Gun Show Prices are absurd!!!

[leadcounsel]

Attended a gunshow in Washington state today. Some, in fact most, of the prices are just absurdly high.

For example:

The worst examples that come to mind are:
1. A worn our generation 1 Glock 17 for $600!!! Keep in mind that other dealers have new gen 3 and gen 4 models for $500-ish.

2. A FN 5.7 pistol for $1,400!!!! Keep in mind the same pistol was on a nearby table for $1,000!!!!


I did see a couple of reasonably priced guns. And the last table I looked at I saw and bought a Ruger Security Six for $380 (after haggling), in very good condition.

I shake my head at the absurd prices that dealers charge - I wonder if they ever move these items, or just cart them from show to show hoping for a sucker.

 

[Vonderek]

Yeah, and the beef jerky is overpriced too. Gun shows are only good these days to kill a few hours with a couple of buds walking the aisles and chewing the fat...or jerky.

 

[JohnKSa]

Prices at the shows in this area tend to be pretty good although you can definitely save yourself some money by shopping the entire show instead of just buying at the first table you come to that has what you want.

Used prices are always interesting. Mostly decent but always with some outliers in both directions. It's not terribly uncommon to see a well-used gun for sale at a price higher than you can buy it new a few tables over. But you can find bargains too...

 

[JHenry]

i usually find some pretty decent deals on Arsenals while im there, WASR's i dont care for but are also fair. Five seveNs are a touch to much, and aside from the usual scams alot of prices are pretty honest

 

[Lex Luthier]

That's a pretty broad brush. I find deals all the time, and could walk away with a new toy from literally every gun or militaria show I attend. You are going to the wrong shows, and just need to ignore the bs.

 

[22-rimfire]

Shows can be fun; you just have to keep an open mind and not be looking for one particular firearm. It's a big world. Price too high, just move on. When I ask a price and it is absurdly high, I don't even bother talking anymore about it. No point. But you can find a winner or two.

 

[Pyro]

I make it a point to visit every table at a gun show before I buy something.
A table twelve down from another might save me $300.

 

[Ala Dan]

Gun shows = RIP OFF's~! :banghead:

 

[Rocketmedic]

The one here in El Paso today was insane- a CZ-82 "in Commie-nine" for the low price of only $300, or a Ruger P94 that failed a functions check "as-is" for only $200 with no magazine.

There were a few good bargains though.

 

[NoAlibi]

Ala Dan: "Gun shows = RIP OFF's~!"

I moved away from Montgomery ten years ago. I went back for a visit several months ago and went to a gun show at the Shrine. Rip-off city!

The only good thing was running into some of my old shooting buddies and being happy that I owned several of the guns there that were astronomically overpriced.

Are they still doing gun shows at the Civic Center?

 

[SunnySlopes]

The 4000 table wannamacher show was today. Our local forum is full of posts about how dealers apparantly think this is 2008.

People riding electric carts which take up the isle. Tables too close. Smelly people who need a bath. Dealers selling junk guns for prices more than new. It hasn't changed since the last time I went.

I don't waste my time at shows anymore.

 

[HammerheadSSN663]

Gun shows are for suckers.

So are brick and morter prices.

I keep forgetting to invest in FedEx and UPS

 

[BADUNAME37]

Last show I was at several years ago was ridiculously-crowded (elbow room only) and I would have done better just walking into a large local gun store than to buy anything at that show!

I did buy some used brass, most of which I had to throw away as it was so corroded.

 

[Ignition Override]

The problem is that only one gun store in this entire area has a decent variety of milsurp rifles.
The only way to find a larger ever-changing variety is to attend a show.
Astute friends keep well-trained, very sharp eyes on the entrance (or take smoke breaks outside) because guys who drink late only walk in with their guns from noon, or later. Some are vulnerable to low offers.

leadcounsel: So many of those sellers pay lots of cash to display the same guns at multiple shows, just to find a few suckers.

A really nice seller I've gotten to know a bit (who silently signaled me about concerns with another seller's
very old [small ring & weak steel] Spanish 7mm conversion to 7.62...) told me that lots of the guys with tables are there to socialize, being quite aware that they sell very little in this economy.

Being in the poorer, west end of TN/northwest MS as opposed to Nashville is another factor, and one gun show promoter is trying to put the other out of business with a show the same month, which further reduces demand.
One promoter 'allegedly' won a heap of cash in an accident lawsuit but wasted much of it.

 

[Midwest]

Some items come to mind is a well used .38 sp revolver for $450 a rusty 12 gauge for $150, $395 for a Yugo SKS (same one that cost $99 in 2002) . Maybe that is why the last gun show I visited was over three years ago.

 

[leadcounsel]

Oh, I forgot about the Romanian or Yugo Tok for $300 (these go for $200 on the internet) and the Ruger P94 for $600 (generally seen for $300)!!!

 

[KAS1981]

I've seen all kinds of pricing at gun shows. From good deals, to run-of-the-mill pricing, to ridiculous. What's funny is when one guy has a table of great prices set up right next to another guy whose stuff is priced sky high.

 

[Nuclear]

I don't know, I've seen a few good deals, just didn't have either the interest in the gun or the money at the time. A couple of cases in point, a Springfield M1A in a synthetic stock with a Leupold scope, mags, sling and case for $1200, or a Steyr-Aug again with a Leupold scope, 3 mags and a case for $2600.

One of these days I'll have the money or the foresight to buy one of those deals.

 

[BigN]

Nowadays I use the gun shows for 2 reasons. I can usually find some brass I want for decent prices and I can look over the guns for one I might want, check it out, and buy it cheaper elsewhere. If we're talking $20 here, I think that's worth taking it home on the spot but $50 more? I'll buy it elsewhere and wait for it. The only deal I've ever gotten on guns I've actually wanted was to buy 3 at one time from 1 guy. It was a great deal then but I haven't gotten a gun from a show in years. If you want a deal, get it from the internet.

 

[JHenry]

I moved away from Montgomery ten years ago. I went back for a visit several months ago and went to a gun show at the Shrine. Rip-off city!

The only good thing was running into some of my old shooting buddies and being happy that I owned several of the guns there that were astronomically overpriced.

Are they still doing gun shows at the Civic Center?

haha i went to that gun show, it wasnt all bad i found a nice arsenal for $750 that i was real close to buying. As for the civic center im not sure, i think theyre trying to get some going there again but im not positive on when

 

[BobTheTomato]

I have just found that you normally need to watch the prices. Also, for some smaller items it is cheaper than paying shipping. I don't mind shelling out a few bucks to spend a few hours looking around. I do miss the days of crates and crates of mil surplus rifles. Oh for the days of a $79 sks.

 

[jmr40]

Gun shows are for suckers.

So are brick and morter prices.

I keep forgetting to invest in FedEx and UPS

I have never once found a gun online that I couldn't buy cheaper at a local store or at a gunshow. The asking price may be less, but with shipping and transfer fees it has always been cheaper for me to buy locally even after paying sales tax.

The only time I've bought a gun online was because that particular model was not available locally. If the LGS could have gotten the gun for me they would have matched the online price.

 

[workingman]

The greatest thing about gunshows is the fact that I can handle firearms that the locals just don't carry. I can always internet order or have my local shop order if I don't like the price. Typically local shows are kind of pricey, but always have things i just can't find in town.
workingman

 

[HankB]

The biggest gaps seem to be in "new" stuff - a few years back, shortly after FN had introduced a "civilianized" (semi auto with longer barrel) version of their P90 SMG, it was pretty common to see a $500 gap in asking price between dealers at the same show, sometimes less than a dozen tables apart.

I've been looking for a decent Luger for a while - the few I've seen at gun shows have been not just overpriced, but ridiculously overpriced; I could order from one of the on-line dealers specializing in guns like that (with a reputation for being overpriced), pay shipping to my local dealer and a transfer fee, and STILL come out way ahead.

On the other hand, sometimes you CAN find a reasonable deal, even on a new firearm. A month or so back I picked up a brand new S&W E-series Scandium framed 1911 (the one with the bobtail grip) for almost $300 below MSRP, which isn't too bad for a pistol in high demand.

 

[GD]

I thought the $3 AR-15 mags, the $2 HK91 mags, and the $179 for 1000 rounds of Russian .223 ammo at the Tulsa show was a pretty good deal. Firearm prices were all over the place. The promoters definitely need to have wider isles if we are going to experience more people in electric carts.