I am really tired of good gun shops closing.

**AKDoug** · 05-11-20, 11:24

Originally Posted by Arik

Actually ordering from CDNN/AIM would be more for me. After the shipping and transfer fee it's not worth it when the same product here is about the same price.

Here's a recent AIM sale.

And the same at a LGS
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That is still SteryAUG's point. If they weren't available at that price on line, the gun shop would have probably had a higher price and a more reasonable profit margin on that pistol.**added on edit** I flipped those pics around in my reading. So, why is your local guy leaving so many $$ on the table if that online stuff is more expensive? That's a horrible business plan.

Hopefully those stores around you that appear to be doing good have a plan in place when the market crashes back down again because of politics.

I have an FFL. I have looked at expanding that segment of my business. When I factor the additional costs of employees, inventory, remodeling, and insurance I can never make the numbers work. I can't even make it work and I OWN the space it would go into. I love firearms and I love making money. I assure you I'd have a gun shop tomorrow if I could make it pencil out.

**Arik** · 05-11-20, 11:41

Originally Posted by AKDoug

That is still SteryAUG's point. If they weren't available at that price on line, the gun shop would have probably had a higher price and a more reasonable profit margin on that pistol.**added on edit** I flipped those pics around in my reading. So, why is your local guy leaving so many $$ on the table if that online stuff is more expensive? That's a horrible business plan.

Hopefully those stores around you that appear to be doing good have a plan in place when the market crashes back down again because of politics.

I have an FFL. I have looked at expanding that segment of my business. When I factor the additional costs of employees, inventory, remodeling, and insurance I can never make the numbers work. I can't even make it work and I OWN the space it would go into. I love firearms and I love making money. I assure you I'd have a gun shop tomorrow if I could make it pencil out.

Idk, hard to say. I've been buying from this place since the late 90s and their prices have always been like that. The parent company is a LEO wholesaler so they'll sell to a department and buy up all their previous inventory, along with confiscation guns, and sell that. Every once in a while you'll see them have like 20 HiPoints with no mags, single shot shotguns and various crap.

The other place I was talking about earlier uses the Walmart model. Buy in bulk and sell cheap (relatively speaking). And their used guns are usually pretty cheap. I've picked up guns I don't need simply because the price was too good to pass. And those prices don't exist online. Not that I've ever seen. Used USP 9 and 45 for under $400?!

**Robertsk1** · 05-11-20, 13:42

I love a good gun store, but here is the reality, if I go to a local shop and they have the gun I want its either the same price as online or more, usually more. But then you have to add sales tax, and that kills it, because when I buy online I don’t pay sales tax, and I get free shipping. Local guy charges $20 transfer so I save a large amount of cash.

Plus the local shops dont carry anything high quality, just a bunch of big gun names but nothing like hk, bcm, dd, colt, nothing good.

**26 Inf** · 05-11-20, 13:50

In our community there was a LGS that had been in business for well over forty years. The owner had the rep of being fair to deal with and at the same time no one, to my knowledge, really ever put one over on him. One of his employees once told me that the owner felt that in order to do 1.5m in sales each year, he had to maintain and inventory of 1.5m in firearms at all times.

As an example, if you came in and handled all the 10-22's on the racks and finally bought the one you liked, as you left the store they were putting an identical 10-22 back on the rack. The way he got to that point was good business instincts, starting small and building up over the long term. The internet took a bite out of his business, but he countered that by having always having the firearms most were looking for in stock at prices not too much higher, capitalizing on the fact that today most folks would rather have it now, for a little more, than wait.

Then he decided to sell the store and retire. The guy that bought it had a couple of backers and a loan at the bank. The inventory immediately began to shrink because instead of replacing items sold, if there was one in the back, put it out and hold off ordering - I got to make my bank payment. Pretty soon there weren't many firearms left in the back, and, according to employees, the inventory had shrunk to under 500,000. As a result he couldn't get as good of deals from suppliers.

The guy had bought a business with an inventory of over a million dollars, which had been doing over a million in sales, but, unfortunately, he couldn't (or wouldn't) keep the inventory and prices up to generate a million in sales. The spiral lasted four or five years, then they were closed.

I'd imagine that is a story repeated over and over.

**SteyrAUG** · 05-11-20, 18:17

Originally Posted by Arik

Idk, hard to say. I've been buying from this place since the late 90s and their prices have always been like that. The parent company is a LEO wholesaler so they'll sell to a department and buy up all their previous inventory, along with confiscation guns, and sell that. Every once in a while you'll see them have like 20 HiPoints with no mags, single shot shotguns and various crap.

The other place I was talking about earlier uses the Walmart model. Buy in bulk and sell cheap (relatively speaking). And their used guns are usually pretty cheap. I've picked up guns I don't need simply because the price was too good to pass. And those prices don't exist online. Not that I've ever seen. Used USP 9 and 45 for under $400?!

The people who live in town with CDNN probably feel just like you do. And honestly we are talking about a difference of what $50 up or down? That's what I spend taking my family out for pizza. When $50 becomes a make or break price for a gun purchase, profit potential has become really, really sad.

**hotrodder636** · 05-11-20, 18:20

It has happened here. The shop I have been doing NFA transfers with that had an SS kiosk has closed. On top of that I have 2 cans pending to be transferred to them...they are supposed to keep their FFL/SOT until all remaining transfers are complete...I don’t want to get ****ed on this.

They were the only local Gunshop that was within a 45 minute drive. Now we have Shoot Point Blank which is a nation wide franchise. It’s great that they have an SS Kiosk but their transfer fees are f-ing outrageous!!

**ST911** · 05-11-20, 21:06

I am happy to pay a little more to support the local folks. I only do transfers for stuff they don't stock or can't get, and I make sure that I thank them a little extra with an accessory or ammo purchase. The price difference between online sellers and local shops of choice is usually less than the ammo I'll shoot through the gun in the first couple of outings. If the cash matters that month, I'll give up a couple meals out or fun days.

See also: auto parts, kitchen supplies, book stores, etc...

**SteyrAUG** · 05-11-20, 23:23

Originally Posted by ST911

See also: auto parts, kitchen supplies, book stores, etc...

No joke. Be glad you don't own a video rental store. There is still one in town barely holding on.

Used to be a friday night ritual, get off work, hit the video store and try and find a couple new releases for 2 day rental and then be pissed that you have to drop off videos on your way to work monday because if they get checked in after 9am you are charged for another day.

Now it's as gone as drive in movies and malt shop / soda counters. In my lifetime I watched the birth of the rental store, complete with rental VCRs, come and go.