Should I have paid?

[Loosedhorse]

when every body and their brother thinks it's o.k. to conduct their private gun sales, sans commision, on the gun store property

What is your solution? If a person sees your gun as you're on your way into or out of a gun store, and he offers to (legally) buy your gun, you must say:

1. No: since we met in the parking lot like this, it's an unethical sale. If only I had been walking to the post office carrying my rifle, and bumped into you there!

2. Sure, let's agree on a price, and then let's go in and see what the dealer's fee is for meeting on his property: we'll split it!

3. I see a public sidewalk over there; let's go there and talk about it.

Perhaps the store owner would be decent enough to post a sign: "I get a 10% cut of any sales agreed to on my property!" Then all he'd have to worry about is enforcement...but he'd have the ethical high ground.

I've noticed that gun owners often have other things for sale: trucks, motor cycles, etc. Suppose I see the "for sale" sign on a truck while I'm at the gun store, I guess if I buy it, the dealer gets a cut of that, too?

 

[Mike1234567]

Just take the deal elsewhere.

 

[azmjs]

Sounds like all these guns are worth your "lowest price."

I would have 86ed you and called around if you'd pulled that stunt at my shop.

 

[Dnaltrop]

Have to side with Azmjs on this one... While I agree the appearance is that something mildly shady went on with the sale prices of the rest of your guns, you were in a contract with him at the time for their sales, and you get what you bargain for.

I don't know what kind of forms you signed if any regarding the first guns... but as someone who left the retail world in the mid-90s, and lived on commission alone... I can understand his reaction on some level.

For all the shop owner knows, the gentleman you sold to went around him, found out you owned the rifle, and for all appearances, convinced you to remove the rifle from his counters, with the specific intent of cutting him out of the loop for the sale, then attempted to execute said sale right in front of him.

I'm NOT saying this is what you did, many misunderstandings are perfectly innocent.

Nor am I saying you should not have sold the rifle, just taken the guy's info and done it off of the LGS's property, and not in plain sight of him.

Regarding his cut... That is entirely on you. If I was in your position, and really felt he was screwing me over with the previous sales, I'd simply cease to do further business with him beyond the contracted items.

Frankly... I'm often a "too nice idiot". Going from a good paycheck with money to spare , to living check to check as the electronics market crashed in the 90's forced my (wise) career change to insurance claims.

Selling $5000 IBM Pc's (100mhz, 16 mb ram, a whopping 100 mb hard drive and a CD drive!!!! I still feel bad sometimes looking back on those) and having my own fortunes make such a radical reversal left me sympathetic to retailers and salesmen, I admit that fully.

I have a good working relationship with my small local LGS, I would have given him a cut, but he's never screwed me (or given even an inkling therof) , and his workshop has incredible turnaround. I feel "invested" in my store as a regular customer.

 

[CMC]

The Problem is as I see it with the gun shop he should negotiate to your bottom price and then his consigment fee should come out of the actual selling price.
I pay 10 percent on whatever the final sale price is and that is on the consigment form of which I get a copy.
If my lowest price is 500 he gets 50 bucks and I get 450.
I believe this way he dont have to jack up the price over my lowest price or have the appearance of being dishonest.
A consigment fee is a percentage of the final sale not whattever you can get over the minimum price at least in my dealings.

 

[Shadow 7D]

So what happens when he trades your gun ($0) for another gun which sells for $1200
and he pays you your minimum ($500 - $50) ???

 

[Redlg155]

Have to side with Azmjs on this one... While I agree the appearance is that something mildly shady went on with the sale prices of the rest of your guns, you were in a contract with him at the time for their sales, and you get what you bargain for

Exactly..and when he transferred my weapon back to me, I was no longer under contract.

As for impressions, it would be pretty dumb to plan out not having to pay a commision and then completing the deal with him watching through a window...

As stated previously, my lowest price had the dealers comission factored in, so in actuality, I came out even better. In the end, he lost a customer who spent several thousand dollars over a time period as wellbas providing comission sales and family customers. Over what....$50 bucks?

I now use a dealer that will only charge me $20 for online orders and will reasonably negotiate a good price and not act as if he's doing me a favor for selling at suggested retail price.

 

[aeriedad]

^^ +1

 

[Dnaltrop]

As I said, most of these sorts of things are misunderstandings. I didn't think or even suggest that you had actually intended such an underhanded act.

Here we (THR members) are already at a higher standard than what you see out of many other people, in a world where people who can't swim, go out on the ocean then drown in a boating accident... and it's considered "tragic" I'd rank the intellectual, and moral capacities of the people here at least several notches above that kind of idiocy.

YOU may not have even considered that sort of dealing... I guarantee you there are 10 idiots who will for every one of us who walk the straight and narrow.

Again, sell the gun, Just take them to the nearest Walmart parking lot instead.

 

[Redlg155]

The sad part is that we all use the local shops as a sort of watering hole, sans libation of course. It is a place where information is passed as well as the telling of the occasional "whopper" . I've spent many a day in a shop with no extra money to spend, but my dealer entertains me by letting me "fondle" the wares, knowing that I will be back some day with money in hand.

Sometimes, as in this situation, wires get crossed and although the customer has a need for the dealer, it is the dealer who needs the customer even more in this relationship.

Had he not made his demands and had simply stated that he was offended, we may have come to an understanding.

 

[Mike1234567]

The sad part is that we all use the local shops as a sort of watering hole, sans libation of course. It is a place where information is passed as well as the telling of the occasional "whopper" . I've spent many a day in a shop with no extra money to spend, but my dealer entertains me by letting me "fondle" the wares, knowing that I will be back some day with money in hand.

Sometimes, as in this situation, wires get crossed and although the customer has a need for the dealer, it is the dealer who needs the customer even more in this relationship.

Had he not made his demands and had simply stated that he was offended, we may have come to an understanding.

That's a very thoughtful and well-worded post, Red, and it reflects that you're a fair-minded individual. I agree with you one hundred percent.

 

[Dnaltrop]

+1 Red.

Well said.