If my gf had decided to buy a gun before meeting me she very easily could have been ripped off by these types of vendors.
Let's say she is driving across the country and blows out a tire, uses the donut to limped into Podunk, USA for a replacement, and finds R and O Tire Shop. R and O charge her full retail for a tire they usually sell to locals for 80% of retail, charge for nitrogen inflation even though she didn't ask for it, tell her she needs a full alignment even though she doesn't, and then tell her she'll have to stay overnight because her car can't be done today, even though it is done already, and send her to their cousin's hotel for the night, where she gets charged double the normal room rate. Now she's been ripped off. See the difference?
Citing a more extreme example of ripping somebody off does not mean the first example isn't.
When a person seeks a vendor to do business with in a specialized field that he or she knows little about, be it car repair or firearms, they are expecting to be treated fair and guided to a wise purchase. An ethical gun dealer would not only price his products fairly relative to market value, but also advise the customer to purchase what he or she needs. Not what will make him the most money.
Right on! Labeling folks who disagree in principle with you as unethical. Good job.I am very disappointed with the ethics, or lack thereof, in this thread.
And I am happy to report that I do business with gun stores and retailers who don't rip people off while working very hard to rationalize why they do it.
One of the things that has bugged me forever regarding gunshows seems to be the unwillingness of a good majority of the sellers to negotiate.
No. But I would at a pawn shop or jewelry store. Or even Academy sports at times. Are you trying to compare most gun dealers at gun shows to one of the largest big box retailers in the world? I would argue that they are far more comparable to the segment of the economy previously mentioned that does often times negotiate price.Would you negotiate with with manager at Lowes?
The posted price is generally the biggest number the dealer thinks he might be able to get. If he's gotten it before, he'll ask for it again. If he thinks the market is strong enough, he'll price them even higher. As long as people are willing to pay that price, it is not too high in that market. Too high for the OP maybe, but if the Dealer X price for a Gen4 Glock is $579 plus tax, you can bet he's selling them for that amount. In fact, if he brought 50 of them to a show and sold them all at $579, he should have charged $590 or $600.
Funny thing is the dealers with jacked up prices tend to do little business and not last. The vendors i notice returning year after year are the ones with competitive prices. While their profits per sale may be lower than others they are also selling higher volume and creating customer relationships that often pay off in the future with repeat business. A vendor who sells his products well above market value is either oblivious or just hoping to capitalize on ignorant customers. Either way it is a poor business model for themselves and their customers.
The posted price is generally the biggest number the dealer thinks he might be able to get
Are you trying to compare most gun dealers at gun shows to one of the largest big box retailers in the world?
'Would you negotiate with with manager at Lowes?
My Favorite Gun Show
www.gunbroker.com
So then it must also be okay in your mind for sellers to deceitfully sell defective or even fake products as the buyer should have done his research and been able to identify fakes and broken parts.
If I walk into a gun shop and find the pricing well above average on most everything they have, I won't even try to haggle. I just walk out and never return; They will never have an opportunity to earn my business if they appear unreasonable prima facie.
So do you mean to say that any charged price is fair so long as the buyer agrees to pay it, regardless of his level of ignorance for whatever reason, or his desperation to get the product?
I am very disappointed with the ethics, or lack thereof, in this thread.
I live in Prescott AZ now. We have two Walmart's with a very well stocked gun section, a Sears, a Target and a Kmart and about ten gun stores. All the way from one that has everything and is expensive to one that has a lot on the shelves and charges cost + 10% for guns and special orders. Service and selection is what keeps these guys in business.
Dan in Prescott
aka Dan in ABQ
So when you find that rare good deal do you buy it or do you insist on paying the seller what your LGS sells that same item for?
Yep they sell pistols up here. I am told that they will special order also.Its my understanding that the only wally worlds that still sell hanguns are in Alaska. So you cannot compare apples to oranges (S&W Gov prices). If you posted up the prices of the cheapest weapons made from the manufactures from that show for a direct comparison, then we can talk...