Gun Show Prices are absurd!!!

The best deals at a gun show are the books.

Gun shows around NC tend to be a good way to bypass shipping/ffl fees. Maybe some good deals, but for the most part it's what you'd find at Cheaper than Dirt.

There are good deals hiding. The last day is buying day. By this time the dealers arent wanting to take home a black eye and pay out of their pocket for the shows fees.

OTOH, I am seeing a lot of private collectors as well as gun show attendants trying to take advantage of the so called loophole. The cash and carry guns are higher b/c some of these people intend to sell them to restricted people. I see Jennings and Ravens that retail for $60-$80 new being sold in our local papers for $250.00. I ran into a guy that sells them like that all the time. These are the people that will ruin the shows for everyone. Not to mention get our rights hurt worse than they are now.

I dont like buying stuff from shows very often. It is common to see new stuff priced through the roof. It's hard for anyone to compete with online gun sellers or the big box stores as it is. I do like having the option of big gun shows in my home town. I wouldnt want them to go away , but , I would like to see the deals come back around.

Last gun show I went to I took my colt gold cup 90% to sell or trade one dealer offered me $425.00 for it saying that he had to make a living, and he got mad when I turned him down

One question.

Why would anyone pay more for a used gun than for new one that comes with a factory warranty?

Why would anyone pay more for a used gun than for new one that comes with a factory warranty?

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Very simple, the lack of the required paper work.

Sorta hard for one with a record to legaly purchase.

Don't feel too bad... Gun forum prices have begun reaching the absurd as well. I'm seeing quite a lot of pricing at or over MSRP for used guns entirely too frequently lately. As the economy goes down, everybody raises their prices to try and make the same amount, but nothing moves. I saw one .380 listed here that is worth about $300 at best, and the guy has it listed for $425 + shipping. I know a cheap nylon holster and an extra mag don't cost $125... *shrug* It's not just gun shows though, it's everywhere.

As in all business dealings:



"Caveat Emptor"
Let the buyer beware.

There are always deals...just maybe not for what you're looking for.

Scored a $150 dollar hard case for $50 OTD at a gun show here in Texas today

Gun shows = RIP OFF's~!

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Not if you willingly pay their price. The buyer ultimately sets the selling price

Rail Driver- So true. I'm not the guy to crap on their FS threads, but it's hard sometimes.

Personally, I like gun shows...sometimes you find a good deal, sometimes you don't....as far as inflated prices, consider the cost of shipping and transfer of any gun on a forum or auction site..that inflates any gun by at least $50....guess it depends on your perspective.

Gun Shows

Some of the people in Oklahoma that are putting on gun shows are pricing themselves out of business. I went to my last $12 gun show in Oklahoma, I don't mind paying $5 or $6 for entry, but $12 and the hall is 30% non-firearms related and only 75% filled!

For crying out loud, a whole table of scent products, my wife would have loved it, but I did not pay to get into a craft show.:banghead: By the way craft shows are free entry around here.

If I pay $12 to get in and then find a bargain, I have to add in the admission price to the price I am paying for my merchandise. It is cheaper to buy internet and pay shipping.

Even the vendors I spoke to said the crowd was light compared to the less expensive shows.

So if you happen to reading this Mister Vendor, you will not see me at the next high dollar entry fee show. I may not spend much, but you will not see any of it at the next high dollar show.

I went to the Tampa gunshow and it was packed . I brought my Beretta 84 for a trade but I couldn't find something to trade for. LCPs were everywhere and they were breaking into the $200s for the non laser models.

As usual it seems that they were ordering stuff from CheaperThanDirt and marking it it up. For example there was a UTG bipod listed int CTD for $21 and change but the the vendors were priced in the $40.

I'm not knocking the gun shows and I'm used to the prices. I covered every table three times and in the end I bought a sling for my AR, a new Factory Ruger 10/22 magazine ( it was surprisingly heavy) and a pound of BLC2.

My brother in law brought his Browning B2000 20 gauge and he got a good price for it. I had brought my 1187 Police for sale or trade but it seemed like the shotguns weren't moving to well.

The neatest thing I almost bought was an AR in .22 but it had mahogany furniture, the upper and lower were pinned like the real one, a carrier, dust cover. The seller dropped the priced way down but I kept thinking that I would never be able to sell it.

Just like anything in life, there are good deals, and there are bad. Gun show is no exception. Just have to look.

I haven't been to a gun show in many years because they are typically not competitively priced, or don't have anything I want. It is just a waste of time. I can get much better deals, and selection on line.

The trick is to know how to quickly pick through the booths, and find the ones with actual deals. Or just reasonable prices. This comes best on vendors or small sellers that don't want to haul everything home, or don't know exactly what they have.

Examples: My best friend got a Beretta 92 (DAO) with dimmed but working night sights for $245. A light scuff from a holster at the front corner, but the inside looked like it had never been fired.

I got a Carcano for $40 because the guy didn't know what it was. Sporterized, but what else can you get for $40?

Also, paid $10 for a Czech gas mask for a project, which is less than I would have paid for it and shipping from CTD.

The fair prices are there, it's just tough finding them. They don't come from the big dealers that are just as happy to throw everything back into a van and take it back to the shop. Or from the guys that overestimate what they have--like the $400 Nagant revolver I saw, because "They haven't made these since before WW2!"

Sometimes there's nothing but the small accessories or powder, primers, and bullets that are only worth it because they're cheaper than having it shipped when I can't buy in bulk.

The tough part is deciding whether to go Saturday morning to catch the stuff the sellers don't know but the patrons might, or Sunday afternoon to get the stuff they don't want to pack back up!

Last gun show I went to I took my colt gold cup 90% to sell or trade one dealer offered me $425.00 for it saying that he had to make a living, and he got mad when I turned him down.

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50% of current value is about the going rate for sales to dealers. Just like cars, you generally do better if you sell on your own. But it usually takes more effort than walking into a show or gunshop and they hand you $900 or $1000. Try a pawn show and see what you get?

Sunday's can be a good day for picking up things that had not sold and the dealers just want to unload. They are no different from an individual walking the isles with a sign on their back advertising a gun for sale... eventually if it does not sell you either take it home or try to sell it for less. After cruising the isles all day, the folks who have expressed some interest may have already left.

I always enjoy the dealers who after looking at a gun you have for sale, say they won't make an offer because they don't want to insult you. As far as I'm concerned, it's business. Make your offer... you never know. I might be ready to walk out that door and head home. $425 may be a lot better than zero.

I like them, usually an interesting mix of guns, gear and folks. Buy most of my ammo from a gent who is there religiously and always has good prices and case quantities. Also like getting to see and handle guns I'm interested is to see if they live up to my expectations.

As far as deals, there are good, bad and indifferent ones and it's up to the buyer to excercise good judgement. My best deal was a Yamaha inverter generator a gent was pushing it around in a stroller. Like brand new at 1/2 the price. Had just sold a gun and had the money, it went home with me.

The gun show I go to at the Central Florida Fairgrounds has good deals all over. The small-time shows generally don't. Go to a bigger venue.

Don't feel too bad... Gun forum prices have begun reaching the absurd as well.

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Same thing with the on-line gun auction sites. There are a couple of guns I am looking to pick up used, that I see listed at absurd opening or reserve prices. I'm obviously not alone in thinking them absurd, becuase the guns go week after week with no bids until the seller either gives or drops the price to something more reasonable.

In central Ohio its the same guys every week at a new location with the same stuff. The deals are the guys walking around with guns to trade or sell. Follow the guy with a gun you are willing to buy until one of the vendors gives him a crappy offer and offer him more. I bought a older Ruger 10/22 this weekend that way. Dealer offered him $125. I followed him after he left the dealer and asked what he offered and I gave him $150 for it. Ammo is cheaper at local store unless you are buying reloads. Is anyone else getting sick of looking at cheap knives, blinking flashlights, and the sound of stun guns?

Is anyone else getting sick of looking at cheap knives, blinking flashlights, and the sound of stun guns?

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I could hear the cheap knife vendor shouting "2 for $25" all day long yesterday"

I go mostly to piss the liberals off, because if you find something you can't live without, it can it can be bought in a FTF transaction without paying transfer fees or tax.

I go to piss the conservatives off and see the freakshow.