I can't help those who don't.
I guess I'm one of the hopeless. I "don't get it" I guess. I consider myself a wise consumer, one who knows what he wants and what something is capable of doing before I ever get around to making a purchase. Quite frankly, i don;'t need to pay for you "expert" advice, because you aren't going to tell me anything I likley didn't know already. You aren't the only one capable of knowledge or wisdom when it comes to firearms. I'm NOT an expert, but if I don't know about somehting, I'll do my research until I am comfortable. What happens more often than not, is once familiarizing myself with what something is and what it should cost, is that I price it locally. Sometimes thats the best deal, oftentimes it isn't. Sometimes, and this is hardly a rare occasion, the local price is simply outlandish. When i see guns marked well above MSRP, and a guy behind the counter more than willing to take advantage of those who don't know any better, it kinda sours me on the experience. Sure, there may be some room for "negotiation" but when the sticker price induces a heart attack or stroke, the odds of finidng a deal acceptable to both is slim. Maybe some people DO need to pay a premium because they don't know what they want or how to compare prices and features. However, when I buy a gun, I know what I want, and don't need to pay an inflated price for the privledge of lining your pocket. In that sense, yes a gun is a commodity to me....in the abscence of emtional connections brought about thorugh memories and experiences, a gun is just assorted pieces of wood, metal, and plastic, and I feel foolish fopr paying more than is necessary to obtain that wood, metal, and plastic. A few days, weeks, or years down the road, the gun may very well be more than a commodity to me, but that has absolutely zero to do with where I purchased it, or who from. A gun may be more than a commodity, but that transformation has zero to do with who I purchased the gun from, IMO