Is buying a gun like buying a car?

B

Blade37db

New member
As a newbie, I'm noticing that most manufacturers have an MSRP on their website or in their catalog (for new guns). When you go into a shop, they usually tag a gun with the MSRP and their selling price. What I'm noticing is that "their price" is a bit higher than what I'm seeing on gunsamerica/gunbroker/auctionarms.com and in gun value books.
Is price negotiating part of the "ritual" of buying a (new) gun like it is when buying a car? What kind of markup is acceptable to both the buyer and seller? Are listed MSRPs generally a certain percentage over what dealers get them for (ex. 40%)? I don't want to insult anyone at the gunshops, but I'm not into getting ripped off either.
Thanks
 
No. It is more like buying a VCR. You might be able to get someone to match a price, but they aren't expecting you to bargain.

Guns are almost never priced at MSRP.
 
Most of the places where I trade will have a particular gun priced at just about 80% of MSRP. That is their price and negitiation is not part of the scheme of things. Used guns a different matter but not NIB pieces.
 
If you are at a gunshop and buying a new gun, there won't be much (if any) room to dicker about the price unless you buy a lot of guns there or for some other special reason. You can haggle a little bit more with the used guns.

I know that prices are often lower on the Internet. But keep in mind that it may be worth paying the higher price at the gunshop. You can physically inspect the gun at the gunstore before you buy it. And if there is a problem with the gun, the guy at the gunstore may be easier to contact and/or more helpful than the Internet seller.

Gun dealers need to make a living too, so there is a limit on how low they can go. If you find a nice gun that you want at a reasonable price, buy it! Don't waste time waiting forever for a special sale or deal; just buy the gun and spend that time havin' fun shooting!
 
Big difference: any car from 1961 is trash today if used under normal circumstances (so please no Rolls Royce examples or something like that).

My M14-1 from 1961 is still worth something, I guess inflation adjusted it hasn't lost any value.
 
Find your best internet price from a reputable dealer, add $25 shipping insurance, add $25 FFL transfer fee and go shopping. You should be able to come very close to that number. If you can't, then either haggle or go elsewhere. I'm in S. Florida and some of the dealers are nothing less than robbers without the mask(They already have the guns.). Not unheard of to see prices WAY out of line at one place and 10-15% over cost at another. Most dealers that actually sell guns have competitive prices. When you find someone good, use them exclusively even if they are a few bucks higher now and then. Quality dealers don't forget quality customers. The gun business is a low profit enterprise and the only way the honest guys make money is to sell a lot of merchandise.
 
Heckling with prices might get you expelled :D... I found that most dealers around here sell the gun for about 80-200 less than MSRP... shop around, it's always good to get a long running relationship with one dealer cause the ones around here give me free stuff all the time, like ammunition, accessories and stuff.... It's good to have friends in FFL places... :cool:
 
I agree with all the posts so far, plus will add a few cents as well. Most new guns are like standard, everyday new cars at dealerships, there just isn't that much profit margin in them. With the cars, you might be able to negotiate down some from the asking price (MSRP) but most gun dealers price their new ones up from dealer cost, not down from MSRP because most guns will never sell for MSRP. If you want to buy from a local dealer (gun dealer specifically, pawn shops are entirely different), my suggestion is to develop a good relationship with the dealer if you like the shop and prices are reasonable, and buy ammo, targets, holsters etc. from them every couple of times you are there even if you aren't buying a gun. This way the dealer knows you are for real and not just some jackleg who wants to talk about guns, look at everything and buy nothing, boast about your supposed military/police service etc. etc. etc. Then, when you find a gun you want, new or used, the dealer is much more likely to give you something back, whether a small price discount, extra magazines, ammo. etc. And like cars, there's a lot more profit in used guns than new so don't expect much money off on new but maybe some free custom work or ammo. Personally I think if a new gun is well below MSRP but maybe slightly more than internet prices it's probably a good value. If you do find something on the internet you want, see if you can find it locally to handle/test drive it and price compare. If the gun is really what you want, and you do have a much better deal online, set up the transaction with the dealer and go that route. Most dealers here are more than happy to do the transfer/ paperwork for $25-$35 because it only takes them about 5 minutes to complete. Overall, treat the dealers and offerings with respect and they will usually reciprocate. Best of luck, and make sure what you see online is really what you want before you buy it :)
G
 
Expect 20-30% off MSRP on new guns depending on brand and shop markup.
It's also not unreasonable /uncommon for shops to give 10% off bluebook on used guns.
p.s. New guns are allot easier to hide from the wife than new cars.
 
Blade37db,

Most true gun shops would be just fine negotiating a selling price with you. I think it's almost expected.

"Box" stores and sporting goods stores that sell guns usually aren't as flexable in their price.

The best way to buy with a really low markup, is to become a good customer. You have to build a relationship with an owner by actually buying some guns from him. He needs to know you are a buyer, not just a looker who is price shopping. Then... have them order you what you want. 10% or less markup on special orders is quite common. But once a gun hits the dealer's shelf the price usually goes up, and correctly so. He has to cover his overhead on an inventoried item.

You probably aren't going to get killer prices on those 1st few guns, but it will be worth it in the long run.

If you're an infrequent buyer... don't worry about gettng the best price. The "one gun a year" folks just don't do the volume.

Good Luck...

Joe
 
I'm just talking to hear myself talk, because I can't add much to what anybody else has already said. I've looked around on the internet and checked prices, but by the time I add shipping and the FFL transfer fee, the difference if any isn't worth the hassle. If it was something I couldn't get anywhere else, I'd order but otherwise I'd rather deal locally. The last couple of gun's I've bought I got from the same dealer, and he's thrown in a box of ammo, and some targets, that kind of thing. We're regular customers at their range, so they've gotten to know that we're there a lot.

We've also gotten a couple of guns from a big box sporting good store in town too. I can't complain about them either. They gave me a fair trade in on a couple of guns I didn't want anymore, and they have an in house gunsmith which came in handy recently when one of our guns stopped working. Gunsmith fixed it right on the spot, and handed it back, no charge. It would have been under warranty, but it was nice not to have to pack it up and ship it back. So that's something else to consider when you look at prices.
 
Gun dealers in Maryland average 6% to 8% off MSRP, I try to look for 10% off, one dealer in particular frequently has 12% off ($850 for the $966MSRP S&W M21trs or $745 for the $855MSRP Springfield loaded 1911). 15% off is a "Big Sale" and is usually accompanied by flyers and trumpets, such is life in The Old Line State :(
 
Buying Option

I get some of my guns at Davidson and have them shipped to my dealer/range/FFL.

Why?

1. Great prices.
2. Lifetime warranty from Davidson
3. My dealer makes $100+ with no investment and loves it! (He'll usually throw in a couple range passes)
4. Able to find almost any model

http://www.galleryofguns.com
 
The other thing that is good to know is what distributor the dealer uses... if they all use the same distributor you will get comparable pricing... if not pricing may be different, it's all about profit and cost... :D
 
Find your best internet price from a reputable dealer, add $25 shipping insurance, add $25 FFL transfer fee and go shopping.
Click to expand...
That's been my experience. $50 or so up from the best Internet price (or even a few $ more) makes it worth it to me to buy the gun locally, where I can inspect it, and get local support.

I have been known to dicker in a gunshop, but always as politely as I can. Never in front of a crowd, and never in an obnoxious manner.
 
The shop I prefer buying from has a large customer base and they come from all over the state. A buying session might go like this: They show you the gun you are interested in. You look at it, point it, put it down and ask the price. they give it. You make a counter offer. They put the gun back in the case and go to the next customer. Sounds cold but their prices are fair and at any given time, they have 3-5 customers waiting. Does this happen to all? Probably not but I watched it several times while waiting for my purchase to be processed. Some were customers from a culture that is based in haggleing (I'm trying to be PC here).


MSRP on vehicles is established by a group of people that are most likely stoned if they think they can get those prices. I just bought a new truck with a sticker of $42,000. After an aftenoon of BS I ended up paying $33,000 and an additional $2,000 cash back. The end price was exactly what Edmunds.com showed as the selling price for most of this model in my area. Why not just post the price and just get on with it. This is the approach that my favorite Gun Shop uses.
 
I get off the internet when they dont offer what I want but after a $70 shipping and ffl, sometimes it turns out to be a whopping $10 off what the ffl is asking for one in house. An SKS comes to mind. His were new. Internet were 'used'. I would rather pay those $10 and take the gun NOW and go enjoy it. Money well spent. Yes I think its like buying a car: you chose the model, fill out the papers, pay the man and take it home, then have wife yell at you how stupid you are for spending her money. :rolleyes: Oookaaayy.
 
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