Silver Supporter
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elkhunt58,
Thanks for your post. People are rationalizing creatures more so than rational ones. I doubt those who bought an AR three years ago or six months ago would, if selling now, not seek to maximize the profit they could make at today's prices. Some people buy and invest in stocks, commodities, houses, gold bullion, art, collectible guns, and ammo. In a Free Market and Capitalist Society, people can buy and sell ammo whether purchased six years, six months, six days, or six hours ago. The Free Market (which socialists hate) responds naturally and self-corrects to supply, demand, and perceived value. As a customer I don't like the higher prices charged by stores when I am the buyer yet if I have something of value that is in demand providing me with a profit then I like it. Life.
I don't buy guns as an investment. I buy them because I want to shoot them. But part of what I figure a gun is worth is the fact that it probably will not ever depreciate if I take decent care of it. By the time normal usage wears all the blue off it, it'll be so old that having no finish left will be a plus for pricing purposes. My wife thought I was nuts paying $1000 for a top of the line AR about 2 years ago. I saw the same rifle with no scope at Gun Broker Clackamas the other day for $1795, and mine has a $600 scope on it. I guess if I was selling it with the scope on it these days I'd ask about $2200 for it. That's not gouging. It's market forces.
My pet peeve is people who are insulted by "low-ball" offers. OK, maybe it's a waste of your time, but you kind of commit to a certain amount of time wasting inquiries from people when you list something for sale. If you don't like an offer just walk away from it, same as if you don't like the asking price.