I heard this second hand...

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SaxonPig

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But I have no reason to doubt the source.

I spoke with a guy who said he's been watching a particular buyer on Gunbroker. He goes after case lots of 22 LR ammo. Buys at whatever it takes to win usually paying well over retail (typically around 10 cents per round + shipping). So far my source calculates he has spent half a million dollars on 22 ammo.

Half a million? No casual hoarder, there. Since he is paying so much it seems unlikely he's buying it to resell at a profit...unless he's planning on VERY long term investments. I am horrible at math but it seems like $500,000 worth of ammo at 10 cents per round would be 5,000,000 rounds, no? Would any sane individual buy that much? He's still buying as far as I know. Why?

Makes me wonder about the guys I dismissed as nuts for saying the government was secretly buying up ammo to create a shortage. This just sounds too weird. Also, this is one buyer who was noticed, are there others making huge volume purchases like this? What's up with this?
 
Thats to say that the individual is even involved with the government. There is also black market smugglers, prepper cults, billionaire excentrics, ect. It wouldn't surprise me if somone like Bloomberg or some such organization would buy such an amount just to trash and claim he's saved 5,000,000 potential victims.
 
My guess would be that he either sells through a local gun shop, or at gun shows.

10 cents per round is $5 for a 50-round box. .22LR hasn't been that cheap around here for years. It sells for at least twice that much, IF you can find any.
 
Could be a fake profile used to drive up the price and if he wins there is no transaction taking place afterwards .
 
AB- Really? $100 a brick is the norm? Gun show sellers around here have been trying to get $60-$70 for 2 years but not selling much. Last weekend's show I saw some at $40 and it wasn't selling either. Local shops and Walmart have been getting a trickle past 2 months.

I don't think a buyer can pay $50 for a brick, plus shipping, and make any profit. Maybe I'm wrong.

I can't post buyer's ID because like I said I heard it from a 3rd party and didn't see it for myself.

I seriously doubt it's fraudulent sales. Feedback is being posted and even if he's selling to himself with 2 accounts that's a lot of seller's fees he's paying.
 
While not 22, the people who have ads selling, for the same things that they are buying on GB is in poor taste to me, but all I can do is not buy it and hope that he loads and shoots every piece of 6 mm brass he buys up. Or 22 ammo in your example.
 
Could be a shill. The easy way to find out is place some bulk .22 on gunbroker and see if he bids on your bulk .22

If Bloomberg is in the ammo buying business, paying HUGE money for ammo, please let me know! I've got some ammo to sell.:D
 
I suspect that the OP's source isn't nearly as reliable as the OP thinks he is.

As Carl Sagan said, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."
 
I haven't seen it on gunbroker but have on eBay. They Bid to win, then complicate the transaction saying their PayPal account was hacked, hoping the seller will take a Nigerian check, local cashiers certified presidentially 100%garr-ronn-teed funding. Ship it now, payments in the mail.
I didn't bite but know others did.
 
It is interesting and I would like to see this little investigation develop a bit, but the first thing that occurs to me is that even as much as it sounds -- we've still been told that regular rimfire production is around one million rounds daily, isn't it? I could be mistaken, but I thought that was the rough estimate.

If so, then even if true, this guy has spent a heap of dough and is barely scratching the surface, even as crazy as it sounds.
 
TXAZ said:
I haven't seen it on gunbroker but have on eBay. They Bid to win, then complicate the transaction saying their PayPal account was hacked, hoping the seller will take a Nigerian check, local cashiers certified presidentially 100%garr-ronn-teed funding. Ship it now, payments in the mail.
I didn't bite but know others did.
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This is the most likely explanation, I'd say -- if this is happening at all. "I heard this second hand..." is a pretty reliable sign that what follows is an urban legend, conspiracy theory, etc.

I'm pretty sure that this isn't the government or Mr. Bloomberg, so let's not go there, OK? :cool:
 
FE- I don't think he would lie or fabricate.

True, 5M would only be a few days worth of production. But as I wondered, is this one buyer the only one doing this? Who...or what would have the kind of money to this?
 
Since he is paying so much it seems unlikely he's buying it to resell at a profit...
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I think you're overestimating the intelligence of many panicked .22LR buyers. I'll bet he's making money selling this stuff at gun shows to people who think it's unavailable because they are unaware that ammunition can be purchased anywhere other than Wal-Mart or gun shows.

When he stops being able to sell it for a profit, I'll bet he stops buying at those prices.
 
This is the most likely explanation, I'd say -- if this is happening at all. "I heard this second hand..." is a pretty reliable sign that what follows is an urban legend, conspiracy theory, etc.
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Sort of like: "I got this in an E-Mail..........."
 
22 hoarding

Until recently I hadn't bought any ammo for more than a year...I got the word from a big gun store here in Phoenix that at least part of the 22 shortage was simple capitalism at it's worst....buying massive amounts of 22s creating a shortage then selling it at inflated prices. Hence, the limits at stores now. As we talked we both agreed that as ammo supply slowly comes back they will have to unload or get stuck with a lot of ammo that nobody will buy at their prices.
 
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SaxonPig said:
FE- I don't think he would lie or fabricate....
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How nice for you. I still need evidence. I also think we'd generally be better off if we insisted on evidence instead of being so quick to just believe things.

ETA: Also consider that someone you think is reliable might not have good information himself.
 
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Forgive me for bringing this up, but WHY are we concerned about what anyone else is doing with their money?
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It would concern me if they are trying to create a shortage and I can't find ammo (or any product) that is available or affordable..it would make me really angry.
 
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