Your local store..."doing the right thing"?

[theautobahn]

My LGS always had excellent pricing and refuses to gouge. That being said, his distributors are gouging, so while he's still making the same profit, his prices have, in fact, gone up. AR's that were $800 are now $1100. He didn't raise his prices on p-mags ($12-$15) 'til he ran out and bought some from another dealer just to have them - he paid $30 and charged $30. He was in business during the '94 ban and knows what it takes to keep customers in a time like this.

And as others have said, he consigns items and while he "strongly recommends" price points, he won't refuse to put a gun up for whatever the owner wants. Even the AR's and AK's with 1.5-2x the retail price of two weeks ago are flying off the shelves.

 

[Bubba613]

Stores that "do the right thing" will find themselves emptied of merchandise. The right thing is to take steps to stay in business.

 

[Queen_of_Thunder]

I know one gun shop that didn't raise prices on items already in stock and one that did. Guess which one is getting my business now. I understand if it cost the store more to restock but to price gouge on stock already in the store that's another story.

 

[Ankeny]

The right thing is to take steps to stay in business.

I would rather imagine that is why all of the gun stores in my area do not engage in "gouging", "scalping", whatever you want to call it. In a state like Wyoming with low population, the last thing a dealer wants is disgruntled customers when the irrational times moderate. What good does it do to sell a few black rifles at a huge profit now only to find your customers buying all of their supplies from Cabela's or Midway down the road?

 

[Bubba613]

Which one still has stuff to sell?

 

[76shuvlinoff]

Fair market to me is this: Suddenly I have an AR and 2000 rounds that now might pay my kid's room and board at college this semester and still leave me with plenty of bang sticks. I've got some thinking to do.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

If you are unhappy about how a business conducts itself. Don't buy the product or get your own FFL. I plan to try for my own FFL as soon as I can. My house is zoned commercially, I can easily build a website, I can claim gunsmithing services (AK builds, assembly, part replacement), stock a specific class of inventory (no Hi-Points, the only cheap guns would be Heritage Revolvers), put up a sign in the front yard no one would see from the road that where the name of the business is vague and doesn't seem gun related (Not Git Ur' Guns, more like Absolute Industries) and make the hours of availability obvious (and conveniently be out to lunch but a couple days a week I normally spend sitting at my pool working anyways).

There is a LGS near me not gouging. They're nice guys but they are not making any money right now. It's sad and they have a few AR pattern rifle for sale at less than $1,000 a pop (they are assembling an AR parts kit for me on one of my lowers for $100 after I provided the parts). They do all my transfers for $25 a pop. I chatted with the owner and he is disgusted with how other stores are operating. One of the employees was sitting out with his personal collection sell AK mags for $20 a pop and Beretta 92 (15 rd) mags for $12 a pop.

A lot of people are crying gouging because their need wasn't previously satisfied. Even though, as a lawyer I charge 30% less than my fellow lawyers, people scream gouging when I ask for a retainer. I have no sympathy. If there isn't a AWB people will hopefully learn their lesson to stalk up when things look good. If there is a AWB, well you only have yourself to blame.

It's not gouging folks, it's business, if you don't need it you won't pay it. If you really need it, you'll pay for it.

 

[Sam1911]

Discussed this at length with several buddies yesterday who'd made the rounds of the local shops just to see what was still in stock...very little.

These shops may not see inventory come in their doors for MONTHS more. Many shops are BARE. Sold out of even the least popular dust-gathering stuff in days. Folks coming in to buy whatever's left -- often coming in asking for a Glock, but maybe an M&P would do ... and they end up leaving hours later with a Ruger or Taurus because there was nothing else left and they had to have SOMETHING while they still can!!!

These shops may not see another shipment of guns for weeks, or more likely, months. And those shipments might contain only one or two (or NO) ARs or popular pistols. A store with nothing to sell isn't going to be able to keep the lights on.

Selling a few ARs for $1,000 or $1,500 over whatever the market price was "before" MIGHT just help them stay afloat during the lean time while they're waiting for something to sell.

THANK those guys who can afford to (and are panicked enough to) drop 2x the prior market price on a rifle or pistol! THANK them because they may be why your favorite shop is still in business once this all blows over.

 

[BB93YJ]

And, in a few months, there will likely be some good prices to be had on AR pattern rifles, as the economy continues to slide. Those panic bought guns sitting gathering dust in the closet will likely be offloaded by more than a few that are buying them now for the higher prices.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I can claim gunsmithing services (AK builds, assembly, part replacement),

Not with an FFL01. You need FFL07 or FFL10 to manufacture from recievers and sell complete rifles, and you'll have to pay the FET.

Selling a few ARs for $1,000 or $1,500 over whatever the market price was "before" MIGHT just help them stay afloat during the lean time while they're waiting for something to sell.

And it might seriously hurt them down the road. It's a gamble. Some people just accept that this is the market for awhile, and either buy at inflated prices or hold off hoping it'll return to normal. But others get really ticked; At my buddy's shop, more than one person who looked at the ridiculously priced consignment ARs promptly walked out, mumbling "<deleted> this place". You can bet they'll be the kind who tell their friends. That $3,250 LE6920 he put out for a customer may cost him several people's future business.

 

[Hapworth]

If enough people are offended, it becomes the business's problem.

It may not be unethical to profiteer on a luxury item, but it could prove unwise. I think some companies that engaged in profiteering through this panic will pay for it after things calm down. Cheaper than dirt not only jacked magazine and ammo prices by more than 200%, they withheld firearms (refused to take orders) until other vendors sold out, then listed theirs at massively inflated prices. They may be making a bundle right now as the only ones with stock, but they may well find themselves having to float on their large profits from the current market when the normal market returns and they see far fewer sales than they would have if people hadn't felt they were being unethical.

True; and that's the market at work, too.

Also -- and not related to your post but instead to the thread -- price gouging, technically and legally speaking, applies to basic necessities like water, fuel and food, so calling this gouging is mixing and muddying terms.

Also, we don't have a free market economy in the U.S. At best we have what might paradoxically be called a "limited" free market economy, so justifying raised prices due to demand on the basis of a free market isn't wholly accurate.

All that being said -- and I don't like paying through the nose for anything either -- the dealers are in bounds charging what buyers are willing to pay for these particular items.

 

[Axel Larson]

My store was normal prices. Sold out of ARs, had some lower receiver parts kits but that was about it.

 

[Analogkid]

My Store did not raise prices at all. In fact he was giving decent prices and discounts on handguns after his AR and AK stock sold out.

He is Damn near sold out of everything and is now going to just close up shop and enjoy Christmas with his Family.

 

[wideym]

At the gunstore I work at, we lowered prices on ARs over a year ago $50-100 below cost because they had been sitting on the shelves for over three years. (New guns ordered during the Obama panic after the first election) Paying 3% inventory tax on each and every item every year eats up profit. Customers turned their noses at the ARs and AKs mainly stating how much cheaper they are online or elsewere.

Those same people flooded into the store monday hoping to even find an AR. We did raise prices, but only back to the original cost + 15%. That way we break even atleast and even sold most of our Mini-14s, AKs, FALs, SKSs, and the like. We did raise prices on our AR and AK mags though, trying to keep others from buying up our entire stock to re-sell on the internet or gunshows and to keep some on hand.

 

[Ignition Override]

wideym:

That's generous of y'all to see through what is often a charade, as many customers today don't really Want any AR, AK etc, but only want to resell for a huge profit to those who actually want the rifle.

Those types made it impossible to find even 100 primers back in '09. My brand-new, first reloading gear required just a few, in order to learn the process.
Due to selfish scalpers and some "rationing" (?) policies at our Bass Pro which somehow never worked out, there seemed to be none around Memphis, but my brother found two or three hundred primers up in Evansville.

MachIVshooter: After the '08 election I noticed that Cheaperthandirt (the name is a stale joke) was one of the first to post the highest prices.
Even though my ammo was bought months before that watershed election, I never wanted to look at CTD's website again, and never do business with places like that.

 

[texasgun]

I don't blame anyone for increasing their prices when demand spikes. Sure - it's not nice... but with supply being limited and demand exceeding supply... any business would do that. it's just the normal free market at work.

otherwise: why sell an AR for $900 to a costumer when the market pays $1,600 and the customer might just turn around and sell it on gunbroker and takes the profit?

 

[Bubba613]

Raising prices in the face of a shortage to guarantee availability is basic Econ 101. After things return to normal so will prices. All those people complaining "I'll never do business with X shop again" will be right back at X shop if it has the right item at the right price at the right time--the essence of retail.

 

[Big Mike]

I was in Academy last night, no rifles (AR-15/ type), and no 5.56 ammo, but lots of every other type of firearms and ammo. The prices on their handguns appear to be the same prices I've seen over the past weeks and months...

 

[billymarr]

My wife and I went to a newer LGS near us mainly to check stock and pricing. I have been on the fence for an AR type rifle for a while. They were wiped out and had a waiting list. We noticed a Saiga 308 for 699.00 new my wife said to the owner we will take it. They did not raise prices and do not plan on it unless the distributor does. Thanks to White wing Weaponry in Denton Texas.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

We haven't raised our prices on guns and don't plan to unless the wholesaler raises theirs. We had a guy drop off his Colt AR-15 on consignment last week and wants to get $3000 out of it. That's the only one left in the store.

 

[BCCL]

There is no such thing as "price gouging". Demand exceeds supply, market prices go up in response all along the supply chain, anyone along that chain that refuses, runs a severe risk of falling out of the line by not being able to replace stock sold for less than what customer demand says it's now worth.

Same as when supply exceeds demand and things go "on sale". To move inventory, price reductions start and anyone that doesn't play along, risks finding themselves out of business by demanding prices above what customers say it's worth now.

Customers only complain about the former......................

 

[Redlg155]

The majority of folks buying are not doing so to resell the rifles or components. Sure, there are those who have the cash on hand to purchase 500 magazines for resale, but again, these are the exception and not the norm.

A lot of buyers are "uneducated" and just want some kind of "assault weapon". One example- I happened to arrive at a dealer when he opened the doors. One man rushed to the counter and said "What kind of assault weapons you still have?" and proceeded to pay $2200 for a $1000 Sig 556.

A second- A gunbroker auction ended by selling a "Franken AR" for 3x the normal value by using a huge section advertising the qualities of the weapon. It was really nothing special, and after stating how milspec his rifleto was, he topped it with a UTG red dot.

 

[seal]

I think the over inflation and extreme raising of prices shows you how much support your local shop has for its customer base. One shop here in Autin Mcbrides was very helpful calm and competive with their pricing. GSD when i called said he would sell me p mags at 40-49 dollars per mag because he could.

Guess which shop ill do business with in the future.

i understand making money when it possible but hyper inflating gun prices and associated items is price gouging and to me deplorable.

It makes sense that at the end of the year inventories were low as no one wants to pay taxes on them etc. MAGPUL even stated they were shipping in january. Thats just next week.

I am staying optomistic about all of this if possible and writing to my gov reps. To the stores i deal with that over inflated prices i will give no more business so they made a buck now but they wont get any of my business for the next 30 years.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Gold USED to be worth less than $100 an ounce. It currently is approaching $1700 an ounce. What changed? The gold? Markets change for a miriad of reasons. It isn't gouging to sell for the going price.

 

[Skribs]

To be fair, I don't blame the stores for price gouging, I blame the excuse they have - the gun control advocates in DC.