Rip off story

[Blowmax10]

I was in a local gun store yesterday and I noticed that they had Steel AR mags for $50 - I couldn't help but ask the guy why they were so much. He feed me some BS line about some companies cutting corners on quality.

When I got home I checked on line and found the same Bushmaster mags from an online supplier for $20

Man I'm willing to pay a bit of store mark up to get certain things right away but what a joke - I wonder if anyone buys those mags from him at that price?

[slingshot]

Sure they will! Remember what P.T. Barnum said, "A ****** is born every minute."

[Klayton]

Blowmax, my part time job the last time I was stationed in Maryland was at a gun store. Let me tell you, once they "trusted me" to do receiving and pricing I was shocked to say the least, long guns were a minimum of 50% profit, popular guns (say military style-he called them black guns) were a 75% profit sometimes as high as 100%. Ammunition same thing, 25% profit for .22s, if I remember right 40% for all other long gun ammo, 50-75% for handgun ammo. Note, this profit was AFTER we added our cost of shipping.

Say we got 10 boxes of ammunition and the shipping charge was $10. We added that average (in this case $1) to the price of the ammo BEFORE we figured in our minimum profit. I was SHOCKED and have NEVER bought ammo at a local gun shop since.

[Blowmax10]

I hear you Klayton - Like I said, I'm willing to pay a bit of store mark up to get stuff when I want it but sometimes its just stupid what some of these people want

There is a sporting goods store here call "big 5" that has a Yugo SKS for $500 - the thing is covered in cosmoline and has the grenade launcher removed - whenever I go in there I feel it my duty to rib the guy behind the counter about it - I've offered $350 cash for one which is more then a fair offer just to mess with the guy but they always turn me down

[monkeybird]

That reminds me to the magazine loader sold at my local gun shop. I was having a heck of a time loading the clip. This seems to be a female problem. My friend show me this piece of plastic that make clip loading a breeze, saving both fingers and fingernails. It cost $39.99. It's a clever idea, but expensive for plastic. I purchased it because I really needed it right then and there. I later saw it on line for $24.95 via Amazon.

I understand my local gun store and shooting range is trying to make a living, and judging from the volume of customers in just the short time I was there, appear to be doing so very handsomely. I know they they cannot compete with the volume of Amazon, but it would be nice to feel I wasn't being taken.

[klik]

must have some reallly DUMB gun buyers, paying 100% over prices anyone can find on the Net or in the Shotgun News. :-)

[RobertJ]

Aparantly there are still some out there in this date and time that dont comparison shop. I research to a fault for the cheapest prices before I purchase something, look for coupons, and for sale adds on forums. Money dose not go far now a days, and you know what they say about a fool and his money. I work hard for my money im not gonna throw it away, apparently some people just dont care or have wayyy to much of it....

[GAGLOCK]

Aparantly there are still some out there in this date and time that dont comparison shop. I research to a fault for the cheapest prices before I purchase something, look for coupons, and for sale adds on forums. Money dose not go far now a days, and you know what they say about a fool and his money. I work hard for my money im not gonna throw it away, apparently some people just dont care or have wayyy to much of it....

Ditto except I dont mind paying a SMALL premium to a local business who most likely will spend the money locally as well. BUT if they're asking way more than elsewhere, no thanks!

[Mikeg175]

Listening to you guys is half the reason our Country is where it is . Rather then buy something local and keep your money where it is needed , we will save money and send it elsewhere . Yes you can save a few $$ buying it online , BUT I can not tell you how many times I head to my local stores where I spend a lot of my $$ and need a screw/seal/nut just about anything . I can bring in my 'blah' to them , they will look at it and a lot of times have the part I need and most times I dont pay for the little part and/or their expertise . I buy stuff online that I can't get local , it is real nice to pick something up by walking into the store and walking out with it . I have it NOW , not a week from now , not oh man this is the wrong part , now let me try and send it back . I pay more for that ,if you don't like the local pricing , try asking them why it is so much more . Then hear about they have to pay for the storefront , they have to pay for the insurance , so when you slip and fall and sue them they are covered . They have to pay for the lights to be on , they have to pay the local/state/federal taxes . They have to make some money , we gripe about jobs being sent overseas where people work for nothing , then we gripe when we walk into a local specialized shop and pay for the expedience and expertise and looking someone in the eye and building a relationship with a local business .

Talk to anyone who has a business , you usually mark up items 30-50% more , its called overhead/profit . Take some business classes , it will open your eyes . Ordering something offline is cheaper , sometimes easier . How many times have you ordered something and gotten the wrong part , the run around or its inferior to what you thought it was . I just ordered the Wondercleaner from Emergency Essentials , I buy alot of stuff from them , I cant get it local , well I open the box it was cracked all the way around . Now I am sending it back ( great customer service btw ) , then will have to wait to get it back , I am heading out this week and I probably wont have it in my camper . If I had a chance to buy it local for 30-50% I would have , then guess what , it would sitting in camper right now and working , if it was broken , I head back and spend 20-30 mins and have a new one . I will pay more for that any day of the week .

Now if they are lying about why something costs so much then F-em , but look me in the eye and say I have to make a living also , I can deal with that . Don't treat me like an idiot and try to feed me bs . I deal with a lot of small mom and pops shops where I live . I see the owners when I eat dinner , go grocery shopping , sitting at the stop light . It feels good to hear , hey Mike and look over and its the printer who does my printing or local manager of the gym .

So when you go to your local factory/plant and see a closed sign on it , dont worry , you can always buy it cheaper online from china or india and when you make a call and cant understand the person to get some help dont worry , it was cheaper for the company to pay a guy in india to answer the call , then to pay a local person . Ask the local guy if he is willing to work something out , if its your first time , maybe not , but head in frequent and notice the change . I get free hats , shirts , mugs , coozies , tons of free expertise and it all comes locally , not from half the world away . I order items from the forum vendors to support where I get a lot of my information that I get free . I pay it forward and I hope by buying items off the forum vendors it keeps the site going . But I have noticed their prices are about average , but I pay more to keep the site going , same philosophy .

Sorry semi-rant off hehe . I am just a keep local/American type person ..