Gun Show Experience

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Orion8472

Orion8472

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So, today I went to my local gun show just to see what things were like right now. I paid $10 to get in........and not sure if it was actually worth it. hehe

So, the most important thing I saw was that ALL the tables with ammo on it were at least TWICE what they should be going for....sometimes 3 times. I saw a 100 count of Mini Mags with $25 on the sticker! No 9mm was less than $30 for fifty rounds,....much of it even more than that. A box of 325 Federal Automatch 22lr had $60 on the tag.

I feel sorry for the poor saps who are forced to pay those prices for ammo. And eventually, the shelves will start to be filled again, and those 200% high boxes of ammo are going to be really dumb, then.

I didn't really notice any hikes in pistols or rifles. I did see one SKS rifle, not that great looking, BTW,....and it had $530 on it.

So yeah,....the "panic buy"....and "fleecing the buyer" is definitely going on right now.
 
Orion8472 said:
So, today I went to my local gun show just to see what things were like right now. I paid $10 to get in........and not sure if it was actually worth it. hehe

So, the most important thing I saw was that ALL the tables with ammo on it were at least TWICE what they should be going for....sometimes 3 times. I saw a 100 count of Mini Mags with $25 on the sticker! No 9mm was less than $30 for fifty rounds,....much of it even more than that. A box of 325 Federal Automatch 22lr had $60 on the tag.

I feel sorry for the poor saps who are forced to pay those prices for ammo. And eventually, the shelves will start to be filled again, and those 200% high boxes of ammo are going to be really dumb, then.

I didn't really notice any hikes in pistols or rifles. I did see one SKS rifle, not that great looking, BTW,....and it had $530 on it.

So yeah,....the "panic buy"....and "fleecing the buyer" is definitely going on right now.
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You obviously haven't priced ammo lately. Try $115 for a 525 round box of Winchester 22lr; or $65 for 50 rounds of Reman 9mm
 
Orion8472:
Yes, such ammo prices were “market rate” in spring or summer 2020. A market rate is what we expect.

SKS prices: You didn’t say whether that was a very common, “semi-commercial Chinese”, or was it possibly a Yugo, Romanian (often very abused) or even an Albanian?

Some extra Info can provide an entertaining depiction of what we otherwise can only imagine.
 
Even in normal times, a large proportion of gun show vendors don't have realistic pricing. That's because many "dealers" are not really dealers. They're hobbyists there to show off their collections, and maybe hoping that lightning will strike and someone will buy something for the inflated prices. They're perfectly happy to take their goods home with them at the end of the show. And also, don't overlook the trading aspect of shows. If Vendor A has an item marked at three times its realistic value, and Vendor B has another item marked at three times its value, and they trade the items with each other, they can both congratulate themselves that they made out like bandits.
 
I didn't really pay too close of attention to the SKS. I just saw it as rather subpar as SKS rifles go.

I'm just glad I don't have to buy ammo right now!
 
The dealers are paying ridiculous prices to simply have product.
Not exactly 'gouging' to price things at $25 when you are paying $22 to sell them.

Just think how quickly a dealer could make bank for selling a buck less than the other guy. But, the dealers wit h $5 or $10 cost ammo sold that a year ago.
 
AlexanderA said:
Even in normal times, a large proportion of gun show vendors don't have realistic pricing. That's because many "dealers" are not really dealers. They're hobbyists there to show off their collections, and maybe hoping that lightning will strike and someone will buy something for the inflated prices. They're perfectly happy to take their goods home with them at the end of the show. And also, don't overlook the trading aspect of shows. If Vendor A has an item marked at three times its realistic value, and Vendor B has another item marked at three times its value, and they trade the items with each other, they can both congratulate themselves that they made out like bandits.
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A lot of it also has to do with the cost to rent a table or three. If a seller has traveled ($3+/gallon for gas); Hotel at a minimum of $100/night for 2-3 nights, food, and then $80+ per table (or more for the best spots) someone could easily be in the hole over $500 to start with before selling item 1..........that costs has to get covered somehow and it won't be by selling things at 20% over cost
 
I was at a show today also. Lots of high priced ammo. Not much of it was moving. Could have bought 50 round boxes of .44 mag for $60. Thank God I’m stocked up. I think from what I’m observing is we have hit the price limit of what people will excessively pay for ammo. Academy and Bass Pro here in town are selling ammo at the price it should be. The words getting out and gougers aren’t getting buyers. Things are about to turn.
 
Electricmo said:
I was at a show today also. Lots of high priced ammo. Not much of it was moving. Could have bought 50 round boxes of .44 mag for $60. Thank God I’m stocked up. I think from what I’m observing is we have hit the price limit of what people will excessively pay for ammo. Academy and Bass Pro here in town are selling ammo at the price it should be. The words getting out and gougers aren’t getting buyers. Things are about to turn.
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First, Academy and Bass are not selling at the proper price point at this moment in time and the secondly, the others are gouging if no one buys it. As I mentioned in another thread about gun shows, by the time you factor in table rent, hotels, food, gas someone is in the whole for almost 500 to 600 bucks
 
Just returned from a gun show today. They did have primers.....:what:

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4EF2A502-C275-4FFD-94A9-397DA6E3902F.JPG

E84D050C-32DB-4BAF-9C8E-625C5288725C.JPG

Even found some .22 rimfire....think the last time I bought a bucket like this it was $69

9694C908-0672-4B58-B0A7-AD037B4D17CB.JPG

300 rounds of .223 for $250

2A16BDEF-1B46-49FE-9310-E06DDA3E8BDB.JPG

Case (1000rds) of 9mm for $691

52D57B5D-3560-4C8E-B1AC-62452BA3EB17.JPG

If a person is forking out $500 for a table, they'll go further in the hole if nothing is sold and loaded up to take back home. :uhoh:

Sure some of this is "I don't want to sell it price".....but if you force me, this is what I want.
 
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George P said:
A lot of it also has to do with the cost to rent a table or three. If a seller has traveled ($3+/gallon for gas); Hotel at a minimum of $100/night for 2-3 nights, food, and then $80+ per table (or more for the best spots) someone could easily be in the hole over $500 to start with before selling item 1..........that costs has to get covered somehow and it won't be by selling things at 20% over cost
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I think all of that reinforces my earlier contention -- that setting up at a gun show is not an economic decision. Vendors go to shows for the same reason that attendees do -- for the camaraderie and entertainment value. Making deals is just incidental. BTW, it didn't use to be that way.
 
I'd pay 200 for that 1400 round bucket of .22 before I would pay 115 for a 525 box of Winchester at the local club; but then I paid $69 for that same bucket about a year ago
 
Last show the guy selling 80% AR and sold like thousands worth by noon Saturday!! Most others looked like they squeaked by.
 
Hi...
I was at a gun show in Allentown Pennsylvania today.
Not much to recommend. Primers at $200/thousand. Blue Dot powder for $48/lb.
I think I saw four revolvers in .357Magnum caliber... No revolvers in larger calibers that I can recall. A lot of Heritage and Ruger Wrangler .22LR revolvers. Lots of ARs and plastic semi auto pistols.

200 tables were advertised...maybe half if them actually had firearms. A lot of just plain junk, military surplus stuff and way overpriced ammunition.

$8 entry fee and an hour and a half drive one way pretty much wasted.
Didn't buy anything.
 
Yeah.....my entry fee was $10....for about an hour of walking around. And of course,.....no one with masks on, though our city has a mask mandate.
 
CapnMac said:
The dealers are paying ridiculous prices to simply have product.
Not exactly 'gouging' to price things at $25 when you are paying $22 to sell them.

Just think how quickly a dealer could make bank for selling a buck less than the other guy. But, the dealers wit h $5 or $10 cost ammo sold that a year ago.
Click to expand...

I was coming out of Academy yesterday after buying my two boxes of ammo for the day & what did I see. I saw one of our local gun shop dealers going in to buy ammo with his family, so they could each buy two boxes & then jack the price up in his shop. The local Academy sells out of ammo almost every day because it gets bought up by other local shops & raise the prices to put on their shelves.
 
AK Hunter said:
I was coming out of Academy yesterday after buying my two boxes of ammo for the day & what did I see. I saw one of our local gun shop dealers going in to buy ammo with his family, so they could each buy two boxes & then jack the price up in his shop. The local Academy sells out of ammo almost every day because it gets bought up by other local shops & raise the prices to put on their shelves.
Click to expand...
If that is the only way they can get product to sell, then it is what it is.
 
Electricmo said:
So I’m competing with my lgs at getting ammo at academy. Screwed up world.
Click to expand...

Everyone has to eat. He’s on a sinking boat though. He has to sell at a higher price to make anything and unless he intends to buy everything up from here on out, when the music stops, his customers will become others.
 
Ammo manufacturers are catching up. Your lgs is going to have to realize they are going to have to adjust when their orders start becoming fulfilled. The gouging is about to break. All the stockpilers who are trying to sell at outrageous prices are going to have to lower their prices in order to move anything.
 
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