Area 51 FAQ (frequently asked questions)

Frequently Asked Questions at Area 51 Tactical

Q: I've never heard of Area 51 - who are you?

A: Dan Nicholson, founder and owner of Area 51 Products LLC, (area51tactical on eBay) has been providing great products at great prices to the shooting community since 1998. Our first website was blackrifles.com, and for several years our primary selling venue was eBay. In 2007 the decision was made to concentrate on supplying tactical gear and shooting accessories directly to the public via our website, area51tactical.com and since then we have experienced rapid growth. You may have seen our national advertisements in Small Arms Review, Shotgun News, SWAT magazine and AR Guns and Hunting. Area 51 Products LLC currently occupies a 4500sq ft warehouse near the city of Dothan in south-eastern Alabama. We are just a short ride from the state lines of both Georgia and Florida as well.

Q: Do you offer a law enforcement or military discount?

A: Due to our already low prices we are unable to offer any further discounts. It's been our experience that most vendors that do this are charging full retail for everything, and our "regular" prices are often better than their "LE/military discount" price!

Q: My Order Status says "Pending" ("Update" "Processing - order printed" etc) - what does that mean?

A: Pending is the default order status right after you place an order - it basically means we haven't done anything with an order yet. Processing - order printed means just that, that we have printed the order and it's in the warehouse being picked out. This is when we make sure that everything is in stock and ready to go for your order, and if so, pack it up. Update means that everything is either in stock and picked for your order or on it's way in to our warehouse within the next 3 business days, your credit card has been charged sucessfully, and we will be shipping the package as soon as possible. Order Shipped means your order is out the door and is the step at which we email you the tracking or delivery confirmation number.  

Q: Is Area 51 in Nevada?

A: Not this one! Area 51 Products LLC is located off Highway 52 West in Taylor, Alabama.

Q: Do you ship to Canada/Switzerland/insert your country here?

A: Sorry, we do NOT ship outside of the United States. Nothing personal, we simply don't have the resources to devote to export licensing.

Q: Do you accept RFQs and Purchase Orders from Departments?

A: Certainly. We are glad to serve you and address your departmental needs, small or large. Departmental orders must be on municipal or departmental letterhead and you can either fax to 908-845-0316 or email to dan@area51tactical.com

Q: I am a law enforcement officer in a restricted (non-high capacity magazine) state. Can I order magazines from Area 51?

A: As a general rule of thumb, you should ask your chief law enforcement officer what the legal procedure is for you to receive high capacity magazines in a restricted state as an LEO. Most of these states allow you to provide us with a copy of your ID via email or fax so that we can ship the mags to you. Some states may require the magazines to be purchased on departmental letterhead. Again, check with your local superiors.

Q: Do you have a store?

A: Area 51 is located in a warehouse, but we do have a small retail area with a few displays to browse. Local customers are welcome to visit us to pick up what they need. If you are a local customer, just give us a call after placing your order online, or call us and let us know what you'll be coming by for. Please note that some inventory on the website may not be in stock at all times at the Taylor location, as occasionally some items are shipped from our distributor's warehouse in Texas.

Q: Can I buy Area 51 Hats/T-Shirts/Stickers?

A: Yes, you sure can, at our Cafepress store - http://www.cafepress.com/area51products. 

Q: Does Area 51 actually have it's own inventory or are you just drop shipping stuff from some other company's warehouses?

A: Unlike a growing number of online shops, we are a stocking dealer for the vast majority of product lines we carry. We keep several thousand different items (SKUs) on hand at our location, although we do also at our discretion drop ship from distributors or manufacturers. This usually happens for one of two reasons: either you have ordered a larger quantity than we have in stock here in Taylor, or we can get an item to you faster by having the manufacturer drop ship it. 

More than 90% of all orders are shipped from our own inventory right here in Taylor, Alabama. This has another big advantage - unlike many online dealers, we use the products we carry and can often give you some valuable info based on our own experience.

Q: The website says there are 3 in stock - are there really 3 in stock?

A: We make every effort to make sure the quantities listed on the website are really available, but at this time our inventory system is not electronically linked to the website so there may occasionally be discrepancies. We DO try to err on the side of caution though: if the website says there's only 1 in stock we've probably got at least 2 or 3; and if you need more of an item than what's listed as available please email us and we'll expedite your larger-quantity order!


Q: Man, I wish you guys carried this other product...

A: Please, email or call us if you do not see something on the website that you think we should carry. For starters, we may indeed carry it. For brands we don't normally stock much inventory from (for example, Blackhawk), we have a close relationship with several of the biggest distributors and can get most anything made by these companies within a few days. And if we don't carry it, and it's a hot black rifle kinda product, we sure want to know about it so we can :)


Q: I don't want to give my credit card information out on the net, what can I do?

A: Online ordering is actually safer than ordering over the phone, but if you are more comfortable giving your credit card information over the phone, just select "Pay by Check/Money Order" at checkout and then call us at 334-375-7153 with your payment info. You may also leave a note in the comments section with a phone number and the most convenient time to call you and we can call you for the info.


Q: Do you sell lower receivers?

A: Sorry, Area 51 is not a Federally Licensed Firearms dealer, and we do not sell AR-15 lower receivers, complete guns or any other items regulated as firearms. Any local firearms dealer should be able to order a lower receiver or complete AR-15 for you from a number of manufacturer; it is reasonable to pay between $125-175 for a stripped AR-15 lower receiver.


Q: Do you offer dealer pricing?

A: At this time due to the extreme demand for "black rifle" related parts and accessories, we are not offering dealer pricing. Many items on the website do feature quantity discounts though!


Q: Why aren't all my questions answered by this page?

A: Because you need to ask us so we can add them to the list

Thank you so much to all our loyal customers! Your patronage of our business is an immense blessing to our family and employees, and we look forward to serving you in the future!