On-line Is Cheaper? Yeah, Right!!

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CB900F

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Fella's;

I got off a little early from work yesterday afternoon. Having some free time, I immediately thought of an excellent way to get in trouble in today's rainbow society, I bought a gun.

The closest emporium to me has now started to receive new issue Ruger LCP's. And as I'd been thinking of getting a summer and/or back-up gun, I sprung for the necessary and departed.

Today at work, I showed it off & was asked if I got a good deal. I replied that I thought I had paid a fair price for it, but it was retail across the counter. So we went to one of the major on-line marketplaces & searched to find Ruger LCP's. There it were, all $378.99 of it! Hoo-boy, I searched some more & got hits on another major site. Prices online seem to run from $350.00 to the aforementioned $379-ish number.

I paid $259.00 full, not on sale, retail.

I'm not saying it's impossible to find a good deal online, just don't believe that it has to be the best deal because it's online. There may be a lot of competition online, but it's apparant that a lot of online seller's believe P.T. Barnum was right. I always look long & hard locally before I buy online & am usually rewarded with a good gun at a better price.

900F
 
Even if your local store is a little higher, remember that when buying online you have shipping and dealer transfer fees to deal with. Sometimes the net cost saving is negligible.
 
My last three guns were purchased online because locals wouldn't part with their merchandise at the same price.

Bud's price includes shipping.
My transfers are $10 per gun.

I got an XD45 5" for $489 delivered from Bud's + $10 = $499 out the friggin door.

Locally that same gun was right around $570 plus $38+ in sales tax means...
I saved $109 buying online!!! That is not a minor amount.

From now on, for the rest of my life, I'll always find the lowest price online and then find the lowest price locally. I have a feeling where my future guns are coming from and where they are not.
 
CoRoMo;

And neither is $119.99 a minor amount. That's what I saved by purchasing locally. You need to find better gun shops. I do understand, and comiserate, that you're hindered by being in Colorado. But I know for a fact that you can find a good deal in that increasingly Kali'd state.

900F
 
You got a great price on that gun and it seems like you have a great gun shop near you. I have been to every gun shop listed in the phone book for 200 miles around me I have only found one that "some times" has better deals than online.

Good deal!

Adam
 
CB900F,
Instead of telling us, "went to one of the major on-line marketplaces" and then, "I searched some more & got hits on another major site" why not just tell us which sites you visited. You may think they are major sites but shouldn't we be the judge of that? I find it hard to believe any of the online gun shops I visit would be selling a Ruger LCP for $378.99 considering the MSRP is only $347.

Even Gallery of Guns who is always very high on prices had it for the MSRP.
 
It pays to shop around, both locally and on line. The next item you want could be going for a better price on line, even with shipping figured in. And that same item might be better locally the next day. Gotta shop around. One advantage of local shopping is the ability to dicker. I once bought a gun at a pawn shop, after I talked them into giving me a spare mag, 2 boxes of ammo, and they blew off the sales tax. Hard to do that on line.
 
Good deals (and rotten ones, too!) can be found both on-line and in local shops. I tend to look at both before I make a buy. For me, though, the best thing about Internet gun shopping is the ability to find unusual items that you'd scarcely ever see in your local gun shop.
 
Fella's;

Boba Fett: And I quote from my original message "The closest emporium to me has now started to recieve new issue Ruger LCP's." So no, this is not a recall gun.

ArchAngelCD: No, you don't get to be the judge of that. Because I'm a crusty, cynical, sociophobe, I don't care either.

900F
 
Wow... if I could find an LCP locally for that price, I'd buy on the spot. People are selling them for around $375 here. At that rate, I would rather grab a P3AT for $260. But you got a great price on a sweet little gun.

I always try to find stuff locally first... shipping and transfer fees usually wreck any "good deals" I find online.
 
CB900F...

I'm not arguing the point, I'm bragging about my find.

I really don't want to drive long distances to save $20,$30,$40,$50 on a gun. I'll look throughout the three or four counties near me and if those gun dealers don't want to sale a gun, the online guys get the bucks. If I find a deal locally, I ain't passing it up either.

Here is the piece de resistance... if I found a local gun, NIB, and the price after sales tax was virtually the same as an identical gun online after shipping/transfer, I wouldn't hesitate to keep my money local and buy the gun that I can fondle and inspect before buying it.

Otherwise, price will win out every time, not location.
 
CB900F
Boba Fett: And I quote from my original message "The closest emporium to me has now started to recieve new issue Ruger LCP's." So no, this is not a recall gun.
Click to expand...

Yes, I did read your original post, but "starting to receive new issue" doesn't mean, to me, that they don't still have the old recall stuff in-stock as well.

I just wanted to make sure your new gun was safe and you weren't sold a recall gun or the guy at the store passed off a recall as new production. I'm sure you checked the serials and whatnot before purchasing.

Thanks for the clarification.
 
I try to buy from the 3 gun stores in town even if it's a little much just to support them when I can afford it. Considering the trans. fee and shipping add $45/50.00 to the price. It works out. But then sales tax adds about 7+%. Support the local guy if possible!
 
I'm willing to spend a little more if it's local and deserving. My fave shop is run by Dad, Mom, and two sons. They are very reasonable and helpful though so that helps. They also employ a bunch of very nice local guys and knowing my money is going into their pockets makes me happy. It isn't the typical retail outlet with constant turnover, there hasn't been a new employee there in a year or so. If they stock it I buy it there and don't even check the online price, if they don't stock it I order it. A shop a bit further away only gets my business if I'm in dire need, conceited and smarmy.
 
Been in many gun stores and always have a big shoppoing list in my head. 95% of the time in store is higher. Gun shows have better deals of course. Like a previous poster above I buy a lot from Buds and my local transfers are $10, which means shipping+transfer is usally cheaper than sales tax. Still worth looking, they are local deals, and deals on consignments and used guns of course.
 
No offense, but all the local stores where I live really suck and the price is too high. I don't know why, but the local guys get plenty of business and tax the heck out of their guns. FOr example, Ican find a Saiga 12 ga for $550 online, whereas most local stores sell them for $700+. And the guys at the gun show put the IRS to shame as for as taxation is concerned. I am stuck online, but most online places sell out quick. Gun broker is my best friend. :(
 
ArchAngelCD: No, you don't get to be the judge of that. Because I'm a crusty, cynical, sociophobe, I don't care either.

900F
Click to expand...
If you didn't care you wouldn't have bothered posting, would you? There's no reason to act the fool especially here at THR. Since you are willing to condemn all online stores but not willing to back up your charges, your post has no validity. I guess it's good you don't care because neither should anyone else reading this thread. :rolleyes:
 
ArchAngelCD;

Ah, the rhetorical question ploy! And you have cruelly and fouly implied that I'm a fool also. My self-esteem is damaged beyond repair! My world is crushed!

And I'm calling upon the politically correct police to burn you at the stake too.

900F
 
I've saved quite a bit by buying online. Over $200 on my Ruger 22/45 Mark III because I ordered a distributor-exclusive model that had all the features I wanted. The distributor had it blued instead of stainless (I actually wanted blued), and that dropped the cost dramatically.

Then there's the 1000 round case of PMC .223 FMJ BT I got for $350 shipped. Cabela's has it for 45 cents a round. I got it for 35 cents. And the PRVI Partisan 7.62x54R 150 grain softpoints I got for $10.50 a box. Finding non-corrosive 150 grain is difficult. The only other alternative, Wolf Gold FMJ (also of PRVI Partisan manufacture), was priced at $18 a box at Cabela's. I bought 10 boxes. Even with shipping costs, it's not even going to come close to the local price.

So yes, I'd say you can save a LOT of money by buying online if you look for the right deals. Granted, I've been buying various things online for years, everything from computer parts to guns and ammo, and everything in between.
 
If I'm buying a cheap gun it'll often be local but I'm a good customer at Bud's because I avoid the 8.6% and they have both a better price and free shipping to boot. Transfers cost nothing in one place that's a 25 mile drive or $10. the other that's ten miles from here. I live in the hinterland, kinda' far from the madding crowds. :)
 
ArchAngelCD;

Ah, the rhetorical question ploy! And you have cruelly and fouly implied that I'm a fool also. My self-esteem is damaged beyond repair! My world is crushed!

And I'm calling upon the politically correct police to burn you at the stake too.

900F
Click to expand...
Now that's better.... I like you better already. ;)
 
A good gun price is in the eyes of the the buyer. That is all that matters. Happy and content customers.

Seems like everytime I buy a firearm, usually some pre-lock Smith revolver, I can always find someone online who will tell me I paid too much. Of course, half the time the comparative purchase was made a year prior to mine, so.... Guess I don't care either.

I personally would not buy online to save 10 or 15% of the purchase price of a new firearm. I would rather deal with my local shops who actually appreciate that I choose to do business with them. Then only time I go online or out of state is for collector pieces, or I have no other option locally.
 
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