Gun Buying Etiquet?

[NewShooter78]

Hello to all,
I am somewhat new to the whole firearms world. I've bought before, but I feel at the mercy of "nice" gun store owners/salespeople. I am wondering if any of you have advice for purchasing fireamrs in the respect of haggling prices and/or the inclusion of accessories. I'm confident in myself about being able to talk to people on the subject of price because I too was once a salesman. But what I don't want to do is to walk into someone's shop and then piss them off with trying to talk them down in price by bringing up things like, "well I saw this on gunbroker.com for about $100 less." ANY insight into this would be much apreciated. Thanks!

 

[Chazman]

I Did

When I went to buy my SAR-1 The gunstore I use had them for $379. Knowing I could order one on the net for $299 I asked them how much they would charge to do a transfer. They stated $25. I then told them about the internet deal and they lowered the price to $325. I believe that most gunstores will try to work with you. Bear in mind though, sometimes the profit margin on some guns are not that much and they may refuse.

All in all it never hurts to ask as "Talk is cheap."

 

[buzz_knox]

The best way of buying weapons is to start by doing your research and build up a database of prices (retail, internet, wholesale if you can do it). Do this for every weapon you are or might be interested in. Then, shop around. If you see something you like, you'll have a base price in your head to work from. Add in taxes, overhead, etc. and don't expect to get something from a retail outlet for the same price you might get it from a 'net source, where there may be no middleman. If you like the retailer, you can think of it as paying a little extra to help the local guy out.

You'll find that some sources are outrageous and some are reasonable. You'll also find some people who claim that the price they have is right about invoice, when it's really just a few percentage points less than suggested retail.

Always remember that you can walk away and the retailer can send you packing. You've got the right not to buy and he's got the right to set his own prices.

 

[Drjones]

Just remember that VERY few retailers of ANY sort will ever meet or beat internet prices.

The reason that things are so much cheaper online is because online stores do not have to pay any of the costs that your store down the street does; property tax, building insurance, employee costs, etc. (At least not to the same extent...an online retailer with one or two huge distribution centers has far less costs than wal-mart and the like who have hundreds of physical stores.)

It is far cheaper to sell stuff online than to open a physical store.

Personally, I think it is unfair and insulting to mention internet prices to physical stores. It is impossible to expect them to compete price-wise with the internet.

If you see something you want at a good price online, just buy it. I'm not saying you should not haggle at all, but I think it is unfair to the physical stores to bring the internet into it.

 

[NewShooter78]

Is there anyway to find out wholesale info (edit) ? I'm all for helping out the store owners. I would much rather see a local shop owner getting my money than someone clear across the country. But I want to make sure that I get a fair deal. I know the internet can be decieving, and I do consider the middle man markup effect.

What about gun shows? Are they worth it for the most part, or is it pretty much a crap shoot? I've been told going on the last day of a gun show in the last few hours is the best time to get the best deals, but I am skeptical on this a little. Again, thank for the input.

 

[KSFreeman]

Price=information.

 

[4V50 Gary]

and I thought this thread was about walking into a store and seeing something you absolutely want but someone else was looking at it first.

 

[Ed Dixon]

While not an exact analog, years ago I tried to coax a retailer down regarding photography stuff (a light meter I think) by quoting a big NY mail-order place I'd seen in the back of a magazine. He immediately and somewhat curtly replied that they could not compete with said dealers as they were mega-volume and often did not offer an American warranty but a foriegn one, which would entail sending faulty equipment overseas for repair. This is called the gray market and can offer bargains but also risk. I've heard it a million times about photography stuff: "Pay the higher price for the personalized service, knowledge and on-site help if there's a problem later and go with the small retailer." As mom-and-pop places become rare, and some area dealers tend to offer a big selection and personal service, this dynamic has started to blur. I'd rather see the gun I'm getting ahead of time, and I currently shop two area places for the best price. End up giving each about half my business. (As a teenager, my brother was shopping for a "boombox" and found two places that both said they'd beat any other dealer's price. He went back and forth with new offered "lowest" prices until one guy got the gist, quoted a final price and my brother relented and plunked down some cash. ) Don't sweat the last ten or fifteen bucks if you like the people, the selection, and the service. Much more than that and I'd spend my money where it buys the most. Of course, my ten or fifteen might be pennies to some and dealbreakers to others. Good luck.

 

[fignozzle]

NewShooter78,

Your Mileage May Vary, but so far, my experience has been:
1) let 'em sit and gather dust in the glass cases of 99% of the local dealers.
2) Buy ammo and accessories at the gunshows.
3) Buy your guns from fellow TFL'ers, or if you're in too much of a hurry to wait, try gunbroker, auctionarms, or gunsamerica.

...that said, I run all my transfers through the same dealer, and always buy a box or two of ammo and a few accessories every time I go in. He knows I'm a "internet guy", and appreciates that I drive past about 4 other dealers to get to his place, about 45 minutes away. We get along great!

 

[NewShooter78]

Thanks for the info. I have wondered about using one gun store for a FFL shipping address. I buy almost all of my accessories there, and I just don't want to offend the guy if I get something that he sells, but cheaper from one of the gun sale websites. I guess I should just ask the guys there.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Manners nit pick.

Sometimes a potential customer will haggle for a while, workin the price and trade situation, untill the sales person is left with little margin. Then the p customer says..."I'll be back."

IF they do came back....the price is special to that person, a lot higher than original.

Sam

 

[Dave R]

Its been my experience that respect and manners usually do as well as brute force. Knowledge of alternatives is the only way to be sure you are in a realistic range, so look for same gun at other stores/internet, etc.

What I mean by "respect and manners":

1. Store says price is $500. You know from TFL or other online sources, or bluebook data, that it should go for $400.

2. You can politely ask if they'd be willing to go "high 3s".

3. If they refuse, you can politely and quietly quote your sources and say you'd prefer to buy here, if they can come close to the price.

4. If they can't, no harm, no foul, just exercise the other option.

Also, remember that Internet price + FFL fee + Shipping is your actual Internet price. So if the gun store price is within $50 of the Internet price, I'm willing to pay it for the privilege of checking the gun out before buying, and having a retailer to stand behind it if I'm not happy with it.

 

[biere]

I will ask when prices are real bad or I am serious about something right then.

If I am not serious I tell them I am looking at something along the lines of what they have but their prices seem high. I often decide from their answer if they will play with negotiating or not.

I have one favorite local store now though. I get excellant treatment and the guy likes to talk and share knowledge unless he is busy. I mention a price seems a bit high and his response is usually that yeah it might be a bit high. He might need to check his cost for that firearm but a lot of times he knocks off ten percent of the total price and then it is well within reason since I can look at it and get it right now.

I wanted some scope caps for a couple scoped rifles I had. He said to just bring them in. I did and we test fitted some caps till we found the best sizes for them. I could have spent a lot of time buying and returning caps doing that any other way.

I will pay a little more for good treatment, and I generally do that by buying some ammo from him. But on some ammo he comes right in line with what I can do on the net. He had the best price for winchester 10mm silvertips bought in a 200 round case. I could get close or barely beat him, but it was not worth it since he calls when they are in.

I let everyone decide their etiquet but I feel being flexable is needed. Of course I will not deal with someone who is not flexable in most cases.

 

[Coronach]

As far as physical stores v internet goes, you are absolutely correct. A physical store can't offer the same prices as then net. There is no profit margin in that. However, then can offer you a chance to actually handle the object in question prior to purchase...something hard to do over even a broadband connection.

I'm gentle when I haggle with them, too. I know they can't match a 'net price. If they have something for ballpark, that I can see and fiddle with, I'll throw a few bucks their way. Like, a SAR-1 (using a previous example). $300 online plus $20 transfer plus shipping (?)...$340ish? Plus whatever dollar value you assign to the ability to make sure the drunken monkeys at Century actually put the front sight on straight...hmmm...I'd nibble at that deal.

Mike

 

[bastiat]

and I thought this thread was about walking into a store and seeing something you absolutely want but someone else was looking at it first.

If that happens, just walk up next to them and say something like 'Say, is that your car that's on fire in the parking lot?' and then buy the gun while they run to check on the false alarm.

 

[croyance]

I find that some internet sources actually overcharge, and that is before adding shipping plus FFL fee.
Dave R is absolutely correct. Your actual store price is price + background check fee + sales tax. Your internet store price is price + background check fee + shipping + FFL transfer charge. Keep in mind that many will only ship UPS Red.
It never hurts to ask, just ask politely. It helps if you are buying multiple guns. The best deal I ever got was when I was looking at a pair of Brownings. The price on one was a little high, so I asked. One was on consignment, so they couldn't change the price on that, but they sold be the other for cost as long as I bought the first.
Many stores only gross $30 per gun, because of competition. The profit is made with accessories - cleaning stuff, ammo, etc. It helps if they have an adjacent range and you are a regular customer. The more possitive interaction they have with you, the more likely you are to get a deal.

 

[OkieCruffler]

Back when I worked in a guitar shop we would have people come in, pick up a guitar and tell us that they could buy this guitar online for $50 cheaper. I would tell them that, no they could not buy THIS guitar online, because IT was in my shop. They could buy one that looked like it and may or may not sound like it. They would also pay shipping/handling. If they bought online they had better know how to set it up on their own, because if it wasn't bought from me I was going to charge them to get it just how they wanted. If on the other hand, they bought it from me, I would set it up whenever it needed it. I tended to remember customers since we were a small shop and would give those loyal customers the best deals. I'm not saying that there aren't crooked dealers out there, but it gets really frustrating after someone comes in, takes up an hour of your time, gets you to tell him every little thing about your product, only to have him turn around and say he's buying it online.

 

[sm]

manners...

I try a support the local dealer(s). my experience has been the service, extra touches add up. I understand margins are low locally-add transfers fees for net- bottom line how much did you pay for the firearm. I recommend others to them, buy ammo etc. It's appreciated.

Sometimes I have introduced a new shooter, needing a CCW for CHL, maybe a limited budget, patience and model 10 will turn up, and we get a call before it goes in the showcase.

There are those that give the indusry a bad name- don't recommend, or shop there.

 

[KarlG]

I try to suport local retailers

If I am just curious and not going to buy that day, I will let the retailer know and ask if there is room to deal. Some retailers price their guns very low from the start and tell me that there is no room to deal.

If I am ready to buy while I am in the store, I will ask what the cash price is today or ask if they will take $XXX cash today. "Cash" and "today" being key to the retailer's answer.

It never hurts to ask and I usually get better pricing as a result. As stated above, research is key to knowing what you want to offer. I use this approach with all types of purchases; bicycles, guitars, electronics, guns... I want to keep as much of my money as possible. I also want to be fair.

Karl

 

[TallPine]

Just a thought ...

If you don't support and keep your local gunshop open, where will you have your on-line purchases shipped to? (since they must be delivered through an FFL)