C&E Gun Shows Raise Price Every Year

[Russ Jackson]

Ok I try to support local gun shows but it has to stop. The last three years they raise the price at least a dollar to enter. I don't know for sure but I am betting they have raised the vendor prices as well. Feel free to respond if your are a vendor for C&E Gun Shows and tell us if they have jacked up your prices as well. I assume this is the case as its the same vendors ever time and it gets smaller each event. C&E Gun Shows has shows in several states and has an admission price of $9 It Is one thing at $6 and $7 dollars but now its $9 Plus its turned into a new gun with jacked up prices, cheap china knives, gutter guards, fire starters, and other off topic crap. Finding a good run of used stuff or good values are over. Even the walk around stuff sold by patrons is minimal at best. I asked the guy at the front door about the higher prices three years in a row and he laughed at me. I told him I would mention it on the web and he said you just go right ahead. I have listed the shows for the next year. Feel free not to attend these shows. If you do make sure you respond to the higher prices. OVER 30% INCREASE IN LESS THAN THREE YEARS IS CRAZY.

Do you think I am out of line or is $9 WAY TOO HIGH FOR A GUN SHOW?



***2013***
***2013***2013***2013
Aug. 31 - Sept. 1, 2013
Columbus, OH - Westland Mall
Aug. 31 - Sept. 1, 2013
Fishersville, VA
Sept. 7 - 8, 2013
Norfolk, VA
Sept. 14 - 15, 2013
Hickory, NC
Sept. 21 - 22, 2013
Salem, VA
Sept. 27, 28 & 29, 2013 The Nation's Gun Show, Chantilly, VA
Oct. 5 - 6, 2013
Columbus, OH - Westland Mall
Oct. 5 - 6, 2013
Fayetteville, NC
Oct. 12 - 13, 2013
Harrisonburg, VA
Oct. 12 - 13, 2013 Charlotte, NC
Oct. 19 - 20, 2013 Richmond, VA NEW LOCATION
Oct. 26 - 27, 2013
Monroeville, PA
Oct. 26 - 27, 2013
Winston-Salem, NC
Oct. 26 - 27, 2013
Wilmington, OH Rescheduled
Nov. 2 - 3, 2013
Myrtle Beach, SC
Nov. 2 - 3, 2013 Columbus, OH - Westland Mall
Nov. 2 - 3, 2013
Norfolk, VA
Nov. 9 - 10, 2013 Concord, NC
Nov. 23 - 24, 2013
Altoona, PA

Rescheduled Nov. 9-10, 2013

Nov. 22, 23 & 24, 2013
The Nation's Gun Show, Chantilly, VA
Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, 2013
Hickory, NC
Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, 2013 Harrisonburg, VA
Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, 2013 Monroeville, PA
Dec. 7 - 8, 2013
Columbus, OH - Westland Mall
Dec. 7 - 8, 2013 Fayetteville, NC
Dec. 7 - 8, 2013 Richmond, VA NEW LOCATION
Dec. 14 - 15, 2013
Fishersville, VA
Dec. 21 - 22, 2013
Salem, VA
Dec. 21 - 22, 2013
Raleigh, NC
Dec. 21 - 22, 2013 Wilmington, OH
Dec. 27, 28 & 29, 2013
The Nation's Gun Show, Chantilly, VA
Dec. 28 - 29, 2013 Columbus, OH - Westland Mall
Dec. 28 - 29, 2013 Hickory, NC

 

[rgwalt]

I hear what you are saying... $9 for a gun show admission to see overpriced guns, ammo, and non-gun crap is a bad deal. But... it is only $3 more than the shows priced at $6 for admission. What does $3 get you these days? Not even a gallon of gas. It will barely buy a cup of coffee, or a bottle of water. Think about the cost of a movie these days... even a bad gun show offers more entertainment than most movies these days.

Prices for shows rise as venues charge more to host the shows, and as insurance and security costs rise. The people/companies that put on these shows do it to make money. If you feel that $9 is too much, especially with the declining quality of the shows, then don't go. Take your $9, maybe put some more money with it, and buy ammo and/or range time.

 

[zoom6zoom]

NINE BUCKS?!

Dang, we wish it was ONLY NINE BUCKS. The Chantilly show is up to $13 bucks a day, $7 for kids.

 

[armabill]

Try $10 in our area.

 

[Broker]

It's called inflation. The FED is printing & adding $90 billion a month of Monopoly money to the money supply. You don't have to be an economist to realize the dollar buys less & less every month.

 

[newfalguy101]

still $3-$4 around here....for now.........but, as county revenue declines, renting space will surely get more pricey, in fact I am sure it already has, but, thus far, the shows around here have opted to slightly increase vender rental rates to cover most of the increase and have left admission rates alone.

 

[bannockburn]

Now I remember why I havn't been to a gunshow in a number of years. Too much money to drive there, park, and get in to see the same old overpriced stuff that the same old overpriced dealers have been dragging around to these shows for way too long.

It's been quite some time since I have found anything that I could call a "real bargain" at any of these shows.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Where have you been?

I only just recently attended a gun show again because I noticed a long time ago that there are extremely few, if any, real deals to be had on guns from the vendors any more.

As for $9...well, that' not such a big deal. I can remember 20 years ago paying $5, so a 4 dollar increase in two decades isn't much.

If I attend a gun show nowadays, I consider the $9 to be the price of admission for a full afternoon of entertainment by walking up and down all the aisles and seeing what there is to see. I don't expect to find any deals on firearms that I'm willing to make, but there will be a LOT there that I can look at first hand to help me when looking elsewhere.

If Georgia Arms is there, then it's very possible I'll have an opportunity at a decent deal on ammo prices. Sometimes table vendors have decent prices, too.

However, there always seem to be vendors who have tables full of littl knick-knacks, tooks, and gizmos dirt cheap that I need for some special purpose use.

Go or don't go as you wish, is my opinion. Just don't go with inflated expectations or you're bound to be disappointed.

 

[BBQJOE]

The last show I went to, was and probably is the last one I shall attend for some time.
I think we paid 2 bucks for parking and $10 for two tickets.
Inside of about 15 minutes I was done.
Nothing there I could afford, especially powder wise. I mostly saw black military style rifles, of which I don't need any more of.
Tons of people walking around doing the deer in the headlights thing.

I couldn't hardly even get close to a table if I spied something.

No fun at all for a dollar a minute.

 

[TRX]

Last local show I went to, they didn't have any prices posted. Went from $7 to $15, no CCW allowed, and a metal detector at the door. I'd waited half an hour in freezing weather standing in line, but I turned away and walked back to the truck.

 

[Reloadron]

There are a few things due some consideration. Interesting because on a few occasions I have been to the C&E Promoted show in Winston Salem NC. While not a Mega-Show it was a good show.

Now before we go ballistic using large bold print possibly someone could do some homework and find out exactly what it cost to promote that show? The promoter is paying for (renting) the coliseum from Friday afternoon/evening till Sunday evening. How much have those cost increased? The promoter rents and sets up the tables and chairs beginning on Friday, what is the table/chair rental cost and the setup cost, the tables do not set themselves up? The promoter needs proof of Liability insurance to promote a gun show, any guess as to what that cost might be? Don't forget security not just during the show but the entire time the show is in place, this is often off duty police officers. So in all fairness to C&E Gun Shows INC. unless we know their actual operating cost to promote a show how can we say they are overcharging? Finally exactly how much money should the promoter make? What does anyone figure is a fair take when all the overhead is paid out?

Yeah, show prices are going up but so is everything that drives those prices going up.

Nobody, last I checked, is twisting anyone's arm to attend the shows. Don't like the cost to attend a show? Then stay home.

Just My Take
Ron

 

[Torian]

Whoever is running has to at least break even if not make a little profit. Honestly, we don't know his / her costs.

In addition, there are fewer and fewer locations these days that are willing to host a gun show frequented by thousands of gun owners.

It's easy to see they have to bump up prices each year just to stay ahead. I still can't imagine it being a huge money-maker.

 

[clutch]

deleted

 

[AlexanderA]

The Nation's Gun Show is well worth it, to me. I could easily spend $20 on admission, since I usually find stuff at the show that I can't find anywhere else. The trick is to get there early (on Friday), walk through fast, and skip over the stuff that doesn't interest you. Then go back and make your deals. I've been to so many gun shows that I've developed a sort of "radar" to zero in on the good stuff.

Download a coupon on the Internet and save $1 at the door. There's also free parking at the Chantilly Expo Center.

 

[lilguy]

The Internet changed everything for me. I buy everything from cleaning supplies to guns on line for past 6-7 years. Last big show I visited was Knob Creek 2011, but that's a world of its own.

 

[Blackhawk30]

Well, I went to the one at the raceway in Richmond last weekend.So I paid for $50 bucks of gas on top of the $9 admission fee.I found some stuff I wanted so it was worth it.
Their Chantilly show is $20 for 3 days.
I'd like to see them get rid of the non firearms related tables in favor of more table featuring guns and firearms related items.
I used to buy ar parts from J&T @ Chantilly.They haven't been at any of C&E's shows for years.

 

[MattShlock]

Click your heels three times and repeat what Das Party tells you...

"There's no in-fla-tion!"
"There's no in-fla-tion!"
"There's no in-fla-tion!"

And luckily guns and ammo haven't gone up more than the Consumer Price Index, only a couple of percentage points a year by the administration's calculation.

 

[tarosean]

The Internet changed everything for me.

Pretty much sums it up.

However, I still go to one a year at the Dallas Market Hall. Its a large show and not really the sea of black plastic that so many have turned into...

I still go because there is always something that I never knew existed. For instance, last year I picked up two large steel targets that are configured like the "jumping jacks" some of us played with as kids. Those things are a blast to bounce down the range!

 

[jad0110]

They can charge $9 because they can. At $8, the last gun show I attended was booming.

Also, the way I look at it, $9 is a heck of a lot less than it costs to go see a lousy movie I can rent at Redbox later. And I can pick up and play with guns and other gun-related toys, even if I don't buy anything, that is always fun! And sometimes I do find deals. There is an ammo dealer that shows up every other gun show that has the absolute lowest prices on ammo relative to his competition, and he always has even the hardest to find ammo .30 carbine Speer Gold Dot JHP last time I saw him, dang, should have bought some.

The gun show closest to me is only a 10 minute drive away, and parking is free. And though it is a small show, most of the vendors that show up are actually pretty good. As an example, I picked up a 3" Taurus .44 Special in near mint condition for $268 a couple of years ago. Nice gun for the money. At the height of the panic in early 2013, one vendor had boxes full of 30 round Magpul PMags for $15 each out the door. Not too bad! I also picked up a 4" S&W Model 15-3 in 2009 in near mint condition for $309. Last year my wife bought a NIB Ruger SR-22 for $285!

 

[doc2rn]

I quit going yrs ago when parking and admission hit $10.

 

[PabloJ]

You can go to site entitled Gun Show listings covering United States and print $1 discount coupon and more importantly view some of the ..... .... ... videos entitled .......banned this video.

 

[JColdIron]

The last C&E show I went to was so small and pitiful that it was the last C&E show I will ever go to at any price.

 

[dbp]

Now I remember why I havn't been to a gunshow in a number of years. Too much money to drive there, park, and get in to see the same old overpriced stuff that the same old overpriced dealers have been dragging around to these shows for way too long.

It's been quite some time since I have found anything that I could call a "real bargain" at any of these shows.

Amen to that!!

 

[HexHead]

My local show raised it's price from $7 to $8 a couple of years ago. But then the city started charging $5 for parking.
I like to take my wife with me, she's great at finding stuff I'm interested in. So by the time I add $21 on top of the prices there, the gun show offers no bargains. Haven't been there since they started charging for parking. Not much I need there anyway.

My local reloading store charges less than the guy at the gunshow to begin with.

And to the OP, seen the prices of steaks lately?

 

[Queen_of_Thunder]

There are a few things due some consideration. Interesting because on a few occasions I have been to the C&E Promoted show in Winston Salem NC. While not a Mega-Show it was a good show.

Now before we go ballistic using large bold print possibly someone could do some homework and find out exactly what it cost to promote that show? The promoter is paying for (renting) the coliseum from Friday afternoon/evening till Sunday evening. How much have those cost increased? The promoter rents and sets up the tables and chairs beginning on Friday, what is the table/chair rental cost and the setup cost, the tables do not set themselves up? The promoter needs proof of Liability insurance to promote a gun show, any guess as to what that cost might be? Don't forget security not just during the show but the entire time the show is in place, this is often off duty police officers. So in all fairness to C&E Gun Shows INC. unless we know their actual operating cost to promote a show how can we say they are overcharging? Finally exactly how much money should the promoter make? What does anyone figure is a fair take when all the overhead is paid out?

Yeah, show prices are going up but so is everything that drives those prices going up.

Nobody, last I checked, is twisting anyone's arm to attend the shows. Don't like the cost to attend a show? Then stay home.

Just My Take
Ron

Now you should know better then to use facts and logic to address a post dealing with any topic in regards to the present crises.