Jealous Local Gun Shops MOD PLS LOCK

[MrTrolleyguy]

The owners of the local gun shops in my area have been giving me a hard time receiving guns for registration. They sure are not cooperating with me. It is like pulling teeth. I will skip describing their little games.

Last year I bought 26 guns and 80% were shipped in to me. I think these guys get pissed off b/c the internet is kicking their butt. One shop owner has taken in over a dozen guns for me. If those were sales across his counter it would certainly be over a thousand or fifteen hundred dollars in his pocket. Jealous! I bought a single revolver and a .22 conversion barrel from him. I would have bought guns from him if he had anything I wanted. He pushes plastic guns.

I heard that a few shops in the Philadelphia area are not doing transfers. I will never enter their establishment. If they only want a large chunk of my money (50% markup per gun) rather than $40 or $50 for a transfer, then they will not get a d*** dime.

Is anyone else experiencing similar resistance?

Trolley

 

[bgrafsr]

My dealer has no problem transferring guns for me. In fact if I don't buy one often enough he asks me what's wrong. On top of that he only charges me, and my friends, $20.00 for the paperwork. Of course, he works out of his home, but he does a lot of business.

I reciprocate and if he needs some work done on a gun I help him out too.

 

[MrTrolleyguy]

My dealer has no problem transferring guns for me. In fact if I don't buy one often enough he asks me what's wrong. On top of that he only charges me, and my friends, $20.00 for the paperwork. Of course, he works out of his home, but he does a lot of business.

I reciprocate and if he needs some work done on a gun I help him out too.

I am jealous.

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

I bought a few guns online and had them transfered at Delaware Valley Sports Center. They never complained, but they did charge $50 per transfer. I won my first gunbroker auction (the weapon is currently enroute to the FFL), and I used a private FFL (non-gun shop type business) for the first time. He's charging me $40.

 

[kaaskop49]

Question to the OP: The items you are buying online and having shipped: can these dealers order them for you through their FFL and distributor channels? Could this be the problem?

My LGS owner has told me that he will attempt to order anything I want.

 

[SgtLumpy]

Can you find a local FFL that works out of his home? Or one that deals with guns OTHER than the type you buy? My guy builds custom Mosin-Nag's, works out of his home, charges $15 per transaction if you hold a CCW, $20 if you don't. Takes 5 minutes.

Bud's (and surely others) website has a "find an FFL" thingie. Enter your zip code, pick from a list.


Sgt Lumpy

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

Question to the OP: The items you are buying online and having shipped: can these dealers order them for you through their FFL and distributor channels? Could this be the problem?

My LGS owner has told me that he will attempt to order anything I want.

For me, I find the prices of firearms at gun shops in the city of Philadelphia to be extremely high compared to other gun shops right outside Philadelphia. Usually I'll visit the gun shops in the suburbs for the better prices, but sometimes I don't feel like making the drive out there so I just order online and pay the high transfer fee. Even with the high transfer fee, it's still a lot cheaper than some of these gun shops in Philly.

 

[rwsmith]

The smart dealer....

The smart dealer will realize that unless shipping of firearms is stopped, transfers are going to be a part of business. There are many outfits that do that around here. My favorite only charges $25 a pop.

 

[brucev]

Re: OP. The business owner is in business to make a profit. If someone only wants them to provide a service with little or not profit then it should come as no surprise that the business owner has little interest in dealing with such persons. It makes no business sense. Cooperation is not even a consideration.

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

Re: OP. The business owner is in business to make a profit. If someone only wants them to provide a service with little or not profit then it should come as no surprise that the business owner has little interest in dealing with such persons. It makes no business sense. Cooperation is not even a consideration.

They could lower their prices just a little bit.

Examples:

A M&P Shield 9 costs the gun store owner $300
Option 1: Sell 1 gun (today) @ $400, profit = $100
Option 2: Sell 3 guns (today) @ $350, profit = $150

A transfer costs the gun shop owner $10
Option 1: Do 3 transfers (today) @ $50, profit = $120
Option 2: Do 8 transfers (today) @ $30, profit = $160



I don't know about you guys, but if Gun Shop A and Gun Shop B are the same distance from my house, but Gun Shop A has lower priced firearms, then I am going to Gun Shop A.

 

[zzzippper]

I don't understand why you don't understand why they act that way.

Buy from my competitor and ask me to help you do it? Good day sir, I said good day!

 

[cussedemgun]

YA,BUT - - retail is a public service business

Re: OP. The business owner is in business to make a profit. If someone only wants them to provide a service with little or not profit then it should come as no surprise that the business owner has little interest in dealing with such persons. It makes no business sense. Cooperation is not even a consideration.

ALL stores provide a service, their goods are not unique!

When you remove the service from 'public service' what's left?

They are in business to serve, I am not obligated to serve them.

A good inventory of used as well as new on display plus a well stocked ammo & accessories section is SERVICE. Any dealer that has the same gun as you are ordering needs to look at his ability to haggle.

I shop the big-box stores for "now" convenience, the internet for used & rare collectables, & the local gun store for service.

There's that elusive commodity again, SERVICE! Where do you find it?

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

I don't understand why you don't understand why they act that way.

Buy from my competitor and ask me to help you do it? Good day sir, I said good day!

Businesses are entitled to charge whatever they want and offer services to whoever they want.


That being said, if nobody wants to buy your extremely over-priced firearms or pay your ridiculous transfer fees then you're not going to stay in business very long. Also if your customer service is horribe (e.g. complaining to customers for buying guns online), then your customers are going to go somewhere else where they are treated better.

 

[b_san]

Re: OP. The business owner is in business to make a profit. If someone only wants them to provide a service with little or not profit then it should come as no surprise that the business owner has little interest in dealing with such persons. It makes no business sense. Cooperation is not even a consideration.

Because of the law requiring me to use an FFL to transfer my incoming guns, I have actually purchased quite a few guns in the store of the LGS that earned my transfer business with their cheap and easy transfer policy. Transferring is a gateway transaction, the smart business owner realizes this and welcomes customers, who may never have come in the door otherwise, with a decent transfer policy. The short sighted FFL acts like incoming transfers are stealing business from his store and drives away not only the profit from the transfer but from any additional purchases those customers might be tempted to make once in the store.

But let's be honest here, these LGSs should be very thankful that the federal government requires us to use an FFL to transfer a firearm as it's only thing that keeps many of them in business. If I could order guns directly from Amazon to my house without involving an FFL I'd rarely step foot in another gun store, just like I never go to Best Buy.

 

[MrTrolleyguy]

I bought a few guns online and had them transfered at Delaware Valley Sports Center. They never complained, but they did charge $50 per transfer. I won my first gunbroker auction (the weapon is currently enroute to the FFL), and I used a private FFL (non-gun shop type business) for the first time. He's charging me $40.

That is my range and where I get the best service. If you are a member the price drops to $35.00 or maybe that is the senior rate. Anthony, Steve and the rest of the staff are great. When I walked into the store for the third time they remembered my full name. Great people.

 

[BigBill]

My LGS just received four guns for me to register. He hasn't said anything yet but I know what there thinking. I purchased new and used guns from him already. But now I'm looking for certain models which he didn't have.

 

[yaktamer]

Businesses are entitled to charge whatever they want and offer services to whoever they want.


That being said, if nobody wants to buy your extremely over-priced firearms or pay your ridiculous transfer fees then you're not going to stay in business very long. Also if your customer service is horribe (e.g. complaining to customers for buying guns online), then your customers are going to go somewhere else where they are treated better.

This. I use a pawn shop where the guy is perfectly happy to do it for $20. I would think the shop that charges $50 would be happy to do it for the ten minutes work involved and no inventory to have to worry about, especially if the alternative is to have the customer go down the street and pay the competition to do the transfer

 

[MrTrolleyguy]

Question to the OP: The items you are buying online and having shipped: can these dealers order them for you through their FFL and distributor channels? Could this be the problem?

My LGS owner has told me that he will attempt to order anything I want.

Most of my purchases are older revolvers. I have had orders in with three of them for a new model 627 for a year and a half. I also ordered a new model 617 and they got neither.

I did purchase plenty of guns locally: 686-5 2.5, 686-4 4", 586-7 IIRC 3" PC, a couple of model 10's, a 27-2 8 3/8, pre-27 5". and a few more. So they were making money from me for sure. I alos got two Glocks locally. Almost forgot a m60 nd w/ Highway Patrol logo two weeks ago. Sweet.

 

[timn8er]

I've never done a transfer at my LGS. I use a pawn shop
for all my transfers. They only charge me ten dollars a
transfer, and they're nice about it too. My LGS hardly ever
has any 3rd Gens, which are my particular affliction. Once,
though, I stumbled across a practically NIB Model 4013TSW,
at the pawn shop, & they gave me a decent price too. I
generally buy ammo at the LGS, because they are competitive
as far as price goes. And I shoot at their range too. But
pay forty five dollars for a transfer? No freaking way!!

 

[cussedemgun]

What makes you a 'competitor?

I don't understand why you don't understand why they act that way.

Buy from my competitor and ask me to help you do it? Good day sir, I said good day!

If you are truly a competitor, you offer the same product for the same price.

The fact that you have a FFL does not automatically make you a competitor. The license is not a franchise, a monopoly agreement, or any where else entitle it's holder to a share of the trade. Good service will do that, the SERVICE is what will bring 'em in.

If you've ever been in a bar, you will see what good service can add to public service. They all have the same goods for sale, but 10* have 90* of the business because of SERVICE