Local Prices

[BigBore45]

These Local LGS ( 60 mile radius ) are way high, i dunno who their distributors are but it is way to marked up. theres hazmat but you pay no tax on out of state items so there's that if you order it. it is insane to save money on one jug of powder including hazmat. Local $197 total. Online $160.69 to my door. for one jug. If i buy 9 jugs off of one hazmat charge its $1773 Local or $1212 online both prices are in my hand, thats around 40% markup between the distributor and local store.

One pic is recobs online. the higher price is the lowest locally.

 

[thomas15]

Smart shopper.

 

[SamT1]

One of our locals quit selling reloading so all the rest went through the roof. I used to buy 1# every time I went to town. Now it’s too high, I’m not paying $30/lb. but it really messes up my system of buying a little often because I need to order a lot off line.

I really hate not buying local, but the markup is too high.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

One of our locals quit selling reloading so all the rest went through the roof. I used to buy 1# every time I went to town. Now it’s too high, I’m not paying $30/lb. but it really messes up my system of buying a little often because I need to order a lot off line.

I really hate not buying local, but the markup is too high.

I’m with you. Where I used to live we had several stores with ok prices. More than gun shows and ordering online but not horrible. Where I am now the shops have horrible selection at high prices.

I do what you did. My suggestion is to take the money you’d spend and put it in an empty powder jug and do t use it for anything. When you get enough money in the jug, place an order online and like the savings. (This is what I’m doing)

 

[SamT1]

I’m with you. Where I used to live we had several stores with ok prices. More than gun shows and ordering online but not horrible. Where I am now the shops have horrible selection at high prices.

I do what you did. My suggestion is to take the money you’d spend and put it in an empty powder jug and do t use it for anything. When you get enough money in the jug, place an order online and like the savings. (This is what I’m doing)

It really agitated me when I was living in Kansas. After sandy hook all the realoading stuff was awol and expensive. One local pawn shop started selling reloading, he had never. His prices were normal while everyone else was saying prices were up from manufacturer. That man also did face to face transfers for folks trading guns local on Facebook traders, only charged $10. He was a stand up operator in my book.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

It really agitated me when I was living in Kansas. After sandy hook all the realoading stuff was awol and expensive. One local pawn shop started selling reloading, he had never. His prices were normal while everyone else was saying prices were up from manufacturer. That man also did face to face transfers for folks trading guns local on Facebook traders, only charged $10. He was a stand up operator in my book.

Most of the shops near me say local zoning limits how much powder and how many primers they can stock. I heard that from a shop in Salem, Va but nowhere else in SW Va. I’m not sure if it’s true or not here in Central Va, but it’s annoying not to be able to pick up a pound of a powder to try before buying 4 or 8 lbs.

As for dealers that price fair. Kudos to them.
A dealer in SW Va ordered my first AR before prices went nuts. While waiting for it to arrive they went through the room, the dealer sold me the AR at the price I was quoted. So I appreciated it and made them my first choice whenever I could.

 

[billybob44]

These Local LGS ( 60 mile radius ) are way high, i dunno who their distributors are but it is way to marked up. theres hazmat but you pay no tax on out of state items so there's that if you order it. it is insane to save money on one jug of powder including hazmat. Local $197 total. Online $160.69 to my door. for one jug. If i buy 9 jugs off of one hazmat charge its $1773 Local or $1212 online both prices are in my hand, thats around 40% markup between the distributor and local store.

One pic is recobs online. the higher price is the lowest locally.

Powder Valley is in your State=Great Prices=Road Trip??

 

[Dudedog]

I like to support my LGSs but-$32-$35 a lb for say HP38/WSF etc is to steep for me. (if it was VV powder that would be ok)
Then you have to call and get someone to check to see if they have the powder in stock and spend 10 minutes or more on the phone.
If they have it then I need to drive to the store say 30 minutes and $2 worth of gas. Get someone to unlock the cabinet and get it for me, and maybe wait in line to pay for it.
Easier just to order and have it delivered to my door.
Cablea's prices on powder are not great (lots of places have better prices but you need to come up with total cost powder+shipping+hazmat) but if I am ordering S+B SPs on sale for $20/k I will pick up a couple lbs from them. $5 club member shipping $20 hazmat so $25 delivered to my door with my $20-$25/k primers. (CCI SPs at my local LGSs run $35-$40/k)
I can't order 9 jugs in CA, not allowed to have that much! but Recob's, Powdervalley, Graf, Midsouth Shooters etc, tend to be lower per lb than Cablea's so a little higher shipping and hazmat would work out when ordering from them if you were ordering enough powder..

I would note that I understand some of the reasons it's higher at my LGS,
Higher overhead costs, they probably pay more per pound than a higher volume dealer etc.
Still it seems like the mark up is high but no way to know for sure without knowing their costs.

Note: takes only 2K of primers to cover the hazmat and shipping so 3K+ is a win.
Cant have many primers in CA either.

 

[VoodooMountain]

I live in Kansas and take road trips to powder valley. Otherwise, prices elsewhere are way too high. $35/ lb for varget at one lgs. Very limited supply at most places as well.

Sadly, I would still buy an overpriced pound here or there but I can’t stand the arrogant attitudes, m and mis-informed opinions in my lgs. Not to mention their unwillingness to haggle in used firearms.

 

[Axis II]

cabelas wants $34 for varget but I found it at a local store for $27. My guess is cabelas buys a few pounds here and there while the local shop buys lots and lots of powder and primers.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

cabelas wants $34 for varget but I found it at a local store for $27. My guess is cabelas buys a few pounds here and there while the local shop buys lots and lots of powder and primers.

Or Cabaleas prices are higher for another reason. I noticed they charge a lot more for BE86 than Sportsman’s Warehouse

 

[SamT1]

Or Cabaleas prices are higher for another reason. I noticed they charge a lot more for BE86 than Sportsman’s Warehouse

Cabelas in Lubbock is the only reasonable “local” source I’ve cameacross. Bought some S&B primers for 23

 

[hdwhit]

BigBore45 wrote:
Local $197 total. Online $160.69 to my door. for one jug.

Well, then vote with your wallet and order everything on-line. That way when the LGS goes out of business it won't really impact you.

 

[George P]

40% markup to cover rent, taxes, utilities, taxes, salaries, taxes, licenses, taxes, benefits, taxes, carrying costs, taxes, business loans................did I mention taxes too?

 

[SamT1]

40% markup to cover rent, taxes, utilities, taxes, salaries, taxes, licenses, taxes, benefits, taxes, carrying costs, taxes, business loans................did I mention taxes too?

The rest of us that survive doing business local have to get by on 10% or less. No sympathy here. I compete with the internet daily, plus 3 local competitors. There’s a lot of satisfaction in knowing your customers can shop online or wherever and not get a better deal.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

40% markup to cover rent, taxes, utilities, taxes, salaries, taxes, licenses, taxes, benefits, taxes, carrying costs, taxes, business loans................did I mention taxes too?

40% may be reasonable markup on some products. On others it may be way out of line. Many factors determine what markup a business can add and be competitive in their space.

 

[George P]

And a lot also depends on WHERE you are. Some states/counties/cities have very expensive real estate utilities and taxes/fees. Others are very low cost.

 

[kcofohio]

Back in early 2012 I could go into a LGS and buy 1 lb. of most any handgun powder for about $17-19. Primers where about $27-32 per brick
Now powder is $29 and up. And primers start at $39.
In the last few years they have started their own reman ammo. So I suppose that is more their objective than swaying reloaders to buy from them. I got the hint.
Powder Valley and few others have been my source of late.

 

[George P]

Back in early 2012 I could go into a LGS and buy 1 lb. of most any handgun powder for about $17-19. Primers where about $27-32 per brick
Now powder is $29 and up. And primers start at $39.
In the last few years they have started their own reman ammo. So I suppose that is more their objective than swaying reloaders to buy from them. I got the hint.
Powder Valley and few others have been my source of late.

I can get your 2012 prices where I live, as well as on line - perhaps it is the economics of your area?

 

[kcofohio]

I can get your 2012 prices where I live, as well as on line - perhaps it is the economics of your area?

Or the lack of competition. We're in an area where it's about 1 to 1 1/2 hr. drive for a store that has reasonable pricing and stock.

 

[Toprudder]

I get most of my hazmat items at the local gun shows. There are a couple of vendors that have good prices and good inventory. I don't think either of them have a retail storefront, one of them said something about insurance or zoning restrictions I believe. One has a website where I can order and pay for the items, and I can request they bring it to the next gun show, so no shipping or hazmat fee. Good people to work with.

 

[Hasaf]

I live in Kansas and take road trips to powder valley. Otherwise, prices elsewhere are way too high. $35/ lb for varget at one lgs. Very limited supply at most places as well.

I am also working in Kansas; so I checked. Powder Valley is over 250 miles each way for me. I am heading to a gun-show in Garden City this weekend and plan to pick up some powder when I am there; however, when I go I will take a few notes with me so that I don't pay more than it would cost to order from midway or brownells.

 

[LoonWulf]

out here cheap powder is 34 bucks a pound and primers run 50-55 buck per K. Honestly considering the crap our retailers have to go thru to get it I consider that pretty cheap.

 

[Strat Rider]

If you are not already a member of IDPA or USPSA I would look around for local clubs and get on their website which almost always will include Forums like this one.
Usually there are folks there that know where to get the best prices and also they like to post for group sales, thereby splitting those hazmat fees across a lot of members.

 

[thomas15]

Think back to 2014. At that time no one had smokless powders not even Powder Valley or Cabelas. During that time period (2014) my bunker went from (in the case of shotgun/pistol powders) having less than 6 pounds to well over 50 pounds. Posters on this and many other forums were crying and sobbing because they couldn't locate even 1 pound of powder. There were high count threads dedicated to finding powder and showing off the lucky once-in-a-blue-moon powder purchase.

A good portion of that powder I bought came from what could be termed an over-priced LGS. True, I paid maybe 3 or 3 dollars/pound more than what PV was showing on their website. But the LGS had the powder PV did not. PV, and I have nothing against them, has not had Federal Small Pistol Primers for almost 2 years. My LGS has them on occasion. Food for thought.