Laughing at the so called shortage.

[cal30_sniper]

I bought guns 20 years ago with intent to pile up like fire wood. Now an opportunity has arisen. I have not changed my story. Still flipping to those willing to pay. I give to those who need and hook up those that are polite. That said, I need to get some primers from ATL to Texas for a "polite" member of this board. If someone can figure out the transfer, I will be taking a loss on this deal. Yes, I flip locally and on interwebz. But that said, done my best on three occasions to hook up THR users with zero markup only to be stabbed in the back after investing my cash to help them. So someone figure out a way to mule these primers to Houston from ATL so a fellow patron can shoot his rifle. Hazmat kills his "deal". I really enjoy this button pushing as it seems to separate the whiners from the rational.

I can vouch for this. Regardless of what we think about flipping, hueyville does seem to be more of a Robin Hood figure than a cutthroat capitalist. He will help out those in need.

I'll play the devils advocate for a minute, and say that online flippers are the only way some of us actually can get supplies. The shortage in the parts of Texas I have seen has been like a deathgrip. It's not that we pay too much for components locally, its that components don't exist at all. People aren't buying them and flipping them here, they are buying them and stockpiling them. In a lot of cases, stuff isn't even making it to the stores. It's not that it disappears by 10AM, it's that its been gone for a long time and hasn't been showing up period. It's got to come from somewhere, and the retail stores/gun stores aren't cutting the mustard. Some people with unique financial situations may be willing to pay more to get it while they can. Can you fault the guy that has money and is willing to spend it?

 

[Sport45]

Im gonna go out on a limb and say the people that thinks there is nothing wrong with this are participating in the same practice.

You'd be wrong here. I'm not buying or selling.

 

[Sport45]

This sounds like the old argument, which came first, the chicken or the egg?

 

[fallout mike]

That is a good point.

 

[hueyville]

This is a hoot. So my next question is this, if I put my motorcycle on ebay and someone bids it up three times my actual investment, is that me taking advantage of the ability to buy my parts wholesale? Is my risk to buy parts, labor to collect said parts and assemble them into a working bike not of some value.

 

[fallout mike]

Its not illegal to do that. What you have told us is illegal without a ffl.

 

[Sol]

I don't know but you have to admire the capitalist approach. Early bird catches the worm. All the signs for ammocolypse were there in 2012 Trayvon, Aurora, Sandy Hook, election year etc. Sorry about the callous trend analysis.

 

[PixelBender]

Local Wallmart has Federal 55 grain .223 in 100 round boxes for 32.95 each. I bought three today for 105.77 with sales tax. Put them up for auction today and are at 225.00 already with 2:15 left on auction as of now. Guessing they will go for around 300.00 to 350.00. I sold total of five 1,200 round cases before I stopped selling my personal stock. Our Walmart getting shipments in daily. My plan is to buy 300 per day and sell. I told a local acquaintance that I had .223 up for auction and he is upset I didn't offer to him first. He said would pay 2.50 per round if had offered. So tomorrow, I may sell direct to him instead of interwebz. Funny thing is he lives closer to Walmart than I do. So many people have become used to ammo not being available they have stopped looking at normal venues and obsessing with online auctions and private sales. Our Walmart getting 223, 9mm, 45 and 22lr regular. It runs out by mid afternoon but the restock every night. Local gun shops are getting regular orders in. At least one a day gets ammo, stocks it, puts 2 box limit per caliber and it goes away but next day another shop has it and then the third and back to the first. I am used to the routine and can buy several boxes per day at regular, non inflated prices. I flip it for double to triple and do it again. As I am a daily buyer, they all treat me well and even give me a heads up via text message when it is going to be put on shelf. I buy and flip, buy and flip. If people will stop letting me double or triple my money every day, I will quit doing it. But its like leading sheep or cows. Just put out some feed and watch them line up. Weird?!?!?!

I don't mean to be a jerk but, it sounds to me like you're screwing people over and turning a hell of a profit. Now, I get the whole shortage nonsense, but I dunno... You sound like a jerk with all this "my Walmart has ammo, and hahah, morons are paying top dollar"- I mean come on, could you gloat about it any more?

And that friend of yours, some friend you are, selling him ammo @ $2.50 a round, instead of just picking up a few boxes for him?

I dunno, your post just kinda irritated me, ya know with all the companies and people profiting off the souls of dead children and all.

 

[Constrictor]

I dont understand the seasoned shooter not being at least 1 year ahead on components. Heck, you gotta do it just to stay ahead of price increases!

 

[PixelBender]

Ahh it's nice to see other people disagree with this individuals actions.

Look, people are stupid, I get it, but scumming people out of money and gloating about it online, he's the reason my Walmart has zero ammo, yet eBay and gunbroker are selling $900 cans of remanufactured .223 - it's just rude, like the guy who goes to the Parking lot sale, and buys every single can of .223 - stink eyes will be had for being a greedy jerk.

 

[clocker]

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

It's funny how most of the posts fit within one of those five stages of grief/loss. Most of us are hopefully in this for the long term. Supply will come back. Either be patient or build relationships with retailers or pay the current market prices.

There's not much use in getting frustrated with people in our own community. Thanks hueyville for your posts here. I think that tonight was the first night that I could finally put aside my old reactions and look at your posts with a real open mind.

 

[ole farmerbuck]

This is a hoot. So my next question is this, if I put my motorcycle on ebay and someone bids it up three times my actual investment, is that me taking advantage of the ability to buy my parts wholesale? Is my risk to buy parts, labor to collect said parts and assemble them into a working bike not of some value.

You didnt go to the bike shop and buy every bike in there either. Thats the difference.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

Clocker by current market price are you referring to what reputable distributors are charging or what flippers are charging? Ill gladly pay what companies like Powder Valley, MBC, Cabelas, and Midway are charging. Yes they are slightly elevated, but that's supposedly due to increased costs for manufacturers and not because of pending legislation. Those companies offer good products and great service and you can trust you're not getting scammed or gouged. I'm not saying anyone in this thread is, or would, scam or gouge, but can that be said about everyone flipping shooting products right now?

 

[BGD]

I am disgusted by the whole thing. I have enough components to last me about 6 months. When I run out I will stop shooting until I can find components. I will keep enough for deer hunting next fall.

Next July if I cant find some primers, powder and bullets at a reasonable price I wont shoot. I will go fishing. This entire situation is totally unacceptable to me.

I am not laughing. I am irritated and disgusted. This is not how it should be. It takes some of the fun out of it, not knowing when I will be able to find a pound of retumbo let alone bullseye or unique, and I will not pay ridiculous prices.

 

[david_r]

Pretty sure that his purchases have ZERO impact on supply in my area, your area or the total supply of available ammunition. Fact is, there are more people buying ammunition than the amount in the supply chain can provide. He is moving it from his locale to another locale. THE SUPPLY ISN'T CHANGING. If he and others were not doing so, how would this magically make ammunition appear at YOUR LGS? How would it increase supply? Must be some kind of economic magic that I didn't learn. The only people that COULD have a bone to pick with him are people local to him. However, if Walmart is stocking boxes every night, then they're just plain lazy and not going and buying it. The logic behind everyone's denial is baffling.

An auction is the ultimate free market endeavor. It will not sell for one more penny than it is worth. If it isn't worth that price to you, there really is only one answer. Sucks to be you.

Does everyone also whine about stock prices going up? About gold prices? "I was going to buy some. All the signs were there but I just didn't get around to it. Now I want everyone else to stop buying to suit my priorities."

that dog don't hunt

 

[demerp]

I bought guns 20 years ago with intent to pile up like fire wood. ... I give to those who need and hook up those that are polite.

i think this is the proper mindset, "I give to those who need and hook up those that are polite". that is proper, & giving back to those in our fellow shooting community.

i don't think what hueyville is doing is wrong. in a market w/ revved up demand, prices must rise to balance until demand balances supply, or supplies will run out. as an alternative to rising prices to prevent supply mismatch, vendors can limit the amount a given customer can buy. i believe Walmart is already doing this, at least my local one is.

if anything, Hueyville is adding to market liquidity, by moving the product out across the country to other buyers, via Gunbroker.

the arguments here are reminiscent to me of the gas shortages in NY/NJ after Hurricane Sandy. there, the government came down w/ price controls, which are never a good thing (as normal prices in the face of increased demand=supply running out). allow the vendor to increase the price to that which the market will bear, so that it will find equilibrium. or, if the vendor chooses to keep prices where they were), let him limit the amount sold to each customer, as Walmart has done w/ ammo.

i agree w/ Hueyville & Constrictor, w/ Constrictor's sentiment "I dont understand the seasoned shooter not being at least 1 year ahead on components." buy a little extra each time you find a good deal on ammo/components, so that you can ride out the spikes.

it reminds me of the situation w/ water/food we get after our hurricanes down here. everyone in FL knows we get hurricanes (like everyone knows we get periodic ammo/component price shocks), but still many complain when they are caught unprepared.

in the face of a predictable price/availability shock, either plan ahead of time, modify your behavior (i.e. shoot less), or admit you did wrong & wait it out/suffer like a man.

above all, learn from your mistakes.

 

[BullfrogKen]

The only ones that irk me are the ones buying more than they need now just to flip it.

I'm not buying any of it. I'll stop shooting first. Fortunately I have enough to keep me shooting something until the drought subsides.

I refuse to buy ammo and components second-hand over the internet.

I didn't do it the last shortage.

I won't do it now.


I'll forego my entire match season this year, and not shoot at all next year I will, if those are the consequences

 

[fallout mike]

Its wrong according to the law. And IRS if he isn't reporting his side business.

 

[gab909]

although I do not concur with the actions taken, I cannot condemn either. If people are willing to pay that, then that is their problem. If you don't like what Huey is doing, take him off your Christmas list. If people are too lazy to do a little running around and checking that is the problem. The web is a great thing and a bad thing at the same time. Just like the people of ************ worried about the 30 round magazine Ban. Guess what Morons you haven't been able to get a 30 round mag for about 10 years. Oh no, the bullet button ban also.... guess what you already have that also. Panic stricken morons afraid of losing something that they already lost. Wake up people and take note. After this primer/powder crisis there will be another one...How will you fair in the next one.....

 

[shiftyer1]

I cannot understand how you can be upset because someone got up early and made the effort to get to the store before you.

Ya'll come on over and offer me rediculous prices on things and i'll sell ya almost everything I own.

If people didn't buy when low and sell at a profit there would be no business. If folks chill out with there darn panicing things will be back to normal.

 

[ole farmerbuck]

Maybe Huey should get set up with Federal and Winchester and CCI if he wants to profit instead of going around town and cleaning all the shelvs off so Father/son or whoever can go in and buy a box or two.

 

[Duckdog]

Your always going to have leeches in these situations. if you work with 5 guys, one will be one. Remember the E Bay craze where all of these leechbags were gonna make a killing at everyones expense by artificially inflating prices by paying more than things were worth so they could flip them for more profit? This is the same. I know a couple of these pusheads and all I say to them is that they should get a real job.

I'm stocked up for a long time, so there's no sour grapes here, but this crap gets old.