Local gun shops

S

Swift516

Active member
Need to vent a bit...

A local gun shop has a SR1911 pistol I am interested in. He always advertises that he is willing to deal, trade and will do anything to make things happen. So, contrary to what I normally do, I called him and asked him to consider a few trades. I threw several options at him, not pricing them yet. He was specifically interested in a Remington VS 22-250 that I have. The rifle is a rare, older model, with the 24" barrel. Just try to find one for sale... You probably wont. Anyhow, the stock was recently refinished by HS Precision and the metal is right around 95-98%. Shot very little.. Very nice piece..

I offered him a straight trade, as I figure he can get an easy $650 and that is what he is asking for the pistol. He countered with me owing $200 boot...!! Wont come off of it either.

Now, I know I can sell it and buy what I want, but what happened to trading with a customer and building a relationship. Im not asking him to loose money, i assume that dealer cost on those is around $600? I don't hardly even go in LGS anymore as I am not willing to debate values with someone that wants to molest me. Prices are through the roof and most, not all of course, owners/employees are difficult to deal with. Thinking they know what is best for me, etc. I have a vast collection and know what I want.

It truly isn't hard to see why there aren't many gun shops in my area any more. I try to buy all my reloading components local and would love to be able to do a gun deal every now and then... I know that a man needs to make a living, but geez, $200 difference.... Rifle only, no scope...

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We had a GS open up here in Broken Arrow by a couple of retired guys. I was one of their first customers if not the first. I sent a friend to them and he bought a pistol and then another friend and another, on and on. I bought another pistol and a few rifles over the last couple of years. I know them and they know me on a first name basis. They are the GS that had the Remmy with the Loopy I posted about on deals that you missed. Anyway, I was going to trade my NIB CZ 527 to them with $150.00 to boot for the Remmy they were asking $699. One guy was up for it but then they did a salesman swap on me and the other guy said no deal. Goning to make it hard for me to go back and deal with them again. Oh well, still got my $$ and my CZ..
 
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Most SR1911 iv seen run anywhere from $600 to 675. I think your strait up trade deal would of been fair. Most gun shops are just like used car sales men. They are always trying to find the idiots to make some easy money and get the better end of the deal.
 
He's citing Blue Book of Gun Values, and maybe leaning a little to the generous end. Most gun shops, in my experience, will offer you about half what they can sell the gun for, regardless of condition. If it's rare and in good condition, it'll sell for a little more. He's probably thinking he can turn it for $750, or he wouldn't have offered you $450 for it.

Classic example, I won a Mossberg Maverick 12 Gauge Over/Under on a game of chance at the local tavern. Didn't need another shotgun, wasn't impressed with the cheap black plastic furniture, peeled the bag back just far enough to assemble it and see how it felt, and thought it really sucked, so I wrapped it back up, put it back in the box, and went and traded it on a DPMS Low-Pro Classic.

Brand new shotgun, still in the box, not even out of the bag in the box, not a ding, scratch, scuff, modification of no kind on the gun, or the box for that matter... And, he offered me $150 less than retail, on a brand new $430 MSRP shotgun. Or, approximately 60% of new value.

I grumbled a little so he even went so far as to show me what he could buy it for, new, from several different distributors, and he offered me within $20 of that value. His excuse was, it wasn't logical to pay me more for it than he could buy it for new, which was logical. And, he couldn't sell it as a "new" gun, because I had owned it and traded it in, even if it was still in the wrapper, in the box. Which was of course, technically true, BUT...

While I'm pretty sure that, not a "new" gun, didn't make a difference in the price he charged for the shotgun when he sold it, I really didn't care, because I didn't have anywhere near what he gave me for it, in it. And, he showed me what he could buy it for, so I felt his offer was relatively fair. I might have gotten more for it had I sold it outright, but I didn't want to deal with it.

I feel for you dude, seriously, but that's the way Gun Shop trades work. Those guys are there to make money, and ridiculous markups on guns is how they keep their doors open. MSRP on most new guns allows for a 30% markup over dealer cost, and that's after the distributor takes their cut, and the manufacturer makes a profit building them.

 
He has to keep the lights on....he's less likely to find a buyer for that rifle compared to the highly popular Ruger 1911. In my opinion he would have been out of his mind to straight trade with you, if he continued to make deals like that he would be out of business. It takes cash for him to pay the bills not inventory and swapping new for used straight up isn't going to make him much.
 
Dixiedog has a good point but the GS make money off both ends of the deal. Sometimes a good and loyal customer needs a break once in a while.
 
Swifty...

... You're mad because a business won't trade straight across for a gun that easy to sell, and take in a rifle that is harder to sell - and make nothing on the deal, and have to fill in the ATF forms to boot???

You get what you want, they get nothing but paperwork, and you think you are "entitled" to a freebee cuz you bought guns there before.

Where did you go to business school??

And people wonder why people don't want to go into the gun business.

You open a store, get the bank (or your relatives) to front the money for inventory, stand there and listen to guys that have no place to go, BS about the 3 point buck (which has now grown to 16 point) for hours on end... then the guy expects an extra discount, cuz he's a "friend" of the store's owner???

Really??

I spent many misspent years managing a large gun store in my 20's, and I can tell you, the true "Friends" of the store owners would NEVER ask for special deals.

 
I agree with Catshooter.

I have been working with a local gun store since within a month of opening his doors, roughly ten years ago. I have helped out behind the counter when he was busy, bought bows, guns, ammo and reloading components for all these years. Do I expect a better deal than anyone else? No not at all, the man has to keep his doors open and I want him to do so. Any chance I get to keep a small business going I will.

Do I expect others to do the same? No but that's the kind of Man I am. If I feel like its not a good deal and I'm getting totally low balled I can sell outright and hand the owner cash money that he needs to stay their for my next gun purchase but I sure don't need to waste my time whining about it. I think I'll stop their in the interest of not getting anyone upset but that's my .02
 
Wow... Never said he should give me special treatment.... I just wanted a fair deal. He'll sell my rifle for more than the $75 mark up. $600 is dealer cost on the pistol.... The rifle is worth more. No question. May be harder to sell, definitely takes up more room. $200 is too much difference.

Paperwork is the name of the game... Sorry about their business choice. If i could do it for them I would...

Sorry gun dealers get tired of customers or loiterers coming in their store, but I thought how you made customers and built a base. As far as me going to business school, LOL... Don't have any business there that's for sure.

No ill will towards the man and still may buy the handgun outright, just wanted to vent...Geesh.

Oh and I don't hang out in gun shops talking about that 3 point buck.... I'm usually out getting fooled by that monster...



 
Originally Posted By: NeverNoLuckI agree with Catshooter.

I have been working with a local gun store since within a month of opening his doors, roughly ten years ago. I have helped out behind the counter when he was busy, bought bows, guns, ammo and reloading components for all these years. Do I expect a better deal than anyone else? No not at all, the man has to keep his doors open and I want him to do so. Any chance I get to keep a small business going I will.

Do I expect others to do the same? No but that's the kind of Man I am. If I feel like its not a good deal and I'm getting totally low balled I can sell outright and hand the owner cash money that he needs to stay their for my next gun purchase but I sure don't need to waste my time whining about it. I think I'll stop their in the interest of not getting anyone upset but that's my .02

That's explained about as well as it can be explained. And I agree with Catshooter too.

I'm all for the local GS. Try trading at a place like WalMart or a big box store. They'll tell you to pound sand with no trading done or give you next to nothing for your trade if they do trade.

The experience expressed by the OP is pretty normal for most places that trade, whether you are a new customer or an old one. Most people think their property is worth far more than it actually is and they want full retail when they trade. In addition, don't expect to get paid for a new paint job. The GS is trading on what they can sell the trade for in original condition and how soon it will sell. New paint jobs are generally at the owner's expense unless you sell it privately, and then someone might foolishly buy at a higher price so the seller can recoup on the new paint job.
 
For every cat, a fat rat.

Big chains have their place, so do local local gun shops. Neither one is always going to work out for you.
 
Originally Posted By: Stu FarishFor every cat, a fat rat.

Big chains have their place, so do local local gun shops. Neither one is always going to work out for you.


Nailed it, I make it a point to not get too tied in to any one particular shop, one day we have a deal the next we may be far apart. I don't get too hung up on what motivates them on a particular deal, most don't have a predictable, consistent flow of business and their dealings sometimes reflect that.

I'd agree that people overestimate the value of their guns, etc. because most have some type of personal attachment to them or they wouldn't own them.
 
I never take a gun to a shop to sell/trade outright, right or wrong in my experience your just not going to walk away happy, maybe I shouldn't post this but in the last couple years I have been the beneficiary of guys bringing in unfired guns to a shop, one was a Gen3 Glock 22 and the other was a Gen4 Glock 17, both totally new and unfired in the boxes with all the goodies, salesman told me they were new and unfired but that they had to sell them as used. Its a hassle sometimes selling over the net, dealing with crazy trade offers, guys who really are not interested and want a million pics, but in the end you come out ahead.
 
My suggestion would be for you to sell your rifle and buy the pistol. You will soon find out how difficult it might be to get what you think your gun is worth. Add carrying costs, overhead, wages, insurance, etc. and you will soon realize that profit margins may be thinner than you think. If the Gun Shop carries the things you want and need, like cleaning supplies, ammo, etc., the only way you can help him keep the doors open for your convenience is to do business with him. Profit is not a dirty word. The shop owner likely has most, if not all his wealth invested in his store. That's a lot of exposure in these times. I wonder how many of us have traded a firearm in for more than we paid for it? I know I have. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. It usually evens out in the long run. Support your local businesses and they will be there when you really need them.
 
The guys who complain about situations like this are the ones who have NO idea about concepts like overhead. Or what it REALLY costs to employ staff.

That was a dang good offer IMO. And that's taking into account that you're very optimistic on what the value is of the bolt gun.

I agree wiht CAFR. Try to sell it yourself if you think the shop was giving you such a raw deal. See how you do after classifie fees or auction fees, shipping fees, etc. Don't forget to tally up your time because that's the only time you get for free--your own. If you were paying somebody, you'd be paying somwhere in the range of $15-20 per hour MINIMUM. Don't bother telling me that that's way too high and min wage is only $9-10 an hour, you'd just be proving beyond a doubt that you don't know squat about the TRUE cost of employing people.

Post a link to the auction when you put up the gun. Let's see how much you really get.

Grouse
 
I don't think his offer was out of line either. Your rifle, while an older out of production model is nothing more than a basic 700 with a varmint contour barrel screwed on it. The stock may effect price a little but not much. The thing to remember here is they made hundreds of thousands of those heavy barreled rifles in various letter designations and while some are desirable (to some) none are a real collector item. For that reason even used on a private sale, I wouldn't pay much more for it.
 
Originally Posted By: Swift516Wow... Never said he should give me special treatment.... I just wanted a fair deal. He'll sell my rifle for more than the $75 mark up. $600 is dealer cost on the pistol.... The rifle is worth more. No question. May be harder to sell, definitely takes up more room. $200 is too much difference.

Paperwork is the name of the game... Sorry about their business choice. If i could do it for them I would...

Sorry gun dealers get tired of customers or loiterers coming in their store, but I thought how you made customers and built a base. As far as me going to business school, LOL... Don't have any business there that's for sure.

No ill will towards the man and still may buy the handgun outright, just wanted to vent...Geesh.

Oh and I don't hang out in gun shops talking about that 3 point buck.... I'm usually out getting fooled by that monster...





Sounds like he made you a fair offer....not great but better than my local dealers.

BTW, You sure about the dealer cost on the SR1911? I paid $575 before tax on mine back in March.

 
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