widespread price-gouging

[TheDan]

I don't want the gov't restricting us and growing in size any more than any one else who is tired of their shit... But Ill be damned if I have to have a business license to make a small margin on what I am selling, while some random guy who works at lowes goes and makes FARRR more profit than the business he purchased the product from... and he doesn't have to pay taxes on that money either... I certainly can't do that or my butt would be getting probed by some weird prick with a calculator and a gov't badge that says he can end the way I make a living with the stroke of a pen.

Sounds like the larger problem is cumbersome regulations choking off business.


As for the ammo flippers; I ain't buying any. If people stop giving them money, they'll eventually go away. I'm not even really willing to pay current retail prices. I bought an air rifle this year

 

[Sugar Land]

my butt would be getting probed by some weird prick with a calculator and a gov't badge

I would be more worried about that...lol

 

[Texan2]

If people stop giving them money, they'll eventually go away.

Bingo. Market corrects itself.

 

[medalguy]

I love the guys who complain all the time about not being able to find .22 ammo at Wally World, and say there are people standing in line at Wally World at 6 AM buying the ammo THEY wanted. Hell, if you want the damn ammo that bad, go get in line at 5:30 and buy it first. The choice is yours, go stand in line and buy it for $15 or go to the gun shop at 3 in the afternoon and pay $50 for it. Now as far as price gouging, I always thought that applied to VITAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. After a hurricane if you wanted to sell paper clips for $2 apiece, I seriously doubt the sheriff would be waiting for you with nickel plated bracelets. Water or ice maybe so.

 

[Greg_TX]

One helpful thing would be if WalMart and Academy, along with other high volume retailers, stamped their name and price on every box of ammo they sell. It won't prevent people from reselling it, but it will lead to better informed buyers down the line who will then know how much of a convenience markup they're paying the flippers.

 

[PapaG]

Cool idea.

sent from inside the fire tornado

 

[Greg_TX]

Cool idea.

I would think so, because unfortunately there will always be new shooters who don't know any better then to pay the LGS or 'gun show guy' $30+ for a 50-rd box of WWB 9mm.

 

[vmax]

People claim to love capitalism....then tend to bitch about it.

Go to an economics 101 class. Supply/Demand. Pretty simple concept.

The cry baby mentality gets old.

drug dealers are capitalist, so are hookers.

Capitalism is amoral. (not immoral, amoral) it's neither good or bad, it just exist as a concept.
Some people who exercise capitalism apply morals to their business, while others do not.


I know what LGS in this town screwed or tried to screw me, I went in there and told him to his face and I left and have never been back.

 

[Texan2]

drug dealers are capitalist, so are hookers.

Capitalism is amoral. (not immoral, amoral) it's neither good or bad, it just exist as a concept.
Some people who exercise capitalism apply morals to their business, while others do not.


I know what LGS in this town screwed or tried to screw me, I went in there and told him to his face and I left and have never been back.

Thats your best analogy? Drug dealers and hookers? Ummm...ok.

It appears that you are saying that buying gun related products and selling them for what you consider too much profit is immoral?

 

[vmax]

I remember a guy who pulled up after Hurricane Ike with a truck load of Harbor Freight generators.
He set up a store out of the back of the truck. You could tell he was like a vendor from Canton or Traders village.
He had a tent and tables and was taking cash or credit cards. He stayed there for weeks and even did exchanges when customers brought them back for warranty.

I can remember the libs in the news, ranting about how he was taking advantage of those poor people.
What a load of crap. He was providing a product to people who had a need for that product.

 

[vmax]

Thats your best analogy? Drug dealers and hookers? Ummm...ok.

It appears that you are saying that buying gun related products and selling them for what you consider too much profit is immoral?

capitalism is not good or bad. People are good or bad.
don't read anything else into it. If you do..it's your fault

 

[gcarrillo004]

There's a lot more liberals on this site than I expected.

hahah, thats what i was thinking as I was reading this thread!

Libs hate capitalism, then they pervert it with price gouging and then call it capitalism and say its good for them.

 

[Kyle]

Thats your best analogy? Drug dealers and hookers? Ummm...ok.

It appears that you are saying that buying gun related products and selling them for what you consider too much profit is immoral?

What is immoral is people who intentionally dry up the market so they can resell for a massive profit at the expense of other peoples wants and needs.

Making a lot of profit in itself is not immoral, the route you take to achieve that profit is what may or may not be immoral. In this case it is, in my opinion.

Like I said before, I have not been affected by any of this, I'm looking at it for what it is with no personal gains in mind.

 

[Southpaw]

What is immoral is people who intentionally dry up the market so they can resell for a massive profit at the expense of other peoples wants and needs.

Making a lot of profit in itself is not immoral, the route you take to achieve that profit is what may or may not be immoral. In this case it is, in my opinion.

Like I said before, I have not been affected by any of this, I'm looking at it for what it is with no personal gains in mind.

Immoral or not, it would take 30 to 60 days of not buying any 22LR from these vendors for the price to drop and the supply to catch up.

There is no current threat to the ammo supply being cutoff by the government, as some foolishly thought during the panic, so there is NO need for ANYONE to buy ammo at even half of the inflated price points we are talking about, especially 22LR.


I understand you are not personally buying at this level, but someone is and they are the only one holding the price and supply up. No vendor, immoral, unlicensed or not can keep doing what they are doing if no one is buying. They would need to dump it to pay for it's cost or stop selling it completely.

 

[Kyle]

You are absolutely right.

The people that are buying at these prices are as much of the problem as the people that are reselling at these crazy prices... HOWEVER... the moral issue here is that these flippers are taking advantage of the uninformed buyers and that in turn is hurting the market/ us. If they would not be doing what they are doing, we may not be in the predicament we are in now. The market would be back to normal at this point in an ideal situation. AR prices are finally back to reality, but ammo is not. Mainly .22LR, but yes, that is because suppliers can't keep up with the demand.

 

[Texan2]

flippers are taking advantage of the uninformed buyers

Caveat Emptor.

It sucks to be uniformed.

This thread is really funny.

Prices back to reality? Whose reality? And who gets to decide what the proper price should be? I think the market dictates that.

I remember SKSs that were $79 all day long. WASR AKs for $350. Mosins for $69.

None of those weapons will EVER be those prices again. I guess the gun retailers are "gouging" us.

 

[vmax]

I keep getting ask this by friends

"When are prices going to get back to normal?"

My answer

"We are in normal"

the "normal" is always changing to reflect the current status.

The "Aveage Yearly Rainfall" for a town is based on the last 20 years of data

The normal rainfall amount changes with what we actually get

 

[Kyle]

Caveat Emptor.

It sucks to be uniformed.

This thread is really funny.

Prices back to reality? Whose reality? And who gets to decide what the proper price should be? I think the market dictates that.

I remember SKSs that were $79 all day long. WASR AKs for $350. Mosins for $69.

None of those weapons will EVER be those prices again. I guess the gun retailers are "gouging" us.

Maybe "immoral" isnt quite the right word for this. How about this: Reputable, honorable people will not conduct or condone these types of practices.

Surplus rifles 20-30 years ago were just that... Surplus rifles. You could buy them by the crate. Since you so clearly understand the market, what does a "surplus" matched with a light demand mean for the market?

Im sure my Grandpa can tell me all about the cars he bought new for $2500 back in the day. You are just comparing apples and oranges here.

Surplus rifles are a thing of the past for the most part. There is inflation and numerous other things that play into the prices. You know that, but you are just being obstinate.

For you to sit there and act like you don't know what I am talking about and then to go and make comparisons that have no bearing on the issue at hand, just makes this a futile exercise. You go your way and Ill go mine.

 

[subseashooter]

Okay - dogleg in the conversation here.....we have gone from deciding what is moral to what is reputable and honorable.

Everyone please be super quite while the most reputable amongst us explains, in quite uncertain terms, how business 'should' be done.

And may he that has never sinned cast the first stone.

 

[Texan2]

I understand what you are saying Kyle, I just don't agree with it. If buyers are willing to pay a certain price for an certain item, then that is the price. Crying because circumstance has altered what once WAS the price puzzles me.

The value of any item is exactly what someone is willing to pay. Currently the ammo market is somewhat of a bubble, one that is poised to burst. We have had the same thing happen in the precious metals market, the real estate market, the gun market and many other markets.

As stated already. The market is self correcting.