Vancouver gun shows have become worthless

[Mikej]

I always enjoyed going to the Expo show a couple/three times a year. When the EXPO jacked their parking to $10.00.....Didn't matter because there was a place to park right across Marine Dr there. You only had to go early, and play some "frogger" crossing the road, though it wasn't too bad on weekends. Well, the company stopped the 30, or so, cars from parking there. They don't see me anymore at the expo center, for anything. We used to go to the Sportsman's show too.

Since then I found the Oregon Arms Collector shows to be fun for me. Some cool old farts* and old guns/accouterments. And of course the ARPC show is good. And the Carson Gun Show every couple of months is a nice drive with another group of nice old farts*.

* (I can say old farts because I are one now.)

 

[arakboss]

I have to imagine online shopping has had to have a big impact on gun shows in general. More people are getting comfortable with buying stuff online including firearms.

 

[MannyGlocks]

Hey, if you like cheap, chinese knives and moldy old military junk, by all means go to a gun show.

 

[Helocat]

I have to imagine online shopping has had to have a big impact on gun shows in general. More people are getting comfortable with buying stuff online including firearms.

One line is one of the main killers of shows. Pre net your LGS or printed catalogs were our only daily options for our firearm porn. Then the BIG GUN SHOW weekend would come, we would have the weekend planned around it! Every different type of gun would be there, huge reloading supply options, huge ammo options etc. It was amazing.

Now everything the 80's-90's gun shows had, is on line 100x over with YouTube videos for entertainment all avalible to you 24/7 for free. We dont need the entertainment of the big $$ shows. I have said it before Gun Shows need to evolve, cant charge big Parking/entry. Make entry costs 100% refundable with first purchase.

 

[alim]

It's a seller's market right now because of the unrest. If you want low prices, hope things calm down.

 

[Helocat]

Hey, if you like cheap, chinese knives and moldy old military junk, by all means go to a gun show.

Don't forget the hot tub sales guys, candy sales, jerky guys and insurance sales.

 

[American123]

It's all happening according to the plan...

 

[cigars]

Playing the devils advocate just a little...

I've been on the selling side of the table, albeit long ago. Gun traders pretty much all pay the same price for the same products. So if we offer an item for sale and have a $5 margin, a buyer will shop the tables until he finds the same gun for a dollar less. Then he moves on to find one even cheaper. Pretty much the gun will sell for little or no margin. How can anybody buy and sell for zero margin? If ya can't even recoup your table cost, why bother? And then the buyer ends up buying from a large online retailer anyway.

For the longest time, we knew the only benefit we had for selling at gun shows, was trading amongst other dealers and/or collectors. So why have a table at all?

So, we run the little guys out of the gunshows, then the big boys take over the shows, and finally they can ask an amount for a product that will make them a little profit. Then folks continue to buy online to save 5 bucks. The receiving dealer makes more on a transfer than he might have made selling the product himself, and he didn't have to buy the inventory.

Gun shows are marketing events and you can write off your expenses and losses if you are a business. I would. It's cheap advertising.

 

[bbbass]

Gun shows were a beloved rural tradition here. I got to shop for deals, and see all the private guns that never showed up elsewhere.

But the last local gun show I attended cost me $10 to enter. On my budget, that's the price of some serious entertainment. But no, it was the same dealers I could see any day of the week. The privates had all disappeared. And prices, oh my.... it was the last ammo and powder shortage before this one and one table wanted $50 for half a 1lb jug of ancient Unique so old that I could barely read the writing on the wrapper.

Nope, never again going to a gun show.

I miss the days where I could buy an SKS for $100 at a yard sale. Sold my Bushmaster AR at a yard sale too. A few years after those guys used one to murder innocents from trunk of an old car. 2002, Mohammad/Malvo.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Luckily our local gun shows have free parking and a fairly low entrance fee.
We also usually have a military surplus vendor who has a rack of small sized shirts , jackets and caps , priced cheap...so the young folks can buy something at the show...that's kinda nice.

Every once in awhile you can find a gem...or a deal.
Mostly though its table after table of AR15 type rifles and carbines , black plastic stocked handguns , AK clones , camouflage or black plastic stocked shotguns.

Not that there is anything wrong with firearms of those types.
I just miss the old days of a bit more variety of firearms and their related accoutrements.
Andy

 

[PaulB47]

The shows will come back after the Revolution, when all gun control "laws" are eliminated.

In the meantime, a little story I wrote a while back, for your amusement:

The Ory-gun Show & Tell, by Paul Bonneau

The Libertarian Enterprise electronic magazine, Number 858, February 7, 2016 - The Ory-gun Show & Tell, by Paul Bonneau

ncc-1776.org