Price Gouging

[CP]

I just paid $31.99 for a pound of reloader #15.  I guess I should be glad to get it and it is a free enterprise economy and all but when inventories return to normal I won’t be patronizing places that are taking advantage of the shortage like this.

[Huntbear]

Where did you buy it at???  Have not seen it that high anywhere here in SW Wa.

[Coasthunterjay]

i dont see it getting any cheeper in the near future...thanks to obama!

[demontang]

I just wont buy from places that are doing that. I will wait and get my stuff at normal prices, I think buy from places doing this will only cause more of it.

[CP]

Yep, my bad for paying that much.  The place is Sam’s in South Everett.  They have some other issues that I won’t go into but they have seen the last of me.

[WildlifeAssassin]

I am with you there, Cheaper Than Dirt has been gouging big. They cancelled their buyers club program and just one example is 50 cal ammo cans were $7.50 in november and have now reached $20 + higher shipping costs. I hope they don't expect future business after they decided to take advantage of their loyal customers. Sure they make more money now but when things settle down they will be asking where their customers have gone.
I would like to hear about more places doing these things, we have to let them know we won't stand for it. I won't be going to discount guns anymore after hearing about their raising prices on orders after they were already paid in full. Looks like Sams in everett is on the list now too.

[magnanimous_j]

I feel you. I saw bricks of .22lr for almost $25

Those used to be on sale for 9.99 all day long

[Colville]

Hard to know though if the anger is well placed. When gas stations were charging $4, they weren't still buying the gas at $1.50 and raising the price for profit.

If a store is gouging I completely agree but does anyone know what the distributed cost of RL-15 or a brick of .22 was to those stores? Remember too that small stores don't have buying power by volume so every seller isn't in direct and equal competition. I"m not a gun store operator so I can't speak to the costs.

This isn't like after a hurricane where locally water purchased for $.45/gallon and sold for $1 is then sold for $6 a gallon because of very temporary, local and severe supply/demand imbalance. Gun owners are scooping up brass, black guns, ammo, dies, powder at a quick clip nationwide. Demand is peaking and it's driving price. I suspect the anger is better placed at what is creating the artificially high demand rather than its consequences at the check out line.

[jackelope]

whay colville said. who knows what the stuff cost the retailer...

[bowhuntin]

It just sounds to me like there is a low supply and a high demand. The higher demand like Colville said is driving the price higher. Maybe if everyone would stop thinking it is the end of the world and buying up guns and ammo like crazy the prices would come back down to what they used to be? 

[WildlifeAssassin]

Hard to know though if the anger is well placed. When gas stations were charging $4, they weren't still buying the gas at $1.50 and raising the price for profit.

If a store is gouging I completely agree but does anyone know what the distributed cost of RL-15 or a brick of .22 was to those stores? Remember too that small stores don't have buying power by volume so every seller isn't in direct and equal competition. I"m not a gun store operator so I can't speak to the costs.

This isn't like after a hurricane where locally water purchased for $.45/gallon and sold for $1 is then sold for $6 a gallon because of very temporary, local and severe supply/demand imbalance. Gun owners are scooping up brass, black guns, ammo, dies, powder at a quick clip nationwide. Demand is peaking and it's driving price. I suspect the anger is better placed at what is creating the artificially high demand rather than its consequences at the check out line.

When the same products are available for the same prices they always have been at another shop it becomes pretty obvious that some companies are taking advantage of the situation. For my example of ammo cans they are still available for 9.99 at sportsman's guide. Both companies are online and they both get the cans from the government. sportsmansguide also still has their "club" with lower prices. Cheaper than dirt has raised their price 266% and that is *censored*.

[Colville]

I'm not disagreeing W-A. But product pricing is a multi variant problem. I have no idea what CTD's balance sheet looks like. I have no idea what kinds of hits they are taking in other areas. I don't know if this pricing is being taken to allow them to keep pricing more competitive on other products on their shelves or if their inventory cost has shot way up. Heck, maybe they simply found that they didn't lose sales while raising prices? There's any number of reasons for a disparity in price from one seller to the next.

I guess I jumped at the word gouging. It kind of implies that there is a real tight supply and someone is taking advantage of consumers who have few or no choices. Well, you found the same product at a better price and moved along. Capitalism worked and either CTD will lower the price or they are right and the market will come to them. Maybe a better thread title is CTD screws club members?