping was a little better than the other gun, and with a crosman hollowpoint I'm getting consistent 1" grouping at 10 yds. from a bench. Got a scope and mount on order, oh and some better pellets (the Daisys I had picked up are more or less a joke- very inconsistent). Color me happy!