Ordered large pants, they send XXL When i complained they said they had no large ones. They kept denying my claim and where stringing me along for months. I complained to pay pal and won the case only then did i receive my money back. Terrible dishonest company to deal with.
I would never buy from this company again. First of all they are deceitful as they have websites in all countries but are actually based in the UK. While shipping might seem inexpensive and lead you to believe a return is cheap and easy should the… Read more
item not be right for you, it's actually about $100 to return a kg! Which makes returns impossible. They sent me a faulty product then continued to ask me to provide various photos and evidence (measurements, photos of measurements, photos of labels) each day so there was another full day in between email contact. They could have just asked for everything they wanted all at once. This has gone on for a week or longer and wasted my time. They haven't even apologized. I eventually got a free return label but I assume only for the faulty one. I want to return both. This experience has put me off online shopping for good!
Follow-up · Terrible company. My return has still not arrived after a month. They barely return my emails. I would never recommend buying from them
Their Facebook page or website: 1. Does not state that they are not a local company. 2. They do not list phone numbers to call and complain items take too long to arrive 3. This is unverifiable for me to prove, perhaps just a coincidence. My credit card was used for a fraudulent transaction within a week of my online purchase.
Reviews with attachments
Good price and received promptly... but... the jacket itself had VERY badly finished knitted cuffs, to the degree that I don't believe it came from the manufacturer like that. I believe someone had previously altered the jacket, wrecked the cuffs in the process, and then returned it. I was then sent that substandard jacket. And if the jacket DID… Read more
come like that from the manufacturer, these guys should be CHECKING product quality before sending it to the other side of the world, so it doesn't need to come back. I mean, that's just common sense, isn't it? So why don't I return it, too? Great question. Although this joint does everything it can to masquerade as an Australian business, it's based out of the UK. Sending a big puffy jacket back to the UK would cost easily half what the jacket cost. So now I'm stuck with a useless jacket. I will never use this site again, and I recommend you don't, either.
BUYERS BEWARE - Not Australian-based, deceptive & diabolical service – Military 1st is listed in Australia as an "other incorporated entity" which reflects that it is not an Australian-based company but based overseas, in this case Manchester, England. However, they use a .com.au URL for their listings in Australia and deliver products from the UK. I use 'deliver' in the loosest possible terms as I've never seen the… Read more
products I ordered.
With more than 20 emails back and forth and over a month of poor service it took the threat of reporting the company to the ACCC and the ICPEN to force a refund. The customer service is the worst I have ever experienced; the communications are diabolical, and the deceit in posing as Australian-based is a warning to anyone considering purchasing products from them. This deceit was reflected in my final email from them stating that the products had been lost, only to view the tracking number and see that it is now in Melbourne (I'm in Sydney) awaiting return to the UK.
Also note that if you purchase products and wish to return them, then the return postal fees are on you... to Manchester, England.
Jungle boots.. not fit for the tropics – I purchased the miltec jungle boots for £70.61 on the 15/7/2024 and wore them for everyday wear ( not continuously) on a 28 day trip to Costa Rica. Within two weeks the rubber on the outer boot had began to disintegrate and the inner soles rotted completely. I contacted Military1st on the 19/08/2024 and received the response that the manufacturer… Read more
advises the boots must have been left wet and that doesn't happen. Of course! It's the tropics .... Military1st advised that they would not look at these boots further and there is nothing they can do. When I phoned customer service I was told " well just because they say jungle on the description does not mean you have to wear them in the jungle". Come on military1st...is that a joke?!
If these are not to be used in certain latitudes then this should be described - I purchased a pair of jungle boots - I may as well have worn trainers. Military1st are reticent to abide by the consumers statutory rights and don't really care about the products they sell or for the people using them it seems Beware of buying faulty, useless gear that is not fit for purpose!
Terrible company – Purchased a hat with the crown sewn in twisted after sending photos as a reference was told it looks like all the others and that’s just how the product is. These blokes either have special needs or have no intention of supplying the products advertised don’t utilise this company for anything.
I wouldn’t buy again – Purchased a bag, lasted 10 months before stitching started to come undone. Contacted company who told me it was out of warranty and I should stitch it up myself.
Latest follow-ups
Abominable!. Never going back and I warn all others to steer clear. Sizing is crazy random and the returns process is a time bomb that will cost you money, lots of money, potentially more than the product you actually wanted to buy. You have been… Read more
warned! So a wee while back I bought a softshell jacket from these guys. Size (M), quality and price were all great so I was happy. On the strength of that I went back recently for a different jacket, an M65 type, and was confident the same sizing would be all fine. Ordered size M. When it arrived the quality etc all looked good but the M size would have been baggy on Andre the Giant! I used their returns portal (paid the not cheap international postage) and sent it back for an exchange. A wee while later a size S arrived. That one might have been tight on Andre but still would have been baggy on Hulk Hogan! And it was a S! I thought 'stuff this, I've had enough, not going for a 3rd return' and sent it back for a refund. Again paying the postage, which seeing as I paid twice added up to almost half the value of the item. Not much of a bargain. However the real stinger was still to come. In using their 'returns portal' , which I had successfully used the first time I returned the size M, there was some processing error with the credit card payment. It said ' carrier error' and would not process. I tried a couple of times and then shelved it for the night, thinking it was some network error. I tried again the next day, same result a few times, so then I did the postage manually and sent their 2nd miss-sized jacket back. I was then shocked to find a few days later my credit card had actually been charged every single time. So in total I paid more postage than the jacket was worth and still have no jacket! I raised this with their customer 'service' , they claimed their postage portal is a 3rd party operator and kicked everything into the long grass. Weeks later I am still waiting to hear back so it seems they have just cut and run. I don't live in the UK so small claims court is not an option. They know this of course and so their customer service policy is ' sucks to be you!" . I will never buy anything from them again and warn everyone - If you buy from these guys beware, you will pay.
Date of experience: May 02, 2025
Follow-up · -Eventually, after provision of allot of evidence, my bank refunded the erroneous postage charges. I hope they in turn took the courier and military 1st to the cleaners for the same amount and more, but I don't know. The bank may just have sucked it up. -The first jacket was a MFH Australia Soft Shell Jacket OD Green. Cant say it is not good.… Read more
worst company ive ever dealt with bought a jacket resonable price than i get you parcel is held up we need 40 dollars for border tax i refused thats there scam buy at this price now a tax at every where it stops next they stole my money never a… Read more
refund and jacket back to bogus company it was never sent in the first place avoid this bogus company they will steal your money
Follow-up · MY BANK GAVE ME MY MONEY BACK SO FAR THEY ARE STILL LOOKING INTO IT IF THEY DONT LIKE WHAT THEY FOUND OUT THEY WILL TAKE IT BACK BUT I KNOW THEY WONT A REFUND WAS NEVER GIVEN TO ME OR IT WOULD OF SHOWED IN MY BANK TRANSACTIONS THE JACKET WAS CALLED BRADID AND MILITARY 1ST STOLE MY MONEY NO REFUND BECAUSE I DID NOT FALL FOR THERE BORDER TAX NEEDS TO BE ADDED OR IT WONT SHIP BOGUS COMPANY DO NOT BUY THEY WILL STEAL YOUR MONEY THE WANKERS
Terrible after-sales service — they initially refused to consider a warranty claim, stating that “I bought the boots almost 11 months ago.” I referenced the legal decrees on warranties, which clearly establish a 3-year warranty period. Only then… Read more
did they say they would contact the supplier. The supplier accepted the claim, but since they don’t have a matching pair in stock, I was entitled to a refund via bank transfer.
They later claimed they would only issue store credit, despite having previously sent an official email confirming they would proceed with a bank refund.
They now deny all of this, even after being confronted, and claim the warranty is only 6 months — without presenting any legal documents to support this claim, even after several requests made from the start.
An absolute disgrace!
Follow-up · They only left a comment on my review and no longer communicate directly with me. Still insist that they gave me the option of a store credit refund. I filed a complaint with the European Consumer Center, but I haven’t received any feedback ter.
Recent reviews
Tried to order a gun belt, twice. Got a wrong size twice due to incorrect information on their website. Had to send them back and pay 29 e x 2. (And it took more than month for the product to ship back!). Tried to reason with the customer care to get a refund for the shipping costs to no avail. Ended up loosing 78 e for shipping costs, lots of… Read more
time in waiting and rest of my patience emailing with the customer support. The nastiest customer support ever. Cannot recommend this company to anyone.
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I would have given this company a negative review if I could. Their customer service is poor. If you are ordering from the USA or Canada, do not place an order with them. They fail to deliver. After waiting over 20 days without any shipment, they refunded my money, but they would not permit me to cancel the order beforehand. If you are located in… Read more
the USA or Canada, be aware that you will have to pay duties, and they claimed they are not liable for refunding my duty payments. People from the USA and Canada should be wary of this fraudulent company, which will also not issue a full refund.
EQUIPMENT FAILED WITHIN 2 WEEKS. NO REFUND OR WARRANTY DESPITE LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENT – After purchasing many items from Military 1st over the years, I will never shop with them again. I purcahsed a high priced backpack for my daughter. WIthin 2 weeks the metal frame snapped and it is not useless. Military 1st were not helpful. They kept attempting to blame my 20 year old daughter for breaking a military grade backpack, without… Read more
seeing the equipment, or having any evidence to support them. Put simply the frame broke, when the backpack was loaded with my daughters close and the backpack should have been immediately replaced under Legislative Warranty obligations. I intend to report the matter to the Consumer Regulator.
Never received my order – Bought Some shorts in December. After a few weeks asked about the location and delivery. They said it was being investigated. This went on for weeks. 8 weeks after ordering still nothing. Asked for a refund. They have since stopped replying to me. Do not buy from them.
Zero Flexibility – Military1 has a Canadien web site, but all their items comes from the UK. Quality of their bag are not so great. padding are, some time, missplaced and random thickness. Seams are kind of bad. They lure people, with a nice 90 days return policy, but at your own cost and when you actualy try to refund something because of a defective product, they… Read more
dont try to accomodate you. the shipping cost round as much as what you paid for the item itself, if not more. Contacting them provide no flexibility at all and you get that kind reminder that return policy is clear and shipping is at your own cost, followed bu that generic message wich reminde you they dont care. In the end, buy on their website at your own risk and if you are from another country, forget about returning something even if it is quality related. Well, very bad experience.
Australian Customers - Stay Away – Military1st is not an Australian company; they ship their products from England. They make it seem like they are an Australian based company with their .com.au domain. I purchased an $80 item that didn’t fit, and when I tried to return it, I discovered the shipping cost was $45—more than half the item’s value. While the product itself seems fine,… Read more
the issue is the misleading impression that you’re buying from an Australian company. That’s where the real problem lies.
For Australian customers, returns are simply not worth the high shipping cost. I recommend staying away if there’s any chance you might need to return something.
pathetic – Their photos are outdated (they admit to it) and all you'll get is a "sorry for the inconvenience". This is not how an online retailer should conduct themselves. Absolutely pathetic.
WARING DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY – I ordered short from there Websight size 31-33 and I recived a size 30. I went to return them to find out they charge $45 return postage fee on short that cost just over $100. I then contacted there company explaining the situation and that I'm not paying $45 for postage that should only cost $14 (fraud)? Basically they just said there in the… Read more
right. I should have just bought off of Amazon. Look how bad there reviews are! WILL NEVER USE THERE COMPANY AGAIN.
Awful Customer Service and Ethics – Ordered some pants. The courier they used made no attempt to deliver, and Military 1st made no attempt to get the courier to deliver. Military 1st made no attempt to refund my money, and ghosted me.
Prompt Refund Upon Request – Personal circumstances changed and unable to utilise or take delivery of purchased product. Requested a refund prior to goods despatch. Refund promptly issued.
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Military 1st crooks – I'm not paying 45 thanks for that crap rubbish crap u sold omg wth with that crap and now I have to freaking pay 45 to send that crap back what's the freaking point I should cut it up too freaking small tiny pieces and send back to u like that u wait ok good in try too sell and more of ur crap in Australia I complain to accc for this rubbish. Why… Read more
not free return not bye crap from u ever again and I put all this up on the feedback of the jacket for the whole world too see ur rubbish u selling under 800 grams and 45 too post to to the freaking UK lol. What a freaking joke.
Awful service in all senses – Made an order, arrived very late. Wrong product. No responsibility in managing the return of the wrong products. It's been 5 days they received the items (I had to manage all by myself). Yet no refund. I would no recommend this store at all.
concerned at first – When I saw the UK post I was concerned as The web site indicates Aus. To their credit % days after my order was placed my boots arrived and exactly what I ordered and quicker than most Aus deliveries. Well done Military 1st.
No Package – Stay away, do not shop here, very slack its been over 3 weeks I msg them and they reply check my local post office or maybe neighbors like wth!!!!! Unprofessional and very slack spent over $160 down the drain.
Hmmmm……..mixed reviews! – Mixed reviews but my own experiences have been very positive. Yes, there’s a bit of a ruse in that the website looks like it’s based in Australia. Also, they are generally more expensive than similar military surplus retailers. But, after a couple of years and quite a substantial number of orders I’ve never had an issue and the quality of product is excellent. Highly recommended
Cannot fault Military 1st – I bought from Military1st and when I saw the tracking number was Royal Mail and the actual tracking number didn’t exist I was concerned and read some critical reviews here but to their credit my order turned up in full via Australia Post in just a fortnight after being placed. Quality of items also excellent.
Horrible – The parcel gets left at my door for the whole world to see and someone steals it and military first couldn't give a damn. Literally said bad luck as courier company says they delivered it. Even tho the photo clearly shows it wasn't left in a secure place like the company states in their website. Absolute crap company, stay away.
Colour change – Picked the wrong colour drink bottle. Online support helped fix it in about two minutes flat. Very responsive and understanding. Cheers Peter
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now this is military 1st over the pond in england i have no axe to grind for australia military 1st never dealt with them