Gun Show Prices.

[Beak50]

My friend Ted and I set up at a show in Werternberg P.A. every year on this wknd.I was as was he totally amazed at the prices of what use to be cheap ammo especially.Although we did sell a lot of handguns they were the small .22 or.25 cal pocket pistols and clips.At this rate I will start re-loading 7.62x54R in the near future.You can still make a good deal but not like it use to be.One thing I noticed there was only one Mosin-Nagant Rifle in the place and there are usually tables on tables of them.Has anyone else noticed The prices going up and the ole run of the mil ex-military stuff just exploding or is it because I didn't go to any shows for a while?

 

[fallout mike]

You need to get out more.

 

[Old Fuff]

Although we did sell a lot of handguns they were the small .22 or.25 cal pocket pistols and clips.

Which may come as a shock to some of our more "tactical members." When it comes to the general public the little pistols have never lost they're popularity.

 

[Beak50]

I would like to get out more but it is very hard on me physically to stand or even sit for any time over a few hour's even with pain med's.I left the show early yesterday and didn't even try today so my buddy is running our table's by himself today.He called and asked if I would be able to make it this morning because he knows how disabled I am.I do however constantly gun search on the computer.Thanks Beak

 

[medalguy]

I was at the Albuquerque gun show this weekend and had a great show. I sold lots of ammo and accessories, and the guy at the table next to me sold 26 handguns and long guns. He had mostly lower end guns and that's what was selling. Of course, both of us had competitive prices and several buyers told us exactly that. Buyers aren't dumb and they know when prices are too high and just don't buy.

I spoke with several dealers who said they hadn't sold a thing all weekend. Wonder why.

 

[JTHunter]

Prices at the gunshows in this area are only slightly better than the LGS but the selection is frequently more varied.
That may change if Rahm Emmanuel gets this new "tax" pushed throught the Illinois legislature. He wants the legislature to add a $2.oo/box fee onto the price of ammo to pay for "trauma centers" in high-crime areas (Chicago & East St. Louis, mainly).
He's also going to try and get passed a $65.oo "license fee" on ALL handguns with the money supposedly going for the same purpose.

It just keeps getting better and better in Illinois.

 

[OARNGESI]

i went to my first show today almost every gun was overpriced. but i did get a glock 17, 3 30 rd mags and a drum for my ak. do dealers mark up guns over store price so they can let people talk them down?

 

[Shadow 7D]

Oh, and the vendors up the asking to match the LGS going rate or cover their cost, you have to remember, nobody seems to want to pay the asking price, so everybody screams about how they get royally ripped off at gunshows

the vendors by customers who want to pay $5 for a $2000 dollar gun and the attendees by the vendors trying to gouge them...

 

[Ignition Override]

medalguy:

I don't compare enough of the same type of guns to be able to describe any trends (i.e. different SKS conditions, details, origins etc), but many sellers have one thing in common, besides enjoying the hobby:

they tell me that they don't plan on selling anything, and they rent tables primarily to socialize. This helps to explain why many list prices remain so high, and why the same sellers are seen all the time.

It is always puzzling when people discuss the low prices of many milsurps and ammo when they were about 25%-30% of today's prices, but assume that prices, salaries in 1988 (etc) would remain the same-after twenty three years!

 

[CapnMac]

The Mesquite show had a lot of ammo, much more than I've seen of late (have not been to many shows of late, in all fairness). And, in full fairness, some of the prices for what few boxes have been on brick-n-mortar stores have been all over the place.

Name-brand .45acp was $24-26 a box. So was .380acp, but, there were more makers of 380 than I'd seen in two, three years. Not much .30 carbine to be seen, and 7.62x25 was not much in abundance, either. Were folk with cases, and the 250 packs, which were around $99 each in .45acp

 

[mrcooper]

Had a gun show this week end first time in 16 years I did not go, after looking on the internet and seeing the high prices, I knew their prices would be outrageous, have 2 more this Mo might go to one, just to socialize.

 

[Dustin0104]

I went to the Watemburg show Saturday hoping to find a security six. Couldn't believe the crowds! I didn't see any security six's, but I did buy some cheap brass and primers. Seemed ammo was through the roof! My brother did pick up a new Bushmaster m4 for under $700, so there were deals to be had.

 

[MtnSpur]

The "standard fare type" gun shows have devolved into semi-flea markets where purses, beef jerky and homemade jewelry have increased tenfold. I like the once/twice a year shows as the offerings seem to be more gun related then garage sale related. Scored a 1948 Official Police in nickel a little over a week ago at a small gun show on the last day so there is hope that an occassional jewel will be found. Got an annual show coming up that might lighten my wallet should the right gun jump out at me

 

[Sav .250]

Gun Show prices. They can ask what ever they like but if it`s not with in my budget, I pass.

 

[Tim37]

i have found that the bigger shows have pretty much what your looking for unless your looking for a great deal hell sometimes there prices are higher than lgs, then theres the small shows where the prices are good but if your looking for something specific you may be out of luck.

 

[SunnySlopes]

It's not just the dealer's prices that turn me off on gun shows. The Wanamacher is coming up. Here's how it works.

Get up early. Drive to the show. Park in the next state cause the lot is full. Stand in line to get in. Pay $12 (+the fairground's tax) to get in. Walk around slowly. Slowly because the aisles are full and people move slowly. Try to negotiate the "stroller nazis" who think that just because they have children they think we owe them special concessions. Try to negotiate the frequent 3 or 4 guys just standing there talking, blocking the passage. Oh, and there's always the people in the electric carts.

All this to view guns and merch that are priced 30% above market.

And then there's always the seemingly inevitable (and more frequent) dealer/consumer who forgets to check to see if a weapon is unloaded. The last Wanamacher I attended, a dealer blew out his display case.

Yeah, can't wait.

 

[JD Armory]

Prices at gun shows vary, I know I don't raise my prices on anything I take to the show, but I know many dealers do. I assume this is to cover costs and give them some wiggle room if people haggle. I simply keep my stuff priced competitively and just let potential customers know my prices are firm.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Once again it's the haggling
if you price it at face and leave NO wiggle room you loose a crowd cause you won't play
I talked to a number of vendors, ever wonder at the funny prices the 23 dollars or 49 dollars etc.
it's cause the want some nice round bills like $20 or 45 and you feel good cause he came down a bit.
price it at 20 and you get some guy pissed cause you say 'price is what the price is'

 

[trapper1]

A friend and I attanded a gun show this past weekend. Three bucks for parking, three bucks to get in. Ample parking, no waiting lines. There was a very large selection, and plenty of room to walk in between tables. While there were some overpriced items, there were deals there if you looked. I passed on a 90% A5, Belgium, 12 light for $475 :banghead: But, went there only looking for 2 items. An Olsen knife for a friend, and a used 9mm for target shooting for myslef. Found both. The Olsen knive, with original sheath, $40, and a S&W M59 in very good shape, with original box, papers and cleaning tools for $380
It was 2 hours before the close of the show, and with a simple, "what's the best you can let this go for", saved a combined $50 on the sales.
I was pretty happy.

 

[wojownik]

I'm fine with sellers charging retail if their selection is good or esoteric (which many local shops just don't have). Bought a Sig p220 Carry pretty much at LGS price level, but I just had not seen one at any LGS around here. Seller was actually sincerely apologetic that he didn't have any extra p220 mags to toss in. Whether a show vendor or LGS, a great attitude and a little extra service can go a long way.

Ammo prices seem to have come back to earth, somewhat, from a year or two ago. Though high, no longer in the exosphere...

I'm even better if a gun show vendor is even more competitive on prices, but that seems to be more and more the exception recently. I'm still regretting not jumping for a lightly used Sig p245, with box, for $535. :banghead:

I do have a hard time when folks they are selling above market or local shop prices (and above MSRP), which seems to be happening more and more around here. Have also seen used /like new/ ANIB at or above pricing for a new untouched model. And I'm sorry but a Bulgarian Makarov is not worth $400+, and a well-worn CZ-70 is not a rare $325 item. Actual examples.

Have never stood on the other side of the table as a seller, but I'm sure the opposite is true - they guy who overvalues his the old beater gun he wants to trade, or tries to finagle too much out of the deal (like way below cost, and toss in a bunch of accessories) and then gets miffed.

Try to negotiate the "stroller nazis" who think that just because they have children they think we owe them special concessions.

Um, like maybe not stepping on their kids

Seriously though, I don't bring the little ones if I can at all avoid it (among other reasons, don't want the little tornado leaving sugary fingerprints all over folks' products). And, I haven't brought them at all to shows after the last few incidents (all at the same show, within the first 15 minutes). Fastest about face I've ever done at a show - beat sticks right out of there.

• Bubba pushes my baby carriage, though I'm not really in his way (hint: never touch another man's stroller, at least when its inhabited ...)
• Kid gets swept with a rifle by inattentive customer
• Dude inadvertently rests muzzle of shotgun on side of my kids head (read him the riot act big time).

 

[Tygarys]

The "standard fare type" gun shows have devolved into semi-flea markets where purses, beef jerky and homemade jewelry have increased tenfold. I like the once/twice a year shows as the offerings seem to be more gun related then garage sale related. Scored a 1948 Official Police in nickel a little over a week ago at a small gun show on the last day so there is hope that an occassional jewel will be found. Got an annual show coming up that might lighten my wallet should the right gun jump out at me

I was at a show last year, lots of overpriced ARs, and junk, not even any good deals on ammo. I did however leave with 3 decorative plates with cats on them for a mother's day present.

 

[DCR]

Pricing works both ways -

Some vendors (not me; I'm not a dealer, I just know what I have and what the local market will bear because that's where I buy my guns) are likely getting tired of ridiculously low-ball offers from folks and, expecting some bargaining, price higher in hopes of ending up somewhere close to what is reasonable to expect out of the gun(s) they're selling.

At a recent show, I had a minty 60's vintage S&W revolver (make, model and cal not really relevant), not many made and not made for a LONG time now, priced fairly based on Gun Broker completed sales (understand that in my experience most GB sales are to other dealers, not consumers; more often than not they just exchange copies of their FFL's and ship the guns directly) and in light of the local scarcity (and no shipping) in the low $600's on my table. Some "Blue Book Believer" told me I was way out of line on my price, and the previous weekend he'd seen loads of them going for $350 in Spokane, WA. Complete BS, and anyone with any knowledge about the gun would know it.

I laid 14 $100 bills on the table and told him to go buy four of them, he could keep one for his troubles, and deliver the other 3 to me.

....<crickets chirping in the dead silence>....and he left.

Sold it next day, really close to asking price to a guy who'd been unsuccessfully scouring shows, LGS's, and want ads in the surrounding states unsuccessfully for 2 years.

Bargaining is part of the fun, folks, but gun shows in America are not like the open markets in Mexico, where it's expected that the buyer and seller start at extremes and reach a low-ball deal not that far above the buyer's first offer. IMHO, it's those with the flea-market/garage sale mentality that have unrealistic expectations of super deals, and the Blue Book fanatics, who simply don't understand that "the Book" doesn't update its pricing information on every gun every year, much less account for local market "in hand" scarcity of specific guns, that are becoming bothersome to vendors and forcing above-market pricing because the vendors expect to get haggled.

I still have a ball at every show I attend, as a buyer and when I put some stuff on a table, and will continue to go until I physically can't make the trips. I just have what I think is a little more thorough understanding of the dynamic that occurs at my regional shows than do those who complain about them, based on 35 years plus of participating in them on both sides of the table, and navigate my way through the BS to the fun that can be had there.

 

[Tygarys]

Try to negotiate the "stroller nazis" who think that just because they have children they think we owe them special concessions. Try to negotiate the frequent 3 or 4 guys just standing there talking, blocking the passage. Oh, and there's always the people in the electric carts.

Or the guys yapping/texting on the cell phone in the middle of the isle blocking the passage. Or the guys who can't keep the barrels/stocks on their slung rifles vertical making everyone nearby constantly duck out of the way every time they move. Stroller nazis are nothing, at show a while back we had someone with so many kids he was carting them around in big wagon that took up most of the already small isles.

 

[Beak50]

Every Person I know that sets up at the gun shows always adds a little to the price because I have yet to see a buyer not try to get the prices down.It is just like a big flea market for the personal dealers such as my buddy and I.We do set up at flea markets in Butler P.A. and Rodgers Ohio also.

 

[mortablunt]

It depends on where you go, what you're after, and who you ask. New guns prices are bumped up versus stores. Used guns though can be a steal with a bit of haggling skill and you don't pounce on it like an excited kitten.