[Slater]

If you are walking around a gun show, and overhear/witness a customer (who may not be very gun savvy) getting taken to the cleaners by a seller/dealer, should you say something or mind your own damn business?

[Treylis]

.

[Rockrivr1]

For the most part I would leave the person to his or her own demise. Figuring that if they were stupid enough to get taken like that then they obviously didn't do their homework before coming to the show. I know that sounds mean, but it's true.

The only time I've piped up is when a person left the table before buying and I told them of a place that had a much better price. The guy thanked me because he was really thinking of buying.

[mondocomputerman]

I would let him know, but in a different way. I would look intested too, and then ask how much. I would then come up with, they only want around $xxx at another place. That way it doesn't make it look like you are out to get the dealer.

[Werewolf]

There's nothing worse to me than a guy taking advantage of someone else's ignorance. It isn't right - period. Even in our capitalistic society the line has to be drawn somewhere.

I have and will continue to point out to those who just don't know that they are being ripped off when given the opportunity at a gun show.

Gun show dealers selling $100 SKS' for $400 or $89 Hi-Points for $250 and all the other rip off's I've seen just push my buttons.

Making a profit is one thing...
Ripping off customers is another...

[Ex-MA Hole]

I was at show and saw this! A guy was looking at it and drooling. I went over, innocently enough and "looked" at it with him. I pointed out why it SUCH a nice gun, the causally looked at the price. All I said was "WOW- they have REALLY gone WAY up in price! I got mine for $250 a few weeks ago" and walked away.

I fugured that if he didn't get the point, his problem.

M

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Was looking at a Winchester shottie once at the Valley Forge show. Asking price was something like $1300. A kid* comes up and tells me that the same gun is available in Wal-Mart for $900.

I appreciated the favor.

- pdmoderator


* Well, he was about 20. Kids are looking older and older these days :D

[Standing Wolf]

I'd drop a hint or two, but not try to make someone else's decision for him.

Gun shows used to be a lot more fun before the greed turned rampant.

[ScottS]

None of my business.

For every transaction, there is a seller and a buyer. If a transaction occurs, then the seller and the buyer were convinced it was "good for them." None of my business to tell the seller/buyer he's wrong.

I also don't run into the car dealer and tell someone they're paying too much for a given car, or stop the shoppers at Shaw's and tell them the peaches are cheaper at Wal-Mart.

Scott

[Josey]

I used to be paid for minding other peoples business.:D I have 0 problem with butting in on a scumbag dealer. A ripoff is a ripoff. I usually suggest THR for the unfortunate.

[Ian]

I'm very hesitant to butt in on a negotiation, but I've been known to approach potential buyers away from the potential seller's table to mention ripoff prices.

[whm1974]

I went to a gun show last sunday and I thought prices on a lot of stuff were high.
AKs for $600, Makarovs for $250 or more. I figure that gun dealers at gun shows only need to sell to person one time. They already got the sucker's money. It's diffenant at thier normal place of busness where they need repeat custimors.

-Bill

[MikeJ]

I'm a real shopper and I believe that anyone going out to purchase an item, whatever it is has the responsibility to do their homework, due diligence as it were. By the same token, ripoffs come in more ways than simply high prices. If I overhear blatant misinformation being given I won't hesitate to jump in and correct it. This doesn't mean that all misinformation is intentional. I was at a gunshow and the dealer was stating that the S&W 4516 he had for sale was DAO because it had a bobbed hammer. I explained to him that it wasn't the case and he was actually very appreciative as he didn't know anything about that model.

[hillbilly]

Caveat Emptor.

If you go to a gun show to buy a gun and have no knowledge of guns, and have not bothered to look up any information on guns, you deserve to get taken.

Same goes for car shopping. If you don't do your homework before car shopping, you deserve to get taken.

Same goes for any product.

If you go computer shopping with no research, lawyer shopping, jewelry shopping, hamburger shopping, any sort of shopping, and you do so having spent no effort at all to educate yourself on the realities of that particular marketplace, you deserve whatever ripping-off you are subjected to.

It's sort of like asking if people who go out into the woods, realizing they can't tell which mushrooms are good and which are poisonous, and who make a big batch of sauteed mushrooms out of whatever kind of mushroom they stumble upon, do they then deserve the slow, lingering death because they ate poisonous mushrooms?

They knew some mushrooms were poisonous, and some weren't.

They knew they couldn't tell the difference.

They ate unidentified mushrooms anyway......


hillbilly

[HankB]

Normally I keep my opinions to myself . . . but every once in a while, when I see some blatant ripoff artist trying to unload something on an unsuspecting sucker, I'll say something.

I've been thanked a number of times, have received glares from the crooked sellers on occasion, but have only been cussed out once.

[Tharg]

I'm w/ hillbilly - specially if we are talking 500+ dollars... to MOST of us that is a lot of money... Before *I* spend that kind of cash i'd like to find out what it is i'm looking at.

On that note - there are times i buy something from say - walmart that i KNOW is cheaper on line... and buy it anyway cause i can get it right then.

So - the saying goes - buyer beware and i ain't trying to get someone who sells guns mad at me =)

J/Tharg!

[MountainPeak]

I feel it's none of my business!

[rayra]

I'm a real shopper and I believe that anyone going out to purchase an item, whatever it is has the responsibility to do their homework, due diligence as it were. By the same token, ripoffs come in more ways than simply high prices. If I overhear blatant misinformation being given I won't hesitate to jump in and correct it. That's my own apprach as well. 90% 'Caveat emptor'.

[BruceB]

"If he, being young and unskillful

Plays for shekels of silver and gold,

Take his money, my son, praising Allah....

The kid was ordained to be sold."

-Kipling

Or, "caveat emptor" (buyer beware)