Gun show craziness

[Huskerguy72]

The biggest problem with gun shows, heck all specialty shows, is the rising cost of both admission and merchandise.

The why is simple greed. No longer are any of these shows dedicated to the subject matter. Now you find more non subject matter booths than anything else.

The show operators want as many vendors as possible to maximize their profits. The sellers ask outrageous prices not only to cover booth fees but to increase their profits.

I still attend the few shows we have. But my purchases are few and far between.

I am reading two different reasonings in your comment. The first problem is greed and then you talk about the organizers and sellers asking outrageous prices to cover their expenses. Hmmm

Do you believe this bout of high inflation is solely due to greed? Many do. I then have to ask that if all these businesses had/have the ability to raise prices at any time for no reason, why has it not happened before now at the scale we have seen.

There is a vicious cycle in all of this. Prices went up likely due to scarcity during the pandemic and of course don't forget the free money flowing all over and then unions and workers in general all wanted to negotiate 20% raises to keep up. Our city and county workers are receiving two separate raises a year and of course our taxes went up to support that.

I don't get the complaining about prices of those items we do not need. I just don't go to a gun show, it's a choice. Food is not.

 

[Hankus]

We have two promoters in the area, one smaller one run by a St. Pete shop that allows private sellers, and another one that is much bigger, owned by a regional gun shop/range chain, but only allows FFLs to sell guns. The larger one has all sorts of extraneous BS like t-shirt vendors, cheap Chinese optics, Build-a-Bear (I mean AR) vendors that sell all the pretty AR parts, except the lower receivers… etc. I walk quickly past all the BS but slow down at the dealer tables because sometimes there's something that actually interests me. I'll be at this show this coming weekend looking for any jewels hiding among all the crap.
The following weekend the other show will be in Sarasota and I'll go to that one too, even though I haven't seen anything interesting there for a while either, at least nothing at a reasonable price. Hey, it gets me out of the house at least.

 

[JMD101]

I have some shows that I attend as a vendor fairly regularly. As for me, I do not charge any more than my regular prices at shows- often I try to give buyers a break by at least giving them what they paid to get in the show as a discount.
Frankly, some buyers make it difficult because they expect me to cut my prices drastically just because I am at a show.
Just my .02 from a vendor's perspective.

Aside from the many tactical tupperware pistols shown, the West Palm Beach Florida show this last weekend had some unreal prices on revolvers. One SS Ruger SBH without box, that was not unusual or early really floored me at $1795!

I've read in several places online that handgun prices are on a downward trend and for NIB that seems to be the case, but from what I've seen the used market is not going in that direction. Add to that the shows I've been to recently are getting flooded with crafts, baked goods, jewelry, handbag and hot sauce vendors I'm now asking myself why am I spending the drive time, gas, tolls, and entry fees on this? Even as pure entertainment value it's not worth it so I'm pretty much done with them unless there's something specific I need.

Are others seeing these trends at other shows around the U.S.?

Plastic, mim, guns are plentiful, reliable, and accurate, and priced so many can afford to shoot what they want. However from a collectable standpoint, many traditional forged steel guns s are no longer made and if they were the cost is too high to garner customer interest.(cost to mfr is more, overall value goes up because you cant buy them anymore) plastic/ polymer guns are lighter and do everything the old guns do often better, lighter, just as reliable, and more desirable for everyday use. That said if I have my daily needs covered, and looking to feed my addiction, I'll pick a blued steel and wood gun over it's new cousin most of the time.. and pay double.

 

[Gopher]

There is a gun show in the Dallas/FT. Worth area somewhere almost every weekend. I'll go to two or three a year just to look around and do a little people-watching. Lots of first-time buyers out there and of course watching the obvious straw man purchases.
Cleaning supplies and an occasional box of ammo but it's been quite some time since I bought a gun at one.
The big shows at Market Hall are gone because the City of Dallas finally shut them down after too much gang activity in the parking lot there. It was the best show in the area too.

 

[jyo]

Here in Southern California, gun shows have been pretty grim for many years now---local governments have basically outlawed most gun shows at the only venues large enough to have them! Unfortunately, most of my shooting buddies have died off and they were a major reason to go to the shows in the past to meet up, so that's gone... Like everywhere else, gun and ammo prices have shot thru the roof to the point of being unrealistic (an effort to kill the shooting sports), and most gun shows are simply loaded with crap vendors---stuff I wouldn't buy if they were giving it away! Most gun and ammo sales are now done FTF via private party transfers here in SoCal thru internet sales sites allowing people to shop for exactly what they want to buy... Gun shows are now basically dead now...

 

[bobski]

was a time when even a pick ax or barn rifle was high quality.
now its all plastic with a service life of a few months.

 

[Crockett12]

You gotta pay attention especially at Gun shows! I pay lots of attention and watch
folks handling firearms that is pretty scary some times! I see a moron fooling with a
firearms I move away! ps

Yep -- I see the same thing but it's due to new gun buyers buying a firearm for the first time in their life and it's especially true for the older buyers! Probably because they're afraid of not being able to buy one if the liberals dominate our government and due to the rising crime rate. The libs say the crime rate is dropping but people have eyes and can see!

 

[Sacramento Johnson]

In the last year have gone to a couple gun shows run by one company; prior hadn't gone for a goodly number of years for many of the reasons given above. Pretty big indoor halls and free parking helped draw a crowd; also, fairly outside the city.
Just went because it was something to do on a lazy weekend day. There are a number of other shows in this area, but most are small and not worth going to from what I've heard.

 

[Mauser9]

Stinking libtards is right!! Better hope Trump gets in.

 

[gnappi]

There is a gun show in the Dallas/FT. Worth area somewhere almost every weekend. I'll go to two or three a year just to look around and do a little people-watching. Lots of first-time buyers out there and of course watching the obvious straw man purchases.
Cleaning supplies and an occasional box of ammo but it's been quite some time since I bought a gun at one.
The big shows at Market Hall are gone because the City of Dallas finally shut them down after too much gang activity in the parking lot there. It was the best show in the area too.

I found that people watching has been the only redeeming aspect of gunshows. My son and I used to call many of the women there SCABBS or Scantily Clad and Busty Babes

Now that age related issues have crept up on me I find that MY boobs are bigger than some of the SCABBS there so even THAT fun aspect is gone

 

[Fujicon]

When it comes to shows I'm also in the habit of attending model train and RV shows. Still go to those shows because the vendors are really good, the deals are really good, and the comeraderie amonst attendees is really good. Gun shows used to be like that. No longer. Gave up on gun shows five years ago. It's really quite sad and let's face it, there is something in the culture of gun shows that has gone south. I'd like to know what happened. It can't just be simplistically explained as greed because all shows are held for profit, regardless what they're selling, and seems only gun shows have deteriorated that badly.

 

[JMD101]

I have some shows that I attend as a vendor fairly regularly. As for me, I do not charge any more than my regular prices at shows- often I try to give buyers a break by at least giving them what they paid to get in the show as a discount.
Frankly, some buyers make it difficult because they expect me to cut my prices drastically just because I am at a show.
Just my .02 from a vendor's perspective.

Unreal!! A Model 19 snubby went for $180 back around 77-78 new. Know cause I had one. Guess I should have kept it!! Always looking for that one perfect handgun. Joke was on me I guess. Ended up with a S&W CS-9.

Buy another one they are the same price just in today's dollar worth, my first house in 83 was 50k now it's 300k.

 

[contender]

"plastic/ polymer guns are lighter and do everything the old guns do often better, lighter, just as reliable, and more desirable for everyday use."

Not quite true. While a lot of that stuff sells & can do a lot,, I've yet to see serious big bore plastics from anybody. Serious handguns,, in calibers that actually recoil,, aren't made in too many plastic types.

Give me a big bore SA handgun that actually has the ability to do anything I wish for it to do around my place.

 

[JMD101]

Good point, but they are working on it...
Taurus Judge Public Defender FDE Poly 410/45LC 2" 5rd

 

[GasGuzzler]

I am looking at a local for sale site right now (I have a Mossberg 500E .410 and ammo for sale) and see a recent production Single Six convertible for $600. It's not a new gun from a dealer. Not as crazy as the OP's example but no thanks.

 

[Heliman]

I am going to a show this morning. I only attend 2 per month. One is about 50 tables and the other 150. Both are commercial vendors free. The laws here in Washington state prevent the sale of AR type firearms and mags over 10 round in capacity. Still I go to visit with some friends and you never know what might come in the door.......

 

[GasGuzzler]

Not been to a show in a many many months.