MSRP of guns, is this a game?

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Impureclient

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Confused about what MSRP is. I was under the assumption that it was manufacturers suggested retail price. What am I missing here? I have below links for a CZ bolt gun from CZ directly which I would think we could trust for the correct price. The other two I happened upon while researching to buy that seem to have made up their own MSRP. I can understand showing the MSRP and then having a lesser price to make the appearance of a good deal. They do both in fact have a decent price on the gun but they also are inflating that MSRP to make it seem like a fantastic deal if you don't pay attention to what the manufacturer really says. Is this common in gun selling online? Isn't this just plain false advertising or are they getting a different price for that MSRP somehow?

http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-455-va...y-22-lr-16-bbl-5-rd-mag-black-laminate-stock/ Actual MSRP from manufacturer: $549.00

http://www.sportsmans-depot.com/pro...ACTICOOL-16-SUPRESSOR-READY-BLK-CZ-02159.html MSRP: $646.99 Selling Price: $522.99

https://www.tombstonetactical.com/c...cool-sr-rifle-22lr-16.5in-threaded-5rd-black/ MSRP: $699.00 Selling Price: $518.40
 
We notice it in the firearm market because it's our hobby. this is standard practice in all consumer goods. My son and I do model trains. Same thing. Cars are the same. MSRP on the Chevrolet commercial is not what you'll pay at a dealership. But that doesn't make it any less annoying.
 
1911 guy said:
We notice it in the firearm market because it's our hobby. this is standard practice in all consumer goods. My son and I do model trains. Same thing. Cars are the same. MSRP on the Chevrolet commercial is not what you'll pay at a dealership. But that doesn't make it any less annoying.
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That's not what the OP is trying to say. He is saying the 2 separate vendors listed 2 different MSRPs from the MSRP listed on the manufacturer itself.

OP, I think, in the current firearm market, it is very soft, so that the manufacturer may have adjusted its MSRP down, and it's the most up to date price, whereas the 2 vendors might still be using the old MSRPs, whatever they were. Monitoring the AR market, I see this a lot.
 
It sure sounds like false advertising to me. I kept looking for some subtle difference to explain it until I saw the one at Sportsman's Depot had the same SKU as at CZ. I'd be curious to see what explanation they have, or what reaction CZ might have, if they were contacted about it.
 
Impueclient said:
MSRP of guns, is this a game?
Click to expand...
Yes.

When I was a boy I noticed on one of our many family trips that the tires in gas stations were priced WAY higher (like double ... or more) than what Dad bought them for.

He explained to me that MSRP (although, IIRC, it was referred to as List Price back then) on tires was for places like gas stations. With the high MSRP, he said, those places could command higher prices or, probably more the norm, offer you a "deal" by knocking something off of the List Price ... making you feel a little better and them still making a big profit off of the sale.

With this bit of additional education, I started noticing the same thing evidenced in many different things ... including gun MSRPs.

With guns, the market value is key thing to consider. It is almost always under the MSRP, but in some few cases of high demand it can be above.

Before buying a firearm, always check the prices that it actually sells for in multiple places.
 
I just bought a 527 in 22 Hornet maybe a month or so ago. I expected a little bit of a discount as I've bought a lot of guns there. Dealer charged MSRP of when he ordered it. I was a little disappointed until I saw new MSRP is about $75 higher

All the pricing stuff is hype. It is what I pay that matters
 
my rule of thumb is that the cost will be 100.00 less than msrp at the store. that give the seller leeway to make a profit. jmo
 
MSRP is required by law - the manufacturer has to post it. Since a lot of them are involved in tiered distribution, he has to make it high enough the smaller players can make some profit. Not all of them can buy on volume.

Volume is the key - manufacturers sell based on quantity. We see it all the time, but it passes right under our nose. Sell 10,000 to Walmart, they get one price per unit, sell 10 to a gunstore, they get another. In fact, that gunstore very well may have to buy from a middle man - who bought 1,000, and marked up for his expense and profit.

As long as makers discount for volume, we will see large differences in selling price. The company who can buy 10,000 is going to be able to pass the lower costs on to the next buyer - whether it's another distributor, a smaller store, or directly to a single individual.

And that is why the bigger companies and franchise chains keep pushing out the smaller retailers. Volume buying discounts are where it's at and make them money thru volume sales. It's a two edged sword, most buy on price and moan about the loss of the old school stores who "couldn't compete."
 
As 12131 pointed out, the question isn't the difference between MSRP and actual price, it's that the dealers are misquoting the MSRP. His guess, or else possibly that this was the MSRP when the dealers bought the guns, are about the only guesses that don't sound like fraud to me.
 
Note that both of those dealers do not have inventory and list the item as Out Of Stock. Depending upon how long they've been waiting the MSRP from CZ may have changed on the specific rifle and those retailers may not have updated their websites (no surprise there). Also consider that the "Tacticool" was advertised LONG before it even hit the U.S. and it only became available recently and those dealers may not even have them yet. J&G has them on their backorder/preorder/special order list for $482, Impact (no surprise) has them for $489.95 (no MSRP noted), Gander for $549 ...
 
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MSRP= manufacturers suggested retail price. The key word there is "suggested".

The MSRP suggested may very well be from different stock, bought on different dates or because of slight packaging differences or subtle mods on exact same models. Of course the retailer is going to post the highest MSRP in attempt to show how big of discount you are getting.
 
Bottom line for me is what I end up actually paying for a particular item. MSRP to me is not really all that relevant.
 
Just to add a bit of confusion, look at home appliances. Similar looking models at places like Best Buy, Home Depot, Sears, etc., will have different MSRP's. When you look at the actual SKU number, they'll be different. It makes comparison shopping almost impossible, since you tell the guy at Best Buy to give you the better price, and he tells you that they don't handle that model.

Same for almost any competitive retail market.

With the ability to get an additional magazine, magazine loader, dealer/jobber specials, it makes a difference; sometimes miniscule, but a difference nonetheless.
 
Haven't any of you ever bought a watch from a store that forgot to throw away the msrp tags they didn't use?

It used to be that products like mid-tier watches would come with a stack of MSRP tags so the retailer could offer a watch for $199 (MSRP $249) and, ahead of big sales, they could retag it to $199 (MSRP $349) to offer a bigger discount.

That seems to have somewhat gone away with the internet and the adoption of MAPs and retailer exclusive models where the retailer has custom packaging and their own model number MSRP for that model - which may be identical to products sold under another model number with a different MSRP.
 
buck460XVR said:
MSRP= manufacturers suggested retail price. The key word there is "suggested".
Click to expand...

You can't take one word out and have it stand on its own. The retail price is being suggested, not the suggestion itself. It's not a Suggested MSRP. ;)

That aside, there could be several legitimate reasons for the discrepancy as mentioned above. Personally, I (and probably most people) look at the end price and not so much at the 'discount' so in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter. I couldn't care less if the price of a gun is 10%, 20% or 99% discounted, as long as the price I pay is reasonable.
 
When I worked for a gun store the same gun would cost them different wholesale price depending on the jobber they bought it from. These so called wholesalers supposedly buy direct from the manufacturer but even they get special deals from time to time. If it makes you feel good to compare MSRP, do it, but the end of the day price you pay has little to do with that
If a customer wanted a specific make and model we would shop around to the companies we had connections with to see who had it and the price. They were seldom the same.
 
Dont forget children, the msrp is used exclusively by most dealers when they special order something.

what, you want the blued version of that 12 guage semi auto shotgun? well i sell the stainless version for 900, but because its a special order i have to charge you 10% over list, and list says here... 1200.
 
I think you're making a bigger deal out of this than it deserves. I suspect that the retail pricing on the threaded 455 was an older price. Pricing has been rising on the CZ rifles and to top it off, it is often difficult to find what you are looking for.

My experience is that when you order a firearm at a dealer, the price tends to be a little higher than what they would put on it if it was in stock. The reality is that it should be lower as many require payment upfront on ordered items.

Some retailers actually do raise their "normal" price just before a "sale" so that the sale appears to be more significant than it is. JC Penny was accused of this when you would think that if an item was $50 before the sale and it was 20% off, that it would be $40, but not always the case. On the other hand, do you kick when they ring up the price on an item and it is lower than the "sale price"??
 
It's just a guiding number.

Except where wholesalers and/or retailers are bound by agreements, MSRPs are merely relative pricing guidelines. Often, a marketer will impose fixed local fees or operating costs to a manufacturer's stated MSRP and then publish the new, higher number as factory MSRP.


The important thing is to not take on the attitude of a victim in noting the fluctuating numbers. It's a market, be a market player.
 
Bezoar said:
Dont forget children, the msrp is used exclusively by most dealers when they special order something.

what, you want the blued version of that 12 guage semi auto shotgun? well i sell the stainless version for 900, but because its a special order i have to charge you 10% over list, and list says here... 1200.
Click to expand...
If you pay over msrp for a special order, find better dealers.
 
You're just figuring this out?
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Yeah, I never paid attention to pricing other than where do I buy it for the least amount. I did buy the gun last night but for $476 as that was the lowest price on the net at the moment. It was only after I bought it and was just looking around even deeper to ensure I had done my research thorough enough that I realized that they were doing the MSRP thing. I couldn't care less what they bought it for, what profit they make on it or what they complain on loss for selling it. All that matters is how much do I pay. I didn't know they do this with vehicles or appliances either, very underhanded. Ignorance is bliss?
 
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