How much are you willing to overpay

[Zen21Tao]

Many here know the money saving potiential and selection that comes from ordering firearms from online dealers like Buds, KY Imports, J&G Sales, AIM, etc.

But there are also benefits that come from shopping at your local gunstores. For example, as you build a strong report with the owner he may offer you special discounts or hold pieces he gets in that he knows you'll like. There is also a convience that comes from leaving the gunstore with your new gun that same day, rather than having to wait for it to be shipped.

Knowing that you will pay more at a local gunstore for your next toy than you can order it online for, my question is: How much more are you willing to pay at your local gunstore for a gun you could order cheaper online? And, what factors do you consider when deciding which to buy from?

With me, an extra $50-$75 (sometimes up to $100 if its at my favorite local gunstore) is usually where I draw the line.

 

[DWARREN123]

I could see going an extra $100 if I wanted it then and the shop had been a good place to deal with.

 

[Nightcrawler]

Thing is, I generally DON'T have to overpay at my gunshop. They routinely undersell Cabela's.

If I found a smoking deal on something, I'd probably go with the online thing. It'd have to be savings of about a hundred dollars, though. Otherwise, with shipping and whatnot you're losing your advantage. Besides, a good gunshop will, if you order a gun, inspect it and reject it if there's something wrong with it. Don't know about buying from an online place.

 

[Monkeybear]

Up to 20% when all is said and done on both sides. If you include tax on the local sale and shipping and FFL fee on the transfer, I am not going to pay any more than 20% more just because you are in the neighborhood.

 

[dfaugh]

Hard to give firm numbers, as it would depend on type, rarity and cost of gun. To me the biggest factor in buying local is I get to examine/fondle it before I buy. I've also gotten local deals that were easily as good as any can find on the 'net, even at the local gun show.

In short, 10-20% more wouldn't bother me in most cases. However, there's a couple hard-to-find (I wouldn't say rare just uncommon) pieced I'm looking for, and since I haven't seen either one locally in about 4 years, I'll probably have to resort to the internet. (Actually, I DID see one of them a year or so ago, at the local gun show. REALLY good price, but I was broke at the time...such is usually my luck. My buddy has managed to suck up all kinds of good deals in the last few years. But, his tastes are different than mine.)

 

[redneck2]

Looking thru my safe, maybe 75% of my guns have been bought "used", though most were unfired or like new condition. Hard to match that on-line. Besides, letting the first guy take the beating on the price makes on-line shopping a moot point.

Dealers around here will do 10% over on special order new stuff.

 

[lionking]

a couple months ago I bought a walnut K31 at a gunshow for $250 with 2 packs of ammo,which brought the rifle at around $200.It was a great condition rifle and the dealer treated me decent,didn't treat me like a number.

LOL!When I posted that in another thread I knew someone would say that I paid too much,but really maybe $50 xtra to handpick it and take it home right then and there.With milsurps sometimes its worth paying a little extra to pick it and take it.

New guns,easy to find guns,I will go for the best price.And some milsurps like Mosin's Im less inclined to pay more.K31,M1917,M1903,for a nice specimen I will depending.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I haven't bought on-line & don't plan to. There's no real reason to do so IMHO.

900F

 

[Walkalong]

10 to 15% I guess. I like to do buiness with small owner/operators. I also like to feel and see the gun I am buying. That is worth something as well. I oredered a Witness Elite Match only because we would never see one her. I just ordered it from a small buisness owner here and I probably could have saved 40 or 50 bucks maybe. I paid $489 shipping included plus tax.

 

[dmftoy1]

My experience with a local "semi-high" priced shop is that I still have to get screaming deal to cover the transfer and shipping costs of buying online. A minimum is $25 add'l to transfer to me and they're usually within $5-$20 of the price I find online when I factor in shipping and the $25 transfer fee. The only real complaint I have with them is that they won't work real hard to order something I want if they can't find it at their first two distributors. I told them I wanted a Savage 10FLP in .308 two months ago and still haven't heard back.

 

[antsi]

-quote----
letting the first guy take the beating on the price makes on-line shopping a moot point.
----------

Unless you find a great deal on a used gun online, like some of the police trade-ins or a private seller on GunBroker, in which case online may give you better selection as well as better price.

As for the original question, it depends. Simply being local does not cut much ice with me, but if they are local, friendly, knowledgeable, and give good service, I will pay extra to support that.

Rough numbers:
Being able to handle and inspect a gun of a type well known to me: +5%
Being able to handle and inspect a gun of a type I am not too familiar with: +10%
Supporting a local merchant who gives good friendly service: +10%

 

[justatexasboy]

I buy most of my guns from a dealer that is almost exclusively a gun show dealer. He operates out of a small store front in his home during the week and is one of the largest volume dealers in Dallas TX. I have never been able to beat his prices. His service has always been great. I have met with him at 11:00 pm before to pick up my purchases before!

 

[Hemicuda]

My father and I have a penchant for old and rare firearms... so SOMETIMES we need to go online to find them... (the local store can't just order up original, vintage, unmolested Winchester Mod. 70's in the pre-64 variety in rare calibers like .222, .257 Roberts or 300 H&H...)

but anything new or common? you betcha... wedon't even LOOK online... we buy it from the local guy... WHY?

because when the local guy DOES get something in that he thinks we'd like, he holds it and calls us... he also allows us to make orders (sometimes in the thousands of dollars range) with just a phonecall... because he KNOWS we prefer to shop there, and that we will help keep him in business... it is worth EVERY penny!

 

[hksw]

$50 for guns up to $1000, $100 (though I have paid more on occasion at one of my regular shops) for anything over $1000. The gun prices I am comparing with are gun show prices which are usually at or lower than shop prices here.

 

[RP86]

If you buy off of Bud's Gun Shop you are going to pay $25 non-insured shipping or $30 insured to your FFL. Then on top of that the FFL will have a $20-30 transfer fee, and then $5 for background check(FL). On average plan on paying $55 on top of Bud's Gun Shop price. In FL sales tax is 7% so you have to factor that in if you buy locally. Recently, I ordered a gun through Bud's and did all of the above, but the FFL gun shop ended up being very very nice with great service. It's a smaller gun shop that does mainly law enforcement sales, but the guy that works there is awesome. So from now on I would be willing to pay another 10-15% to order/buy through the local gun shop. Generally, a local gun shop is within that 10% range when comparing total price.

-Ryan

 

[Soybomb]

$50 + tax.

I've had local places charge me $100 extra on a $200 gun, try to sell a basic glock for $625 while providing crappy service, etc. I'm not all that big on supporting my local dealers.

 

[Majic]

I haven't bought on-line & don't plan to. There's no real reason to do so IMHO.

If you don't buy new guns and look for specific models or variations then you will miss out on owning a lot specimens by limiting yourself to just local purchases.

 

[Hook686]

gun shop is also gun smith

I have no problem going $100 over online prices to support my local 'gun smith' shop, that also sells guns, and limited ammunition/accessories. I find a better selection of ammunition and accessories, at a local gun shop, but when it comes to the guns, the shop that takes care of my guns, gets my full support.

 

[ManChicken]

But there are also benefits that come from shopping at your local gunstores. For example, as you build a strong report with the owner he may offer you special discounts or hold pieces he gets in that he knows you'll like.

I think one of the most important "benefits" in buying from a local shop is just the fact that you're supporting a local firearms business... which, depending on where you live, some want to push out of existence (can anyone say "Mayor Larry Hartwig of Addison IL?")

I'm normally pretty stingy with my money, but I know I've over-paid a couple of times for a gun that I know if I sat down and did some research on I could get for $50 cheaper elsewhere. Heck, I knowingly ripped myself off a bit on a range membership just because I wanted to support the place (but which subsequently lost tons of money and went out of business last year because the owners were totally clueless, apparently.)

Whether you do it all the time or just once in awhile, it's good to support your local shops.

My 2¢

 

[Vern Humphrey]

When I want to buy a car, I open a bank account and put money in it each month, until I can buy for cash. I have no obligation to pay extra to my local finance office for a loan.

When I buy the car, I look for a last-year's model that didn't sell. I have no obligation to pay extra to GM or Ford or Chrysler, or whoever.

When I buy a gun, I get what I want at the lowest price I can find.

I have no obligation to drop my pants and grab my ankles for anyone, for any reason.

 

[gulogulo1970]

Usually, about $50.00, because shipping is about $25.00 and FFL is $20.00 .

 

[-terry]

For me, 20% more, out the door (and it even rhymes). This goes for all my purchases; local hardware store, local supermarket, etc. Where it makes sense, I stay away from chains (except McDonalds, to whom I give far too many purchases). I am ordering a gun from a smith out of state because he's doing the race work on it.

-terry

 

[CB900F]

Majic;

I've been very successful getting what I want at the price I want to pay, offline. But then, I live in a target-rich enviroment as it were.

900F

 

[Monkeybear]

f you buy off of Bud's Gun Shop you are going to pay $25 non-insured shipping or $30 insured to your FFL. Then on top of that the FFL will have a $20-30 transfer fee, and then $5 for background check(FL). On average plan on paying $55 on top of Bud's Gun Shop price.

Not that long ago I posted on a thread where I did the math on a gun I was about to buy, it was a $220 gun that even with the added $50(who actually charges for a background check?) was a $70 savings over the cheapest local price. When its only a $200-300 gun $70 is alot. I ended up buying a more expensive model that only would have been a $40 savings from buds.

I dont give just anybody the extra money though, just places with good service.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I recently bought a Colt Woodsman, made in 1938, for $225, plus $20 shipping and $15 for my local FFL holder to process the paperwork. That's a total price of $260 for a Colt Woodsman.

Anybody find one for sale locally for less than that?