Handguns and Price Gouging

[Confederate]

Someone on one of the other forums talked about price gouging and it got me thinking. Price gouging is a way of life for folks in Maryland. There was a day when you could get some great bargains in pawn shops, but the problem is that discount gun dealers are rapidly becoming a thing of the past because of liability, laws and the price of stock against the overhead.

It used to be Colt, Smith, Ruger and mostly Interarms. Now there are so many guns available through special order that it's difficult for any dealer to know what will move quickly off his shelves. And the longer guns stay, the more they cost. Smith, Ruger, Taurus, Rossi, Kimber and many others all have huge lines of products in various calibers. The chances of just walking in and seeing something you want to add to your collection is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

I haven't seen a gun on a dealer's shelf that I'd be in the market for in about two or three years, but then, I'm mostly into revolvers and perhaps some small pistols, and I can't get a small Beretta .25 for less than $150 anymore. But I see mostly one or two Glock models, a Beretta and a bunch of used guns at frightful prices. And Maryland dealers usually are in the midst of making denunciations against liberal politicians and gun control, answering questions between gaps.

Yep, a lot of those guns stay on the shelves a long time. In Virginia, it's a bit different, but even there they're having the same problem. Too many guns to have a good representation. The stock has to be moved into safes at the end of every day and they're no longer just a couple of hundred dollars. And discount sports stores are bailing out of handguns by the bushel.

I'd be interested in hearing how it is in the West and Mid-West. What really is interesting is that even tiny autos are selling for at least twice as much as many used revolvers are going for. And some are rivaling even their larger cousins.

 

[Lonestar]

Two words...MAIL ORDER. Check www.gunsamerica.com or other gun site and if your dealer isn't cheap anymore , he will now be your FFL as you purchase guns from other states and mail it to them. Sometimes after Mailing and the FFL fee it still cheaper than buying a NIB gun in states like MD.

 

[Dienekes]

In the rural Rocky Mtn. area deals are hard to come by to say the least. Have just about given up on gun shows in my area as it is the same old scrap iron at NIB prices, no discussion. In the last year I have only made one "find" which probably cost me more in gas and travel than the purchase itself. I have actually bought more new than used guns lately which is unusual for me. At least the dealers I frequent make an attempt to cut me a deal I might bite on.

My daughter south of Denver has become a handgun accumulator and has found the same thing there. She has found her best deals on the internet.

I wonder if the really good stuff is going to the auction houses more nowadays.

There is some sticker shock involved these days, too. Although I can occasionally afford nice pieces they are just not worth that much to me. sort of like a fixer-upper house in Southern CA.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Brick and mortar gun shops seem to be owned by people who think they have captive markets.

 

[Robert Hairless]

Every thread I ever read about Wal-Mart selling guns and/or ammunition was filled with messages by people who wanted Wal-Mart out of the business so that everyone would buy from local gunshops because they deserved to be supported.

So it's not price gouging. It's supporting our local gunshops. We should feel happy to do it.

 

[razorburn]

Heh, I'm the sort who believes just the opposite. I just believe in capitalism, survival of the fittest and you don't get handouts just because you're small. I'm not going to give the local shops a free pass if they're staffed by rude and unsociable staff, overpriced items, in a dirty and poorly lit hole in the wall just because they're local.

They'll stay in business if they deserve to. None of the big chain places sell handguns. That's enough of a handicap for the small shops. If you deserve to be supported then people will vote with their dollars. I, and many others, sure don't want Walmart to stop selling guns and ammo either.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

Everybody raves about online prices but I have never seen anything online that is even remotely less than what I have paid at local gun shows for the guns I am interested in buying. I bought this weekend a new Heritage Arms Rough Rider .22 SA revolver for $169.00 with both cylinders and presentation wood case. The cheapest I have seen them at online auction sites is $225.00, most are more and then you have shipping and FFL charges on top of it. The local dealers are about as bad. The same gun used without the mag cylinder or anything else they wanted $160.00 for it. The last gun show 2 months ago I bought my Taurus Gaucho .357/38spcl for $379.00. I have not seen it cheaper anywhere if you factor in shipping & FFL expenses. I also buy my ammo at the shows too. By the time you factor in shipping it ends up being cheaper at gun shows. Bought 300 rounds of 38 special Midwall reloads for $35.94. I bought some at the last show and it was decent practice ammo. Thank god for gun shows which I will continue to support with my purchases because they are the most reasonable as far as prices

 

[Prince Yamato]

+1 Gringo

Once you factor in shipping, the online "deals" don't seem so good anymore.

 

[jkomp316]

I really like my local Sportsmans Warehouse, very good prices, compared to our Cabelas. A literal $50 difference on a $400 gun, and the places are only 7min away from eachother. 1lb of Bullseye powder at Cabelas=$19.99 1lb Bullseye at Sportsmans =$14.99 Thats more then a 25% markup!? So far I've purchased 2 guns from Sportsmans, will prob buy more, just cause I WANT them to be around. I do buy all my Rainer/Berry's Bullets from Cabelas though, because Sportsmans only carrys Lasercast in bulk.

 

[ceetee]

I wish I had your gunshows down here, Gaucho. In this area, the gunshows are filled with dealers (very few private sellers) that actually charge more than at their storefront. They reason that they have to cover the added expense of renting the table, and transporting their merchandise. That said, the last two guns I bought, I did get them at gunshows. I just had to wait for the right deal to come along. Patience pays...

 

[shadowalker]

I've bought a few from http://www.impactguns.com, they have a store in Boise so I don't have to worry about shipping prices but they do normal FFL shipping too.

Gun shows in Boise are a joke, there are either a lot of used guns at high prices or almost no guns with lots of other things. Most the time I can get a better price on new than used at the gun shows here.

 

[Correia]

Well, from the gunstore owner's perspective, I have reasonable prices. If my competitors want to charge stupid prices, it just sends more business to me. I whoop Cabellas on everything, and beat Sportsman's most of the time.

As for what to stock, it's a roll of the dice. We make an educated guess about what we should spend our inventory money on. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we end up sitting on something for a year. That's why I special order items.

"Do you have a left handed, FBI cant, inside the waistband holster for a Browning BDA, with a thumbstrap?"

"Yes, by some amazing coincidence I do have one of those!"

"Oh... I wanted it in brown."



As for buying online, go for it. I find that I can usually stay competitive on price. And when you have a problem, which dealer is going to help, me or the guy 1,000 miles away?

The one issue I have with online sellers is when one dealer blunders into a screaming good deal, and sells the guns for less than regular dealer cost. He only has 5 of them, but 10,000 people read the online post. Then when I sell the same gun at dealer + 10%, everyone freaks out because I'm gouging them, because they saw it on the internet for less once.

We had that happen with FNPs on this forum a little while ago. There was a guy selling them on gunbroker for $20 under dealer cost and I was informed by the posters that that was the "going rate". I was told that my prices were too high because of this guy. I did a little poking around my FN rep, and found out that this one dealer had bought 80 of the dealer packages so that he could get the PS90s out of them, and was blowing out all of the other guns to recoup his loss.

Bravo for the 80 people who snagged one of those pistols, but that isn't what the guns are normally going to cost.

Used gun stock depends greatly on what used guns are being sold in your area, and what prices the people are demanding when they sell them. I would have plenty more cool used guns to stock if I were willing to pay what I would pay for a NIB one from a wholesaler.

Be aware that some used guns you see in shops, are not the shop's property, but rather are consignment guns. Dealers will never turn down consignment because it is free inventory, but I have a few sellers who aren't in any sort of hurry to move their gun, so they ask top price.

 

[461]

I'd happily buy my guns at gunshops but all they seem to want to stock are the ultra tactical mall ninja guns. I've tried to ask them to do special orders and the answer is always no or the price is insane to discourage it. Then I ask if they'll accept a shipped in gun for me and they want $100.00 to do it.

Like I said, I'd happily support a local gun shop if they'd even remotely try to support me. Now look at the moron clerks who know nothing and spread stupidity like wildfire or the uber tactical ego they carry around with less than nothing to back it up with.

I've switched to buying high end guns once or twice a year or having guns customized from my own collection or from local private party transactions that can't be price gouged by the dealers. I wish they could see how much business they cost themselves.