Policies

Every item is inspected before it's listed. Anything too worn or visibly damaged is pulled, not graded. The grade describes cosmetic condition; any specific flaw (a stain, a worn label, a repair) is written in the listing and usually pictured.

• NEW: New and unused. May be in opened packaging or without the original box, and may show light shelf wear from storage. NIB means new in the original box.
• A+: Like new. Little to no signs of use.
• A: Great condition. Minimal to light signs of use.
• A-: Good condition. Light to moderate signs of use, such as faded fabric or labels, small stains or pinholes.
• B+ / B: Good, fully functional. Noticeable cosmetic wear: stains, fading, worn or missing labels.
• B-: Fully functional with heavier cosmetic wear.

Photos show the make and model; the item you receive matches the model and the grade you pick. Want photos of the exact piece? Contact us before you order.

Who can buy. You must be at least 18, located in the United States, and legally allowed to own everything you order where you live and where it ships. Armor can't be sold to anyone prohibited from owning it (for example, people convicted of a violent felony). By ordering you confirm all of this; for armor you confirm it again at checkout, and that confirmation is kept with your order.

Orders and pricing. An order is accepted when it ships, not when you receive the order confirmation email. If an item is listed at the wrong price or with a wrong description because of a clear mistake, or turns out to be unavailable, we may cancel the order and refund you in full. Prices and availability can change without notice.

No restricted resale. Don't buy from us to export gear or to resell it to anyone who can't legally own it. We may cancel orders that look like either, and may refuse service at our discretion.

Privacy. How we handle your information is explained in our Privacy policy.

Changes. We may update these policies; the version on this page when you order is the one that applies to that order.

Catalyst Surplus sells a constantly changing range of both new and refurbished surplus equipment. We take pride in the quality of our gear and use a grading system to accurately describe our inventory. All items are inspected for wear and damage, and anything too worn or visibly damaged is pulled. All used items are cleaned and sanitized as needed.

Images shown in listings are examples of the product make/ model. You will receive the same advertised model, but condition/ appearance varies based on your selections.

Some items we sell have armor that has exceeded its factory warranty period. This is known to generally have minimal to no impact on performance, particularly for gear that hasn't been heavily abused. We don't list items that look too worn or show obvious damage, but we can't detect every hidden flaw. Other consumables may also be past their expiration/ inspection date. We stand by the quality of the gear we sell, but as we are not the original manufacturers, we cannot provide any warranty or guarantees regarding performance. New armor becomes used once it is shipped from the factory, it is your responsibility to monitor the status of your equipment.

Armor you have received anywhere is used once it has been shipped. You must inspect any protective equipment you receive to verify its integrity. For all intents and purposes, all the gear we sell is non-functional and solely for collectors. If you plan to trust this gear, that is your sole responsibility. If you trust your ability to inspect and verify the integrity of your equipment and decide to use it, we hold no liability in the case it fails. We do not guarantee that anything sold functions as advertised by the OEM once it has been shipped to you. Do not use any protective equipment unless you are able to inspect and verify your equipment's integrity.

Regularly inspect your gear, no matter where you got it from.

Perform tap and torque inspections on your plates regularly and immediately after receiving your order.

Inspect your gas mask before every use.

Returns and cancellations: see Refunds / Returns below.

ITAR / selling restrictions: The majority of the items we sell are ITAR restricted, and therefore we cannot personally ship most of them outside of the United States. We also cannot ship armor to banned states such as CT and NY. By placing an order you agree to abide by your local laws and import/ export regulations. A 10% restocking fee will be withheld for orders that must be canceled due to legal restrictions. Please do not place orders that defy your laws.

We ship within the United States. A few non-armor items marked “Intl. shipping available” can also ship abroad; everything else is US only.

You must be at least 18 to buy armor. Placing an order that includes any armor confirms you are at least 18.

Anyone prohibited from owning armor can't buy it (for example, people convicted of a violent felony). We are not liable when someone who legally can't own armor buys it anyway.

Orders may be canceled at our discretion for a variety of reasons. Orders that we cancel for reasons not listed will be refunded in full.

We ship within the United States. A few non-armor items marked “Intl. shipping available” can also ship abroad.

We ship as fast as we can: usually within 4 days, though processing delays can happen.

We do not ship armor to any banned states (NY, CT) or anywhere that may violate ITAR or local laws.

Orders that are undeliverable due to an incorrect address will have the order cost refunded if the package is successfully returned to sender, but the shipping cost and processing fee will not be refunded. Please make sure the address you provide is correct, once an item is sent out an address change is generally not possible, and if it is, there is usually a fee for re-routing the package that you must pay to receive your item. If an incorrect address is provided we cannot provide refunds for orders that are delivered to the incorrect location, or for orders where the re-route fee is not paid by the customer (when applicable).

For those who try to bypass shipping restrictions by forwarding or otherwise, we cannot be held liable for any resulting action, losses, or consequence.

Limitation Of Liability

In no event shall Catalyst Surplus, nor its directors, employees, partners, agents, suppliers, or affiliates, be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, including without limitation, loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from your access to or use of or inability to access or use our service; any conduct or content of any third party on the service; any content obtained from our service; and unauthorized access, use or alteration of your transmissions or content, whether based on warranty, contract, tort (including negligence) or any other legal theory, whether or not we have been informed of the possibility of such damage, and even if a remedy set forth herein is found to have failed of its essential purpose. When you purchase ballistic armor you assume all of the risks inherent to the use or misuse of bullet-resistant armor, and the conditions in which such a use may become necessary, and you agree not to hold us liable in any way. In addition, you are responsible for ensuring that ballistic panels are facing the proper direction in accordance with the markings on the ballistic panels, if relevant. We cannot be held liable for any misuse or malfunction of our products, however unlikely they may be.

Disclaimer

Your use of our service is at your sole risk. The service is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. The service is provided without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement or course of performance.

Catalyst Surplus and its subsidiaries, affiliates, and its licensors do not warrant that a) our service will function uninterrupted, secure or available at any particular time or location; b) any errors or defects will be corrected; c) our service is free of viruses or other harmful components; or d) the results of using our service will meet your requirements.

Exclusions

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the limitations above may not apply to you.

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of California, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be considered a waiver of those rights. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable by a court, the remaining provisions of these Terms will remain in effect. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between us regarding our Service, and supersede and replace any prior agreements we might have had between us regarding the Service.

EAR/ITAR

Level III and IV armor (Rifle Plates) falls under the jurisdiction of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and is subject to the export control laws of the U.S. Government. Export or retransfer of Level III or IV armor by any means to any foreign end user, or for any other end use, whether in the U.S. or abroad, without the written approval of the U.S. Department of State, is prohibited.

Level IIIA, Level II, and Level IIA Vests may be exempt from licensing for many countries, but require a license to some countries from the Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS). Ballistic helmets specifically in volume generally require an export license from the BIS.

Residents of Connecticut

Connecticut residents can't buy body armor unless the sale is face to face, or the buyer is a police officer, police department or military. We can't sell armor to Connecticut residents who aren't police or military.

Using our services means you have read and accepted all of these policies and terms in full.

We stand by our goal of providing the best prices available for the gear we sell, and have the price match guarantee to assert this.

If any other online retailers are selling the same equipment for less, we will match their price.

Conditions:

• Item(s) for price match must be in stock on a reputable online retailer's website.
• Item(s) must be the same make and model, and in equally good condition.
• Third party reseller listings such as eBay posts aren't included, as these can easily be created solely to take advantage of the policy and may not reflect an item's true value.

Returns: Because armor and PPE are life-saving equipment, and most of what we sell, we generally can't accept returns or exchanges. If anything is wrong with your order, contact us.

Canceled orders: Contact us to cancel before your order ships; shipped orders can't be canceled or refunded. If you cancel an unshipped order, we refund the full amount minus the 3% card processing fee (5% for PayPal orders). Orders canceled because of legal restrictions where you live have a 10% restocking fee. Please don't place orders that break your local laws.

Chargebacks: If you file a chargeback with us without first contacting our support, you will be permanently banned from using our services.

Wrong addresses: see Shipping / Export Policies above.

In cases where refunds/ returns are provided, we reserve the right to withhold processing fees and shipment costs. Generally, any full refunds and/ or returns will have these fees/ costs withheld.