Stupid question

[redfestiva]

I just bought my P-64 at a gun shop for $180 out the door. The gun shop did the spring swap and the DA was cool. I figured by the time I order one for $150 or so plus shipping and transfer I am still paying the same and I could see what I was buying this way and the spring swap was a done deal .

[amd6547]

Before I joined my shooting club, which has an FFL available to members at no charge, I searched around and found a kitchen table FFL who would order anything for me for $15-20. You can definately do it cheaper than walking into a gun shop.
As for the CZ82, I paid $285 for my used condition example when the first wave of these hit two years ago. Dosn't matter, it is still one of my favorite pistols.

[barnett3006]

I got my P64 with 2 magazines from Ray Judge's Gun Shop in Cowen, TN for $150 out the door. I make a special trip to Cowen just to go to that shop everytime I get back to TN, even though its more than an hour and a half away from my father's.

I've bought several handguns from Gunboker sellers and I've got pretty good deals on all of them, but I knew for the most part what each one was worth. You really do have to know what things are worth before you go and fork out your cash.

I got a pretty good deal on a Ruger P95 I bought from a FFL in Kalifornia, but this was right after the Anti-Americans out there passed the statewide handgun ban and everyone had to turn in or sell out of state their handguns that were not on the short (very short) list. Those poor people out there...

[zoostation]

Ok, it is like this. Say a dealer has an opportunity to buy a gun with a max value of $300. In order for the dealer to be able to sell it for $300 and make a modest $25 profit he would have to pick it up for around $249. And sell it for $281. Remember the max price anyone would pay is $300. With a 6.6% sales tax rate, that would be a tax of $18.58 ($281.42 + $18.58= $300). You say that the dealer would be making more than the $25, don¡¦t forget income tax. That is going to be about $8. So in this ¡§deal¡¨ the dealer walks away with $25 and the government walks away with about $26.50. (I know, someone is going to tell me I did my math is wrong. That¡¦s why I said ¡§about¡¨)

As far as the P-64 goes, if the dealer is only ordering one, $200 is a fair price. $140 from SOG, add $30 to ship it (SOG ships all handguns next day air), add in tax and some money for the dealer. You get to $200 real quick and the dealer is not making much. Hopefully for his sake he orders more than one at a time. ļ

You were right, someone is going to argue with your math on this, but politely These are just my views and opinions on the matter and in no way an attack on you.

The retail sales tax is going to be picked up by the customer and isn't going to figure into the price on the gun. And income tax on 25 bucks should be under 8 dollars by far, that would put him in about a 30% bracket if he were paying that much.

So if the dealer can pick a gun up for 249 that's worth max 300, he's making 51 dollars minus any income tax, which will probably amount to 10-15% after deductions, etc. The customer will get hit with the sales tax at the register.

If he's an 01 dealer he has the option of receiving handguns via USPS from another licensee, so with priority mail and insurance you're talking around seven dollars shipping on a small handgun like a P-64. I don't know why any businessman would stick with a company that forces him to pay premium shipping charges when he doesn't have to. I don't know exactly what they go for, but judging from the fact I bought one from a small dealer who was happy to get $140 for one, I doubt the dealers are paying any more than $110 wholesale for a P64. So by my figuring, it's more like $110+$8 s/h=$118. Now $200 the customer paid for the gun leaves an $82 profit, take a max of $12 out for the gubberment, and he's still making $70 or over a 55% profit on his cost. Of course these are all guesses, but in my opinion yes he did pay too much for it.

I'm not saying all dealers are bad or anything like that, and even the cheap bastard that I am, I don't mind paying a little extra to support the local storefront guy. I will say that many of the dealers in my area in Central MD treat people like sheep who only exist to be fleeced of cash anymore though. There are a lot of people these days who are trying to charge way too much for what they are selling, and I can only guess its in the hope that some unknowing schmuck will come along and buy it giving them a one-time big 'score' to make up for the other customer whose a little more savvy and passing them by. Its the easy way to run a business short-term, and its a sure way to go out of business in the long-term.

These dealers who complain about making 50 bucks on a 300 dollar deal should try running a liquor business like I used to. Try keeping a business up making 6% on beer and 8-18% on wine & liquor. But it can be done, and its done by treating people right & fairly and building a reputation and a clientele. Its hard work but it works.

Just my 2 cents

[destrux]

Yeah, all the auction sites are like that, ebay, gunbroker...etc..

I saw a guy trying to sell a mossberg 702 plinkster .22lr on gunbroker for $160 plus shipping.... I can go to walmart and buy the exact same model for $89. I asked him if he knew that and he said people buy them from him all the time. I guess people dont know how to search and sort by price...

As for gun shops... I sometimes wonder where they come up with prices on used and milsurp guns around here. My local shops I frequent have good prices on new guns, but only have great prices on used guns if they are a model they also sell new. I guess it gives them a price point to figure from.

I think alot of the rare/weird/milsurp guns they get to sell are trades and they must go by either previous sales or what the previous owner said it was worth... or even maybe a value book. I doubt they ever check market prices.

I have seen CZ52 pistols for $225 at cabelas superstore, and they still sell them cause it's one of the cheapest guns in the case. I looked at one once and the guy actually told me "yeah, it's a great gun, but the ammo is impossible to find"... 7.62x25 hard to find?! I think he was just trying to sell up to a more expensive gun, but if not I have to question why he is working at a gun shop if he knows that little.

Also, I have seen M1895 Nagant revolvers for $250 at a local shop.... and the other local shop has them for $125, which is still high but not out of the question. Gun shows I see them for $110 all the time.

SKS's are another thing.... those get so screwed up in price sometimes its hilarious. I have seen everything from $400 for a standard norinco commercial model (fixed mag) to $170 for a SKS-M detachable mag model (which is more like a $400 gun). I bought that last one on sight... doubled it's value instantly.

I paid $156 for my P64 at a gun show, and I was a little mad when I found out it was not a makarov like I was told (mainly because I couldnt find magazines anywhere at the time). After I got a chance to shoot it I decided it was a great deal.

[beasleydano]

destrux

When I had an FFL I would check what Walmart had for sale and made sure that I did not buy anything for resale that they had in inventory because they normally sold for less than my dealer price. 10 years ago I was selling unissued Russian SKS rifles with plain or laminated stocks, machined receivers, screwed in barrels, with accessories for $150. I sure wish now that I had held onto at least one!