BP retail store needs a lil imput

Even if Cabelas was selling "sub-standard" Pietta or Uberti or whoever guns, the average consumer doesn't know that.

What the consumer sees is "Pietta 1860 Army".

If Bob and Fred and Joe are all selling "Pietta 1860 Army", it all boils down to price.

When you run a business, you have only 3 ways to compete:

Price
Service
Quality

My understanding is that the firearms business is a very low profit-margin business. This is because firearms are basically a commodity item. Dealers buy them at cost, but because there is a limit to how efficient a store they can run they all "bottom out" at about the same level of profit, which, I am told, is not much. I've been told that in order to run a gun store you have to move a tremendous number (can't remember the number anymore) of firearms each month just to keep the lights on.

Unless you can prove and convince potential customers that your product is a higher quality product than what Cabella's sells, you will not be able to compete with them on price or quality. It is as simple as that.

If I recall correctly, I believe Cabela's has an excellent return policy on BP firearms. This is something that virtually no gun store does. Moreover, they have a huge logistical infrastructure allowing them to process orders and returns very efficiently. This means it is going to be very difficult to compete against them on service.

So here's a possibility:

Sell "tuned" firearms. That is, BP pistols that have already been sited in and shown to be bench-rest accurate, with a known charge and bullet size/weight.

That is value you can sell. One of the biggest challenges of BP shooting is developing a bullet and charge that gives consistent results, and then getting the sites modified to bring that group on-target. You can show a picture of the firearm on the web site, combined with a picture of the "proof target". I think lots of people, particularly N-SSA competition shooters, would pay a premium to buy a firearm they don't have to monkey with to get it to shoot right.

Of course, the "problem" here is you will be selling essentially "used" firearms then. So after proofing, you will have to meticulously clean them to like-new state, and people may not tolerate any scuff marks or rubbing of the blueing, as on the cylinder. Perhaps this can be eliminated by using "proof cylinders" that are swapped out for new ones before shipping, assuming this does not affect accuracy.

I bought a used P1853 Euroarms musket on Gunbroker for $490. But I've now spent probably another $800 trying to make it shoot right, including buying a replacement Whitacre barrel. I would definitely pay a premium for a BP weapon that was proven accurate.
 
Price, Service, Quality, ummm. Better add Terms to that list.

Credit moves more merchandise than price, service or quality put together.

I just have to laugh when somebody says "my business is unable to compete with Cabela's on the price of a Pietta replica", and I say "have you tried offering credit" and he says he offers it to customers who've "proved their loyalty", and on top of that he offers layaways, where he takes the customers money a little at a time but holds on to the product until the merchandise is paid for. Now that's funny.

I also think the guy who said he learned Day 1 that he needed a FFL if he was going to survive in the gun business, and the guy who said trade-ins are a part of doing business know exactly what they're talking about.

I know a guy who has an FFL, takes trade ins ,and resells them and offers nothing down, revolving credit terms i.e. what I jokingly tell him are "lay you away" terms; not layaway; because you're still paying him when they lay you away, and he's doing very well. I'm not absolutely sure he does this in every case, but I think he files a UCC lien (financing statement) on all credit sales to protect himself until the gun is paid for, and I think he adds in a fee for doing the paperwork on that). The customer gets up to a year to pay and the store probably makes twice as much on interest and late fees and such as what it makes on guns.
 
When I ran a business I figured if people wanted credit they could use a credit card.

What I wanted, and needed, was cash up front to make the business go.

Moreover, running a credit business can end up being a business in and of itself.

I'm sure there is money to be made doing it, but there is also risk.

Steve
 
Why not sell on Gunbroker or Auction Arms? I've only bought two guns on an auction - I like to handle a gun before I buy it - but I've sold a bunch in the past year and I've done well. But I only sell to pay for my next purchase, not to make a living.
 
Seems to me that Gunbroker has just helped to commoditize firearm sales. You'll be competing against everyone else out there selling the exact same thing.
 
I've doubled my money, or more, with the guns I've sold, and my selling prices were low. Of course, I got good (low) prices on the guns when I bought them, which is the key. No overhead, little risk on GB or Auction Arms. I'm shipping a BP revolver to CA in the next few days and you'd be surprised how many sellers won't ship to CA, MA, IL, etc. I don't know why.
Online auctions aren't for everyone, but they are an option.
 
I promised I'd be good. I am not even going to say what a man said in the shop today. I'm going to be a good guy

WBH
 
I am not bashing Cabela! I love them.

In the last ten days 3 customers wanted Piettas that can't be bought from Cabela. Most of my info and feed back come from customers. They want them in the red tradition box or Pietta box. Tell me why since you say they are all the same. Some don't agree.

WBH
 
Hardy said:
They want them in the red tradition box or Pietta box. Tell me why since you say they are all the same. Some don't agree.
Click to expand...

As far as I can tell the only difference is that Traditions guns come with a One Year Limited Warranty. If they don't agree that the guns are otherwise the same then that's good for you. The warranty must be worth something to consumers even if it's only "POMG" - Peace of Mind Guarantee! :)

Their warranty is below:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4645670&postcount=10
 
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Straight from Cabela's.

cch1.jpg
 
Every small business competing with a volume retailer like Cabela's, Costco, etc, has to offer something different or more than the large stores. You will not win competing on their chosen terrain.

I am not into BP but it seems kind of limited selection if you are trying to reach the popular market in that. I mean how many BP revolvers is a guy likely to buy, and how many models are even popular enough to stock? There is a BP oriented shop in our town and it does minimal business. They don't even carry cast lead bullets for metallic cartridge reloading. BP is so simple how many accessories does a shooter need for it compared to uber-tactical rifles, combat handgun, etc.

I would try to supplement the BP sales with something else with more traffic and options like SASS, bow hunting, custom knives, etc.
 
You could sell Rugers. Cabelas don't sell them. They sell a lot of them around
here. One gun friend of mine buys them 6 at a time . Ruger has a wharehouse
full of them. People think think they don't have any. Ha. How many do you
want new in box. blue or stainless. I won't put the wholesale price here in
print, but you could make some money from them. My buddy buys 6 at a time
and takes them to gun shows and sells them.
 
This is probably a stupid question because no one else has asked it yet, but here goes. If you want wholdsale prices, why not buy directly from Pietta? Does Cabela's have an exclusive franchise agreement with Pietta?

I don't think they do, because I recently purchased a Pietta replica of an 1851 "Reb" model 36 caliber revolver from Taylor's and Company, which is a Winchester, Va. based company that I don't think is affiliated with Cabela's in any way.

So if Taylor's & Company can buy from Pietta directly, why couldn't a bunch of small retailers buying as a group, with each purchasing only what they need?
 
The larger distributors can split up the cost of shipping among the greater number of revolvers that they order. Most likely it wouldn't be cost efficient for a small retailer to order guns from Italy.
And there may also be additional reasons why most small retailers don't do that.
But it should suffice to say that's why large distributors are in the importing business and small businesses buy from them and not direct from Italy.

Deer Creek may import direct from Spain and/or Italy, but I think that they do sell Traditions guns too.
 
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Traditions used to buy guns from CVA who in turn had them imported from Spain.

They finally got big enough to order direct from Italy.
 
OK Cowboys ! Set dem dar pistols easy on the table and let me see what we dun got here. Maybe we need anutter or two tables to hold all of dese. Anyway, Adder ligtin my ceegar, I think there must be a whole big time mis understanding here 'bout these here fire arms or should I say hand guns. If Hawg says he got a Pietta box Rem straight from cabela then --he DID:D

I Luv It !!! I showed it to Bill and he thought it might be a special order etc===anyway Hawg, I have never gotten anything from cabela that was not in a cabela box. No kiddin How did you do it?

WBH
 
Only thing special about it is it's a CCH and checkered Remington. I'm sure Cabela's gets them in Pietta boxes and then reboxes them. Maybe this one just slipped through or maybe they were out of Cabela's boxes. I had forgotten what kind of box it came in til I ran across it the other day.
 
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