Timonium Fairgrounds October 3 & 4

[FFBWMD]

I saw it......but that was the cash price....

Did you ask about a deal on credit card price? I surely would have worked with you on price as I did most everyone at the show.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Lou45]

Credit card companies charge two to four percent to process transactions, yes it's a "cost of doing business". Like all the other costs it needs to be factored into the sellers price.

I have no problem with sellers explicitly adding the fee on credit card sales. Its not fair to the guy who pays cash to have to have credit card fees built in to his price. Gas stations do it. Don't want to pay the extra, then bring cash!

Running a business is more than a full time job. I was kidding around with a client and mentioned to him that the nice thing about being self employed is that you get to pick which 12 hours a day you work, and he responded - What, are you working half days? Of course the sellers at shows should make a few bucks.

Every body wants a deal, and many want to see themselves as great horse traders, who haggled and got a great buy. Of course they want the seller to make a profit, but hey, just not so much on them. The next guy should pay.

The purchaser has the right to bring cash for the cheapest price, if they don't, then prepare to pay the higher price, especially if one already knows that in a given environment such as a gun show, cash is king and usually gets one the best price. The dealer offers the best price on the condition it's purchased with "cash" to make the price of the item cheaper and slightly more affordable for the customer. The dealer is offering their best price but it's conditional on type of payment received. It's a two way street here, we (the dealer) offer our best prices and the purchasers also must cooperate to meet the terms and conditions to receive that best price and if they don't wanna' cooperate, they won't and don't get the best prices. I have a saying that I live and do business by, "Money talks, ******** walks, put your money where your mouth is, cash is king".

Wow... That's unbelievable. How is this not illegal? I guess it's covered under the "we don't have to do business with you" thing that businesses have the right to say?

Yep, many (credit) plastic card companies (banks) have turned totally chicken shit on us (licensed gun dealers/businesses) largely due to the piece of shit libtard bozobama in the white house and his ilk and treat us in the same high risk classification as pornography, drug paraphenalia, drug sales (in states where it's legal), and other lowlife industries/businesses that legally exist in this country. I know many firearms related businesses, including mine, that have had their credit card processing bank tell them in so many words to go phuck ourselves because we legally deal in firearms and ammo. Needless to say, we had to seek out other CC processing companies (banks) in order to be able to accept plastic payments from those that choose to utilize plastic because they're either too skeeeeered to carry cash or just too lazy to get cash to take to a gun show.

 

[LoneRanger]

Did you ask about a deal on credit card price? I surely would have worked with you on price as I did most everyone at the show.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Nope.....in my mind a good show price would be $325....regardless of payment method.

 

[Lou45]

Meaning you then charge me some percentage more to get the consumer protection of my American Express card? As a consumer, I view that as a negative and probably would not buy from you. I personally prefer not to carry around large sums of cash around with me.....in this day an age there is just no reason to.

If you wanna' use your AMEX card to get your so-called "consumer protection", expect to pay more but I'll say one thing about that (AMEX), you'll never use it at Shooters Discount b'cuz I told AMEX to take their shit and shove it up their own asses and yes that means I don't and won't do AMEX. You can view it as a negative or positive, that's up to you. Like I mentioned earlier in this thread, we do try to do our best to offer the best price but we need YOUR cooperation in order to make that happen and if you won't give us your cooperation....................................remember, it's a two way street.

Not it all, it seems only small gun dealers want to charge me a premium to use my debit or AMEX card. Had no problem using it to buy ammo at Harrisburg Bass Pro Saturday morning.......

If you REALLY have a problem with your experiences with credit cards, me (Shooters Discount), Brian (South Carroll Sporting Goods), or anybody else, perhaps you should stick to BPS in Harrisburg for your gun hobby purchases. We offered you a solution right here in this thread and you apparently refuse to cooperate, very one sided on your behalf. Just look at your next quoted post below..........................

I saw it......but that was the cash price....

Bring cash and you'll GET the best price.

 

[Docster]

If you don't think I am being charged 3% from the credit card company I wil be happy to show you statements!!! I guess you have never found something at a gun show for a price you thought was reasonable? I for one NEVER increase my prices at a show, my prices are the same at my shop as the shows. In fact I will usually work with a buyer at shows to make a sale, sometimes it might only be $10, sometimes more if I can and not lose money. I don't buy inventory to sell it at cost!!!!!!

Absolutely. know that the CC companies charge a fee and AMEX is the highest. That's why many small and large businesses just don't deal take the AMEX card as readily as Visa/MC. Those cc companies don't do transactions out of the kindness of their hearts.....

 

[LoneRanger]

This thread makes it very easy to see why Maryland gun shows and probably more dealers will go the way of wagon wheel makers......FSA 2013 makes a great scapegoat but it goes deeper than that.........

 

[FFBWMD]

Nope.....in my mind a good show price would be $325....regardless of payment method.

So in your eyes I should only make $8.23 profit on the sale of this gun to you, WOW THANKS. Thats all I would have made on that rifle had I sold it to you at $325 paying with a CC. I think the deeper problem is YOU

 

[FFBWMD]

If you wanna' use your AMEX card to get your so-called "consumer protection", expect to pay more but I'll say one thing about that (AMEX), you'll never use it at Shooters Discount b'cuz I told AMEX to take their shit and shove it up their own asses and yes that means I don't and won't do AMEX. You can view it as a negative or positive, that's up to you. Like I mentioned earlier in this thread, we do try to do our best to offer the best price but we need YOUR cooperation in order to make that happen and if you won't give us your cooperation....................................remember, it's a two way street.



If you REALLY have a problem with your experiences with credit cards, me (Shooters Discount), Brian (South Carroll Sporting Goods), or anybody else, perhaps you should stick to BPS in Harrisburg for your gun hobby purchases. We offered you a solution right here in this thread and you apparently refuse to cooperate, very one sided on your behalf. Just look at your next quoted post below..........................



Bring cash and you'll GET the best price.

Thanks for backing me Lou, I think you and I are the cheapest dealers at the shows.

 

[FFBWMD]

This thread makes it very easy to see why Maryland gun shows and probably more dealers will go the way of wagon wheel makers......FSA 2013 makes a great scapegoat but it goes deeper than that.........

More so it's people like you. Just one example, when I buy 10/22's from my distributor I buy 2 or 3 at a time BPS buys them 100's at a time and gets a better price from Ruger. Just remember when BPS is your only source to buy from (because shows and LGS are gone according to you) ask them to bargain with you on price

 

[Armadillofz1]

It is all in how it is presented......instead of charging a premium to use a credit card......offer a discount for cash....consumers view one positively and one negatively....

So the end result being the same, you really just want to FEEL better about it?

 

[-Z/28-]

And there is that elephant in the room .... Rumor of certain vendors not allowed to keep competition down and pricing schemed. That's not a gun show, that's a trap.

But I could be wrong.

I suspect this is a factor in why the guy in the front was the only ammo vendor there. I know a couple years ago there was a member here(can't recall who) that was set up as a vendor and had the show promoters tell him he couldn't sell his ammo as cheap as he had it priced, or he'd be asked to leave.

 

[FFBWMD]

I do know of 2 vendors that were told they were not welcome at the show because they were compitition for some vendors at the show.

 

[Bean Guy]

Nope.....in my mind a good show price would be $325....regardless of payment method.

Depends what you are looking at......10/22 takedowns are $350 at BPS.....they were a mere $400 at the Timonium show.....

So you basically want a 7% discount($25/$350) off the big retailer's price. Now, considering that most business have a net profit(sales - all costs) of between 5% to 10% of sales, your asking the IP's to operate at breakeven at best.

 

[LoneRanger]

So in your eyes I should only make $8.23 profit on the sale of this gun to you, WOW THANKS. Thats all I would have made on that rifle had I sold it to you at $325 paying with a CC. I think the deeper problem is YOU

As I said earlier, in my eyes you should be using trade shows to build your customer base. That means making me want to do business with you. That means maybe sacrificing some profit today hoping to make up for it in the future when I visit your brick & mortar location on a regular basis.

And if I got a great deal I would certainly spread the word. Instead every gun show thread these days ends up like this one with folks spreading the word that the shows basically are not worth the bother.

If you think I am the problem then you really don't understand your market and all the folks that USED to walk through the doors of shows like the Timonium show.

 

[protegeV]

I do know of 2 vendors that were told they were not welcome at the show because they were compitition for some vendors at the show.

Oh noes, competition...

 

[FFBWMD]

Depends what you are looking at......10/22 takedowns are $350 at BPS.....they were a mere $400 at the Timonium show.....

So you basically want a 7% discount($25/$350) off the big retailer's price. Now, considering that most business have a net profit(sales - all costs) of between 5% to 10% of sales, your asking the IP's to operate at breakeven at best.

Hard to keep the doors open when your selling at cost

 

[Lou45]

This thread makes it very easy to see why Maryland gun shows and probably more dealers will go the way of wagon wheel makers......FSA 2013 makes a great scapegoat but it goes deeper than that.........

IIRC, Brian (South Carroll Sporting Goods) nor I (Shooters Discount) have once to mention in this thread anything about FSA2013. It appears to be the lack of cooperation between LoneRanger and Brian (South Carroll Sporting Goods) on a best price for an item and the use of plastic for payment by LoneRanger, not to mention AMEX being by far, the MOST expensive for us merchants to receive, and most of us won't accept it because of that reason.

It all breaks down to this:

The use of plastic costs the merchant money to accept it for payment and therefore the "lower price" availability goes out the window with plastic payments. The use of cash is the cheapest method to receive payment by the merchant and therefore the lower price availability, if any, is there. One can elect to pay with plastic and receive their rewards points or whatever other ******** is offered by creditcardorgy and not get the lower price on their purchase OR pay with cash and get the lower price, if available.

The choice is yours LoneRanger, cash and lower price......OR.......plastic and higher price.

 

[dist1646]

WOW! You mean to say that dealers don't give a discount for Obama bucks? Where's my free shit man!

 

[FFBWMD]

As I said earlier, in my eyes you should be using trade shows to build your customer base. That means making me want to do business with you. That means maybe sacrificing some profit today hoping to make up for it in the future when I visit your brick & mortar location on a regular basis.

And if I got a great deal I would certainly spread the word. Instead every gun show thread these days ends up like this one with folks spreading the word that the shows basically are not worth the bother.

If you think I am the problem then you really don't understand your market and all the folks that USED to walk through the doors of shows like the Timonium show.

So I should sell something to you at the show for an $8.00 profit on a $300+ rifle in the HOPES that you come visit me to buy something else that you will want the same type of deal on Dude I cant stop laughing at your statement. Thanks but no thanks I dont need YOUR business, I have a very deep client base that buy from me because of my prices.

 

[LoneRanger]

Depends what you are looking at......10/22 takedowns are $350 at BPS.....they were a mere $400 at the Timonium show.....

So you basically want a 7% discount($25/$350) off the big retailer's price. Now, considering that most business have a net profit(sales - all costs) of between 5% to 10% of sales, your asking the IP's to operate at breakeven at best.

Like others you are missing the point of trade shows.....they are all about building your business....and to that effort, every business at the show should have some items they can sell at break even or even at a loss.

It's clear these folks are not much interested in building their businesses....just interested in how much can they make at the show.....

And as more and more folks recognize that as well as get the word that dealers with better prices are not allowed.....folks say heck with it, let the shows bite the dust.....