Kenner Gun Show

[NOLASHOOTER]

I used to like to go to pick up accessories or magazines. I could easily find a sling mount or a vertical grip. Now, it is a bunch of cheap Chinese crap for inflated prices. And, forget about magazines. Those got expensive also. It is a shame because it used to be fun to be able to see all the stuff there. Now it seems almost insulting because they are looking for suckers and it sure as heck is not going to be me.

 

[djdig]

Generally speaking, I think Gun Shows are failing because for the past few years they had become populated with a bunch of scumbag vendors only interested in fleecing the public. Any breathing person who has heard of the internet and has an even basic functioning understanding of how that internet works, no longer wander into the gate like cows to the slaughter. What is left are the people who don't know any better, ie: the vendors perfect victim.

+1

 

[Sulzer]

The last show I went to I saw some over priced stuff, but I also saw plenty of Glocks at MAP pricing and other NIB guns priced inline with online rates. It will always be cheaper to buy NIB online because firearms are high dollar and when you buy local you have to pay tax. Margins on most guns are slimmer than the paper you shoot with them. Ammo is even worse. You can't be competitive with ammo prices unless you're buying by the shipping container full. That takes a lot of up front cash and time to move, especially if you don't have a large online presence.

Not saying there aren't some scumbag dealers out there, but give these other guys some credit. If you see something priced reasonably buy local.

 

[Cleburne]

Not just that, but it's just plain easier to order something off the internet and get it through a FFL or buy retail than it is going to meet some random who you'd be smart to worry about whether they're going to just rob you or not as well. It's not much of a worry if you're only making a $20 purchase, but if you're bringing enough money to buy a gun, there are a lot of people out there that would kill you for just a couple hundred bucks or less. I'm not exactly the paranoid/worry-wart type, but if I'm going to go through that extra stress/precaution, the thing better at least be cheaper than I can find it retail, otherwise why bother?

Not to mention you still have to go through the hassle of finding the place to meet up at. That's not a problem if you're meeting at the wal-mart you normally go to, but if it's their house or just some neutral place you don't know in your head how to get to, out comes the map or GPS or whatever and the extra headache associated with each.

At least I feel more comfortable about not getting robbed by the people from here, but I can't say the same for some other places where there's not really a community like we have here.

Just wanted to add a +1 about the comfort level dealing with members of the Bayoushooter community. I've had more than a few buy and trade experiences and have NEVER had issue one. Have met in public places as well as their home and mine. Great people for sure. Thanks BS!

 

[The Key Master]

I have to agree with dad-e-o. I believe that some of the old-timers that used to have tables at the different shows years ago have either retired or are deceased. I remember the Chalmette and the old Slidell gun shows. I remember driving to Thibodaux a time or two years ago for the show there. Not sure if they have shows in Thibodaux anymore. The vendors back then would have some items that they would make deals but that doesn't seem to be the norm anymore. I'm sure that maybe some of the BS members can remember when Shotgun News more or less had different topics for their three times a month publication. If I remember correctly one issue was hunting related, the second was new guns and accessories and the third issue had surplus and reloading related items in it. I could be wrong about the themes or formats of the three issues that came out every month but now all issues seem to be about more or less the same thing.

 

[LouisianaGunny]

Having set up at a few of the Ponchy shows, I've also been amazed at some of the vendors and their pricing. I've had people happy with my prices, and I've had some that thought my prices were too high on this or that. When I started out selling around here, I was honest about what I had and charged what I thought was fair. I cleared out my racks pretty quickly. Then I saw guns that I had just sold turned around and put on this or that Facebook page or Louisiana Sportsman, or where-ever for sometimes twice as much as I sold them for. I no longer care what your medical condition is, or that your dad had this rifle and you want to get one for your son. I don't haggle unless the deal is face to face, and then my margins are so slim that there really isn't much room to move. I'm not even getting into new guns. We search the net and most times, Grab-A-Gun or one of the other local big box (Academy) are selling a gun for what my wholesale price is. I tell guys to search and if you find it cheaper out of state, order it and have it shipped to me. Used guns around here, in my opinion, are ridiculously priced. I see used Glocks for higher than retail everyday on FB. Everybody has gold and wants top dollar. If I pay $40 for a beater that was left in a P-Row for years, refinish it and list it for $125 people think I'm crazy. Here's an idea, you buy it, refinish it, and then see what your time is worth. I stand behind every gun I sell. At the last Ponchy show, I had a couple rusty guns just for that reason. The guys that bought them were happy to get them at a good price and were excited to work on them. Some people were apalled that I would have rusty guns for sale. I enjoy getting old guns in and making them function as designed. I don't enjoy the pricing or haggling. If I could keep them all, I probably would. Nobody is going to make everyone happy about pricing. I left on Ponchy show early because a wife and husband were admiring my belts. She wanted him to order on fully carved. When I told him the price, his response was he could get it at Wal-Mart for $15. Good, stop wasting my time and go. It takes me between 8-12 hours to make a custom fully carved belt. Usually I end up making $10 an hour just to keep my prices down.

In conclusion, not everyone is out to gouge people, but I do see it out here a lot. If you see me at a show, say Hi, I'll try not to gouge you.

 

[JadeRaven]

Price to get in the door for 2 people diminishes whatever good prices you might find.

Past years it's just been a frenzy.

Hopefully in the coming years it'll return to being worth the time.

 

[Scylas]

I'm not complaining about taxes at shows or anywhere else for that matter. There are tax-free days once in a while and some of the shows are held on those days, if taxes are a big issue. I'm talking about the price set on the item in the first place. Taxes ARE something I complain about, but that's the government's fault, not the fault of people who do business. I'll complain to my local congressman about taxes, not to the gun community.

When we have a used item priced almost twice what people can find it new somewhere else, something is wrong with that picture. I understand it is within our right to price an item whatever we damn well please, but it is insulting to people when we do this stuff. Don't price something worth 2 grand at 3 grand expecting people to haggle it down to 2 grand. Price it what it's worth, then choose to haggle or not to haggle.