Discount Gun Sales... Mixed Feelings...

sffuporfa · May 8, 2013

Hi All,

I'm fairly confident this has been discussed before, but here I go anyways...

I stopped by DGS Everett a few days ago and noticed they had a fairly good inventory of Glocks, both Gen 3 and 4. What really surprised me was the $800 price tag for any Glock! Then, looking at other items, a Ruger Scout for $1300, SR22 for $550, etc...

Is it just me or does this really bug anyone else? I plan to never shop there in the future, regardless of their pricing structure when the craziness ends. Anyone else feel this way?

-S

udoggie · May 8, 2013

Ditto. I was at the local store here last year (pre-panic), looking for a Glock 27. They wanted over $200 more than other places were selling them for locally.

I like buying local, and wanted to give them a chance, but I've never been back.

UD

JAFO · May 8, 2013

I've not been to them since I heard bad from the start but it seems their multiple locations are for spreading the overhead costs rather than spreading the savings associated with greater buying power.

Remember up in the Seattle area that Federal Way Discount Guns isn't the same company so don't write them off even if you write off Discount Gun Sales.

Antimony · May 8, 2013

When I was shopping around for my Ruger Sr1911, I realized that the "Discount" in the name is more of a "what's in a name" kind of thing. No discount to be had whatsover. They are pricier than even Wades.

I prefer to shop online and then use Lowpriceguns.com for FFLs

Skier · May 8, 2013

I was looking for a Glock 19 recently and wasn't finding any in stock anywhere until I called discount guns off 185th and Baseline who had it at their store for $800. ouch... waited a couple weeks and found it for $575 at MK Tactical in Hillsboro. Stopped by discount guns to look around one day anyway.... Nice selection, VERY unimpressed by their "discount" prices.

JAFO · May 9, 2013

There is a place for the high priced stores. They seem to have what you need if you are in a pinch and you don't mind spending more to get it in your hands. There is also a place for buying from local dealers even when their prices are a little higher. I don't shop online for the lowest price but I do see what things are going for and then I see what the local guys have. If it's not some ridiculously high price by the local guy, that I'd like to help keep in business, that is who I buy from.

For example Northwest Armory has some high prices but they have a good variety and friendly employees. I will likely stop in there again some day to make a purchase if they have something my friends in the business don't have.

JV100 · May 9, 2013

There seems to be only a few places that aren't super gouging. I really hope that when prices slump we all remember who was gouging and refuse to shop there. These shops use the excuse of they're paying more but I think there full of it. They get factory rates that don't change, shops that look for return biz with good prices is where we should spend our money.

AMProducts · May 9, 2013

I've never been impressed with DGS, their prices are always high (despite discount being in the name), however if you're already in everett, make some time to head down to lowpriceguns, they are an advertiser on this site, and really are the low price alternative to "discount".

The only downside with LPG is their website sometimes lists guns as "in stock" that they have to order (takes about 3 days), so if you have a particular gun, that you want right now, call first. I know when I picked up my FNX the website said "in stock" and when I got there all they had was the model with night sites, however I picked it up for the same price DGS was going to sell me the base model for, and I wanted it "right now" as I wanted a new gun to shoot at the 4th of july f*@$ al qaeda BBQ.

If you're looking for accessories, a good place to hit up is Epic guns out in monroe, their stock has been hit pretty hard by the current panic, but they usually have a good selection of add-ons, as well as a great selection of knives.

Nick Burkhardt · May 9, 2013

We used our local Ranch and Home for two handgun purchases and PNW owned Bi-Mart for two long guns this year. Wal-mart is a bit cheaper, but screw 'em.

sffuporfa · May 9, 2013

Looks like I'm not alone...

I've recently been on the hunt for specific firearms to add to my collection and in doing so, I've been visiting a number of different local shops around town. Just a few of the shops that I've had really good experiences at (and I'd like to give them a public thumbs up): Adventure Sports (Lynnwood), Rainier Arms (Auburn), Outdoor Emporium (Seattle), West Coast Armory (Bellevue), Federal Way Discount Guns (FW), and Low Price Guns (Bellevue). I have made purchases at each of these retailers and am more than happy to continue to spend my money there.

While I realize one of the great things about our country is that we practice free enterprise, it just bugs me that some shops decided they want to take advantage of people by price gouging. I have my own list of price gougers and intend to never make purchases from them, regardless of what they might have.

Any other good shops that I should be checking out? Or perhaps a shop that deserves a public thumbs up as well?

-S

JAFO · May 9, 2013

JV100 said:
There seems to be only a few places that aren't super gouging. I really hope that when prices slump we all remember who was gouging and refuse to shop there. These shops use the excuse of they're paying more but I think there full of it. They get factory rates that don't change, shops that look for return biz with good prices is where we should spend our money.

There are several flaws in your argument but I'll comment on what I think is the biggest one. I'm fairly certain most FFL dealers don't get the majority of their guns from the manufacturer. I belive most manufacturers won't even sell directly to FFL dealers. The distributors are the middlemen. I won't assume the distributors don't change their prices.

Good luck in your endeavor to get people not to support those who you claim are "gougers." I wouldn't spend too much engergy on it myself though. Your impact on the market might not be as big as you might think it should be.

Shops that don't adjust their prices for demand might gain faithful customers but they might also lose customers who stop in and notice they don't have much inventory.

udoggie · May 9, 2013

sffuporfa said:
Looks like I'm not alone...

I've recently been on the hunt for specific firearms to add to my collection and in doing so, I've been visiting a number of different local shops around town. Just a few of the shops that I've had really good experiences at (and I'd like to give them a public thumbs up): Adventure Sports (Lynnwood), Rainier Arms (Auburn), Outdoor Emporium (Seattle), West Coast Armory (Bellevue), Federal Way Discount Guns (FW), and Low Price Guns (Bellevue). I have made purchases at each of these retailers and am more than happy to continue to spend my money there.

While I realize one of the great things about our country is that we practice free enterprise, it just bugs me that some shops decided they want to take advantage of people by price gouging. I have my own list of price gougers and intend to never make purchases from them, regardless of what they might have.

Any other good shops that I should be checking out? Or perhaps a shop that deserves a public thumbs up as well?

-S

If you want to head down to the Portland area, then I'd give both-thumbs-up to Keith's.

However the cross-state transaction stuff is a royal PIA.

UD

RBid · May 9, 2013

JAFO said:
There are several flaws in your argument but I'll comment on what I think is the biggest one. I'm fairly certain most FFL dealers don't get the majority of their guns from the manufacturer. I belive most manufacturers won't even sell directly to FFL dealers. The distributors are the middlemen. I won't assume the distributors don't change their prices.

You are correct. The flow is generally: manufacturer --> distributor --> dealer. A few manufacturers prefer direct business. Kimber is an example. Others, like Sig, generally sell to distributors, but will do direct business with certain dealers.

There are pros and cons to each practice. When a distributor is in the middle, the dealers have better visibility of the general market, based on distributor inventory. When you have access to say... 8 distributors, you're able to more easily predict availability on special orders, and estimate lead times.

When you order directly from dealers, you don't get to see what is already in inventory. Order ETAs involve a bit more finesse. BUT... No middle man should translate to savings. In my experience, that is rarely actually the case. Kimber's dealer pricing does not indicate a saving being passed along, for example.

Looking at distributor inventory right now, things are a lot uglier than people seem to realize. Simply put, anything you're likely to ask about as a customer is allocated right now. There is no reserve supply. There are no ready to go items available to order. Whatever manufacturers spit out, that's what dealers are getting. You may see a Colt 6920, ask about a 6900, and get shot down. In a nutshell, it's "this is what you can get, unless you're OK waiting an indefinite amount of time."

With high volume stuff, things will get back to normal pretty fast. Glock 19s should appear to be plentiful soon. Other items (Shield, Solo, etc) that are put out in smaller batches... Good luck. You'll see them appear all over, then dry up, probably a few times.