LGS Prices

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Axis II

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Jul 2, 2015
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Just had a conversation with a buddy on LGS and small business pricing and wondering what everyone else does. We started the conversation because everyone around me has a gun we both want but it’s $50-$125 more than online. We get it, LGS are dying but around me they are actually popping up more and more. My buddies thought is “i’m not rich, so if it’s cheaper online or say Cabelas thats where I am going”. I am kinda the other way around. I don’t want to order it online, ship to the LGS, pay $25 for them to transfer it when they have the same thing on the shelf for $25 more than what it is online. Now granted, some of these online places don’t charge tax so savings could be pretty good.

I actually felt bad when i bought the Ex a gun, shipped to a LGS and LGS said she would have price matched or at least gotten me close. I ended up buying a bunch of targets and cleaning stuff from her just so i didn’t feel like such a jerk. I figured since larger places were out of stock for said gun the LGS wouldn’t have it.
 
I'm not rich either, arigato in arigato out. If the gun shop can come within $50 +/- on an actual gun I'll definitely buy from them but on other goods I'm a lil more stubborn. This one gun shop wanted $100 for a LPK I could get online for $50. In that case I'll buy online from the lowest cost source. Some gun shops have asinine prices. If I'm looking for a 250rd flat of 12ga target loads I'm not paying $13/25rd when I can get it for $8-$9/25rd online or the big box store. I guess it depends for me, but typically I'll support local if they can be reasonable.
 
Online purchases are supposed to be including tax now, I believe. Maybe not from private parties, but businesses, yes.
 
The biggest issue is small mom and pop LGS’s don’t get to benefit from distribution pricing schemes. Therefor they cannot compete with the big dogs. Yet those big dogs are only local to a few. The rest of us are required to have a FFL for online purchases.
So we find ourselves with a major dilemma. If you cannot transfer it to yourself it doesn’t matter if it’s free of charge.
 
I’m in favor of LGS to a point. Depending on the price of the gun, I may go up to $100 over online…because I want my local store to be there next year. But there are definitely times I will go with the lower price online. (I’ll generally have it transferred to my other FFL who only handles a few consignment pieces!).

$50 or $100 makes a difference in these times…..
 
DustyGmt said:
I'm not rich either, arigato in arigato out. If the gun shop can come within $50 +/- on an actual gun I'll definitely buy from them but on other goods I'm a lil more stubborn. This one gun shop wanted $100 for a LPK I could get online for $50. In that case I'll buy online from the lowest cost source. Some gun shops have asinine prices. If I'm looking for a 250rd flat of 12ga target loads I'm not paying $13/25rd when I can get it for $8-$9/25rd online or the big box store. I guess it depends for me, but typically I'll support local if they can be reasonable.
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I am kinda on your side when it comes to gun price vs price of everything else. I could buy primers from LGS or the LGS that owns 8 stores but they want $120 brick when Cabelas and online are $80-90. They also make you buy your brick in 100 packs to equal 1000. Play games like that and i go elsewhere. $60 for a brick of 22. Yep, going elsewhere. Two local shops have the guns while all the chains are out of stock. Chains and online are $699 and LGS range from $775 plus 6.5% tax and another is $836 due to tax and credit card fees. You start getting that high and I’ll buy it online, give you $25 for a transfer and have a nice day.
 
the longtime LGS here closed,but a new one opened recently and they will price match pretty much anything, as long as it is in stock. their shelf prices are pretty comparable as well. One opened up a shop outside the municipal boundary, as the city tax is the really punitive tax in the area. so prices there are identical to almost everything online.
 
Any time I go to a local shop looking for something no specific, they just tell me to order it and have it shipped to them. They used to order guns for people but anymore, that is more of a hassle for them. They are fine taking the transfer fee and not having to worry about floating the cost of ordering stuff and having customers stiff them.
 
I always give my local guy a chance first, and if his price is within 25 or so more than it would cost to ship to him and do a transfer I give him my money. It's for the same reason I shop at a small local grocery, I don't want to lose them.
 
Crazy thing to me is this, there's a semi local gun shop that's about a 20 min drive to a small new England city, the gun shop is right in between a Runnings and a Walmart. 2 mins in either direction yet the small gun shop right in the middle is charging INSANE prices for everything.

I.e Wal mart and Runnings charging approx $22 for a 325 round pack of .22lr, within 50 cents of each other yet the gun shop wants $40 for the same brick of .22lr. Same with magpul items and just about everything else, at least 30% more $$$. I left them a note that one item in particular (streamlight TLR-1 I believe) was about $210 at the shop but could be had for $100 ish everywhere else and about a dozen other people immediately commented and said they felt the same and that's why they didn't shop there. The Gun shop removed the post but the next time I went in they had dropped the price of that item to $130.

Oddly enough, 25 mins in the other direction north of me where there is nothing but miles of trees and thick woods out in the middle of nowhere there is a small shop along a very secluded series of dirt roads that was selling guns cheaper than anywhere I could find online, along with ammo and other components, easily beating or coming in right in line with big box stores (not sure how he did it) and was able to win my business. Shout out to Seiples Shoot Shop. His old location was really out there, now he's in a bigger city and is still beating the competition. Not sure how he's able to do it, he beats everybody and he's just a small LGS.
 
MrShooter said:
I always give my local guy a chance first, and if his price is within 25 or so more than it would cost to ship to him and do a transfer I give him my money. It's for the same reason I shop at a small local grocery, I don't want to lose them.
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So i always hear i don’t want to lose them. What exactly would you be losing if they closed up? Like the grocery story…I had the conversation with my mom the other day when she was complaining of groceries cost. I said mom, stop going to the mom and pop grocery store and save some of your fixed income and shop elsewhere. Yes, i hate walmart too but $5 for milk at one or $2.50 for milk at Walmart. It adds up. Her excuse was they are nice to her. I mean i get it, but sometimes you have to look out for yourself. Yes, she needs people to talk too but also needs $.
 
DustyGmt said:
Crazy thing to me is this, there's a semi local gun shop that's about a 20 min drive to a small new England city, the gun shop is right in between a Runnings and a Walmart. 2 mins in either direction yet the small gun shop right in the middle is charging INSANE prices for everything.

I.e Wal mart and Runnings charging approx $22 for a 325 round pack of .22lr, within 50 cents of each other yet the gun shop wants $40 for the same brick of .22lr. Same with magpul items and just about everything else, at least 30% more $$$. I left them a note that one item in particular (streamlight TLR-1 I believe) was about $210 at the shop but could be had for $100 ish everywhere else and about a dozen other people immediately commented and said they felt the same and that's why they didn't shop there. The Gun shop removed the post but the next time I went in they had dropped the price of that item to $130.

Oddly enough, 25 mins in the other direction north of me where there is nothing but miles of trees and thick woods out in the middle of nowhere there is a small shop along a very secluded series of dirt roads that was selling guns cheaper than anywhere I could find online, along with ammo and other components, easily beating or coming in right in line with big box stores (not sure how he did it) and was able to win my business. Shout out to Seiples Shoot Shop. His old location was really out there, now he's in a bigger city and is still beating the competition. Not sure how he's able to do it, he beats everybody and he's just a small LGS.
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There is a gas station with a gun shop connected to it that does the exact same thing. You don’t know they sell guns and ammo until you walk in and the back room has 20 guys buying stuff. When our larger mom and pop place puts out a sales add this guy cuts their name off the add and posts it as his sale. Idk how he can afford to price match either but he is always packed and hasn’t closed yet. I’m guessing its the closest one for 45min-hour and he has a ton of stuff and seems to care about his customers.
 
i think it best to buy from the LGS. this way that store can have our support, rather than online.

we have to pay sales taxes, either way.. transfer fees are where we can save some money as when we buy local, at least for me, there isn't any transfer fee.

also buying local can afford us "some discounts", with other items, like maybe ammo, or accessories.

don't forget too, shipping charges, and possible credit card charges, when you buy online.

i'd ask the LGS first, if they can get a particular firearm, and my cost.

let them do some shopping, many times, the LGS's have more than one distributor they deal with.
 
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I would prefer to go the LGS route, but most near me only have the most popular stuff in stock. (I don’t always flow with the popular tides.)

So, I have found many times their wholesale prices for one-off orders are as much (or more) than some larger on-line dealers can do.

Stay safe.
 
You know you've found the right place when it feels almost borderline immoral to try to haggle. I wonder if some shops build in the "haggle" factor and if somebody tries to beat them up they can wiggle down to their desired markup and if you don't it's a windfall 10% or 15% for them. I think my guy is pretty firm on his prices but they are low enough that you can't really complain. But there are people out there who will pay more and if they got you to knock $13.50 off the marked price they feel they've won.....
 
DustyGmt said:
You know you've found the right place when it feels almost borderline immoral to try to haggle. I wonder if some shops build in the "haggle" factor and if somebody tries to beat them up they can wiggle down to their desired markup and if you don't it's a windfall 10% or 15% for them. I think my guy is pretty firm on his prices but they are low enough that you can't really complain. But there are people out there who will pay more and if they got you to knock $13.50 off the marked price they feel they've won.....
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I think i found that place. Lol. I sent them a Facebook message today and got the reply of a picture of the price tag. $775 in bold and under it in red is $709.50 cash and $728.85 card. I will message her back tomorrow and ask if $775 is after tax or what.
 
tarosean said:
The biggest issue is small mom and pop LGS’s don’t get to benefit from distribution pricing schemes. Therefor they cannot compete with the big dogs. Yet those big dogs are only local to a few. The rest of us are required to have a FFL for online purchases.
So we find ourselves with a major dilemma. If you cannot transfer it to yourself it doesn’t matter if it’s free of charge.
Click to expand...
Yeah dad and I have this exact same problem. We get kinda crappy availability and it seems like everything that is hot and new gets allocated to the big guys and we can't even try to order them. Like SA-35s for instance, can't even try to order one from our wholesalers..
And ammo pricing is horrible our cost is like 24cpr for 9mm ball and I've seen retailers online sell it for almost or exactly that much so yeah thats kinda dumb
 
I have two local shops. One I won't bother visiting and the other is owned and operated by a long time friend. I seldom buy a new gun as in factory new but recently I did buy a few and they were Cabela's simply because they had what I wanted when I wanted it. When I see a gun I like in my local shop I never look at the price. I simply ask Jimmy what my price is out the door and Jim generally knows I want the gun and have the cash on hand to pay for the gun so gives me a nice price out the door. Can't recall ever walking away from a gun I wanted. :) So it's just a matter of shop for me. :)

Ron
 
Axis II said:
So i always hear i don’t want to lose them. What exactly would you be losing if they closed up? Like the grocery story
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Unlike your local grocery store you are mandated to transfer through a licensed FFL. That alone changes the game substantially.
 
anothernewb said:
the longtime LGS here closed,but a new one opened recently and they will price match pretty much anything, as long as it is in stock. their shelf prices are pretty comparable as well. One opened up a shop outside the municipal boundary, as the city tax is the really punitive tax in the area. so prices there are identical to almost everything online.
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They'll no doubt raise prices a bit in the future, as they find out trading a dollar for a dollar won't keep them in the red. There are so many ancillary costs that nick and chip at the bottom line that a LGS needs a decent profit to break even, let alone profit.

Taxes, insurance of several kinds, wages, SSI payments on wages, medical insurance, rent, utilities, maintenance, wear and tear of interior and displays, shrinkage (theft), slow moving stock that was paid for months and years ago, obsolete stock, shop worn stock, employee vacations and seasonal bonuses, advertising, legal fees...

Been there/done that.
 
Axis II said:
I think i found that place. Lol. I sent them a Facebook message today and got the reply of a picture of the price tag. $775 in bold and under it in red is $709.50 cash and $728.85 card. I will message her back tomorrow and ask if $775 is after tax or what.
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That's actually pretty nice tbh. I'd ask what's the OTD cash price was. Alot of people just want to hear the cash out the door price. You get taxed on every dollar made, every dollar spent, people resent it. Having a cash out the door price would probably be a good marketing tactic, no? At least that's the way it was. They say asking "what's the cash price" is pretty much out the window now.... not exactly sure why that is but you used to get a break with paper cash.
 
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