mikestilly
Regular Member
It's called capitalism. Laws of supply and demand. I have some statements that put this thread in perspective. If a group of items is facing a possible ban (or any reason to cause the product to be more in demand with less quantities available ) and there is very little supply then prices will rise (possibly steeply). The fact is that you for some reason thought that $75/mag was a good enough deal to buy it.
This is from my perspective. I research any product I'm going to buy because I have limited funds budgeted for those items. I know how much the going rate (price) is for what I'm looking for by research and actively seeking the lowest price without sacrificing quality by going with a cheaper item. I did this recently when I decided I wanted some extra high cap mags for my H&K USP Compact 40. Those mags even before the madness were not easy to find and go from $30-45/mag. After research I found the best places to look for these items was not retail shops who have been pricing items at the current going rates but private sellers. On AR15.com of all places I found a guy who had a large quantity of the exact mags I wanted. He lowered his price to $40/mag and I took him up on his offer and was able to get a pair of mags for $80 that were on the open market going for $150+/mag.
The key thing to learn from this is to not buy with impulse which is easier said then done. When I was younger I used to be like that. When I found something I just had to have I bought it without questioning whether I could get a better deal elsewhere. Impulse buys are usually the worst decisions made during the buying process. The same can be said about buying any products not just firearm related items. The #1 thing I apply the most scruteny on when making a purchase is a car. I research the car I want for many months and go to many dealerships and speak with a large number of salesmen before I even think of making the purchase. After I've finished all my due diligence I negotiate the price which I already know before hand what the lowest is and what is possible. During negotiation I'm easily able to walk right out of the door of any dealership if I dont feel they're giving me a good deal on the price. (i've done this a large number of times) These processes in the end saves me thousands of dollars every single time.
The negotiation doesnt always need to be done with firearms but can apply. In retail stores most dealers have fixed prices but smaller the store the more chance you have to try an negotiate a lower price even on market items. The same principals apply. I walked in to my local gun shop right next door to my house and they wanted $35/box 20 rds of 380 auto ammo. I see this all over now but I know for a fact I can find better deals. I'm never willing to pay $1/rd for ammo. I dont care if it's the zombie apocalypse I'll never pay that much for ammo. 2 days after walking out of the store with no ammo for my new 380 I found JHP 380 auto ammo on Natchez for $12.99/box. So moral of that story is instead of blowing $35+tax on a similar box of ammo because I had a feeling I needed it now saved $0.64/rd vs $1.75/rd a huge difference in my mind. I also know in time I can get boxes of ammo for much less then what I paid.
I can show so many examples of this lately it's not funny. People buying 30 rd mags for $50+/mag and I still am receiving Magpul pmag's for $10-13/mag from online stores. The difference is in the research and patience of waiting till you find the best deal. I hope this helped some people think differently about their purchasing decisions.
This is from my perspective. I research any product I'm going to buy because I have limited funds budgeted for those items. I know how much the going rate (price) is for what I'm looking for by research and actively seeking the lowest price without sacrificing quality by going with a cheaper item. I did this recently when I decided I wanted some extra high cap mags for my H&K USP Compact 40. Those mags even before the madness were not easy to find and go from $30-45/mag. After research I found the best places to look for these items was not retail shops who have been pricing items at the current going rates but private sellers. On AR15.com of all places I found a guy who had a large quantity of the exact mags I wanted. He lowered his price to $40/mag and I took him up on his offer and was able to get a pair of mags for $80 that were on the open market going for $150+/mag.
The key thing to learn from this is to not buy with impulse which is easier said then done. When I was younger I used to be like that. When I found something I just had to have I bought it without questioning whether I could get a better deal elsewhere. Impulse buys are usually the worst decisions made during the buying process. The same can be said about buying any products not just firearm related items. The #1 thing I apply the most scruteny on when making a purchase is a car. I research the car I want for many months and go to many dealerships and speak with a large number of salesmen before I even think of making the purchase. After I've finished all my due diligence I negotiate the price which I already know before hand what the lowest is and what is possible. During negotiation I'm easily able to walk right out of the door of any dealership if I dont feel they're giving me a good deal on the price. (i've done this a large number of times) These processes in the end saves me thousands of dollars every single time.
The negotiation doesnt always need to be done with firearms but can apply. In retail stores most dealers have fixed prices but smaller the store the more chance you have to try an negotiate a lower price even on market items. The same principals apply. I walked in to my local gun shop right next door to my house and they wanted $35/box 20 rds of 380 auto ammo. I see this all over now but I know for a fact I can find better deals. I'm never willing to pay $1/rd for ammo. I dont care if it's the zombie apocalypse I'll never pay that much for ammo. 2 days after walking out of the store with no ammo for my new 380 I found JHP 380 auto ammo on Natchez for $12.99/box. So moral of that story is instead of blowing $35+tax on a similar box of ammo because I had a feeling I needed it now saved $0.64/rd vs $1.75/rd a huge difference in my mind. I also know in time I can get boxes of ammo for much less then what I paid.
I can show so many examples of this lately it's not funny. People buying 30 rd mags for $50+/mag and I still am receiving Magpul pmag's for $10-13/mag from online stores. The difference is in the research and patience of waiting till you find the best deal. I hope this helped some people think differently about their purchasing decisions.
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