View Full Version : New HK VP9 $519 w/Free Shipping from PSA
Sorry - I don't normally do this, and mods feel free to delete, but this is a crazy good price on a freakin awesome pistol. I think I'm going to buy a 2nd one.
Thanks for the heads up!Cheapest I've seen them. Just bought one.
Sadly most gunshots near me won't take transfers from psa cause they are sore losers who can't compete with their prices
Sadly most gunshots near me won't take transfers from psa cause they are sore losers who can't compete with their prices
I ran into this last year with the LGS/range I am a member at. I understand that it's hard to compete with larger wholesalers. However, that doesn't excuse my place from selling guns $50-$100 more than MSRP. They shouldn't be shocked when people go elsewhere for sales and transfers.
Sadly most gunshots near me won't take transfers from psa cause they are sore losers who can't compete with their prices
What they don't realize is that $20-30 for 10 minutes of their time, with zero capital invested in the sale, can be a nice profit margin.
I have a local shop near me that specializes in transfers and do well at it. They stock 15-25 guns, mostly Glocks, Hipoints, some Ruger LCP / LC9s, and some shotguns / AK, but they don't bat an eye at an easy $25 for 10 minutes.
I ran into this last year with the LGS/range I am a member at. I understand that it's hard to compete with larger wholesalers. However, that doesn't excuse my place from selling guns $50-$100 more than MSRP. They shouldn't be shocked when people go elsewhere for sales and transfers.
Well here is the first problem. MSRP is actually $719 and there probably isn't a gun store in the nation that is actually getting MSRP, let alone $50-100 above MSRP. Dealer price however is $530 so PSA is actually selling below what I can buy them for as a FFL. I think THAT is the problem most gun shops have with PSA, the fact that they literally CAN'T compete with the price, even if they sold them at cost.
The other problem is perception from people who don't know the difference between actual dealer price and MSRP and believe that a shop selling the same gun for $625 is actually selling for $100 above MSRP when in fact they are almost $100 below MSRP.
Finally there is this consideration, several people here expect FFLs to transfer the gun from PSA for $20 or so. That means you pay $519 + $10 shipping + $20 transfer for a total of about $550. It costs about $1000 a year for me to be a FFL so I would have to do 50 transfers just to cover my operating costs for the year.
That means those 50 people have actually bought the same gun cheaper than I can buy it for myself.
Now if I had millions of dollars and could stock 20 of each model and move a ton of product I could probably get by on $20 markups, but I don't know a single gun store that does that much volume.
Now I don't blame anyone who wants to only pay $20 above dealer and will go to whoever is the cheapest price, it's your money after all. But you shouldn't blame gun store owners who don't want to undermine their own business. Somebody said $20 for 10 minutes work, problem is you might only sell 5 guns that day so you've only made $100. If it was like bread in the grocery store where you sold one every 10 minutes all day long then trust me, prices would be a LOT lower, just like at the grocery store.
@SteyrAUG small business sole proprietors are public enemy number one. Distributors don;t want to work with you. The government doesn't want you. It makes no difference the business. Licenses, risk, limited exposure, insurance, it's a screwed up situation.
Well here is the first problem. MSRP is actually $719 and there probably isn't a gun store in the nation that is actually getting MSRP, let alone $50-100 above MSRP. Dealer price however is $530 so PSA is actually selling below what I can buy them for as a FFL. I think THAT is the problem most gun shops have with PSA, the fact that they literally CAN'T compete with the price, even if they sold them at cost.
The other problem is perception from people who don't know the difference between actual dealer price and MSRP and believe that a shop selling the same gun for $625 is actually selling for $100 above MSRP when in fact they are almost $100 below MSRP.
Finally there is this consideration, several people here expect FFLs to transfer the gun from PSA for $20 or so. That means you pay $519 + $10 shipping + $20 transfer for a total of about $550. It costs about $1000 a year for me to be a FFL so I would have to do 50 transfers just to cover my operating costs for the year.
That means those 50 people have actually bought the same gun cheaper than I can buy it for myself.
Now if I had millions of dollars and could stock 20 of each model and move a ton of product I could probably get by on $20 markups, but I don't know a single gun store that does that much volume.
Now I don't blame anyone who wants to only pay $20 above dealer and will go to whoever is the cheapest price, it's your money after all. But you shouldn't blame gun store owners who don't want to undermine their own business. Somebody said $20 for 10 minutes work, problem is you might only sell 5 guns that day so you've only made $100. If it was like bread in the grocery store where you sold one every 10 minutes all day long then trust me, prices would be a LOT lower, just like at the grocery store.
I was unaware that MSRP was $719, as the two other shops near me have been selling them for $619 since they first got them, so I thought that $679 was high. I was also unaware that dealer price is $530 which I COMPLETELY understand a small shop's inability to compete with a place selling them for $519. Also, transfers there are $50, FWIW
I've had much more luck getting small mom and pop style FFLs (the ones who just do transfers) for a reasonable price than stores in competition. Most individuals here will do it for $10 with a LTC, $20 without, and many will ship out at cost. I haven't bought a new gun locally from a shop in years.
tacticaldesire
05-07-16, 00:46
I've had much more luck getting small mom and pop style FFLs (the ones who just do transfers) for a reasonable price than stores in competition. Most individuals here will do it for $10 with a LTC, $20 without, and many will ship out at cost. I haven't bought a new gun locally from a shop in years.
One of my local gun shops wants $40-50 for a transfer. They get decent business and are one of the only games in town and have a wall full of FNs, Colts, Augs, FN2000s etc. as wall of a dozen M&P Sports, Del Tons, Diamondbacks etc so they attract every kind of buyer. But imo $50 for a simple transfer seems a bit on the salty side.
@SteyrAUG small business sole proprietors are public enemy number one. Distributors don;t want to work with you. The government doesn't want you. It makes no difference the business. Licenses, risk, limited exposure, insurance, it's a screwed up situation.
Not to mention a regulatory agency that is more than willing to put me in jail for clerical errors. Yeah, that is what I want to risk for $20 and 10 minutes of my time.
I was unaware that MSRP was $719, as the two other shops near me have been selling them for $619 since they first got them, so I thought that $679 was high. I was also unaware that dealer price is $530 which I COMPLETELY understand a small shop's inability to compete with a place selling them for $519. Also, transfers there are $50, FWIW
Most people don't know, they see internet prices and assume those are retail. It's not much different than years ago when people bought Shotgun News and thought those were retail prices when in fact they were advertisements from wholesalers.
Bottom line is this.
If your prices are too low, you won't be able to sustain a business and you will soon be out of business. Even if your area has the mythical "volume" to let you generate a profit with $20 transfers, you will have tons of competition for that active market.
If your prices are too high, people will simply got to one of those "$20 transfer" shops that will be out of business next year, but there will be two more to replace them when they are gone. Or they will go to pawn shops or some other business that does transfers but is supported by a pawn brokerage, gun range or some other revenue generating business model and you will again be out of business.
The hard part is finding that middle ground, which is getting slimmer and slimmer all the time, where you can make enough sales to sustain a profitable business but at the same time maintain a customer base that feels they are getting a good deal either in price, service or support. For a "little guy" operation like mine, that means I have to really know my stuff so that customers understand they are paying for experience and not just profit margins. My prices might be a little higher than the guy down the street, but I save a lot of people a lot of money helping them buy the best firearms and accessories for their needs the first time around. You can waste a lot of dollars trying to save a few nickels.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.