Does Anyone Recognize This 'Site?

[FeedinSeason]

Hey, folks. I've checked these boards every now and again over the years and decided to register so I could run some questions by the community. I'll likely stick around. That said, been on the hunt for some plates and extra equipment in this now starved market. I wanted to get my hands on Troy's machined plates specifically, finally found a website called dumbbellsdirect.com after digging around for hours, and eventually pulled the trigger. Has anyone ever purchased something from these guys? Their 'site looked clean to me when navigating around, prices and shipping dates were reasonable, and they were one of the few suppliers I came across that sell in pairs or individually. Few days have passed and I'm starting to question their credibility and worry about my purchase. At a second glance, I noticed they don't have any reviews of a single product in their store, there are a handful of typos here and there, and I've been unable to reach out to them via email or phone. Granted, it's only been about 72 hours, but the doubts are starting to sink in considering I had never heard of them in the first place. Think I'm safe or going to end up with a headache?

If anyone knows somewhere else I can consistently buy Troy's Wide Flange HO/PO plates, I would greatly appreciate the pointers. I've contacted Troy directly and still have not heard back from them either. It's a damn shame AdamantBarbell had to shut down... Lastly, for those wondering why I'm after Troy's plates:

1. Troy fits my budget; Ivanko and York do not.
2. Rogue's 6-shooters and regular machined plates are never available and more expensive after shipping.
3. Troy makes a 100lb set of HO/PO plates.
4. I like their rugged, old-school hammertone style.

Cheers and thanks in advance.

Update: Got my plates delivered today. See my post below. Will provide pictures with proof when I have 50 posts - ask me to pm them in the meantime if you're interested.

[BiGx5MurF]

I haven't bought anything from that site. But usually Troy requires a minimum $1000 order, and their stuff is drop shipped, so usually 6-8 weeks for delivery. So I would be suspect if anyone is selling Troy products for under $1000, and promises shipping faster than 6-8 weeks.

[Duplicitous]

This thread reeks of shilling, but hey I'll play.

- The address to the main office is a rental suite in a small office building that appears to primarily houses doctors, dentists, etc.
- The phone number for this Michigan company belongs to a fence rental company in NY.
- There is no clearly discernible owner on record this business as the owner has made significant efforts to conceal ownership. Even the domain contact info has been obfuscated by way of a domain privacy service.
- The website is entirely template based with policy text directly plagiarized from other websites. The price guarantee, for example, can be found word-for-word (with the exception of the store name) on this kitchen/bathroom sink website: https://sinkshq.com/pages/100-best-price-policy


I could keep going, but the bottom line is that the site is bogus - and so are you, OP.

[FeedinSeason]

This thread reeks of shilling, but hey I'll play.

- The address to the main office is a rental suite in a small office building that appears to primarily houses doctors, dentists, etc.
- The phone number for this Michigan company belongs to a fence rental company in NY.
- There is no clearly discernible owner on record this business as the owner has made significant efforts to conceal ownership. Even the domain contact info has been obfuscated by way of a domain privacy service.
- The website is entirely template based with policy text directly plagiarized from other websites. The price guarantee, for example, can be found word-for-word (with the exception of the store name) on this kitchen/bathroom sink website:


I could keep going, but the bottom line is that the site is bogus - and so are you, OP.

Shilling for Troy? Wasn't my intention at all. Aside from that, thank you for digging up that information. I really appreciate it. I also just noticed that their social media links all directed to the template maker and that's going to be the final red flag for me. I'll begin the process of disputing it with my bank. If you caught my post above (before I noticed yours) I considered going through with it and waiting to see if I get burned. Live and learn, I got too excited at the chance to pick up some plates and jumped the gun. Genuinely, thank you.

Curious, though, where do you get shilling from my post?

[radrd]

They aren't in stock so this isn't particularly useful atm, but dumbbellbuddy.com often carries Troy plate sets at good prices. You might email and see if/when they'll have them again. I've found their customer service to be responsive.

[BiGx5MurF]

They aren't in stock so this isn't particularly useful atm, but dumbbellbuddy.com often carries Troy plate sets at good prices. You might email and see if/when they'll have them again. I've found their customer service to be responsive.

This is where I purchased my Troy plates. As I mentioned before, they require a $1000 min order, and delivery will take 6-8 weeks.

[radrd]

This is where I purchased my Troy plates. As I mentioned before, they require a $1000 min order, and delivery will take 6-8 weeks.

I was shopping for Troy plates on their site recently, right before they went out of stock, and there wasn't a stated $1k minimum; however, I believe they only had them in sets and I don't recall the lowest price. I was looking at buying a set that was more than $1k so it wasn't particularly relevant. I did see a $1k minimum on Troy with other retailers when I shopped around.

[FeedinSeason]

They aren't in stock so this isn't particularly useful atm, but dumbbellbuddy.com often carries Troy plate sets at good prices. You might email and see if/when they'll have them again. I've found their customer service to be responsive.

Thanks, I'll be sure to keep my eyes on their inventory. I think I have stumbled upon their store a few times before when searching for Ivanko and Troy prices anyway. Happy to hear you can vouch for them. As for the $1000 minimum you and BigSmurf are talking about, that is pretty much all I've seen in the past two months so it may be something they have recently put in place as a way to curb scalping and mitigate supply issues. Not sure, really, I can't recall ever running into problems like this before the world went to crap. It's funny how the lack of a $1000 minimum is what caught my attention and ended up being so compelling on dumbbelldirect, when in hindsight it should have stood out to me as a warning. I'm foaming at the mouth here trying to grab some new equipment. Even my local Craigslist, OfferUp, and Ebay listings are dried up.

Thanks for the help, guys. Rep'd for ya.

[ampire]

Thanks, I'll be sure to keep my eyes on their inventory. I think I have stumbled upon their store a few times before when searching for Ivanko and Troy prices anyway. Happy to hear you can vouch for them. As for the $1000 minimum you and BigSmurf are talking about, that is pretty much all I've seen in the past two months so it may be something they have recently put in place as a way to curb scalping and mitigate supply issues. Not sure, really, I can't recall ever running into problems like this before the world went to crap. It's funny how the lack of a $1000 minimum is what caught my attention and ended up being so compelling on that scam website, when in hindsight it should have stood out to me as a warning. I'm foaming at the mouth here trying to grab some new equipment. Even my local Craigslist, OfferUp, and Ebay listings are dried up.

Thanks for the help, guys. Rep'd for ya.

Could try Intek if their plates appeal to you.

[radrd]

Could try Intek if their plates appeal to you.

I'll second the Intek recommendation. Other options to look at would be Rogue Deep Dish, Kabuki Iron, Strength Co, and Weight It Out.

[FeedinSeason]

I'll second the Intek recommendation. Other options to look at would be Rogue Deep Dish, Kabuki Iron, Strength Co, and Weight It Out.

Not familiar with Intek and it doesn't appear that they have any guaranteed weight tolerances? Don't think their irons are machined either. Overall, I intended to stick as close to $200 per 45lb pair as I possibly could for machined plates. Within that budget I was only able to find BellsOfSteel and Troy, but I'm sure there are a lot of others I may have missed. The Strength Co has awesome plates, though, I'm well aware of them. Also happy that they're made in America so they very well could become my go-to once this jacked up market settles down. Just sucks that they're roughly $42 more expensive after shipping and I'm being real firm on my budget.

Besides that, I'm going to provide an update to my order situation (hopefully) within two weeks. Contacted my bank and they're keeping an eye on the situation. Policy dictates that I can't dispute the transaction until it has finished processing (which it hadn't prior to this point) because dbdirect could not authorize my payment until Troy verified they've shipped. Finally got in contact with the seller after requesting a refund, had some back and forth with calls & emails, and he did his best to assure me that they are in fact a legitimate Troy dealer. Yada-yada, y'all know how this stuff goes. Bottom line is I'm going to be safe when all is said and done. I'll report back when it's over with and post some pictures if I'm allowed to as a new forum user. Even if a box of rocks and cat turds show up at my doorstep, I'll share it!

[C123C]

Just FYI - you may know this but not all plate manufacturers make their plates to standard diameter. Important for 45s if you are using them from the floor.

[FeedinSeason]

Final Update: The store isn't bogus and I'll edit a few posts to reflect that. I received my plates today and everything went smoothly after staying in contact with their sales rep. I was shown proof they're an authorized Troy dealer, the address the package shipped from was Troy's Houston hub, and they acknowledged my concerns with the website. I definitely agree many of the things @Duplicitous pointed out are inexcusable when you're running a business, but that's no longer my concern. Got new plates on the bar for a reasonable price.

Here's an Imgur album with a few pictures of the plates and email exchanges: (Can't share this link until I have 50 posts under my belt. Ask me for a PM and I'll be happy to send it over until then.)

As for the plates themselves, I'm very satisfied. Neither plate was outside of the stated 2% tolerance, the machining and finish is decent enough, and they are 450mm in diameter. I wish the machining for the collar opening was more precise (little bit of slop on the bar), but they're a tighter fit than every non-machined iron I've used previously. $200 bucks, done deal.

[radrd]

Congrats on getting your plates and good to know the site is legit. I hadn't even clicked on it before today because I didn't want to risk my pc getting ass cancer. It's kinda funny how everything I looked at says sold out. But, at least it's not a scam. Glad it worked out okay.

I'm surprised to hear the Troy wide flange plates aren't a tight fit. Mine definitely are but maybe they've loosened up their tolerances. Mine are such a tight fit that I could see how Troy may have intentionally loosened them due to complaints.

[FeedinSeason]

I'm surprised to hear the Troy wide flange plates aren't a tight fit. Mine definitely are but maybe they've loosened up their tolerances. Mine are such a tight fit that I could see how Troy may have intentionally loosened them due to complaints.

Could be the case. I also wouldn't rule out my bar being the main culprit. I'll take the plates over to my brother's this week and see how they get along with his Ohio Power Bar. How long has it been since you purchased your last set? I just measured mine and they seem to be right around 51.5 to 52mm. No big deal, not enough slop for me to knock 'em down much given the cost. My only movements off the floor are rows, deads, and occasional power cleans.

[radrd]

Could be the case. I also wouldn't rule out my bar being the main culprit. I'll take the plates over to my brother's this week and see how they get along with his Ohio Power Bar. How long has it been since you purchased your last set? I just measured mine and they seem to be right around 51.5 to 52mm. No big deal, not enough slop for me to knock 'em down much given the cost. My only movements off the floor are rows, deads, and occasional power cleans.

I bought mine used a couple years ago. I recall Troy changed the design slightly and mine are the original design, so perhaps enlarging the hole was part of that. Mine are exceptionally tight, even moreso than my new Intek Armor grip plates which are more than acceptable and higher end.