gburner
member
I attended the gunshow at the Showplace in Richmond, VA yesterday (March 2). I
took with me a friend of mine who is equally interested in 2A issues.
We arrived at appx. noon and the place was already packed. There was your usual tables with NIB weapons as well as an excellent selection of milsurp long arms and pistols. Other tables (a majority I think) held everything from reloading supplies, cheap knives, beef jerky, hot sauce, gun parts and accesories, Hermann Goering plush toys for the neo-nazi customers, redneck bumper stickers, Civil War 'art', as well as leather goods, uniform parts and military models. JUNK. It looked more like a swap meet than anything else.
All weapons were priced ridiculously high and no one seemed to be in the mood to trade or dicker about price. Merchant's attitudes seemed largely indifferent to actively selling their wares or engaging customers in the 'art of the deal'.
When pressed, the attitude was one of take it or leave it. I spent the afternoon attempting to trade a pristine Mk.4 Enfield for E German Makarov pistol and was soundly rejected. Even trying to sell the Enfield outright met with an annoying amount of condescension
from various merchants.
In closing, the show was crowded and overpriced at $7.00. The merchants on the whole were arrogant, rude and condescending, pricing on all weapons
seemed to be gun shop + 30% and the ratio of quality merchandise to junk was about 30 - 70. I was able to pick up a universal bi-pod for my SKS on sale.
If this continues, we won't have to worry about the gubmint shutting down these shows; they'll die of their own greed and ignorance.
took with me a friend of mine who is equally interested in 2A issues.
We arrived at appx. noon and the place was already packed. There was your usual tables with NIB weapons as well as an excellent selection of milsurp long arms and pistols. Other tables (a majority I think) held everything from reloading supplies, cheap knives, beef jerky, hot sauce, gun parts and accesories, Hermann Goering plush toys for the neo-nazi customers, redneck bumper stickers, Civil War 'art', as well as leather goods, uniform parts and military models. JUNK. It looked more like a swap meet than anything else.
All weapons were priced ridiculously high and no one seemed to be in the mood to trade or dicker about price. Merchant's attitudes seemed largely indifferent to actively selling their wares or engaging customers in the 'art of the deal'.
When pressed, the attitude was one of take it or leave it. I spent the afternoon attempting to trade a pristine Mk.4 Enfield for E German Makarov pistol and was soundly rejected. Even trying to sell the Enfield outright met with an annoying amount of condescension
from various merchants.
In closing, the show was crowded and overpriced at $7.00. The merchants on the whole were arrogant, rude and condescending, pricing on all weapons
seemed to be gun shop + 30% and the ratio of quality merchandise to junk was about 30 - 70. I was able to pick up a universal bi-pod for my SKS on sale.
If this continues, we won't have to worry about the gubmint shutting down these shows; they'll die of their own greed and ignorance.