Recent Gunshop Experience (pricing)

[redneck2]

Part of the "logic" is that they can give more on a trade-in gun. If the new one is marked $100 high, I can give you $100 more for your old one. Not saying I agree, just that it's the way they choose to do things.

Some people like to think they got the dealer to mark down new stuff. Some guys are more interested in how much they got for their old one. Think they got a great deal.

 

[natman]

I'm not condoning the practice, but I think I understand it. Some guys aren't happy unless they dicker on the price. Heck, some guys would be happier paying $750 that they dickered down from $850 than they would be to pay $700 straight up. Sounds odd, but it's true. The shop in question may have a lot of customers like that. Not my idea of how it should be done, but....

 

[13Bravo]

When I bought my first pistol I didn't do a whole lot of research price wise. I knew what I wanted, and went and got it, a xd4o sc. I love and still got it, and a whole lot more to boot. I got hooked. Not just on pistols, but on the price that day. If I'd had shopped around a bit more I could have traveled 30 miles and saved $100. Anyway, I remember that guy who sold me the XD, and he's not getting my money again. And I prefer new guns to used ones. He's SOL on this customer, and all my army buddies who mention getting a gun. I tell em don't bother with that guy.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Some guys aren't happy unless they dicker on the price. Heck, some guys would be happier paying $750 that they dickered down from $850 than they would be to pay $700 straight up.

Ive noticed this too. Price and "getting a deal" is often highly psychological and hardly ever logical. I have always figured mark the price as low as you can and never go any lower with any customer. I know that would be a suicide move though. Plus if you mark them a little high and give yourself room to play you always get one here or there that doesnt know how it works and they just pay sticker price.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

I'm glad I got an FFL guy whom I'm friendly with. Besides doing great deals with my students(NRA pistol instructor), he lets me pay dealer prices plus 10%, shipping, and a $10 transfer. A NIB Glock 20 ran me less than $500 while the shops are charging $700. The FFL guys is an elderly gentleman who runs his FFL as a hobby but I've been making him over a grand each month. And me and my students have been doing bookoo case ammo orders. Got two cases of .45 ACP coming in this Saturday with the 50rd boxes costing $16.70+/-. I'm splitting the boxes up between students but I'm taking 500 rounds home to put a few new second-hand buys to the test.

Retail stores will always charge more, just the nature of the beast. It all costs money and they will try to get it back one way or another. My dad has a house he wants me to lease to own once I'm done with law school and it checks out for running an FFL out of it. So soon as my FFL guys kicks the bucket(he's in real rough shape and maybe has two years he told me) I'll get my FFL and charge 15% over dealer's price to my students and only sell to my students. I'll still save the consuming public one to three hundred bucks on most guns.

If I sell to ten students a month, each student buying a $300 or more guns, it'll be a quick $450 in my pocket. Plus I'll run my carpet cleaning business out of the house as well along with my 'instructor business' and few more businesses once I'm admitted to the bar so there will be plenty of tax applications.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Why not get your FFL now?

10-15% over dealer cost is about average pricing. You'd be consistent with the normal market.

 

[Nate1778]

My local shop is different I guess, great prices on guns all around, I mean they had some used Glocks in there for around ~$300. But whip out the plastic and he'll tell you that is cash price and there is a 5% increase for CC use. At least he is honest.

 

[vicdotcom]

Well my thing is that I don't have a NEED to haggle. But I do know what price I am willing to pay for a certain item. If the sticker happens to be +/- $10 of that price, then I am good with that. If not, then I will ask for lower or go someplace else.

I think the key is to know what the going rate for what you are looking at. If you aren't sure, I wouldnt buy until I go home and do some research. I remember there was one rifle that I thought was priced a little high someplace. I looked at it, went home and researched it, and found out it was a special caliber and the price was very reasonable. I went back and paid full sticker without feeling a need to "get better". And to me it doesnt really matter if it is a pawnshop or not. I know they pawned it for a fraction of what they are selling for, but if it is priced at what "I" want, it doesnt matter to me how much profit the pawnshop is making as long as the gun is in good condition. That is their business. Now if it is priced high, that is another matter.

Impulse buying I think is where people get reamed the most.

 

[stonecutter2]

Interestingly, I recently stopped into a local gun shop that has had a "little" inflated prices in the past - and suddenly found very competitive pricing to what I'd seen on internet sites. Their prices in the past were usually mostly fair, but some models that they had marked up a little bit - probably more popular models they knew would sell. I'm thinking they finally gave in to seeing business walk out of the door.

Personally, I have no problem with paying a little more to a local merchant because:
1) they're part of the local economy and community
2) if something's odd about the purchase, you can bring it back to work with them on making it right, without involving FedEx or UPS and a string of calls/emails.
3) I really enjoy the experience of purchasing firearms face-to-face, the chit-chat, etc.

This is not to say I wouldn't save money if it was like $100+ with an internet purchase, I just prefer the local business transaction in respect to firearms.

 

[chrisbfd]

beware cc transactions

Just a little more fuel to the fire. Recently there have been news segments about the data collection banks are gathering about their customers' purchases. They then use said info to determine credit worthiness, like how much your interest rate is going to be.
Use cash, the banks don't need to rip us off anymore than they already do.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Uh, chris, that provided nothing to the post, and was completely off topic

I find that my local shops are a little difficult to bargain with, they tend to only do it with people they know, otherwise it is whats on the price tag.