American science and Surplus

Been going to AmSci for years, make that years and years. Great stuff and awesome people. Craft items, home repair stuff, educational aids. Okay, that's it, I gotta go there now, I'm sure I'll find something I need.

SciPlus accepted my order without accepting my credit card. Then they cancelled, so I re-ordered. Then the first order arrived. Then I got an email that the order was soon to arrive. I called to complain, but SciPlus said the second order had already been mailed. I was told by SciPlus not to return the order if it were to arrive and that I should not be charged a second time. The second order arrived. I complained, only to hear that I could return the duplicate order for a refund, but I would have to pay the postage for the return. VERY DISSAPPOINTED, after receiving a promise to not be charged. BEWARE of this type of treatment.

I have placed over six orders over the past years, and they haven't failed me yet! I have always appreciated their prices. The item description's are always the funniest to read! LOve You SciPlus!

If you are looking for a gift for a hard to please child or adult, this is the place. So many cool things!

I've been a customer for over 15 years and American Science and Surplus is declining in value. For instance, the prices they charge can surprisingly often may not be a deal. The prices can be noticeably higher that competitor or just match. I think they know this because the listings in their catalogue are done purposefully to make price checking hard, model or ID information is omitted, low quality photos used and using confusing language. Instead of providing accurate information, they make the listing funny, AKA obfuscation. They will sell you products that are probably just a headache for them, like "gently used" alkaline batteries that die and start leaking 6 months after buying them, now you have to dispose of the batteries. A large amount of the merchandise appears to be Chinese rejects and fail on first use. They are very reliant on hype, like an item is on sale because it is a 3% price reduction. Sometimes it is more. The cart system they use will spontaneously loose all your items and does not follow you if you change devices, like going from computer to handheld. They have a very confusing, rube Goldberg like wishlist system. I've had many hours of building an order just disappear and having to start over. I wrote to customer service on several occasions about these issues and never a reply. You should always completely verify your order, things can be missing or under sized. Some orders are cut from bulk and they can short you. I've done research on the company and they have a reputation of over working and underpaying. I think that is a prime contributor to the spotty quality I've been experiencing.