Gun prices ?

F

FullCry

New member
Should a gun dealers price be a good bit below what the Factory prices show on a certain gun online? Thanks, FullCry.
 
A gun dealer's price should be the most money they can charge and get the item sold. The market will dictate the selling price, not the dealer. Also note holding out for too low of a price will cause your dealer to go out of business due to lack of profit. You and your dealer have to find common ground.
 
You know how some women folk clip coupons? Well, that's just about how I select my gun purchases!

Which ever one I'm looking to buy, I call around the three main guns shops that I deal with. Their prices DO vary, up to $20.00 on the $100.00.

Here's a rule of thumb...the cheaper the make / model, the less drastic the price varies. The more expensive the make / model, the more dramatic difference you'll find in various stores.

Shop around, ask around and look for special sales. Sunday newspaper ads for the major sporting goods stores often have a special sale on a select few firearms. I also check prices online to see what they're averaging. Also, ask some of your shooting buddies to keep an eye out for the gun you're in the market for.
Prices do vary and how much you care about saving money is seen in how much you search around once you got a particular gun narrowed down.

I'd say all in all, most every gun can be bought for lower than the MSRP.
 
Shopping around might save a few bucks on that purchase but being loyal to a shop pays off in the long run. Better to spend a few dollars more here and there and be a loyal customer. A good dealer recognizes that. If yours doesn't, find a new shop.
Would you do better for a long term customer or one that jumps from shop to shop to save a buck? Think from the other side of the counter. ;)
 
i bought one sig from a local dealer and paid a premium because nobody had it or knew when they'd get it.

i called him about glock le trade-ins, after i got the "probably never issued" 23 last month, to see where his prices would be for the same 23 and his price was $100+ more for the same quality "used" glock.

his prices on gunbroker are the highest for any firearms he has listed compared to other adds.

he won't get any more of my $$$.
 
Depending on scarcity and desirability, some guns sell for above MSRP.
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Guns are typically cheaper than MSRP but like the above quote points out, hard to find guns that people want may sell at or above MSRP.
 
Going gun shopping is no different than car shopping.

You have to shop around and ask dealers what the best they can do on a particular gun is.

And of course - if you pay MSRP, you got played for a fool most of the time. On some of the higher end guns - my cost may be $2300, MSRP might be $2500 and there might be substantial demand that puts a bump to MSRP.

I had a customer last week tell me that a Bodyguard S&W must be pretty expensive because MSRP was $625 and he was very surprised to find out I was substantially under that.
 
"...Should a gun dealers price be..." Not all dealers get the same 'wholesale price' or credit terms, if they get credit terms at all, from their suppliers. The 'S' in MSRP means 'Suggested'. Mind you, if you order a firearm, expect to pay up front. You may or may not get better than MSRP. Depends on how popular a particular firearm is.
Like Grim Reaper says, the idea is to get the thing sold.
 
BlkHawk73 said:
Better to spend a few dollars more here and there and be a loyal customer.
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Grim Reaper Armament said:
Also note holding out for too low of a price will cause your dealer to go out of business due to lack of profit.
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Is that how you bought your car?

T. O'Heir said:
The 'S' in MSRP means 'Suggested'...Like Grim Reaper says, the idea is to get the thing sold.
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Guns are, for the most part mass produced tools, like hammers and vice grips. They are not art. Yes, they stir the blood of us aficionadoes, but they are only worth the cost of the materials and the time to create them. Find the best price you can, online or wherever. Your local gun dealer doesn't really love you. If he wants to stay in business, he needs to be competitive.
But I don't feel any loyalty to them....or them to me.

It's not a charity.
 
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In the retail business that I manage (not a gun shop but still high end retail), we recognize our better customers and are much more likely to 'work with them' on prices than someone we have never seen before. There are 5 stores in our little town in the same business, and we all seem to have our own loyal followings of customers. From the seller point of view, for me it really comes down to follow-up service. Sure you can go and get the gun that cost $20 less on-line, but what happens if something goes wrong with it or you need to return it or have it worked on? THAT is where the customer/store relation really shines. (Or should shine... some stores are too big to notice their customers, and should thus be avoided.) SAVE THE MOM AND POP SHOPS! DITCH THE WAL-MARTS!!! Everyone will be happier in the long run, even if it costs a couple bucks more. Sorry for the rant. I live in a small town and we actually voted out a Wal-Mart from opening up shop! Most of the stores where I live are mom-and-pop shops and the customer service is second to none. THAT is why we have had people drive 3 hrs to come to our store! :D
 
Sure you can go and get the gun that cost $20 less on-line, but what happens if something goes wrong with it or you need to return it or have it worked on?
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Unless the local dealer is also a factory-authorized service center, the gun is probably going back to the factory anyway, if it's still under warranty. And if it's out of warranty, the local dealer probably isn't going to fix it for free just because you bought it from him.

As 2cooltoolz said, guns are the same no matter where you buy them, and a dealer doesn't have many opportunities to "add value" to the transaction. For the most part, they're taking your money and handing you a box off the shelf, and you can get that same box any number of places.

Being able to handle a gun before purchasing it is nice, as is being able to go home with it the same day. Those are examples of added value compared to online vendors, and I will pay a little bit more for those conveniences. They're not enough to make me eat a $100+ price difference, though.
 
Any gun is worth exactly as much as it's worth to you regardless of what MSRP is.
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EXACTLY...and when there is a scarcity, (real or perceived), the price goes up - look back two years or so and what happened with AR's. Manufacturer's, IMO, set their MSRP (remember the "S" stands for SUGGESTED) a little high so their distributors and retailers have some wiggle room. Large-volume folks get better deals and discount them more to gain market share. The small shop that orders only a few at a time - not so much. It still allows them a chance to make a profit.

Remember, there is NO such thing as gouging when it comes to prices on guns; they are worth what the market will bear
 
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