Future of the Portland (or any) gunshows?

[dobeman]

I heard through a knowlegable source that some of the larger vendors didn't even cover their show table costs at the Portland Gun Show this past weekend. From the sounds of it, vendors are lucky to break even. That trend can't continue. Show managers (Collectors West) will either have to lower table fees and/or raise entry fees for the public or figure it's not worth it at all. Any vendors here care to comment? at what point do y'all say heck with it and don't do shows?

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[MountainBear]

Big vendors will start to disappear. Small, single or double table vendors will persist. A lot of us do not table at the shows for profit. We see our friends, talk to people we only see once every three months, trade amongst ourselves, and generally enjoy ourselves. We set up single tables to sell extra crap that is otherwise just sitting in our gunrooms.

If I were to guess I would say that gunshows will get smaller, but never go away all together. Making it a law to run all gunshow transactions through an FFL has put a damper on things. Too bad, makes it a pain...

 

[spengo]

Is it because of the gun show splitting into two?

 

[Soli]

Hi all, new here. Been in Oregon 10 years... just discovered this board.

Anyway, talking with a vendor last weekend she said the shows at the expo-center have indeed split; she mentioned she'd be back in Nov and I said I didn't see the show on the schedule. "Collector's West" and "Rose City" are now splitsville (not that I knew the difference), and feuding. One refuses to run the other's shows on their schedule... soap opera to me, but I enjoy the shows and it'll be a shame if they suffer.

 

[Trlsmn]

Supply and demand economics, the demand is way off right now. October in general is a bad selling month and with the economy in the dumper and people thinking about Christmas right around the corner discretionary spending is taking a big hit.

Just wait until January and you will really see what a depressed gun market looks like.

 

[spengo]

Supply and demand economics, the demand is way off right now. October in general is a bad selling month and with the economy in the dumper and people thinking about Christmas right around the corner discretionary spending is taking a big hit.

Just wait until January and you will really see what a depressed gun market looks like.

you mean people aren't buying guns and ammo as gifts?! SAY IT ISN'T SO

 

[marty8587]

When you fill out the paperwork it seems to me that it is illegal to buy a gun for a gift.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Is it because of the gun show splitting into two?

My SOT is only going to about half the shows because they doubled the number of shows (noticed there's at least one per month this summer?) which makes attendance suffer and doubles the cost for dealers if they want to sell at every one.

When you fill out the paperwork it seems to me that it is illegal to buy a gun for a gift.

You can buy a gun and gift it to someone. You just can't buy a gun for a prohibited person (straw purchase) not able to buy one.

 

[spengo]

You can buy a gun and gift it to someone. You just can't buy a gun for a prohibited person (straw purchase) not able to buy one.

Mostly true, I mean, you can gift a handgun to a person over 18 but under 21. They are allowed to own a handgun but can't buy one from an FFL.

 

[bcp]

You can buy a gun and gift it to someone. You just can't buy a gun for a prohibited person (straw purchase) not able to buy one.

You also can't buy a gun for a non-prohibited person, using their money. But buying it as a gift to them is OK.

Bruce
============================================
From:
<broken link removed>

...a straw purchase is a purchase in which the actual purchaser uses someone else — a.k.a. the “straw person” — to purchase the firearm and complete the paperwork. Generally, the straw purchaser is used because the actual purchaser is not eligible to conduct a transaction because he or she is a felon or other prohibited person. However, a straw purchase occurs even when the actual purchaser is not a prohibited person. The crime committed is knowingly making a false statement on the Form 4473 indicating that the straw purchaser is the actual purchaser, when this is not the case.

 

[NoOne]

I used to go to almost all the gun shows because it was cheaper to pay admission and parking than it was to pay shipping for items bought online.

Now that both show admission and parking costs have gone way up, it is about a tie for me to order items online and pay shipping. I already know what I want, and can just buy it online rather than walk around for an hour or two in hopes that someone might have what I want to buy.

Although I have heard there were recent changes made, I was also disappointed by all the non gun related items that used to be at gun shows. Beanie babies, turquoise jewelry, porn tapes, coins, flea market items and so on just cluttered things up. It was starting to feel more like a cross between a garage sale and a flea market.

Anyhow, for whatever it is worth, those are the reasons I only attend about one gun show every 18 months now. I used to look forward to every one of them.

I liked not having to pay the $20 for private sales of firearms before the law changed, but that really wasn't a major reason for my non-attendance. It was more of the admission/parking fees/non firearm items that drove me away.

 

[mjbskwim]

Last gun show I went to was just that,a show.
All the tables said nobody was buying.
And a local store said they weren't making any sales over the $500 mark.

The shop in PA has his best days when the show is in town.Prices are too high at the shows and they go buy from him afterward

 

[BurtonDouglass]

Honestly I can get all my gear and guns online or at my local shop for cheaper than I can at the shows. It seems like a few years ago you could do a lot more trades but the last half dozen times I went to the PDX show nobody seemed to want to trade only sales. On top of the that all the gear is the UTG garbage. It would be nice if they moved venues somewhere cheaper and kicked out all the people selling beanie babies and old VHS tapes.

 

[Mason3379]

Lets not even start to talk about raising admission! Maybe if it was less than $9-$10 a head they would have more attendance? Between getting in and parking a guy can go broke, besides the fact that things (MOST OF THEM AT LEAST) seem to cost more at the gun show! I enjoy going and looking, but to be honest if I am gonna buy something I dont want to wait in line for it.

 

[NoOne]

It seems like most of the comments are mirroring mine. Hopefully the promoters are paying attention. The suggestions (or gripes) seem to be:

1. Lower admission costs by using a cheaper venue
2. Get some venue where parking costs aren't so steep
3. Get rid of anything NOT related to firearms and knives (although I'm OK with food)
4. Help people doing private sales with a more convenient method of doing the required
background checks. Perhaps have an area set aside with a phone line or two, and
a table to do the paperwork beside the phone. Not everyone has a cell phone, or
is able to get reception inside the building.
5. Certainly the free market will rule, but encouraging vendors to bring something other
than the junk they don't want, and to have competitive prices would help.

If positive changes are made, word will get out, and people will begin returning. There are alot of us who remember "the good old days" at gun shows, and would really enjoy returning to shows if changes are made.

Although I had heard that one show promoter had recently instituted a ruling that prohibits anything not related to firearms and knives. Nobody at the gun clubs have been talking about the shows, so I guess that means that either the changes didn't happen, or something else happened to negate any positive changes.

 

[cetme]

with our economy in the crapper,youd think there are plenty of empty buildings just wating for someone to lease or rent cheap.they usually have a parking lot too ,someone with enough desire could put together a better,more affordable show/venue,the only cost prohibitive would be insurance.what do you think?

 

[Contract_Pilot]

I stopped going to the PDX shows due to parking fees, admission fees, generally hire prices then off the net even with shipping and transfer fees, and Lack of quality or new items.

The one in Vancouver at the Clark County Square Dance Center Arms Collectors of Southwest Washington is cheap free parking 3.00 admission or 20.00 for the year and the prices at the tables are within reason and not over inflated to cover a High table cost.

 

[coloneltim]

Albany Gun Shows continue to improve sans someone at ARPC screwing up big time with the scheduling. I would look for Albany to become the premier gun show spot in the next year or so. No parking fees and cheaper admission fees, and a show does not happen every weekend there.

 

[spengo]

On top of the that all the gear is the UTG garbage.

Oh man, I know exactly what you mean. I only found ONE vendor who had BCM gunfighter charging handles. TWO who had surefire flashlights. ONE who had a magpul ms2 sling. ONE who had trijicon acog scopes. ZERO chest rigs made by a decent company like eagle industries or something. I also didn't see any tango down grips or safariland holsters either but I wasn't looking very hard for those. Seems like all anyone brought to the show was crappy tapco/blackhawk/ncstar/etc. accessories and gear. What if I want to buy something that won't break in the first 10 minutes of a carbine class? I eventually found most of the stuff I wanted to buy but I didn't expect to have to look so damn hard for it.

 

[Contract_Pilot]

On top of the that all the gear is the UTG garbage.

Yea, Last time I went I seen a lot of these.. UTG's

UTG Quad Rails


They are made in china but when you get them they said made in USA on them hahaha.