Online "discount" gun dealers

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Anyone can sell a gun for cheap, very few offer quality service.
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I go to a gun show, I buy a gun from a private party, I walk out of the show with said gun, what "service" am I getting or missing?

I go to a gun show and buy a gun from a dealer, I complete the papewr work and pay for said gun, I walk out of the gun show my gun, again what "service" am I getting or missing for that matter.

Gus, believe me, your the exception not the rule. I've spent time on the phone and emailing back and forth answering questions and giving advice to most of my customers so that we can find the right product for them. They want advice, they want knowledge, they want someone watching out for them. That's what I give them.
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Just what kind of customers have you got anyway, that they need all that advice, knowledge, and watching out, and you are the one that can provide all that?
 
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I wonder what he would think about my(very successful) dealer that only charges me 10 bucks for transfers. I bet he wants to put him out of business too. Free market sucks dont ya know. lol


Tenringguns...R you mad? tell us r you mad? I think u mad.
 
It is a pretty good one. He makes tons of money. You wanna know the first tip. He isnt on a forum complaining(see he is too busy in a real shop to worry about forums). He takes money from anyone willing to pay it. Doesnt cry if they order online. Has plenty of all the latest goodies in stock, accessories, ammo. Has a used firearms section. takes pawn. Does CCL classes. Has a range out back. See there are real dealers, and there are wanna be dealers. Some just cant cut it. Its a dog eat dog world.
 
Hmmmmm Chevy sounds a lot like mine....

Are you located close to me?



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Ugh where I live the ONLY LGS charges about ... $200 over places like Buds. Last time I was there they wanted $700 for a LNIB XD40 (NOT XDM) Also they charge $200 transfer fee. So I do my shopping in a different city.
 
Guess what? It works, my customers love me. I take my time with each of them and give them a one-to-one experience.
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I admit that I'm missing something here. My LGD has handled a few transfers for me. I fill out the paperwork, he calls it in, I pay him, we BS for awhile, I go home.

What exactly are you doing differently during your one on one experience, to make your customers love you?
 
TenRing, I'm still trying to figure out what's different about what you're doing vs what you're upset about them doing.
 
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Cheaper Than Dirt, Buds, and all the other dealers that prostitute guns for dollars over cost have been drop shipping their guns directly from the wholesalers.
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Dollars over cost? I havent looked in a while, but the last G19 I looked at in a LGS had a price tag of about $525.

Here is the same gun, at Bud's, for $500. If that's dollars over cost than I'm amazed there are still brick and mortar gun stores around.

Fact of the matter is, if you do two transfers for $25, you've made the same money as would have made if you sold one Glock 19. But you didn't have to shell out $475 to buy a pistol, to sell, to make that $50. In one of these threads over the past few years, an FFL mentioned he preferred transfers for this reason.

Something else, when you LGS owners tell someone on three different occasions that "We cant get it, but if you find one online, we'll be happy to transfer it," you may want to mention you won't accept transfers from a major online retailer. This, among other things, caused a LGS to lose any money I would have spent there. You can say its not a big loss, but just across the state line, at the dealer I used to use, who's store I still frequent despite the two hour drive, I'm greeted with "Hey Zach, hows you're little girl doing?" when I walk through the door.

Sure, some deals are smooth as silk. The rest of them would drive me nuts. No wonder some places charge $50 or $100 for a transfer. It's the aggravation tax.
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I heard of one store that would quote $50 for the transfer, but would only charge you $25 if you weren't a pain in the butt. Now, I don't know if there's any truth to it, but after seeing guys hanging out in the store because tracking said "out for delivery" and answering the phone several times to hear "Hey my name is Impatient, did my gun come in yet?" I could certainly understand it.
 
Seattleimport hit on the answer to all your problems in post #100. Instead of fighting a battle you can't win, work with it. Make your store the transfer go-to in your area that everyone knows about, and do all you can to make it a great experience.

What I will add to Seattleimport's concept is to stock and sell all the things people might need for their new gun; ammo, scopes/rings/mounts, slings, red dots, targets, cases, "Protected by Smith & Wesson" signs, whatever. Offer 'good' and fast gunsmithing services. The inexpensive transfer brings your target audience in your door, and you have everything they could possibly need or want at a fair price and you make money.

Want more? Buy, sell, consign and trade the daylights out of used guns... a lot of people constantly look for deals on used guns. Outside of online auctions, I don't see much going on in the world of online used firearms, and I think it's because people want to inspect a gun for themselves. Your store could be the permanent gun show in town.

In short, make the discount outfits work for you instead of trying to take them on.
 
Ill state it once again.

My local Academy Sports retailer has a better selection of guns than my local gun shops.

My first tip to gun shops - actually stock stuff.
 
My first tip to gun shops - actually stock stuff.
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And that costs money - and a lot of it. Then they have to put up with the touchy-feely folks who want to handle it before buying from Bud's who has the gun dropped shipped and therefore has lower inventory carrying costs -that's a tough thing to swallow.

I suspect when internet sales start to require sales tax being collected, it might have an impact or two

My local guy can beat Bud's every time - he uses a different distributor - and he orders on an as-needed basis, even if that means ordering one gun a day for several days in a row; he keeps his inventory down to a minimum of stuff, meaning he can lower his profit margin a little, stay competitive, make a living, and help with issues if they arise
 
So I don't get it - which way do you want it.

Most order online because gunstore selection blows chunks.

Gunstore does not want to stock because people are "touchy-feely"? (omg - a business having to deal with customers? What a concept!)

The consumer is going to buy one way or the other - why be on the crappy end of the deal. There is so much stuff in this thread that makes absolutely no sense. That or some people have some really bad business models or something.
 
I never by new guns, center fire rifles need to have around 200 rounds shot before they shoot good, I buy used because of no paper work and also I can buy 2 used one for the price of one new one, and one big factor is my local gun dealer is a big so and so.:cuss:
 
Most order online because gunstore selection blows chunks.
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Nope, most order online because they perceive they are getting a better deal. many small dealers will do the direct order in - if it comes in and goes out in one day, they inventory costs are minimal

Gunstore does not want to stock because people are "touchy-feely"? (omg - a business having to deal with customers? What a concept!)
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Yep, except there a lot of folks who have desire or thought to even want to buy from the dealer - yet they expect him to outlay the cash so they can "take a test drive" with the gun so to speak before buying online - most small dealers can't afford that
 
Yep, except there a lot of folks who have desire or thought to even want to buy from the dealer - yet they expect him to outlay the cash so they can "take a test drive" with the gun so to speak before buying online - most small dealers can't afford that
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Do you have any statistics (or anything really) to back this claim?

For all I know this is just an excuse to not stock inventory.

Regardless, someone will buy whats in the display case.

That is like going to a car dealership and they don't have cars for you to test drive, BUT they can order one for ya!

Like I said before - I think the surge in firearm (and related items) ownership over the past 5 years has completely steamrolled the gun shops in the sense that most of these businesses have no idea what customer service is, or how to deal with the general public.

Prior to the explosion in the market they were probably use to dealing mainly with regulars and now lack the social skills to operate like a retail store.

Instead of adapting to the market most of them are stuck in grand pappy's business model and either can't handle it, or refuse to.

This isn't some big secret - I am sure almost every single member here has "that gun shop" in their town where they are socially inept and would just assume not sell you gun for whatever reason.

Welcome to the mass market - get your act together or go out of business.

The days of having your clique group of regulars is over.

Your shop is in trouble if the local retail store has a better selection in their display case than you do.

It has nothing with pricing or anything else.

YOU stink at running a business and don't want to admit it, but want to blame countless other factors on why you are doing so "bad" in the market.

People like this piss me off. Just another part of the entitlement crowd. Boohoo make them play by our rules.

If you can't afford to stock a couple of display cases with different models then I suppose you didn't have the proper start up funds in the first place now did you? Part of your marketing expense budget should be the display of numerous weapons to entice the client. why would anyone opening up or running a "gun store" not consider the display of as many models as possible as party of the standard expenses.

Tell you what guys, I'm going to open up a Pool Table store and have only 2 models. But I can order you anything you want!
 
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TITAN308 said:
Do you have any statistics (or anything really) to back this claim?
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I see it every time I'm behind the counter. It's the reason why we won't do transfers from new lines that we're dealers for. We also get people who want to spend an hour fondling, disassembling, etc the gun in the display case, then have the nerve to ask for one that's untouched in the box.

We get the guys who want to put a gun from the $79.00 "junk" rack on layaway and want to know how long they have to pay it off.

We also get the guys who buy a Mossberg 500 and expect us to throw in a "couple of flats of ammo". Sheesh... We're making less than $40 on the gun. You get no free extras, much less "a couple of flats".

If your LGS seems jaded and distant, it might be because they have to constantly deal with tire kickers, dreamers, and idiots.

On the other hand, those constantly chided about "good old boys" that hang around? One of them spent over $100,000 last year, and has said that he wants to buy a new Krieghoff. You've been wasting my time asking dumb questions about a $79 used H&R Topper for the last 90 minutes, keeping me from getting other work done. He's got a pocket full of cash and is ready to buy... darn right you're getting dropped like a hot potato.
 
So basically you are confirming my statements.

A client is a client.

$75 gun to one person might be expensive. You don't know their financial situations.

No one is denying there are some very horrible customers in every industry. However treating the guy with a fatter wallet with more respect is still no excuse.

So yea - you confirmed what I thought.

Very elitist. Very close minded. NO CUSTOMER SERVICE KNOWLEDGE.

Your job is to open the display case and hand me a gun to inspect. Maybe I am scoping out something a buddy has been looking for.

But instead of telling my buddy where to go buy the gun, you acted like a donkey's rear end, and thus I told the friend to go elsewhere because I don't want to subject my friend to a business that has no idea how to handle customers.

Is it really hard to understand why you have a clique group of customers? You basically give one criteria to be in that clique; money and lots of it. Anyone else can pound sand.

And thus here we are. Whining about loss of business or refusing to accept transfers in protest.

I know its a funny idea - but perhaps stabbing yourself in the eye is not the best course of action.

/derp
 
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Gus, believe me, your the exception not the rule. I've spent time on the phone and emailing back and forth answering questions and giving advice to most of my customers so that we can find the right product for them. They want advice, they want knowledge, they want someone watching out for them. That's what I give them.
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Just what kind of customers have you got anyway, that they need all that advice, knowledge, and watching out, and you are the one that can provide all that?
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I'm still confused by this. TenRing is not a brick and mortar gun shop. I guess my local transfer guy will give me advice if I want it, but I don't want it. So what EXACTLY are you providing if you don't have a retail shop and you've only got a website?

Any of us here can get an FFL and launch a website. And some of us can probably give excellent advice if it is desired. What are you providing to your customers that adds value?

P.S. - I'm not too far from where TenRing lives, and the only way I heard about him was from reading this forum. So where are all of these customers needing advice coming from?
 
TITAN308 said:
No one is denying there are some very horrible customers in every industry. However treating the guy with a fatter wallet with more respect is still no excuse.
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If I've already spent 90 minutes talking with you, how much more time do you think is reasonable to spend before I need to move on to other customers? It's not about respect, it's about making money. I'm not there to chat, I'm there to move product. The more product I can move, the more money the shop makes. The more high-dollar product I can move, the greater the profit. If there's no one else in the store, it might not make a difference that you've agonized for the last hour and a half, while I patiently answered your dumb questions. But when I've got someone hot-to-trot over a $13,000 gun, and you hemming and hawing over a $79 gun, I can't justify letting the "fat wallet" go and lose that sale just to keep you happy.
 
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