tc556guy
.40 S&W
That's going to vary from dealer to dealer. But it's obvious that the brick and mortar store is going to have a lot of expenses that the online guy doesn't. And their prices reflect that
Are Online Retailers Killing Local Gun Stores? Should We Care?
- Thread starter livingston
- Start date
LMS
.357 mag
I am trying to figure out how to give the LGS a chance while not being insulting.
Would you prefer I said "Hey here's what I can get it for online what can you do?", or just ask you "what's your best deal on this gun" and if it's a big gap just say no thanks?
I find that the price I'd pay for shipping and local transfer fees is almost a wash when compared against the local tax I'd pay, so it usually comes down to price of the blaster.
I can field this one: Just fine.
My FFL is doing my transfers and even holding my pistol for the length of the mail-in amendment process we are stuck with. Willing to make appointments instead of flat out shut down. Ammo is still shipped to my door.
Way better than any sort of "you need us more than we need you!" types it seems.
tc556guy
.40 S&W
So I guess I will ask you guys how many of you have local FFLs who have resumed doing handgun transfers now that coupons are being released again, and have there been any word of pushback from the state as a result. My county hasn't been releasing coupons yet but at this point several others are.I can field this one: Just fine.
My FFL is doing my transfers and even holding my pistol for the length of the mail-in amendment process we are stuck with. Willing to make appointments instead of flat out shut down. Ammo is still shipped to my door.
Way better than any sort of "you need us more than we need you!" types it seems.
Pushback from what?
tc556guy
.40 S&W
From the state technically having non-essential businesses shut down for another three weeks and yet coupons that have to be used within ten days being released by counties via mail. The two are at conflict with each other. Someone on AR15 reported that they got their coupon from the clerk but the store is refusing to release the gun until May 15 because of the non-essential shut down running through that date.
I'm just wondering what you guys can report on what's happening in your areas
MikeyCNY
6.5 Creedmoor
I think I put on ARFCOM that I have the paperwork for my new P365XL, but Oneida Pistol Office hasn't announced anything about mail-in amendments yet. I have an e-mail in to the county asking about it though. I visited the FFL (called ahead, they said 1 person in the building at a time) and got the required paperwork. We both wore masks (probably scary for a gun store employee to see someone entering wearing a mask) and kept our distance. I placed my Permit down and moved away. He brought my gun over, I fondled it (trigger was very nice) and said I hope to see him again soon.
Probably 80% of my purchases have been "online, send to FFL", and the rest were in-store. Sometimes because I'm looking for a specific model, and sometimes because of price. But I always buy stuff in-store (ammo, accessories) to try to help cover the difference.
tc556guy
.40 S&W
I'm just trying to predict what the response of the state is going to be when P forms start hitting Albany before the 15th.
There seems to me to be an essential conflict between counties starting to release coupons and the state arguing that transfers cannot be completed before the state grants permission to do so at some vague time in the future, particularly with purchase coupons that have a limited window of viability...
If someone paid for a product one or two months ago, had it shipped to their FFL, went through the paperwork, got their coupon, it should be *their* property to pick up and claim. The arguments trying to justify closing FFLs down because of some obviously overblown health crisis are so paper thin its laughable.
Based on Cuomo's remarks yesterday about phasing in retail openings after the 15th , I bet that FFLs will NOT be on his priority list of who's allowed to open right away.
The ARF post was someone who got a coupon from their home county but the FFL is refusing to release the gun via transfer until after May 15th.
LMS
.357 mag
My LGS is mosty by appt anyway and is a one man shop so I think it's easier for him. Local big box store (sportsmans warehouse) says they are open, but I haven't been there.
I did my coupon through the mail with the Monroe County clerk's office. Turnaround was way faster than I expected.
Saltwater60
20×102mm Vulcan
At the moment I’d say yes for sure. None of the gun stores are open by me except one little guy and his prices before this were absurd. $30+ for a box of 9mm self defense rounds, low inventory, and wanting $1700 for a NYS legal AR turned me off from him greatly. I said I just want you to order the lower for me so I can build it myself. He said it was cheaper or about the same price to pay him to do it. Well I built mine for around $800 so likely not but hey whose counting the 900 bills I saved. So yes I think after this the ones around me will be hurting big time. Two recently closed by me too so it would have been a great time for the other few around me to ramp up.
Robin
.577 Tyrannosaur.
LGS is still advertising on the radio that they are open, by appointment only.
Robin
Robin
Bustedknees
.308 Win
I'm always happy to see a new gun shop open ! more than half my guns were impulse buys.
I suppose I could read through the rules here but Ill ask you folks instead.. Why is there no threads like " MY LOCAL GUN SHOP " ?
Is it against the rules to share names and places of shops you visit or recommend ( or own ) ? I can understand not bashing or slandering a business but why not share some names and locations of shops you like ? I'm sure there are plenty of small shops out there that would like more business.
I suppose I could read through the rules here but Ill ask you folks instead.. Why is there no threads like " MY LOCAL GUN SHOP " ?
Is it against the rules to share names and places of shops you visit or recommend ( or own ) ? I can understand not bashing or slandering a business but why not share some names and locations of shops you like ? I'm sure there are plenty of small shops out there that would like more business.
CaliberPlus
.45 acp
I get how some shops are not great. I read thru this whole thread and there is some real disdain so I probably should have addressed that in particular.
As defense, I did address my post to the haters, not everyone.
Sorry to have shot so quickly. I guess I am getting grumpy from the whole trying to do business in the manner being dictated right now and the few on this thread that promote the "All LGS stores overcharge and are snots".
As defense, I did address my post to the haters, not everyone.
Really killing us with kindness here, aren't you?
Sorry to have shot so quickly. I guess I am getting grumpy from the whole trying to do business in the manner being dictated right now and the few on this thread that promote the "All LGS stores overcharge and are snots".
CaliberPlus
.45 acp
I have run across businesses that will not ship to NY, period. Kind of like the ones that won't ship 80% lowers. As to 9mm, good luck finding it. I have been buying retail. Most that come in to buy cannot find it anywhere and/or have found places that won't ship. YMMV
I like the AR kits that run $500-600 bucks and with add-ons, mag, lower, bb run another $100.00. Love seeing the smiles on peoples' faces as they go out the door with a new toy.
I like the AR kits that run $500-600 bucks and with add-ons, mag, lower, bb run another $100.00. Love seeing the smiles on peoples' faces as they go out the door with a new toy.
Saltwater60
20×102mm Vulcan
Good point and good thread idea. I don’t think LGS could advertise here without paying for a vendor fee.
Thread could be titled gun stores visited and could be regionally based so others wouldn’t have to search through a thousand posts to find a LGS in their area. I wouldn’t mind traveling a bit since there are zero good gun stores left in my region. Of the firing pin opens back up I’ll likely visit him.
Only descent one around me is wolcotts but even I haven’t been happy with them lately. They closed for this, they won’t do private person to person transfers, if you ordered a gun recently and don’t pick it up within 30 days they say they need another 4473 and will charge your $10.00 for it. Others have about zero inventory around me. Most shops have a few glocks, shotguns, and riffles around me.
tc556guy
.40 S&W
If it's bulk ball ammo you're looking for, it's hit and miss. When my vendors call me and let me know it's available, I order a few cases. I'm usually running a waiting list and by the time the ordered stuff arrives it's mostly gone within a day or two.
I still, two months later, can't figure out why 9 mm ball is the in demand caliber and bullet type this time around the panic track. After the last rimfire scare went on for years that's what I was preparing for the next time, which I figured would hit around election time.
After all these years I still get surprised
tc556guy
.40 S&W
Maybe just a link to one of the more current FFL search engines would help.
If I had the money I would open up a bad ass gun store. Oh, and it would have to be somewhere other than NY.
GlockStore is building quite a facility in Tennessee that is opening this summer. I'd like to take a drive down there to check it out.
GlockStore is building quite a facility in Tennessee that is opening this summer. I'd like to take a drive down there to check it out.
Saltwater60
20×102mm Vulcan
Well that doesn’t tell you much. It gives you a list of FFL’s but you don’t know if it’s a table too guy or what the shop is really all about.
I’m talking gun shops with inventory so I can go look at say 3, 4, 5 pistols to compare. Im turning 40 this year and had plans to buy myself a nice pistol. Now there are two issues with that. There’s nowhere around for me to even look at the two guns I’d want to see and the Covid shit has screwed up my side gig of landscaping that I’m not sure I’ll have the coin anyway. If you’re spreading $2,000 on a gun you’d want to hold it first. I’d feel bad ordering it from a tabletop guy just to say no I do t like it or ordering both and saying well I’m only taking this one or worse yet I don’t like either gun.
MikeyCNY
6.5 Creedmoor
nvgeologist on ar15.com (ARFCOM) opened a gun store in Arizona called "Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms"
Can't believe they let him name it that. (LLC is probably something else, dunno)
tc556guy
.40 S&W
Yeah in that scenario its not really feasible for a tabletop guy to be involved as part of that sort of research process. We're tabletop guys for a reason. Its a hobby, a side gig for us. As much as we'd like to have immediately available whatever firearm, ammunition or accessory people are looking for, the reality all too often is that some people use the brick and mortar guy as part of that research phase. Then they order the gun somewhere else online and want the local FFL to do the transfer for whatever fee the FFL charges. They might complain about the brick and mortar guys costs for that item on gun forums. Eventually they wonder why there are no local brick and mortar stores anymore where they can conduct their research. When I first started as an FFL 27 years ago I thought that I'd eventually take it full time once I retired from other full time employment. I no longer have any such aspirations for many reasons, including seeing the above scenario play out on forums multiple times over the years.
Bustedknees
.308 Win
Here's the beauty of my new plan..
If I knew who the hell you all are, and where ya at, I could come to your shop and get the friends and family discounts
If I knew who the hell you all are, and where ya at, I could come to your shop and get the friends and family discounts
Local Gun Stores and Gun Shows are very similar to me. I go to the brick and mortar stores all of the time to see what there is to see.
Each and every gun show, yeah, I pay the few bucks every time they come to town. I walk around these shows, always with a pocket full of cash. I usually end up leaving with the same amount that I came in with.
Nearly everyone is selling their wares at prices that go beyond ridiculous. I do not go to these shows just to waste time and energy. I go to show my support. I want to buy from them, I really do.
Very small example; the last time I went to a show in Cheektowaga at the Knights of Columbus, there was a dealer selling complete Andersen Lowers for $69.00. The exact same lower was $49 on the Andersen website. I brought it up on my phone to show the guy, he scoffed, was quite rude so I walked away. As I walked away, he said something like, "thanks for supporting the little guys". Why would I spend nearly 40% more just to support a guy that I don't know?
Ammo being sold for 7, 8 and 9 dollars more than I can get in a store. 12-14 more than I can buy online. I would love to buy more locally, but I have to look out for me and my bank account.
Each and every gun show, yeah, I pay the few bucks every time they come to town. I walk around these shows, always with a pocket full of cash. I usually end up leaving with the same amount that I came in with.
Nearly everyone is selling their wares at prices that go beyond ridiculous. I do not go to these shows just to waste time and energy. I go to show my support. I want to buy from them, I really do.
Very small example; the last time I went to a show in Cheektowaga at the Knights of Columbus, there was a dealer selling complete Andersen Lowers for $69.00. The exact same lower was $49 on the Andersen website. I brought it up on my phone to show the guy, he scoffed, was quite rude so I walked away. As I walked away, he said something like, "thanks for supporting the little guys". Why would I spend nearly 40% more just to support a guy that I don't know?
Ammo being sold for 7, 8 and 9 dollars more than I can get in a store. 12-14 more than I can buy online. I would love to buy more locally, but I have to look out for me and my bank account.
tc556guy
.40 S&W
I'm guessing that that dealer had to pay to get the lower shipped to him, paid for a table at the show, and wanted to make a profit that made it worth his while to sit there for the duration of the show.
No one works for free......even in Prince Andys wished-for reimagined wanna-be workers socialist paradise
Trust me TC, I get all that. Making money is a big part of the game. But me saving money is huge as well.
It is a fine line of how much more people are willing to spend to help the local economy.
I will buy at a show even if it is a bit more. A bit. Some of these shows cost 7-10 dollars just to get in the door. If I pay $6 dollars more for a box of ammo, I am out an extra $13 for that box.
My son is huge into knives. We try to buy him a new knife at every show, it is getting very difficult to do that when I can find the same knife on line for much, much less.
I do not want to see all the little shops and individual FFL's to disappear, but money is money...
tc556guy
.40 S&W
I'll say one thing about the ammo thing.
I suspect that one reason the gun show guys think they can get what they're asking for for ammo is because maybe that ammo is simply not readily available for many people. And they might have some ammo that people need RIGHT NOW, versus waiting for it to be delivered. So you're paying for the convenience. Forget about the whole ammo ordered on-line argument for a minute. I may not be a stocking dealer in terms of guns, but I stock the ammo that my regulars ask for. I order in the accessories that my regulars ask for. A lot of it isn't what you find at WalMart or Dicks, especially since stores like those are slowly getting out of the gun and ammo business in much of the country. So...maybe if you don't want to order ammo online, and you're hesitant to buy guns sight unseen from your table top guy, maybe one way you can support the local guy is to order/ buy OTHER stuff through them, like ammo and accessories that don't require as much pre-purchase hands on time. That stuff can still add up over time and help the small FFLs bottom line... just a thought for the moment.
Ammo... Absolutely true. I only mess with everyday ammo calibers. I have friends that mess around with some really funky ammo. If it were not for some of these shows, they would never find the ammo they need. Very valid point.
As I walk around the shows, I am sometimes amazed at the things that I see that all of a sudden I decide it is something I need. I buy it.
Saltwater60
20×102mm Vulcan
I’ll weight in. The last time I went to the Hamburg gun show they wanted $32.00 for a box of .22lr. That same box I could get at cables for $18.00 I get it people need to make money. I’m like GoPerfect and I’d prefer support the local guy but sometimes it’s just not feasible. I bought a ruger LCPII online for $200 new and Buffalo Hun Center was the cheapest at $340 in the area. Why should I give Buffalo Gun Center an extra $140.00? Ok $240-$250 I get it. I’d do it.
Even the lower he’s referencing Gander Outdoors has them for $40 out the door no transfer fee nothing. $70 is crazy for an Anderson lower.
Again I do get it. Everyone has to make money but the online guys have store fronts and employees to yet they sell cheap. How come? Honestly what is the mark up on a gun. These guys aren’t making $5-$10 on a gun.
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tc556guy
.40 S&W
I agree that except for the rimfire panic days, no one was paying those prices for 22 LR
$40 for an Anderson lower is for a stripped lower. He said it was a "complete lower:, which I took to mean it had the parts kit installed and possibly more. The Anderson website lists a "complete lower" at $211, for instance....
AM-15 Complete Lower
This Complete Lower Includes a Completely Assembled Lower, Lower Parts Kit, Buffer Tube, and Hogue Pistol Grip & Buttstock. The AM-15 Stripped Lower Receiver is American made with superior quality for less! Our lower Receivers are CNC machined from a
andersonmanufacturing.com
My FFL price for a stripped Anderson lower these days would be around $40 or so, I'd have to look.
I don't know what sort of overhead the dealers you mention have, so I wont comment on their pricing decisions.