Price drop on Shield Plus?

[RenoHuskerDu]

The last one I bought cost me about $560 a year ago.

Just snagged one yesterday for $399, brand new. Plain Jane 3.1", no frills, and the shop had two more to sell at that price.

Are we in another Trump slump?

 

[Jeppo]

S&W dropped the list price by $100 and they're running a $50 rebate on Shield EZs.

Smith & Wesson Shield Plus $100 Price Drop: Legendary Gunmak - Guns and Ammo

 

[N4KVE]

That gun was always way overpriced. When the original Shield came out, MSRP was $335. When this gun came out, it was $200 more. Why? Does it cost more to make the same gun just because it holds more rounds? It's not like they spent a fortune to design a new gun. Honestly I believe when a company designs a new product, they set MSRP to be what they feel they could get away with. Not costs, plus a fair mark up. GARY.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

It just seems like yesterday when they were selling brand new 9mm Shields (1.0s) for $199.99...!

As I recall it was just before Christmas 2019...?

Cheers!

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

It just seems like yesterday when they were selling brand new 9mm Shields (1.0s) for $199.99...!

As I recall it was just before Christmas 2019...?

Cheers!

Yes! The Trump slump meant free stuff in the mail a month or so later: 2 or 3 boxes of spendy Hornady Critical Defense ammo, a loader that works well, and 2 or 3 spare magazines. That was nearly $100 worth of supplies, and brought the overall price down near $200. We have a bunch pf Shields in the safe now. They are still great little carry guns, more capacity than a revolver.

But I don't think the Trump slump lasted to 2019. The civil unrest of 2018 and later caused a surge in demand, which drove up prices. Many women nationwide started carrying.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

That gun was always way overpriced. When the original Shield came out, MSRP was $335. When this gun came out, it was $200 more. Why? Does it cost more to make the same gun just because it holds more rounds? It's not like they spent a fortune to design a new gun. Honestly I believe when a company designs a new product, they set MSRP to be what they feel they could get away with. Not costs, plus a fair mark up. GARY.

I cannot disagree. Smith priced it lower than the Sig P365, which was its primary competitor, and the Hellcat was about the same. Those first 6 months it was hard to find a Shield Plus to buy. I saw one local Texas gun shop mark it up to almost $700.

The spare mag shortage was even more frustrating for me. I'm NOT paying $100 for one mag, as some were asking on Gun Broker etc. Instead I bought two spare Shield Plus and put them in the safe but carried their large mags on me. Finally Smith offered phone sales of spare mags at normal prices and I bought 20 of those suckers for the whole family to share.

 

[Funflyer]

I've been patiently waiting on a Plus and am glad to see them finally coming down in price. Probably even see a rebate tacked on them before long. I'm ready to give the 30SC a try.

 

[Wdbutcher97]

I'd like to find another Gen 1 Shield like the one I traded in on my Shield Plus. I learned my lesson. Never sell or trade a gun you really like regardless of it's ammo capacity. I would have never believed that little pistol could be so accurate and dependable.

 

[snakebitten]

Picked up the plus bug out bundle about a month ago for $409 + shipping

 

[Dave Lively]

That gun was always way overpriced. When the original Shield came out, MSRP was $335. When this gun came out, it was $200 more. Why? Does it cost more to make the same gun just because it holds more rounds? It's not like they spent a fortune to design a new gun. Honestly I believe when a company designs a new product, they set MSRP to be what they feel they could get away with. Not costs, plus a fair mark up. GARY.

When it comes time to sell your house are you going to look at what you paid, adjust for inflation and realtor fees and add a small markup?

Or are you going to take advantage of the huge run up in house prices and sell it for as much as possible?

I am going to sell mine for as much as possible and don't have a problem with S&W taking the same approach when it comes to selling guns.

I do agree that $560 was too much. Which is why I didn't buy one. But people were buying at that price so it was worth that much to them.

 

[N4KVE]

When it comes time to sell your house are you going to look at what you paid, adjust for inflation and realtor fees and add a small markup?

Or are you going to take advantage of the huge run up in house prices and sell it for as much as possible?

I am going to sell mine for as much as possible and don't have a problem with S&W taking the same approach when it comes to selling guns.

I do agree that $560 was too much. Which is why I didn't buy one. But people were buying at that price so it was worth that much to them.

That's one way to look at it, but buying a home is a must do, while buying the new gun of the week, especially when one already owns ten handguns is not. Look at the new Zenith MP5. They wanted $2600 for it, while the original MKE gun, made in Turkey on HK machinery is going for $1100-$1200. So they quickly dropped their price $500. But it's still way more than the gun it was cloned from. When Century started bringing in the MKE a year ago, MSRP was 3K. People refused to pay that, & the price has been dropping ever since to the $1100-$1200 we're at today. But the real estate market is not like that at all, so that was an apple to oranges comparison. But I do respect your opinion. GARY.

 

[220-niner]

I'd like to find another Gen 1 Shield like the one I traded in on my Shield Plus. I learned my lesson. Never sell or trade a gun you really like regardless of it's ammo capacity. I would have never believed that little pistol could be so accurate and dependable.

Mine is now in the safe, replaced by a P365xl but it is a great gun.
I had 8 round magazines with a Magguts +2 so 11. A decade or so before, that was unheard of is that size.
Mine was also very accurate and had a decent trigger so I'll keep it around for who knows what.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

Saw a Shield Plus Optics ready with two magazines for $350 locally & I don't need it because I already have one

Almost seemed too good on the price BUT the other one with four magazines & bug out bag + first aid kit was $449.99 & had night sights SO~~~

Prices are Coming back to normal & SAW has a surplus now

BTW I sold my SIG P365XL & P320X + Glock 19X & 43X + Three Heckler & Kock USPs & P2000sk 40 & my Ruger SP101

Thinned the heard BUT the M&P Shields remain X 5 + SD9 FDE
Been carrying the OG Shield M1.0 40 S&W Performance Center in a M2.0 frame with night sights & just put a Plus trigger in it...

This all started because my late twin brother was looking for a carry piece in late 2019 when he lost his home & we went looking & the $249 Shield M2.0 Shield was the choice, after he passed it became mine & have been buying other ones BUT ONLY when the price was right

I DO NOT have a 45acp or 30 Super Carry Shield YET!

 

[LVSteve]

CDNN beat up my email a few years back until I cracked and bought an XD Tactical in 45 ACP. Then it was apply for the three mags and range bag for free IIRC. Did I need the XD? Nope, but at the price they were selling for it was too good to pass up. I could have doubled my money during the height of COVID, but didn't.

 

[nksmfamjp]

That gun was always way overpriced. When the original Shield came out, MSRP was $335. When this gun came out, it was $200 more. Why? Does it cost more to make the same gun just because it holds more rounds? It's not like they spent a fortune to design a new gun. Honestly I believe when a company designs a new product, they set MSRP to be what they feel they could get away with. Not costs, plus a fair mark up. GARY.

In all fairness, the way all free market products are priced at is a prediction of what will hit the volume numbers to maximize profit in some math model. Then they beat themselves up internally to hit a profit target. Then the start selling and adjust to maximize profits and possibly to change competitive position in the market.. This is just that adjustment. Basically customer decides what they will pay.

CDNN beat up my email a few years back until I cracked and bought an XD Tactical in 45 ACP. Then it was apply for the three mags and range bag for free IIRC. Did I need the XD? Nope, but at the price they were selling for it was too good to pass up. I could have doubled my money during the height of COVID, but didn't.

May I ask what you paid? I love it being reinforced how badly I was taken on the one I bought for like $542. Put $250 into it and sold for much less….

 

[K Harris]

What I do not understand is why they are not offering a standard model Shield or Shield Plus in 4" at the same $399. Why are all the 4" models from the Performance Center?

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

What I do not understand is why they are not offering a standard model Shield or Shield Plus in 4" at the same $399. Why are all the 4" models from the Performance Center?

We're back to the free market model, and vendors setting prices that they believe the market will bear. Adding that PC lets them charge a little more.

Without any specific visibility from seeing any articles on the subject, it looks to me as if Smith has expanded the offerings from PC, which somewhat reduces its perceived value. Ported barrel, hi-vis sights, and a slightly longer barrel with "Performance Center" engraved on the longer slide is what you get. And that nice hard case.

 

[USMCshooter]

And that nice hard case.

What nice hard case? Bought my PC Shield+ earlier this year and got the same cardboard box.

 

[panther]

The Plus I just bought came in a cardboard box. It was priced at $399 but I got it for 379. I hope the prices stay low for awhile. I want to get another, and more mags. But, between taxes and Christmas presents, my gun budget is down to the point where a box of 9mm is an investment.

 

[Old cop]

Just for some perspective I bought my first off duty gun, a Colt Cobra, in '68 for $85. Still have it and am guessing it's worth about five times that now (I'll never sell it).