reloading prices at gun shows!!???

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Steel185

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2010
Messages
107
Location
Ankeny, IA
All i can say is WOW. I'm from Texas and moved to Iowa this last year. I went to an Iowa Gun show yesterday. I was prepared with my list of items and relative prices i could get it for from various places. As i walked around the show there were old barely functioning presses, and assessories and the prices were all at or above new prices! The sellers wouldn't budge either. I even show one guy with my phone a place online that already sold it new $10 cheaper than his 20year old press. The frusterating part it i want to buy from locals or look at craigslist, but its all bought up quickly and sold at these places for (what i see as) unrealistic prices. I've gone to local auctions and the samething, bids went over the price these items were new!! I understand supply and demand (Finance degree) but this is crazy. I'm not spending $20 more for a 20year old press than a new one, then have to put more money into it, to get it running again.

Ok rant over...thanks for reading
 
California sucks too

The great communist state of California has the same issues. The guns shows are rip offs here as well. Not only do you have to pay parking and entrance fee, I did not buy one thing there. These crotchety old guys think they have some gold mine but its more like a coal mine. I will never go again.
 
A lot of gun show sellers price high knowing they will be talked down in price. If someone pays the asking price, so be it.
 
There are good deals to be had too. We recently got a Lee Breechlock press and a cheapo Lyman for $35.
Of course at the same show, a guy wanted $125 for an ancient Rockchucker. My brother walks up and asks how much he wants for it. I replied, "He doesn't want to sell it."
 
Some of the older presses are worth more... the old rock chucker is worth around there. The newer rock chuckers from a few years back had issues. they may or may niot be fixed. Just because ya can get a deal on older rusty stuff or a press someone thinks is worthless does not mean there are not folks willing to buy at the higher price who WILL and do find value in the older stuff. Ya won't likely hurt the older rock chuckers for sure. Just because ya found a 35.00 lyman does not mean the rock chucker was over priced at all.
 
It's been a while since I bought anything significant from a gun show, but I go anyway. Sometimes I find a truffle. A couple weeks ago I went to one and asked a guy what he wanted for the Large Pistol primers he had on his table. When he said $22/1000 I bought the 3000 he had so fast it looked like Clark Kent changing in a phone booth.
If anybody remembers what a phone booth is.
I never thought I would think that was a good deal. I still have primer packages marked 89 cents/100. I never thought $14 would be a great price for a brick of 22LR ammo either.
 
Same thing in PA. Same vendors, same outrageous prices, ridiculous entry fee! The only reason I would toto one is if I was looking for something specific that is hard to find.
 
See the same thing on eBay and other auction sites. I do much better surfing forums and buying FTF from private sellers.
 
The internet is your friend. Anything I want or need can be found online and almost always at a better price.
 
It's been a while since I bought anything significant from a gun show
Click to expand...

same here!

I still go, just to see what is there, maybe some interesting grips, to handle a model I haven't before, antiques.

The last thing I remember buying were SKS stripper clips to hold 357 mag ammo for my Marlin, that! was 2 years ago!!!
 
i used to buy powder there because it was slightly lower and you didn't have the extra dangerious shipping charge. But when you factor in the parking and door fee, its not much different. Now i usually go to the local gun shop.

I did meet a guy that just opened a gun store near my house....that makes it worth it.
 
I stopped going to the shows for that reason. You can buy new stuff for the price they want. The last time I went to one was about 3 years ago during the Obama scare. I managed to buy 2000 primers for 25 per 1000. Not a great deal but I had primers when you couldn't find them anywhere.
 
Went yesterday and the prices I seen on powder and primers couldn't be touched by online vendors even adding in hazmat. Brass was also higher than online with shipping, something to do as in walking around and people watchin.
 
I was at a gun show in Houston recently and was talking with another guy about prices on guns and ammo, and I mentioned buying online at much better prices. He looked shocked and said he would never order anything by computer. He was afraid of "putting his credit card out there on the internet" which frankly shocked ME. Thinking about it, and after attending a meeting recently where quite a few people said they "did not do the email thing", made me realize there are a lot a few people out there who are not computer literate in the first degree and who still rely on gun shows and retail stores to buy everything. Possibly this is one reason the sellers put such high prices on things. Of course, they can always come down if anyone expresses interest in an item.
 
In all the years that I have been going to gunshows I have only found four deals that were too good to pass up. First was when I got my G27 in 2006. The next was a case of cci primers for 20.00 a thousand. Last year I picked up an ar15 upper receiver with the sights installed for 45.00. My biggest conquest was last year also. I picked up four pounds of Hp38 for 12.00 a pound,two pounds of IMR7828 for 15.00 a pound, a pound of lilgun for 12.00, winchester 209 primers for 15.00 a thousand, and two pounds of IMR 4759 for 10.00 a pound. These were new stock. The dealer said that he bought out another gun shop and didnt have the room to stock these items. But as the op posted most prices at gunshows are inflated. I just love how dealers will have a sign saying "show price", but it is more than the full msrp.
 
Gun shows in this part of the country are also a joke. I'm not sure how these people make any money selling things. There must be some real suckers that they can snare once in a while. Of course it's pretty tough to spot the guns in amongst the other garbage that is there. The people that frequent guns shows are also not the types I like to spend time around....
 
Gunshow this weekend. I think I saved myself $ 8 and the hassle of looking at a bunch of overpriced stuff. Last show I went to I heard some dealers saying everyones looking but nobodys buying. I started to say get your prices inline and you might sell something. Instead I just went home and vowed to save my $8 bucks.
 
We had one 2 weeks ago & it was awful. It was a smaller one so I thought it might be worthwhile but that actually made it worse. Very crowded & very high prices. Sad thing is there weren't many guns there. More jewelery & coins than guns. Tons of mall ninja stuff too.

This one was in an old car dealership - not a wide-open convention center type that I'm used to. For half of it, you had to sort of move single file from table to table and there were several "chokepoints" getting from one section to the next (think about an average old car dealership moving from the showroom, to the office area, to the service area).

If someone would have set up there with a good selection of fairly priced (not rock bottom, but not Gander Mtn +25% either) AR-15s & 1911's & ammo he'd have made a killing & sold everything in the first few hours. Could easily make $ thousands in a few hours. I was specifically looking for a 1911 & had a certain one in mind. I saw a grand total of 5 at the whole show - and every manufacturer on the planet right now is making a 1911. Same with ARs - none under $1000 & many over $1500 but I didn't see any that were really $950 retail at best. The "pre-ban" $1800+ used ones were a wonderful addition & I saw at least 4 of those - the highest was $2200 & looked pretty beat up. We're not in a ban state nor are we even bordered by one.

Next time I should spend the $50 for a table, lay out all my guns & ammo for 150% of what they're worth (or cost new for the guns), & see if I can make $10k in a day from suckers with more money than sense.
 
Auction fever gets into some people.
And some just don't know the retail price & figure a gun show is always gonna be cheaper.

I sold a used set of 9mm Lee dies last year for $38 on ebay.
I put a decent $15 start price on it, but the bids just kept coming.
 
Welcome to Iowa.
I would guess you was at the fairgrounds.
It looked like everyone in the state was at the show Saturday.

If you are looking for a used press try posting a WTB ad on craigslist and move fast because they go really fast. I sold my 550 within a coulpe minutes of posting it and had a couple guys trying to bid on it before I could remove the ad.

My favorite guy for components is Bobs Shooting supply from Monroe IA.
He is a pretty good guy with decent prices.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
No components at DC gun show
Replies
0
Views
272
CQB45ACP
C
M
  • Locked
Dayton Gun Show
Replies
7
Views
539
nettlle
nettlle
A
  • Locked
Fleet Farm Carrying Reloading Supplies
Replies
19
Views
1K
DeadFlies
DeadFlies
TheDomFather
  • Locked
Powders and Prices
Replies
7
Views
580
iShoot17
I
M
  • Locked
Gun Show Prices
2
Replies
28
Views
1K
SwaneeSR
SwaneeSR
Back
Top