Negotiating Prices?

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Kind of Blued

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Maybe I'm a sucker, but I tend to just go for a gun if I think the price is fair and it is something that I want. I guess it just doesn't even cross my mind to "talk 'em down" most of the time. I think I was raised in a culture/society that didn't present "price negotiation" to me... things were just "$this.much".

Simply put, I suppose I may be ignorant as to exactly what role the practice plays in the world of purchasing firearms.

Anyway, I'm hopefully going to be going into a shop this weekend, buying a used $700 AR for sure, and (if the tax refund check is here by then), might add another rifle twice that price as well.

The $700 rifle is in REALLY good shape and lists for $900. The other lists for about $1600 and is marked at $1440. It has been there for a WHILE however, and a shop closer to me has the same rifle for $20 cheaper.

So are there any things that you guys do to get the best price? What would you do in my specific situation? Would it be fair to say I'll do $2,000 for both?

I can't help but feel like I have to give the dealer a REASON as to why they should give something to me for cheaper, but I understand even they may not see it that way. So I tend to think of some psychological sort of game, where I go in, handle the rifle I know I want, tell them I'll buy it. Ask to see the other one, show interest, and pretend like I hadn't even considered buying it, but I'll do it for $x-amount.

It seems silly, I guess I just wasn't taught how to be straight-forward in haggling and simply saying "I don't want to spend that much" even when another $20 doesn't really mean much to me at that point.

Anyway, what are your thoughts and how do you treat/deal with the process?
 
If I know what the firearm should sell for within a few dollars I'm going to drive a hard bargain with my gun dealer.If he or she is honest I'm walking away with the firearm.
A good way to find out is to use this website out of Arizona.They are honest and reliable.I've bought over a dozen firearms through them:

http://www.galleryofguns.com
 
Always compaison shop. When I am in the market for a new firearm I hit evey gunshop in town. Sometimes I will come across a better deal sometimes not. If one shop has the gun I want, but another has something similar but not quite what I want at a lower price, I tell the owner they have it lower at another store to see if he will lower the price. Sometime they will lower their price or knock off the tax.

If they will not lower the price ask if they will throw in some ammo, extra mags, holsters, sling, ect. I've bought some guns where the price of the free extras more than made up for not lowering the gun price.

Also ALWAYS ASK FOR NRA DISCOUNTS. Most gun dealers I have dealt with appriciate NRA members enough to give a discount if asked. In addition I ask for Disabled Veteran, American Legion, and VFW discounts. With the price of ammo nowadays, every penny counts.

P.S. Beware of quoting internet prices or saying you could get it cheaper on Gunbroker.com. It seems to piss off most gundealers (at least around here).
 
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Alright: you can look at sights such as buds gun shop: BUDS GUNSHOP. Always remember to add about $25 per gun for FFL cost.

Or Gunbroker is another good sight but make sure you get an average of the costs.

Expect to pay at least that much for the rifles. Remember, these guys/girls have to eat too and they need to make sure they can actually get a good price on the gun. Now, some things that you can try:

Buy used guns. Shops really cut the guy trading the gun in, so they will be more flexible about selling a used gun

Offer to buy ammo, scopes, whatever and see if they can knock it down a little. Usually a small shop like that is only pulling in like a 10% profit on new guns. But ammo, scopes, gun cases, slings, snap caps, etc can really make them smile after you leave because they had a good day. If they smile because you are buying from them, they will know you next time you come in and will deal with you even more :)

Also, gun shows are a great place to go. The trick is to try to buy from the guys walking about trying to sell their own rifles, that is where you can get deals.

-Kitchen
 
I buy so much ammo from John's Guns that I asked for frequent flyer miles. Instead he usually knocks off .50 to $1.00 off every box of ammo when I buy it by the case, which is usually. Spending $600-1000 a month on ammo usually gets you some discount.
 
Simply ask the owner what's the absolute lowest out-the-door price he could give you.

I'd say something like "I don't like to dicker, and you probably don't either. Just tell me what your absolute lowest out-the-door price is on these two guns".

You can then decide if his price is acceptable to you.
 
For me, a private sale is always worth dickering, in fact I expect a little give and take. For a gun store, if their price is "fair" I'm willing to pay it. It's never going to be as cheap in a store as it is "online" or privately. They have overhead, etc, but if they are close I'm willing to pay that, they have to stay in business too.
If they want $700 for a Glock 19, well no, I'm not paying that and I'm not coming back either.
But as I visit the same gun shops over and over again, guess what? I get little things here and there, I get prices that come down a few percentage points. I get "special" guns kept for me behind the counter because they know I'll like it. Because I'm a regular and willing to spend money and a good shop takes care of it's regulars.

If you are in the first time demanding discounts, well my guess is you won't get many. Buy a couple guns a year from the same shop, certainly they will deal with you, they want to keep you.

used guns have much more margin to move than new guns. I bet the average margin on a new gun is 10 to 15% (Larry C???). That's not much room to make any money, do all the paperwork, keep stock in hand, keep the lights on, pay people, etc. Pay $10 more, keep the FFL in business. Lowest price isn't everything.
 
Some stores will negotiate prices and some won't. The two largest local gunshops here in Richmond don't negotiate. They'll usually price match on whichever one has the lower price. But otherwise you pay what's on the sticker.
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I recently thought this through. In my case, a local shop has a Rock Island Armory Tactical 1911 with a price tag of $489. Now, this is a good $100 over what the online shops are selling them for, and they can be found on gunbroker for $425 shipped. That's not an acceptable difference, in my opinion, especially considering sales tax.

Unfortunately, in this case, the owner behind the counter told me that $489 was "the best we could do." Okay, that's no problem.

However, if he'd been willing to drop that down to say, $450, I'd have paid cash and they'd have the promise of my future business. If he'd have gone to $425, I'd have bought 300 rounds of the .45 hardball gathering dust in the corner, a couple of extra mags, and a year's membership at his range. But that's all pretty much moot, considering the fact that $489 was "the best we could do".

As it is, I bought the gun and an extra mag on gunbroker for $410 shipped. I found another shop on the other side of town that'll transfer it for $10 (this opposed to the previous shop's employee literally screaming at me that a transfer from a unlicensed party was illegal under any and all circumstances. They'll not be graced by my presence again.)
 
Its your money. You are free to spend more than necessary if you want. Shop around and check prices. Examine what he has and make an offer. That is exactly the same thing that he is doing. Dealers should be able to make a fair but not unreasonable profit. There is ALWAYS another gun just like the one you want out there somewhere.
 
I always make an offer, all they can do is say no, and even if they won't come down in price then they will often throw in a few extras to sweeten the deal. BTW I have no problem with anyone making a proffit, I just don't want all of it to come from me.
 
P.S. Beware of quoting internet prices or saying you could get it cheaper on Gunbroker.com. It seems to piss off most gun dealers (at least around here).
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... OOOOOOOHH YEAHAAA!!! I saw a local shop owner practically toss a guy from his store; just for mentioning the "G" word. (Gunbroker.com)
 
Of course mentioning internet pricing is bad form.
They don't have have a shop, keep shop hours, pay personnel, have insurance to cover liability, etc.
Using the internet pricing you find as a means to jack up your local guy is just very poor manners.

Ask him what his best deal is and either buy it or don't, but don't beat the guy up over an apples/oranges argument.
 
Know the value of your gun. Have a fixed amount that you are willing to spend.(Do not go above it) Do not fall in love with the first model you see.(You will spend to much).Sellers want your money more than you want their product.(Keep that as your motto)Do not be afraid to make a fair counter offer. (No... There I said it.. Did that Hurt?:D) Honesty above all else.. A return Happy customer is important. There is a difference between negotiating with a local shop owner VS. Someone that you may never see again.. (More comments see my thread on gun prices in a falling economy) take care...DS
 
there is often a lot less margin in new guns than buyers tend to think, so it is not easy for gun shops to reduce their price a lot if there is not a lot of margin already in the price.

make an offer. the worst that can happen is you get turned down and ridiculed for making such a ridiculous offer. it won't be the first or last time you are turned down and/or ridiculed. :)
 
It can be tricky, but its worth a try. Worse he can say is no.

- First- do the research, find out what the rifle goes for used and new.

- find out what the average price is on gunbroker or other shops. Factor in FFL. If its cheaper somewhere else, you may want to simply go there.

- what is the gun shop owner like? (have you been there before? have you bought from him before? do you know his personality?) Not to bring up the bashing thread, but some gun shop owners are stubborn, prideful, ignorant, and get offended if you try to negociate a better price.

- I think it does help if you give a reason. I was buying a Russian SKS once, and the dealer didn't know much about them only what he paid for it and what profit he figured he could get from me. I pointed out the year and average price, I pointed out scratches in the wood... explaining if the the wood was perfect he'd get the initial price. I ended up getting him down from $400 to $300. (and don't chime in and brag that they sell mint Russians at your local walmart for $250... $300 isn't a bad price for a Russian SKS with minor nicks, ;)).

- keep your body language and facial expressions positive- don't get tense or sound like you are demanding things... or you're "gonna walk out." You're not buying a house. If he isn't playing don't get huffy, just act a bit let down and say "well I'd rather give you the business but I can't do that price..." Then make some small conversation, thank him for his time, and exit slow. Don't storm out.

- Keep in mind, most gun shop owners have a set amount they want to profit. Perhaps $50 to $100 on a rifle. They obviously have to eat and pay the electric bill. Factor that in as well.

Good luck.
 
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If it`s a used weapon, there is always wiggle room. Not everybody has the gift of gab or put another way, some love to haggle while others never give it a thought. You can`t be what your not.
Try going to your local gun show (if you have any)and practice the "craft."
of haggling. If you don`t convince the seller to change their mind you can always pay....the asking price.
It`s your money....don`t just give it away.
 
I would like to comment on a couple things in this thread. Really I woudl just like to straiten some people out on how firearms sales works.

Firearms is one of the few 3 teired systems left. You have a Manufactuer, a distributor, and a dealer.

So lets look at the different people involved and the scenarios this bring up.
Shop A: buys from a Distributor
Shop B: Buys from the Manufactuer
Distributor who also sells to the public.
Distributor only.

Shop A is going to pay more for the Gun than Shop B, even though they will probably have the gun listed at the same price. Shop A will have less wiggle room than Shop B due to this.

Now this was never a big deal untill the advent of Internet sales. Now some Distributors are also doing sales to the General public and letting them just be transfered though local dealers. Distributors can sell the firearms at lower prices becuase they are paying less than even Shop B is in some cases and will be moving large volume.

For instance, even though I work at a Gun shop, there are some guns I can get cheaper through another distributor since we are not a distributor for that gun line. Thier price to the GP is equal to or just slightly higher than it is to a dealer.

What is the point of all this? The deal you can get on a gun depends not only on your relationship with the shop but where they got the gun.

In addition I can tell you that the markup in a Gun is not that much. There are some guns where you will only make 2-3% if you are lucky.
 
Now this was never a big deal untill the advent of Internet sales.
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After you tack on the $30-50 typical FFL and shipping fees, the difference tends to be a whole lot less. Although sales tax can also make a difference, and a lot of brick and mortar stores are fighting that.
 
especially considering sales tax.
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Legally, you're supposed to pay sales tax on all sales, whether the person selling is authorized to collect it or not. There's a spot on your state tax return form(usually) for it. Most people don't bother, but it is there, and you are supposed to pay it.

Back OT:
I go to whoever is going to give me a better deal, whether they'll negotiate or not, but I do consider it a plus.
 
I agree with alot of what guys have already said. My father has owned a gunshop for 30+ years. We now have a great online buisness (Budsgunshop.com) but we still have an actual store as well. With all that in mind I'll tell you MAKE OFFERS.Sometimes people will accept less if they can. An offer never offended me. The whole best price then trade thing is different but if someone at a store has a problem with an offer look around.
 
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