Are gun shows normally overpriced?

Sometimes there are deals to be had... Most of the time tere is not.

Nope, it's not unique, it's the norm.

Another thing to take into account is that the exhibitors get to set up and see the other tables the day before the show opens. Most of the time, any deals are snapped up by other exhibitors as they're setting up.

If you have a friend with a table in the show, see if you can get him to let you help set up.

yes
it's part of the dealers trying to get retail out of guys who want 50% off

I've found that popular new guns will be competitively
priced at gunshows because a number of dealers will be trying
to sell the same model.

Used guns will ordinarily be overpriced compared
to your local gun shop, but the gunshow dealer
may haggle more than the LGS.

The prices at Academy are a good place to start.
You'll always do well to have prior knowledge
of prices before you go to a gunshow.

I think gunshows can be fun.
I like the Premier Gun Shows over SAXET and much
more than Texas Gun Shows.

From the few ive been to it seems the larger ones are on the high side with better deals but waaay less overall selection at a small collecter type usually held in area VFW halls.
Mostly milsurps and random objects that may or may not go along with guns.

At the larger shows seldom do I buy anything other than magazines, pouches etc and oddball items like the dried fish/ fossil type stuff for my son.
Always fun to look though.
I also enjoy watching the police officers interacting with the patrons, have heard some hilarious comments. They stand at the door to ensure zip ties are installed, no ammo in Mag's etc. This sometimes ruffles the more colorful types.
Dress and appearance, not actual color of the individual in case that gets read wrong.
Tinfoil hat, overtly tactical, insert stereotypical gunshow "oddball" here....
Boy, I'm just digging my self deeper here.
Cheers all.

Not if yer shoppin at my table.

You have to know what you want and go looking for it - if you are looking for something that is popular and commonplace, then the gun show is not for you. OTOH, if you are looking for something unconventional, like a nice SxS, or older military pistol, or anything outside of the black plastic tackycool crowd, then deals can most certainly be found

Are gun shows normally overpriced?

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Around here, in general, new guns are priced competitively, but old/used guns are way overpriced, at shows.

I'd say it depends. In Orlando there is a great gun shop called Shoot Straight. They have 2 or 3 large stores in the area. Their store prices are ok, but they actually give great prices at the gun shows! Some of the dealers are unwilling to deal at all, quite a few sell for more then they should - but there are still some deals to be found.

Gun shows are used by most sellers to take rubes to the bank.....

Home made jerky, war relics, indian woodcrafts, and over priced guns are what you get for your cover charge.......

There can be deal there, you just have to look for them. Last show in Austin I was tempted by a LC 9 for $315. Brand new in the box. Chose to wait on it a bit. One table I saw a set of Z back Sig mags. Now I just oredered a Sig 226 and was not sure if they were the mags for it or not. But at $20.00 ea I was willing to take a chance. I tossed out an offer of $30 for the pair and the dealer said yes.

I thought that was a good deal.
WB

Around here gun shows are a good place to get taken for a ride. Sort of like Cabelas. And I see PLENTY of people in line at the local Cabelas just waiting to part with more hard earned cash than they need to. Same at gun shows. maybe we are spoiled out here, we have a local pawn shop that sells every new firearm at cost +$10. He sells a lot of guns....
MR

You have to know what you're looking for. I can usually save at least $20 on a handgun and possibly $40 at the local gunshows.
I know it's trendy to trash the gunshows but I see a lot of deals out there and a lot used guns that are hard to find at the local gun stores.
Know what you want before you get there.

I got a pretty solid deal on some primers and powder at the last gun show I went to, didn't find any deals firearms wise though. The key is to know what you want and the value of it and don't look to buy anything else. A few times I was tempted by some guns I saw but did not know much about them, made myself walk away because for all I knew it was $200 overpriced, could've been a great deal though.

So what, do you want the government to set the prices? If things are really overpriced people will not buy them. The free market works just fine.

I have gone to two gun shows in Ohio, and found the dealers friendly, venue nice, and prices competitive both times...

Owen Sparks said:

So what, do you want the government to set the prices? If things are really overpriced people will not buy them. The free market works just fine.

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Not sure that this comment was exactly warranted, no one is saying they should charge a set price.

The good new is that most everything you see at the gunshow is hardly, if ever, been fired! What a steal!

So what, do you want the government to set the prices? If things are really overpriced people will not buy them. The free market works just fine.

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This sounds a lot like it was said by a gun show vendor with high prices or someone incredibly naive.

Merchants can fix prices also and they won't be in the customers favor. The free market does have a greedy, unethical bad side that makes it not work just fine.

To the original poster, gun shows around here are often over priced but there are always exceptions and some fair to good deals to be had. If you go to gun shows often enough you will find a good deal.

Also, if you don't like the price, you can see if the vendor will haggle. I have found some very good deals by haggling. Sometimes the prices are high because they expect to haggle and sometimes they are just greedy or poor business men who can't compete.

Is this the norm in gun shows or just unique to my area?

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If your area is TX.. yes its the norm...

well unlike academy you can trade and haggle, which is what gunshows are useful for

I think to many of you are going in thinking you'll get half of a new gun or even a used gun at a show. You need to go in with realistic expectations. The gun shows in the dfw area seem to be priced in line with where it should be. You'll always have a few dealers that are over priced but for the majority they are all within $10-$15 of each other and priced inline with what you'd pay for a gun online, plus shipping and FFL fees.
I've found a bunch of good deals at shows over the years, and you get a much larger selection than any one gun store can provide.

It depends on how hard willing you are to look, what your budget it, what your expectations are, and how developed you haggling skills are. If you're one of those guys who will drive across town in order to get $.03 cent cheaper gas, you're going to hate the experience. I've noted that prices can be slashed in half during the final 3 hours on the last day of a show. I treat it as more of an excuse to just let my inner gun geek go loose, talk to fellow gunnies, and get a feel for various weapons. Also, multiday passes can be lifesavers.