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I see. So according to you, no FFL is expecting to negotiate the price at all. Every one of them is putting forward the best deal they can already, with just the minimal margin, just enough to cover their costs and make a fair profit.This.
More often than not this results in:
"Oh not this f***ing skinflint guy again"
"Xyz(owner), can you deal with him? I can't, i don't want to say something ill regret later. "
Most dealers with a brain have set the price to a compromise point between offering an attractive price to the consumer, but also still allowing for enough margin so that they can actually justify expending the time it takes to sell and transfer you a gun. At the end of the day if you're not making enough money to make a profit, then there's no point to doing any of it because if you give shit away, you're basically just grinding your fists into the pavement for nothing.......
Yup, that's basically how I summarized your earlier statements as "most FFLs have a minimal margin, enough to cover their costs and turn a fair profit". You seem to be saying the same thing again, in different words, right?
Lol it's sheer entitlement mentality/hubris that you postulate this as a "bad" thing, as well as acting like you can be the arbiter of what defines "fair profit" instead of just ditching the whole skinflint retard act and letting the free market sort things out. Shops that overprice items tend to get smoked in the long run. And usually that's not the only reason a bad dealer sucks, either.
Lol is the dude on the cape still active who was very rapey on prices for certain things?
You're going to blow the lungs clean out of the body
Sheesh
Well, I am pretty sure I am not entitled, nor have hubris. I did not imply that integrity plus a no bargaining policy was a bad thing, and I am not sure where you are reading that I want to be an arbiter of what constitutes fair profit. I kind of wish that you actually saw what I am really saying. But it seems clear that you can't beyond that perspective you are locked into.You've implied in more than one post that there's some notion of "fair profit" like namely what makes you the arbiter of that?Sheesh
It's been interesting.
That's the epitome of entitlement.May I suggest you are not quite reading it right?You've implied in more than one post that there's some notion of "fair profit" like namely what makes you the arbiter of that?
No we don't take kindly to that here
![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
heh
you are a funny dude.
Yes, If the price offered actually offends you that much, then it's probably simplest to just shop elsewhere. Or up your game, learn things, do the legwork/networking, and go pro skinflint.heh
OK - let's get past the problem of communication for a bit, because it is unlikely that we will converge.
Let me summarize your position. You are saying bargaining of any sort with FFLs is a "retarded, skin-flint act" and the correct way to handle a price you think is high is to just walk out. Would you say that is a fair summary?
Depends on the item. For most readily available guns, MAP is significantly above the street price.
I can't think of any other business where you can go to a retailer, say "I'd like to buy cheap, use your business license to get access to the wholesale price, and pay you a fee significantly less than the amount you markup the product for when you sell it out of your inventory". Try that anywhere other than a gunshop and the shopkeep will look at you like you are some sort of idiot.
Making a few texts or phone calls and buying the thing you want at gunbroker low, land at the local small FFL for $50 transfer or less, and not paying sales tax and paying under $25 for shipping, and not spending more than maybe 15 minutes to orchestrate the whole thing.
I pick distributors based on their available inventory, more than anything, as well as shipping terms and speed. If a price on an item was particularly egregious, I would look elsewhere. But merely having a higher price isn't a disqualifier, as you have to take everything into account when ordering inventory and price on the average rather than on a per-item basis. The exception to this is items with an enforceable MAP, where dealer pricing is going to be the same just about everywhere. I think the same is true on the consumer end: if a price is somewhat higher than a competitors, but there is more underlying value in the purchase overall, the price is mitigated (i.e. developing a good relationship with the shop, it's closer to your home, they are good with turn around time on transfers and special orders etc.)
There's a part of this that is "know your audience" and after a point it can still look stupid or obnoxious. I just make life easier by not being a skinflint and shop with people who set their prices rationally on most items. Also contemplate a shops operation costs for more than 5 minutes and it might temper some of that flint energy.
I've seen vendors circumvent MAP at times by not displaying a lower price, but showing it only after you put it in the cart.
The MAP on, for example, a Glock 19 Gen5 is $620. If someone is selling these BNIB for a lower "street price," I'd imagine they don't have an FFL. If that's the case, it won't be long before nice gentlepeople from the ATF/IRS show up and inquire about their business dealings. I find, as do many dealers, that it's the opposite - people want to sell their used firearms for a price that is similar to MAP, which is why many shops offer lower trade in values on common firearms, as the price they want exceeds the dealer cost of a new item.
