Rainier Arms can speak for themselves on this one, but I do know a couple of things to be true here:
1. Dealer pricing has gone up. Before the dealer markup is added, these lowers are currently arriving at very near the $200 mark -- again, that's the dealer cost.
2. Availability remains a problem. If you're a small-medium volume dealer, and you used to get 30 lowers per month to sell, then a very modest markup was able to keep a decent revenue stream going. If you're now reduced to getting 20 lowers every third or fourth month (if that), then you have little choice but to ask more for each one because (a) you have no idea when you'll get your next shipment, and (b) in the meantime, you aren't making money on parts that you can no longer keep in stock.
Larger dealers can compensate for this in other ways, but the little guys sort of have their backs up against the wall here. I used to really take exception to what I perceived as "gouging" too, only to be told that this was simply market forces as work, etc. While I still don't care for the explanation, as more time has passed, it has begun making more sense to me. You can't sell product that you can't get your hands on, and when you do get it, I guess it stands to reason that you're going to have to ask a bit more for it in order to keep the lights on.
As consumers, we have the right to shop elsewhere, of course, but part of the problem here is that Rainier has a close relationship with Noveske, so if they can't keep these lowers in stock, where else are you expecting to find one? Gunbroker? You'll pay even more there.
The situation is pretty miserable all the way around; that said, I suspect that opportunism isn't to blame nearly so much as a simple business instinct to survive. If you a vendor -- rather than an on-site manufacturer -- you're likely facing some tough times at the moment. Here's hoping these shortages ease up as we get a bit closer to mid-year.
AC
Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here. -- Captain John Parker, Lexington, 1775.
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