Gun Show Expectations

SmokingGun said:

We all know the drill about VA shows and PA shows, :

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Unit3960 said:

So what I am gathering here is I should save my gas and money by not attending the York show that I was planning on going to next weekend. And spend it all online? It's been a while since I visited any gun shows and was looking forward to going to teh one in York since I missed the one in Bel Air. Sum Bitch.

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Southern_Boy said:

I've gotta say, shows tend to tick me off too - for some reason ESPECIALLY here in MD.

Same dealers 99% of the time, with the same crap, and nothing resembling a deal from the overwhelming majority of them.

Examples: Some guy had a .50-cal can sitting on his table, with what he claimed was 1,000 rounds of **LOOSE** 7.62x39 steel/laquer HP ammo in it, marked $250. The very next table had Wolf POLYMER HP for $199/case.

I'm going to put the ammo on strippers as soon as I get it home - so I don't care if it's in boxes or not. OTOH, I don't know what this stuff is vs. Wolf which I know runs like clockwork in my guns - so it came down to the can.

I told him straight up: "Look -- they're selling 1,000 rounds right there for $200 (really $199). No offense, but I have only your word that there's 1000 in the can, and no way to know what it is - but then I'd rather HAVE the ammo-can instead of a bunch of boxes to throw away. Here's $200 (show cash) if you'll take it for the can of ammo."

He said "No - I've got to have $250 for it!" Fine -- it's still sitting there, too, as I bought the case of Wolf for my $200... Wonder how many shows he's hauled it in and out of by now?

Another guy had the brass-cased Yugo for $289/1260-rounds -- those "mepat" rounds in 15-round boxes. I said "I'll take 2 cans if you have 'em!" "That guy in line in front of you just bought my last can." DA*N-IT!!!!

So I look, and he's got 25 boxes left in an open can. I break out the calculator app, and do the math -- 1260 /15 per box == 84 boxes. $289 / 84 == $3.44 per box * 25 boxes == $86.01.

"Hey - if you'll take $86 I'll buy all these here 25 that you have left!"

"How'd you get $86?"

So I broke it down - 84 boxes in a case *3.44 per is $289 - your case-price. IOW when you sell a case you're getting $3.44 per box. 25 boxes @ $3.44 comes out to $86.01 -- IN other words I'm offering you the case-price per box - in cash - to take all you have left"

"Naaaa - I've got to get $4.50 a box for 'em."
"But... you just sold that guy 84 of 'em at $3.44 per!"
"Because HE bought a CASE!"
"I'd gladly buy a case too, but you don't have one -- but I WILL take all you have and pay you that fraction of the case price for that fraction of a case!"
"No. $4.50 a box" - with a tone as if I was trying to rip him off somehow. They're still sitting there.

As I was leaving, he was packing them up, and hadn't sold a single box - they were still sitting 8 rows, 3 high plus 1 open box - easy to see it was still 25 boxes!.

I couldn't resist - "HI again! Are you Sure you don't want to sell that instead of hauling it home?"
"YOU AGAIN? I TOLD you $4.50 a box!"
Okey-dokie!!

I did OK though - all in all. Got some milsurp 9x18 - 800 rounds for $80. I can't remember the last time I got 9x18 for $0.10 a round!

Same vendor had some 30round ALICE mag pouches for $1 each - I counted 'em out and bought all 8 - he pulled out a pile more and threw 'em on the table. Every other vendor wanted $5 for them!

Bought 1000 rounds of wolf for the sks/aks for $199, and a case of .223 for $209. I tried to talk him down to $400 for both but he said no - "That $9 is my profit -- but I'll eat the SALES TAX!"

Wouldn't give me an $8 discount but ate $25 in tax? "SURE!!!"

I'll buy from him again!

I paid $110 for an ATI Mini-14 stock and a tri-rail device. I could have bought online and probably saved $10 after shipping, but would rather keep somebody in business. That $110 was $20 off his marked price which he offered without my even prompting! He was moving a lot of merchandise!

Later, I came back around looking for .223 strippers to put my ammo on. I counted out $10 worth (100) and grabbed 5 "spoons" - with this and what I already have I plan to pack 5 bandoliers.

I paid, he got me a bag, and he threw another handfull of strippers and one more spoon in the bag before he gave it to me.

Sure - he could have made another $2-3 on what he gave me.
MAYBE. SOMEday.
But **HE** was smart enough to know that throwing $0.30 (his cost) in the bag for a guy who'd now spent $125 with him that day was smart business!

He was RIGHT!!

I went back again and asked him if he had a couple of other little items I was looking for. He said he DID, but not WITH him, asked if I'd be coming to Timonium, I said "probably." He named a price I approved, pulled out a ticket, wrote down what I wanted and his price, and said "I'll have it in a bag for you!"

I tried to stop him then -- "I don't want to make a promise like that - I'll just catch you there" and he said if I missed Timonium he'll just keep bringing it to the shows until I catch him.

**THAT** is SERVICE! and a man that knows how to run his business! Further, I don't need to keep searching for stuff - I know I'll get it at the next show I attend!

Other things I would have bought but the prices were just too high.

There's one vendor - gun dealer - that's at every single show. They have a store too. I bought a pistol from them years ago, had to go pick it up at the store.

I walk in the store, and there in the cabinet is the same damn gun -- marked $30 cheaper than the price I paid.

I couldn't help it -- I said something.

"Well - you agreed to the price" he said - which was right, but... Do you think I'll **EVER** buy another gun from him?

Before I bought the tri-rail thing, I needed (2) of them because I'm trying to install a strut under my Mini-14's bbl. He only had one. Another guy had something SIMILAR, but different. I needed to be sure they were the same height, so I asked if I could take it over to the next table to compare. "NO WAY!" he said. I offered him my tablet-computer to hold until I came back with his $20 part - he got pissy "I *SAID* **NO!!**" The other guy waived me off when I offered something to hold as collateral "I'm sure you'll be back!"

Which person do you think I bought the other pieces I needed from??!!

If you're selling surplus crap, and I'm buying a pile of it, or buying all of something that's obviously been there for a while, knocking ~10% off an item you've marked up by 100% is just common sense -- I can't understand these folks that would rather spend weeks to get that extra $5 instead of taking the $45 I was trying to give them right there!

One more thing I've noticed -- the guys that are most insane about their prices, or who get the pissyest if you try to bargain, **ALWAYS** complain about "I haven't sold anything all weekend - so I've **GOT** to get my asking price!"

**MAYBE**, the reason you haven't sold anything all weekend, is BECAUSE of your asking price! **MAYBE** - if you were nicer, or more willing to make a deal on something - you wouldn't be hauling it all home again and again and again and...!!

I've ranted too long, but to close by answering the questions...

I expect I should be able to buy any gun in a gun show cheaper than I can get it from any other local source. After all - in the store, you're stuck hoping people come in to look. At the show, you've got hundreds of people with CASH, looking for someplace to spend it. You *SHOULD* be able to make your money on volume, but at a minimum you shouldn't expect to be able to charge MORE for it!!

IN reality, you SHOULD be selling cheaper than - or at a minimum EQUAL TO - the online sources. Yes - I save shipping and transfer - but a MD dealer will still stick me with the MSP $10 fee, and doesn't have the labor of packing and shipping, dealing with the recipient FFL, etc. They're all paying about the same for wholesale - so any higher price is just gouging IMHO.

If you're an ammo dealer, you should be beating the online prices.

IF you're selling the same item as a guy at another table, and I'm buying that and other stuff he doesn't have too, you should be willing to match the other guy's price -- after all, if you don't then I'll buy it all from HIM!

Lastly, Mr. "$4.50 a box" will never - ever - see a dime of my money. Pissy vendors are the one case where I'll spend MORE money just to keep him from getting any of it! Not that it could really be a problem - most pissy-types are also the most expensive, and pissy because they're not making any sales! In other words, they're pissy becsuse they're also greedy and stupid!

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zombiehunter said:

My pop was looking at a Sig Sauer CP1. The price as marked was $170 plus tax and it was the last 20 minutes of the show. My dad asked "what's your best price?" by the time the guy got done dicking around to say "I can't do anything until my boss is back" I had pulled out my phone and found it FROM SIG for $130. I showed the vendor and he told me to have a nice day.

I was hoping to find mags...I did. Here...crossposted from another forum...$5 shipped and cheap repair kits. Vendors were selling beat to shit 30 rounders for $10...I can get new pmags for $2 more from Jobbob!

To answer your question:
Something costs too much if it's cheaper somewhere else. DPMS LPK for $85? Go pound sand I can get it from a local B&M for $75 and I can get LPKs from aimsurplus for $60. As much as I like the noble notion of "keeping the local guy in business" in the end my job is to keep as much of my money as possible.

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Spot77 said:

Quite the opposite I think. I've always foung the York show to be pretty good.

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