Gun-shop etiquette

no.

if they're higher in price on something i want, then i try to see if they'll come down on the price, but if not--see ya.

Not really...

For example, today I called a LGS about 8 lbs of Varget powder. He said it was in stock. I swung by after my afternoon range session....I grabbed the jug and almost barfed when I saw the price. $209!! I immediately put it back and started to walk out the store. Proprietor asked if I found everything I needed....I stopped in my tracks and just stared at him for a second.

"Uhh, yes, I found it, but it's a bit more than I'm willing to pay. "

"Oh, well, it's been going up a lot lately...and if you divide it up, it's normal price per pound." (his normal price per pound is $28.99)

"Yeah, I know how that goes..." See ya buddy, good luck with that...

For the record, Powder Valley sells 8 pounds for $135.50 or one pound for $19.40 plus hazmat and shipping. Even with the extra fees, it's nowhere close to $209!

I'll N E V E R buy propellant there again and will think twice about buying anything else there either.

i do not mention online deals because the last time i did i got the shipping and handling/ffl fee spill about how it comes out to the same price. i look and if i think the price is too high i ask if thats bottom dollar. if yes, i leave. if no, then i ask what is and go from there.

No. I know what's fair and so do the shops I work with. I understand earning a living but the entire living shouldn't be made off me.

Depending on who your dealer is you might want to try to cut a deal using cash...i have gotten some really good deals w/ this method...larger dealers wont play this game though. I sell most of my guns online because I have yet to get what I should from a dealer, but I buy almost all of my guns locally.

I walk out without buying anything weekly..

Not generally. I don't really have a favorite gun shop any longer since the shop I used to buy a lot from was sold and everything changed. I rarely buy anything now.

However, I was in that shop today and asked them why their Sig P250 was still $599 when everyone else seems to be dumping them at $399 or less.

I don't expect the small LGS to price match a large online retailer (Bud's, to use an example). He probably cannot buy the gun wholesale for what Bud's retails it for. I do compare prices with other comparable gun shops in the area and might ask him to price match those, or ask for a small cash discount (if I have cash).

Most people in TN compare "out the door" prices and of course the local comes in last. This is not because retailers here are greedy or stupid but because retailers must collect 9.25% in sales tax. Buyers are supposed to pay that same tax to the state but seldom if ever do. Ergo the online guns appear cheaper. In fact I beat Bud's prices every day. But not by 9.25%.
I suspect that will change when the state notices this and institutes measures to make retailers collect taxes for transferred items.

Sometimes I make it a point to mention it if their price is ridiculously high and the person I'm talking to sounds like a jerk full of bull. Most of the time though I don't mention it if the price is close. I don't mind paying a small amount more if I can see what I'm getting before I buy. The high priced shops I just use to window shop and then buy else where.

Gun shops around here don't seem too concerned about what price you saw on line. What does get their attention is what price you saw at their local competitor's shop.

No, I would consider that rude. With everybody shopping at Walmart and scouring the internet for the lowest prices, those guys get nickeled and dimed all day long. Don't wanna be like that. That said, my local mom & pop shop has better prices than the massive high volume shop I used to frequent in the Orlando area. They just don't have a huge inventory.

There is no way in-store can match online prices. Depending on the item if its not marked way up I'm fine with it.

It really depends on how much higher the item is, the type of item. You already know the local guy is going to be higher than the on-line guys for the most part. I would much rather deal with a local dealer. So, it might be worth more to get the item from him.
Example 1 - I am learning to reload. I bought bought powder and bullets fromt the local guy. - Yes, I can beat his price on-line by a lot. However, the on-line guy is not available to answer questions. So, it is worth more to me to pay a little extra for the lessons and help. (At least for a while.)

Example 2 - I was buying a relatively high end luepold scope. (High end for me is $1,500.) I found the scope in his shop. I found the scope on line for $1200. I wagled a little. But I have bought other items from him. So he came down to $1250. He still made money. And I didn't have to buy from someone I didn't know.

The internet is a great way to at least judge prices. The dealers know it is there and many of them are using it too.

I only have one shop near me that absolutely does it right. That is Dicks Gun Room in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio. Prices, people, varity, teaching, service after the sale... all done 110%

I sometimes do. It gives them a chance to match the price. Even if they don't I usually buy there simply for the convenience. Once I told them about a price for rifle scope rings I had gotten. The price was cheaper than what they could get from their distributor. Later my gunshop went to where I bought the rings and bought all they could get.

I was looking to get a new gun so I emailed three different gun stores asking if they could beat buds price $723 shipped(expecting only to have them match the price). One store told me $770+tax+background check an other one told me that they would match the price and give me one month free range time, and one store told be $699.00+tax+background.

Yes i know this is not the nicest way to handle things, but the store i got it from treated me very well.

I always ask if they give a cash discount.

This is a polite way of opening up negotiations, depending on the response of the person you ask - if they say, "Yes", then that usually means that they are willing to negotiate on the price.

For me, the bottom line is that if you ask for a discount, they might say, "Yes", but, if you don't ask for a discount, then the answer is for sure, "No".

Depends on if it's used or not. If its used, then I'm going to try to get the price lower. If it is new, and I consider it a fair price, then I'm fine with it. I'm not going to try to unsuccessfully try to argue down MSRP.


The two places I go too are really different. One is mostly new with real fair prices, and he is a real friendly guy, happily bought to Mosins from him. The other place is mostly used with bad to horrible prices, and his demeanor is alright. Bought a used .22 for him for a new price. :O At least I learned a lesson in research.

There's one shop near me that raised prices to the max agter Obama. They still have not come down. Now, $40 a thousand primers, I can get them for $26 at the large gunshop I go to in the city. They have Varget for $28.95 a pound. They have H335 and other common powder for $26.95 a pound. They won't reduce their prices. Methinks they will have components in stock, unsold, for a long time.

You can always politely ask if there is any room for negotiation in prices. If they say no, then you decide if you want it badly enough.

Obviously if you're buying a bottle of Hoppe's #9 or something else small, being penny-ante is silly. But spending $300 on a purchase, you can ask.

I called one of the gun stores I deal with and asked the price on a Rossi 38 special, he said he could order one for $299.00 well down the road a mile is a academy sports and they have it for $229.00 I told him, he said there is no way they could beat or even match that price, he said that is what they would sell a used one for and academy gets great deals some times on guns that are below cost he does not know how they do it he said, and was real nice about it.

No, there is no basis for comparison so why go through the hassle.

I sure wouldn't want to own a gun shop these days, got to be a rough road competing with internet sales and the big boxes... 'course, most kinds of stores are in the same boat.

I figure if I want to "shop" I should pay the gun shop's price if its reasonable. If I just want something as cheap as possible, sight unseen, buy on line. A lot of times if a shop carries ammo that I shoot (ie: surplus) I'll buy it there a couple boxes at a time rather than ordering $300 worth from Aim or somewhere. The lack of hassle does have some value to me (wife looking at the cc bill and saying...)

I guess the proverb," A fool and his money are soon parted.", pertains to me, 'cause I very seldom dicker for the pricing on a new firearm, especially if it is a small local shop.

Most of the mom and pop shops are working with slim profit margins, and if the pricing is within 25-35 bucks of my researched price, I would much rather give my business to them instead of the big discount stores.

I never insult the the seller with the I CAN GET IT CHEAPER FROM ----------! ,If I don't like the pricing I simply go else where!

Used firearms purchases,this is where you can practice all your horse trading and bargining ability
without insult!

I never insult the the seller with the I CAN GET IT CHEAPER FROM ----------! ,If I don't like the pricing I simply go else where!

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Absolutely. There's nothing wrong with trying to negotiate but it's not my job to remind store owners how capitalism works.

One shop I frequent and have done some business with has a computer on the counter and is used to compare prices with Gunbroker, Auction Arms or any one else. The shop owner is a standup guy, young (40) and lives and works in todays world. People come in and ask him to find a special want and then pay him to bring it in. He does a really good business in new and used without tying up huge amounts of money in inventory. He just moved to a larger shop on a very busy city avenue and his business and in store inventory is expanding. Modern business in a modern world.