Worst gun show ever...What happened?

TheHobbyist

TheHobbyist

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Went to a show today with my best friend, was looking forward to selling an old Winchester and seeing what would come up for sale. I suppose it's kinda like fishing, you never know when you're gonna get a good deal or find the perfect holster or parts (etc) that you needed.

Had enough money on me to buy a decent Smith if one turned up and was kinda keeping my eyes open for another Model 36 or whatever came up that I just had to have. :rolleyes::)

Attendance was waaaaay down to start. Ok, not necessarily a bad thing, it's kinda nice to be able to walk down an aisle while not being sideways.

Get a few steps in, sure enough, there's a few blue cardboard boxes floating around. Good sign. I stop and ask a gentlemen what he has for sale, it's a Model 36...great! What are ya looking for? $700.00. Wow. Ok. Next.

It really surprised me, there were so many people that had tables that were selling a bunch of homemade stuff. I mean, literally, one guy had sauces, beef jerky, etc. Next table had poorly handmade holsters (to be fair they weren't expensive though). Next guy has 4 tables...get this...of wool socks. Are you kidding me? This is a gun show right?

I'm gonna guess and say another 10 tables were arts and crafts. And not interesting to say the least--one guy was selling deer toes for $ 0.50 a piece. Yep. That's right, I said deer toes. Wow. What in the world would ya do with that.

Ok, i'm trying to have fun (and am enjoying spending time with my long-time hunting buddy) and we get to about another 8 tables that were all air soft guns. This guy must have spent 6-8 hours setting up all these things. Wow...

Eh, i'd guess a half dozen or so tables of 'fantasy swords', i'll call them. Like what Conan the Barbarian would carry.

Sorry for what could be possibly my longest post, but come on. I was looking forward to enjoying the show and all I could think of was this was more of an Arts & Crafts show than a gun show. As an aside, this show was put on by a promoter and regularly holds shows all year round. It had been 90% firearm related and slowly up to 10% arts & crafts, etc. Unreal. This was more like 50% firearm related and 40% arts and crafts and 10% miracle cures and who knows what insurance or home gadgets.

Not sure what to do when it seems these were the last spots to find a decent price on a firearm or parts. An anomaly? Or the new norm?
 
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Afraid it's the norm these days. To make matters worse, there are very few deals to be found. What really tickles me are the dealers that bring rifles, shotguns and handguns tagged "Not For Sale." Guess they're playing the "I've got one and you don't" game. That, and they don't mind lugging that stuff back & forth from the show and back home.
 
Donn,

That's funny you mentioned that. I told my buddy the same thing. Here this guy has a few M1 Garands that were pretty decent. Ok, sounds good. Guy in front of me goes to him, say, how much are you asking for the M1's. The guy running the table goes, aw nah, those aren't for sale, they are just there for display......I joked to my friend that someday they will just have pictures of guns at gun shows......
 
The same thing happening to gun shows happened to a lot of old flea markets and other things around here. Replaced with tables of true JUNK coupled with arts and crafts. The joy of the hunt is pretty much ruined.
 
Was just at the good show in Charleston today.

People still gouging on ammo...not that I care, buy mine online.

People still gouging on firearms, and don't want to negotiate much. One guy got upset with me because I pointed out that I could get the same AR online, delivered, pay FFL fee, don't pay sales tax for more than $200 less than his "lowest" price. Told me that people like me are "screwing over the gun shops".

Well, then get your "gun shop prices" under control. Not my problem, sorry.

Crud like that continues to drive me further and further away from even trying to do business locally.
 
The ones around here turned into a Flea Market atmosphere years ago right about the time they started charging $10 to get in which was up from $3. That's when I stopped going. Nothing but overpriced stuff.
 
One show that I formerly would set up at is slowly dying.
It was(still is) a small show. But was attracting fewer and fewer customers.

Promoter no longer able to fill the tables. One third of the room is EMPTY!
Three of the 12-15 table dealers no longer set up. I no longer buy my one table.
IF there are not enough buying customers the dealers go elsewhere.
In my case I just stay home and avoid all the work or loading/unloading truck and setting up/taking down the table stuff.

Bekeart
 
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There was a similar thread earlier this year. Point was made that if these miscellaneous non-gun tables were not there, the shows would probably close.

This month, in my bailiwick, TWO big shows on the same weekend Dec 20-21 at opposite ends of the valley. Wonder which will win out, if either.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103
 
Donn said:
Afraid it's the norm these days. To make matters worse, there are very few deals to be found. What really tickles me are the dealers that bring rifles, shotguns and handguns tagged "Not For Sale." Guess they're playing the "I've got one and you don't" game. That, and they don't mind lugging that stuff back & forth from the show and back home.
Click to expand...

This is just me, but "show and tell" is one of my favorite parts of any gun show, watch show, or whatever other type of trade/collectible show one might attend. It's also a time honored tradition. Just last week at the Lexington show, we were all oohing and aahing over the boxed, near new prewar 38 M&P target model that Rburg brought just for this purpose.

It seems to happen to me more so at watch shows than at gun shows, but I tend to bring a lot of show and tell items. Most aren't out on the table, but under the table to show to specific people, or anyone else that I may get into a conversation with about a particular item.

Nothing annoys me worse than when I'm showing an item to a friend and someone else has to nose in and start pestering me for a price on an item. I never mind someone nosing in to learn more about something(in fact I love it when that happens)-I mind them nosing in and then trying to buy something that I've made perfectly clear is not for sale. Many of these type of folks don't realize(and don't care to learn) the significance of the piece I'm showing off and wouldn't even been interested in buying it for anything close to fair price.
 
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I would say it's analogous to: its a recession when someone you know loses their job; but it's a depression when you lose your job. Never seen so much non-firearm related stuff at a gun show before in this area.
 
Hey Ben, that's fair enough. I understand where you are coming from and truly appreciate the history and study of our shared hobby. I agree with what your saying.

But, selling deer toes? Four tables of socks? Eh, not my cup of tea.
 
I've been set up at the combined Crossroads SAR show here for the past 2 days and I'll be back at it tomorrow. I bought/sold several guns and the crowds have been huge. There is a great selection of merchandise at this show although items are somewhat pricy. The ammo business appears to be back to normal with no huge lines anymore. I guess this is an execption anymore!
Jim
 
When I still resided in Denver, we had a gun show once a month and it went that same direction. I would say 75% gun stuff, 25% other stuff, like artsy crafty things and food items. Here I am in South Dakota now and we have a show once a year and it's 95% gun stuff. Prices are a bit on the high side but if one pays attention some good deals can be found.

For example, the last one I was able to find some Remington 9mm for $10 for a box of 50, half what anyone else was getting. 22 was going for $50 a brick and up. Crazy!!
 
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I've never been to a good gun show in CA. Well, I went to one while in junior college and I found a great old Gerber Sportsman folding knife that has been a main folder of mine for 15 years now. Wow!

I saw a very nice Winchester model 54 in '06, so that was cool to learn about that model. I was looking for my first pre-'64 model 70 Featherweight in '06 at the and found one and my local shop a few months later.

What was quite a disappointment was when I moved to WA and went to my first show in Spokane. I thought it was going to be epic; it was not. Well, it was great as I got to meet Richard Bachman from Old West Reproductions and bout a nice carved flap holster he made for a 5'' 1911. Still got to call him for a belt and mag pouches.

There were a lot of Punisher grips, Tannerite, barbarian swords, Pakistani knives, white patent leather fanny packs, and guns way overpriced. Lot's of prepper/hoarder weirdos too.

I went back a few more times and saw nothing special. I've always heard the WAC shows on the west side have been great and still are; DougM or A10 would know more.
 
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The last couple of shows I attended were a bust. Some were dealers form out of town selling new guns for 10% over retail. Some jerky peddlers & a few dooms dayers selling out dated field rations. Was disapointed to say the least but another one coming up soon so I will pay my 5 bucks & take my chances.
 
jerky peddlers LOL


Dick Rumbaugh said:
The last couple of shows I attended were a bust. Some were dealers form out of town selling new guns for 10% over retail. Some jerky peddlers & a few dooms dayers selling out dated field rations. Was disapointed to say the least but another one coming up soon so I will pay my 5 bucks & take my chances.
Click to expand...
 
I just went to a gun show at Jefferson County Fairgrounds (southern WI). A few less guns for sale than the same show a year ago. No deer toes at least. The 22 ammo resellers irk me and I would rather not shoot than reward them for hoarding.

My main complaint is a couple of the vendors who are S&W enthusiasts who snap up any "deals" on Smiths before the the public gets in. I have seen one guy at about 4 shows recently in my area and I suppose I will have to branch out to other regions of WI to see what might be.

Gunbroker has clearly influenced the pricing. But if I was selling I would want the most I could get too I suppose. And if I was a seller I too would take advantage of being able to look over what is there before the paying slobs get in. Must stop whining now. :)
 
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I travel to out of the way, vfw type , shows. Some times 3 hours. Usually small stores, local guys. kind of like it use to be. You cant really compete with the exposure of Gunbroker, so promoter will fills the tables with whats available.. Hey have to take the bad with the good. You never know when the DEAL will come up.
 
Around here gun shows are an excuse for friends from different towns to meet for breakfast before the show and catch up on events.
We always run into other folks we don't see anywhere else too.

The stuff at shows are pretty much the same old same old, but the visit with friends is sure worth the price of admission.
 
Iggy,

Great point....regardless of the turn out or **** for sale...my father and I have great time meeting for breakfast and shooting the breeze while we walk the shows....One day I hope to do that with my son.
 
Gun Show's around the year 2000 were fun and always a deal to be had..$3 admission..
I think that with the explosion of the internet since then and all the information that is out there = no real deals..Most sellers already have a primo price in mind, that they have determined by researching on the internet..
I haven't been to a GS in 5 years or so..Man I miss some of the exotic jerky..:)
 
If you want to get a new gun then the shows might be a good place to go. The more common stuff can be bargained for. The dealers can be competitive.

Sometimes good stuff can show up, generally on private party tables. I used to get a table sometimes just for fun and to sell a few items. Way too expensive now.

The time of year also makes a difference. The holidays can slow things down as people need money for different things.
 
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