⭐ 2025 - Comparison Shopping for Reloading Supplies – Buyer Beware (Updated)

Over the years, I’ve noticed more and more reloaders trying to stretch their budgets — and I don’t blame them. Prices on ammo and components have really climbed, so it makes sense to shop around and look for deals. But not every deal is as good as it looks.

A couple of years back, a customer asked me to price-match a competitor. Their website listed 1,000 pieces of 9mm once-fired brass for $24, while our price at the time was $40. That seems like a big difference — so we walked through their checkout process together. (July 2023 news.)

By the time we reached the final checkout page, that “$24” deal had jumped to over $50!  The customer was shocked, and honestly, I was too.

The reason? Hidden fees, pre-selected add-ons, and charges that don’t appear until the very end:

• Cleaning/polishing fees

• Shipping markups

• “Optional” insurance that’s already checked

• Signature fees

• Taxes that only show at the end

If you don’t manually uncheck every box and dig through the fine print, that “bargain price” isn’t a bargain at all.

🔍 A Fresh Price Comparison

To give reloaders a clearer picture, I recently re-ran the same comparison  (from 2023) using five major retailers that show up when searching for 9mm brass for reloading. The goal was simple: compare the real price, not just the advertised one.

Here’s what the numbers look like for 1,000 pieces of washed and polished 9mm once-fired brass:

Price Comparison: 1,000 Rounds of 9mm Once-Fired Brass (Washed & Polished)

* Arm or Ally price shown is a sale price; normal price is $55.00.

Note: The July 2023 Blog had East Coast Reloading listed, but they are now out of business.

✅ What This Means for Reloaders

The cheapest-looking retailers weren’t the cheapest once the true costs were added up:

• Arm or Ally’s $36 sale price ballooned to $78.55 (and that is their SALE price!)

• Capital, Diamond K, and Precision all ended up around $50+

• Republic landed at $47.95

• US Reloading Supply remained at $36.00 — no hidden fees, no surprises

And here’s something even more interesting…

📉 While Most Prices Increased… Ours Went DOWN

Despite rising market costs across the reloading industry, our price for this same brass dropped from $40 to $36 over the last couple of years.

We streamlined our cleaning, processing, and sorting — and instead of pocketing the difference, we passed those savings on to customers. Transparency matters, and when we can lower pricing, we do.

You won’t find:

• Automatically checked insurance boxes

• Surprise “signature required” fees

• Hidden cleaning or polishing add-ons

• Shipping that doubles the final cost

What you see is what you pay, we advertise 'Out the Door Pricing'.

💬 Why Transparent Pricing Matters in Reloading

Reloading is built on precision, consistency, and trust. When suppliers start burying fees or manipulating pricing, reloaders end up paying more than they expected — and sometimes more than they should.

That’s why we price our brass by real weight, list our cleaning and processing upfront, and keep shipping predictable. Whether it’s 9mm brass, .380 brass, .223/5.56, or .308, we want customers to know exactly what they’re getting — and exactly what it costs.

No games. No gimmicks. Just honest pricing.

🔚 Final Thoughts

Comparison shopping is smart — especially in today’s market. Just make sure you’re comparing final checkout totals, not just advertised prices.

Hidden fees can turn a “cheap” listing into the most expensive option on the page.

If you want clean, consistent, accurately processed brass without surprises, you’ll always know where you stand with US Reloading Supply.