Local or Interweb dilemma...

[Bockscar]

I recently decided to buy a gun which is becoming somewhat difficult to find. I called around and was told all kinds of stories about how it was now illegal and unimportable. I called a local shop to see how much one would cost me. The local shop quoted me $930 OTD. About 10 minutes later I called an internet wholesaler and was quoted $780 shipped. There is a local FFL who will do a transfer for $20. The guns are identical. Both are NIB.

So, now I have a dilemma to either purchase at the local guys shop who supports the local gun economy for $930 OTD, or buy online and do the local transfer for $800 OTD. The choice seems obvious to me, but what would you all do? I want to give the local guy a chance to get close, but $800 is below his wholesale. How would you approach the local guy about this in a way not to upset him?

 

[Kilgor]

Obvious choice. Buy online and then go down and give the gunshop the $130 difference out of the goodness of your heart...

 

[McKnife]

The choice seems obvious to me, but what would you all do?

I go through the same thing everytime I want a new firearm. These locals need to get with it or suffer the loss of business. I was quoted $620 for a brand new XD-45 from local in Houston, and I got it online shipped for $475 + $15 FFL.

Spend the savings on ammo... you'll need it with these record prices.

 

[.cheese.]

out of curiosity, what's the gun?

I say internet purchase and pay the $20 transfer fee. While I have paid higher prices at the LGS to support them, I REALLY like the LGS and want them to stay in business. Plus they sell me Glocks at a really really low prices.

If it wasn't for the fact that I really like them though, I'd use the internet.

 

[Bockscar]

It's an FN SLP.

 

[scout26]

1. Buy Gun on-line.
2. Go to LGS and show them what you paid for gun.
3. Buy ammo for new gun from LGS, unless you can find ammo someplace else cheaper. Then repeat step two.

Gun shops are businesses, not charities. My job is to get the most for my money. If I choose to donate to a charity I will, or maybe I won't.

What you choose to do with your money is up to you. But when I buy a car I always try to get the best deal, not many people I know of pay more for their car because they felt sorry for the dealer/salesman. YMMV.

 

[kingpin008]

Exactly. If a business is going to be successful, that business has to remain competitive. This is the same argument gone over and over on the Walmart ammo threads, and "do you haggle for your prices" threads. Some are dead against it, due to whatever principal. Me, I try to get the most bang for my buck, no matter what it's being spent on. If they want my dollar, they've got to find a way to be competitive.

In short, buy it online, spend the extra on ammo. Show the dealer the price you got, and explain to him/them why you bought online rather than in their shop. If enough folks did that, we might stop seeing all those dealers with full MRSP tags on the guns in their cases.

 

[.cheese.]

why would an SLP be illegal? It's sold all over the place isn't it?

 

[ugaarguy]

It's an FN SLP.

Don't rush, unless you must have a Belgian made SLP. Though the BATFE has declared that the SLP is not a sporting shotgun and therefor can't be imported there will be more. FN is already getting the tooling set up for US production an FNMI in Columbia, SC where the vast majority of US Military small arms are currently made.

 

[BigBlock]

Gun shops are businesses, not charities.

Exactly. This is a no brainer. I see no reason what so ever the local guy deserves your money, and more of it. This goes for every product you can buy. Nothing pisses me off more than overpriced local guys. If you can't compete you don't deserve the business. Internet businesses are local somewhere too you know...

If you go on a road trip do you bring extra gas cans full of "local" gas for when you run out?

 

[Mr White]

I'm sure the local guy wasn't thinking of your best interest when he quoted you $930.
Why should you be worried about his best interest when you have a chance to save $130 on the gun you want?

 

[Caimlas]

I'm guessing he quoted you $930 because you really, really wanted the gun and he could tell by the way you were acting - that's usually the case, in my experience, when a customer makes a very specific request - because they think they can get by with a little extra profit on a custom order or something someone requests specifically.

The last time I wanted to order a gun, the local shop quoted me a price over the $629 MSRP - compare that to the $430-460 that I knew I could get from a number of online retailers. I'm a regular at this shop, and they 'knew' that when I specified something exactly, that I'd be getting it. Well, I didn't get it - at least from them.

While I am entirely for supporting local shops, those local shops need to realize that they are there not only to push product; they're there to form a relationship. Gun shops have a special role in that regard, just as any other 'custom shop' or 'culture shop' which caters to a certain segment of the local populace exclusively. As a whole, it seems gun shop owners act like used car salesmen instead of the kind of friendly people you find in bike shops, 'extreme' sport shops, golf/sporting shops - heck, even your average hardware store or (dare I say it) automotive dealerships.

In short, as soon as someone tries to pull the wool over my eyes and pretend it's a good deal, they've entered into my assessment of "scumbag". I realize gun shops have overhead, but so do the shops which sell online successfully. Figure it out without treating your customer like someone you've got to try and cheat to push product, and you might just do half decently!