When is it okay to try and buy a gun someone is selling at a gun store?

[T. O'Heir]

"...Is it okay to chase them out the door and make a better offer (outbidding the gun store)?..." You're not at an auction with your boss as a competing bidder. Your boss won't care if you buy the thing at a higher price than he's willing to pay. He's not buying it for himself. He's buying it to resell.
Dealers base the money they'll give on their wholesale price and how fast they think they can sell the thing. It has nothing whatever to do with "very low ball". It's just how the firearm business works.
Got my Inglis BHP for $300 because the other guy working in the shop knew I wanted one(and had the money) so when a guy he knew came in looking to sell one, I got first pick. Guy never did come back with the CF issue holster. Different rules up here, of course. No such thing as an FFL and nobody in the shop cared. Got an issue 1911A1 because I wanted it and the boss needed stuff I could arrange for him to get.

 

[Tony Z]

I typically don't get involved in conversations or deals at stores, but I applaud what Vito said, and if given the same circumstances, I hope I would do the same.

I believe there are several lawyers here (one of my son in laws is an attorney), I believe they have a way of thinking, built around the phrase "but for". In the case of a LGS, but for the store existing, but for a persom coming in, wanting to make a transaction, to try to interject yourself in the LGS, or on their property outside, you are acting in an unethical manner, to try to buy the firearm in question. Talking to the person off site is fair game.

 

[Rob228]

For me it depends on the shop. I've sent a lot of business to one shop in Boulder CO that ended up giving me some pretty good deals in return. I would never attempt to steal a customer from them.

There's a shop in Southern California that I walked into looking for a polymer 9mm and outright said that is what I was looking for. They had nothing in stock, so the owner, believing I was ignorant, attempted to sell me a S&W Model 25, because .45 Colt "Has more shock trauma than any other round". I would go out of my way to steer business away from him.

 

[Ricklin]

Tricky9914
Your store owner needs to take one of my first bosses favorite sayings to heart.

Throw them outside! Gus was a crusty ol greek and he meant it.
If he is worried about repercussions he can make it about "facilitating off the books transfers" after review of security tapes.

I do agree with TonyZ 100% Hanging out and sniping deals in the parking lot is HIGHLY unethical. If it were my store, I would do like Gus and throw them outside.

 

[buck460XVR]

No, my line is STRICTLY for other customers in the store overhearing the conversation that was made possible by the store provided by the finances of the store owner. Those customers got the advantage of hearing the gun store's offer, they got the advantage of having a gun store to stand in where people bring in guns, and they get the advantage of competing with a dealer who needs to make money on the gun. None of this they paid for. They are taking advantage of a situation they did not pay for.

Anyway, also, this kind of went off on a tangent. What I said earlier in one of my first posts is that we are having a problem with people hanging around for the purpose of finding these deals. That is really the root of all of this. If it happens here or there, then it happens - such is life. But what about the "gun store flies" that hang around waiting for the opportunity?

I think the question changes more than a little bit when you talk about people who don't buy store merchandise but hang out for the purpose of swooping in on these situations. My question to the owner would be, "What are you losing by sending these guys packing?"

^^^ I'm with TailGator. When you get to the point of allowing folks to loiter and sit like vultures waiting to take advantage of you, then you are enabling. You have no one else to blame but yourself or no legitimate whine if you are allowing this to happen. You need to change your store policies or change the way you do your trades or buy used guns. If these guys are being jerks like you say, costing you money, then why are you not being a jerk and telling them to buy something or leave? As long as you don't tell them you have an issue with what they are doing, they are ignorant to the fact you are unhappy about it. If they do know and don't care, why worry about hurting their feelings asking them to leave?

 

[Elliottsdad]

Personally, I wouldn't interfere in the middle of a transaction, but..
I would have ZERO qualms following someone outside to offer a better price once the deal was over/on hold. If the business wanted to turn a profit, maybe they should have offered the seller a fair amount to begin with. Not my problem if they want to low ball their clients, and if a deal is made out in the parking lot, both buyer and seller walk away happy instead of the seller feeling like they just got screwed.
Again, I've never done this, but wouldn't lose any sleep if I had.
Also, if the business is smart, they should ban people who do this, as it negatively impacts the ability to offer far less than guns are actually worth, therefore hurting the bottom line.