Price Gouging - Who is & Who is not?

It's still not price gouging!! Let me give ou an example:

I live outside of a small town that sits on a major US highway. Traveling east on that highway, at the west edge of town the first little store that offers gasonline is at least 20¢ per gallon higher than anyone in town. His gasoline is the first on the highway for around 30 miles. He prices his fuel higher knowing that there are people who will be low on fuel (i.e.- didn't plan ahead) and will pay the higher prices. Is he gouging? Nope. Nobody in town buys from him, only people coming down the highway. He's targeted the folks who need fuel RIGHT NOW. Nothing wrong with that.

Now, apply this to folks needing ammunition and components. Some planned ahead, others didn't.

It's really kind of hard to tell about what online retailers are raising prices. Many that I have browsed are listing pre-panic prices and have no stock. I've noticed that when they do get some stock, some of them suddenly have a new and higher price on those items, but out of stock items still show the old lower price.
Either way though, buying out of fear and panic is never a good idea, and when you do you usually end up paying for it. Being prepared is your best friend in times like these. Patience truly is a virtue. Things will get better.
Was I totally prepared? NO. I have run low and or out of some things, but I have plenty of other stuff to use and shoot while I wait. Those that waited to buy until the panic started, are the ones that drove the prices higher. JMHO

Natchez and Midway have both raised prices on their common 22LR ammo, as has every other online vendor.

What some of you guys are missing is that this is a volume business. Making $1/box profit on ammo is ok when you can consistently sell a few hundred boxes per week. What do sellers do when they now get 30 boxes of ammo to replenish inventory per week instead of 300?

If you said they now have to sell at $10/box profit you get a small prize. Its not gouging, its staying-in-business 101.

Thank you, Triumph for the thread and JRWhit for trying to get it back on track. The retailer info is helpful, but all the Econ 101 rhetoric isn't going to change anyone's mind about price gouging one way or the other. Don't confuse me with facts, my mind is already made up.

Edited to add: FWIW, Cabela's seems to be pretty much holding the line on their reloading equipment and component lines. Even a lot of stuff that isn't in stock is backorderable at a decent price.

I am still working on the “I ever seen said”.

I am not immune to the problems that effect other reloaders/shooters, I do not need primers but, I got a call about a heads-up on powder, cases and primers, and bullets, thousands of bullets, I purchases 2,000+ primers for $30.00, he had a brick of 10,000 for $150.00. Most of my primers are Federal, the primers I purchased were Winchester and Remington, it just looks wrong, color does not match then there is the difference in the size of the boxes.

F. Guffey

Care to share your source? That's sorta what this thread is about. Hopefully someone who does need primers can get there before he sells out to those who don't need them.

I am good on some things, not on others. I watch and wait for opportunity buys at normal prices. Those charging high prices can f$&) off, I will just keep waiting. I will also have a long memory. I will not buy from CTD or Dicks. I travel a lot, so I hit every Cabela's and Basspro I can. Cabelas online has come through on dies.

Where would you place the gunshop in Yukon, OK who had the one pound of powder listed on Gunbroker a while back? He started it out at $1. The last I saw it was in the $230 range.

I have been a retail manager for decades and this is the result of "supply and demand". The same thing happens when there is a natural disaster, retailer's take advantage of the opportunity to increase their margin. Like it or not, it is a fact, and business tactic that has been going on for ever.
GS

For tools there price has went up a Buck or two but that may have even been before all of this. FSReloading has fare prices. I heaven looked at there bullets in a couple of years.

Powder Valley selling Winchester primers for $28/1000 definitely not price gouging.

Much better than $60/1000 ...

Yes, Powder Valley has Winchester LP/LR/LRM primers in stock right now.

If you need some, hurry!

JRWhit said:

O.P. is trying to get a helpful thread going of supply sites who have not been charging higher prices for the supplies we try to keep stock of. This is a free market concept commonly referred to as bargain shopping. If a product is available at a lower price at a various vendor, it is not whining to seek them out, it's smart shopping. Not trying to offend anyone, just to point out that a simple misunderstanding may be souring the post field.

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Winner, winner chicken dinner.

Is ammunition and the ability to defend your family in a time of crisis essential? You tell me..

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Is it essential? Sure it is. However, if the plan is to run to the store and stock up after the crisis has struck, how has that worked out for folks lately?

You should already have what you consider necessary for an emergency. I have what I consider to be minimum quaities of various items required for emergencies. If I keep going to the range and shoot up my emergency supplies that is just stupid on my part. How do I deal with it? I have on hand more than the minimum quanities required for emergencies and if things go stupid, like they have lately, I evaluate my stocks and act accordingly.

mdm said:

Is it essential? Sure it is. However, if the plan is to run to the store and stock up after the crisis has struck, how has that worked out for folks lately?

You should already have what you consider necessary for an emergency. I have what I consider to be minimum quaities of various items required for emergencies. If I keep going to the range and shoot up my emergency supplies that is just stupid on my part. How do I deal with it? I have on hand more than the minimum quanities required for emergencies and if things go stupid, like they have lately, I evaluate my stocks and act accordingly.

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Winner, winner chicken dinner for a family of four.

I'd be happy to get gouged just to see a product someone can deliver. MidwayUSA is now just a site full of pictures of stuff you used to be able to buy. If you set it to quit showing stuff they are out of, then the page goes blank on most of my searches...they have nothing.

They are going to have to change their slogan from "just about everything" to "just about nothing."

I'm not too worried about it as I have most of what i need...it's just that it's getting laughable how out of stock everyone is. My original guess was that we'd see some normality returning by September...but i may have to push it back to sometime in 2014 at this rate.

It's fishing season so I'll just go do that instead of fooling with my guns and reloading...it's not worth the effort.

I can't imagine how frustrating this would be for someone just trying to get into the hobby.

Thanks to Triumph, I added three suppliers, that I was not aware of, to my favorites bar. Great thread.

If you think prices are coming down to pre election prices, you won't be seeing that any time (if at all) soon

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As mentioned earlier, who’s raising the prices on who…is it the retailer, distributor or manufacturer? My money is on the retailer.

I say that because I personally bought 1,000 Federal 150 Large Pistol primers last Thursday (March 28th) for $28.29. You’re limited to 1,000 primers per order (thought you can buy 1,000 SP, 1,000 LP, etc. at the same time) but that’s the same price I paid prior to all of this madness.

Personally, it comes down to what I’m willing to pay. I was at a gun store last Saturday (March 30th) that was selling primers for $55.50 per 1,000. I’m just not willing to pay that amount for 1,000 primers. We’ll have to change our shooting habits and ration our supplies a little bit more, but we’ll still reload and shoot this year.

All the best,
Steve

Personally, it comes down to what I’m willing to pay. I was at a gun store last Saturday (March 30th) that was selling primers for $55.50 per 1,000. I’m just not willing to pay that amount for 1,000 primers.

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BINGO, which is why there is no gouging - you are either willing to pay it or not; doesn't matter if it is ammo, milk or blue jeans - you are either willing to part with your money at the price ASKED, or you are not

GT1 said:

I've already seen the whack-job video justifying profiteering. It doesn't make the pirates any less slime bags. The guys selling generators after hurricanes for triple or more are the lowest kind of pond scum.

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Your choices are these:

1) No product available anywhere, for any price.

2) Product freely available, but at a significantly increased price.

Which do you choose?


The plain and simple fact is that there are a non-trivial number of buyers in the market willing to pay a premium to have product available immediately. Sandy Hook drastically increased that number. For example; so far today, two Gun Broker auctions for primers have ended with bids. One auction which sold was 5000 primers for $295, the other was 1000 primers which was bid up to $73 but did not meet the sellers reserve.

With people out there willing to bid the price of one box of primers up to $73, you don't stand a chance of getting much if you will only offer <$30.

Your choices are these:

1) No product available anywhere, for any price.

2) Product freely available, but at a significantly increased price.

Which do you choose?

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I've had no problem stocking up on supplies in this panic, at normal prices(Same prices as 6 months ago). I'm patient, not the panicky type. Again, there are plenty of retailers not pirating. I can't do a thing about the snakes, except pass them by and remember who they are.

Hate to follow you guys of topic but not only do I question people's sense for paying so much, I also wonder about the ones that have to take this in the direction that the OP asked them not to go.

If you don't agree then stay out of the thread. There is other threads you can go to or even start your own. Suggested topics "I'm Proud To Be Taken Advantage Of" or "I Don't Mind Taking It"

I'm trying to keep in mind there is kids on here. Anyhow quit trolling his thread.

Back on topic.

He doesn't have much but GIbrass.com is about the same price on what he still has.