Marlborough Gun show this month

EC1 - nice pin but I would never look at you close enough to notice it when walking by. Better to have a NES ball cap in the style of the FBI. Black, bold block white lettering.
 
Glock-Girl said:
Looks like I have some stiff domestic competition, or perhaps my back up plan if it doesn't work out with the hubs. Lol! [rofl]
Click to expand...
[laugh] Better look for another backup plan. [wink] But I suspect you and Luv2Bfree would get along (as long as you don't try to convert her to Glockaholism)! And she can teach you how to make your own jerky.

Marston said:
What I simply do not understand is why markup at a show? Why not drop prices a bit to gain a following, gain customers, advertise special show prices. Most, if not all of the businesses there had more people walking by than they've had internet traffic in the last month alone - a captive audience with money in hand. IMO, not the best business practice.
Click to expand...

Well... Here's what they're spending to be at the gun show:
  • Cost of the table
  • Cost of the electricity for the table, if needed (cash registers, card readers, computers, printers, etc, all take power to run)
  • Internet, if needed - some venues may have poor cell service, so the venue will ALSO charge for the use of WiFi - having been tech staff for shows at the Bayside I will tell you that the prices for those services will be several times as much as the table because they do things like charge union rates for setting them up!
  • Cost of gas to get there
  • Labor cost for their employees to work on a Saturday & Sunday (not to mention Friday nights loading the truck and setting up, and Sunday afternoon / evening packing BACK up, trucking stuff back to the store and unloading it), and that's probably at overtime rates.
  • Food for the day

Most of these guys have stores that they're taking personnel and stock away from for the day (if not closing outright), so there will be reduced or no sales during that Saturday, typically the busiest day of the week, at the store. Four Seasons doesn't NEED to attend because they're the largest volume dealer in the state and every Saturday they're jammed wall to wall - they'd be taking a loss to go there, I'm sure.

And as for foot traffic... It's your first show, so you won't know this, but LOTS of people will walk by, maybe take a card... and never be heard from again. So, no - the exposure doesn't pay for all the costs of being at the show.

Hope that helps explain things.

Fred, C-pher, Jamie - did I cover most of the costs?
 
Marston said:
New shooter, first gun show. Have a Mossin Nagant 91/30 on its way and was looking at Garands, Mausers, and Lever Actions - initially have gotten into this for the historical rifles - so very little knowledge in terms of modern day kit.
The price of ammo felt to be the most manipulated. Price swings between dealers is always going to be there - also saw more than a few variations in overall used quality ranging from brand new to one step above dumpster.

What I simply do not understand is why markup at a show? Why not drop prices a bit to gain a following, gain customers, advertise special show prices. Most, if not all of the businesses there had more people walking by than they've had internet traffic in the last month alone - a captive audience with money in hand. IMO, not the best business practice.
Click to expand...

My best guess is they look at the show in supply and demand terms, thus thinking that with a huge crowd they can charge higher prices.

I'm with you though: I look at the show as a great way to unload dead inventory.
 
I've had tables there, to get rid of stuff that I did not "need", and would cause consternation at a conventional yard sale. My costs were minimal, but I'm not a dealer.

I'm going today - I've printed out my avatar

<----------------

and Ill wear it as a badge. See you there.
 
Cost of gas to get there, internet? Haha.
This is a table, not a booth as CES.
3G iPad, Square, done. There's your cash register.
This is an indoor flea market, when people go to flea markets they expect to find prices below what they'd normally see. It's not unreasonable or illogical to expect that.

Trying to justify why it would cost More at a gun show than regular retail? Srsly?

I don't go to these things anymore because they're a waste of time and effort, as evidenced by almost every post in this thread. Maybe these vendors actually are selling to someone, if not, then they're stupid. You want to make the gas cost and electric cost pay for itself when you go to the show? Make it the biggest single weekend in sales your business has. Win win. You're shooting yourself in the foot if you think raising prices at the show because you had to bring a truck to carry all your shit is going to be overlooked by the customer. Haha. I don't care.
 
  • Cost of the electricity for the table, if needed (cash registers, card readers, computers, printers, etc, all take power to run)
  • Internet, if needed - some venues may have poor cell service, so the venue will ALSO charge for the use of WiFi - having been tech staff for shows at the Bayside I will tell you that the prices for those services will be several times as much as the table because they do things like charge union rates for setting them up!
Click to expand...
The Marlboro show does not surcharge for use on an electrical outlet (BTDT). Internet is free and, to the best of my knowledge, they don't offer premium service or hardwired drops. I have been to trade shows that wanted $1500 for 3 days of internet (for example, Shot Show).

BUT - vendor costs are not of concern to buyers in a competitive market. Vendors need to remain competitive on product/service or not sell. As a buyer, the sellers "extra costs" are totally irrelevant to me if the guy down the street will sell it cheaper.

The problem with guns shows is that they are where buyers looking for a deal meet sellers who think "with this kind of crowd, someone will pay a premium price".

Four Seasons doesn't NEED to attend because they're the largest volume dealer in the state and every Saturday they're jammed wall to wall - they'd be taking a loss to go there, I'm sure.
Click to expand...
Correct. Guns N Gear (Agawam) charges 4 Seasons style prices and does a huge business at the show. They expand their market and sell guns to people who would otherwise drive to Four Seasons or Collectors.
 
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Marston said:
New shooter, first gun show. Have a Mossin Nagant 91/30 on its way and was looking at Garands, Mausers, and Lever Actions - initially have gotten into this for the historical rifles - so very little knowledge in terms of modern day kit.
The price of ammo felt to be the most manipulated. Price swings between dealers is always going to be there - also saw more than a few variations in overall used quality ranging from brand new to one step above dumpster.

What I simply do not understand is why markup at a show? Why not drop prices a bit to gain a following, gain customers, advertise special show prices. Most, if not all of the businesses there had more people walking by than they've had internet traffic in the last month alone - a captive audience with money in hand. IMO, not the best business practice.
Click to expand...

It's called greed.
 
I arrived about 8:40am this morning in 3 layers of clothing, and waited in line. I wasn't intending to go, but yesterday I was looking into custom-molded ear plugs - I usually use the foam plugs plus ear muffs, but still end up with headaches after shooting. And I'm the only person I know who has had multiple ear muff-induced injuries! I keep trapping an ear lobe on the pads of the ear muffs, it's ridiculous......

So, I decided to investigate some decent ear plugs - found a thread on the forum here where a few folk mentioned Mike Maal at
H-E.A.R.Safe. I emailed him last night to see if he was at the show, and when he said he was, I decided to head down there this morning.

Even as he was molding them in my ears, the noise reduction in the noisy hall was amazing. Can't wait to try them out at the range when they arrive.

After I'd seen Mike, I didn't stay more than another 15 minutes or so. I was hoping to get some decent gloves, eyewear, and a range bag - couldn't find any gloves or glasses at all, and although I found a couple of vendors selling bags, neither had what I was looking for.

Can't say I was overly impressed with the event. I reckon only about a third of the vendors had firearms, so I'm betting the real gun enthusiasts who've gone mainly for that reason have been pretty disappointed.

Other than that, the place seemed to be filled mostly with a load of guys who looked like they hadn't washed or brushed their hair in days......
 
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EnglishRose said:
...

Other than that, the place seemed to be filled mostly with a load of guys who looked like they hadn't washed or brushed their hair in days......
Click to expand...

The doctor, Drgrant, usually describes the place as having that fart gas smell. LOL

Mike Maal's ear plugs work very well. There still might be times when you'll want to double-up and wear the muffs too though.
 
yanici said:
The doctor, Drgrant, usually describes the place as having that fart gas smell. LOL

Mike Maal's ear plugs work very well. There still might be times when you'll want to double-up and wear the muffs too though.
Click to expand...


Heh! Thankfully I didn't stay long enough to experience that smell!

Thanks for the heads-up though about still doubling-up with ear muffs sometimes. I'll have to be more careful about tucking my ears in! But hey, if I can even reduce the noise-induced headaches I get, I'll be pleased!
 
Went yesterday and dragged dad along, picked up a web sling for my garand, and a dpms barrel to start an AR build. Also got to meet Jim wallace when I renewed my GOAL membership. Place was packed! And I forgot to get some jerky. That is all.

oh, I almost got convinced to buy another safe[smile]
 
EnglishRose said:
I arrived about 8:40am this morning in 3 layers of clothing, and waited in line. I wasn't intending to go, but yesterday I was looking into custom-molded ear plugs - I usually use the foam plugs plus ear muffs, but still end up with headaches after shooting. And I'm the only person I know who has had multiple ear muff-induced injuries! I keep trapping an ear lobe on the pads of the ear muffs, it's ridiculous......

So, I decided to investigate some decent ear plugs - found a thread on the forum here where a few folk mentioned Mike Maal at
H-E.A.R.Safe. I emailed him last night to see if he was at the show, and when he said he was, I decided to head down there this morning.

Even as he was molding them in my ears, the noise reduction in the noisy hall was amazing. Can't wait to try them out at the range when they arrive.

After I'd seen Mike, I didn't stay more than another 15 minutes or so. I was hoping to get some decent gloves, eyewear, and a range bag - couldn't find any gloves or glasses at all, and although I found a couple of vendors selling bags, neither had what I was looking for.

Can't say I was overly impressed with the event. I reckon only about a third of the vendors had firearms, so I'm betting the real gun enthusiasts who've gone mainly for that reason have been pretty disappointed.

Other than that, the place seemed to be filled mostly with a load of guys who looked like they hadn't washed or brushed their hair in days......
Click to expand...
I bought a set of those too yesterday. That and a soft case from the vendor at the front of the room - and the ubiquitous jerky- were all I bought.
 
Mrichards6151 said:
Got a ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
Another great table is the back row, against the wall next to the bathrooms, straight back from the entrance. It's a shop from W.Springfield called Guns and Gun parts. He came to sell, his prices were pretty good and not usual inflated show prices. Good guy too. Among other things he had a KSG for $975, where others across the room were going for $1160-$1200+. I doubt it's still there though.

A few random WASR10/63s ranging from $675-800.
Click to expand...

The KSG was still there at 11am this morning, blows my mind, I guess no one was looking for one.

Overall I thought the show was meh, I liked the Manchester show better, but maybe since it was a new venue.

Plenty of powder around including 748, but still 231 and HP38 are nowhere to be found.

Chris
 
Are those molded plugs really worth $50-$60 or however much they cost? I normally use CVS-brand ear plugs with muffs over them.
 
Marston said:
EC1 - nice pin but I would never look at you close enough to notice it when walking by. Better to have a NES ball cap in the style of the FBI. Black, bold block white lettering.
Click to expand...

We had a group buy on hats like this a few years ago. I wore it to the Manchester show last year and ran into NOBODY from NES (other than drgrant but we know each other by sight).


EnglishRose said:
Thanks for the heads-up though about still doubling-up with ear muffs sometimes. I'll have to be more careful about tucking my ears in! But hey, if I can even reduce the noise-induced headaches I get, I'll be pleased!
Click to expand...

Make sure to remove earrings so as not to break the seal and pull on your ear.
 
EnglishRose said:
After I'd seen Mike, I didn't stay more than another 15 minutes or so. I was hoping to get some decent gloves, eyewear, and a range bag - couldn't find any gloves or glasses at all, and although I found a couple of vendors selling bags, neither had what I was looking for.

Other than that, the place seemed to be filled mostly with a load of guys who looked like they hadn't washed or brushed their hair in days......
Click to expand...

Amazon or OpticsPlanet.com are best bets for glasses. I've never found gloves that I feel comfortable shooting with . . . IMNSHO too much material in the trigger guard. Shooters Outpost or a police supply place seems best place to find gloves for shooting. I wear bicycle gloves sometimes, all fingertips are exposed in these gloves so I don't lose tactile feel.

I haven't washed or brushed my hair in years . . . I'm still trying to find my hair! [wink] [rofl] [rofl]


kalash said:
Are those molded plugs really worth $50-$60 or however much they cost? I normally use CVS-brand ear plugs with muffs over them.
Click to expand...

Yes, they are absolutely worth it.
 
I go looking for loopholes and end up with beef jerky

huveju5a.jpg
 
Enzo said:
LOL.
That was a little (well a lot) obvious...
I don't think she took into account that some guys are with their wives or girlfriends or kids (who will blackmail) and are not allowed to even stop and ogle.

- - - Updated - - -


How the bleep did I miss this.....
Congratulations, great deal.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Saw Gen4's for $650. Wow. Couldn't figure out why he wasn't sold out at 10am.

The5thDentist said:
Originally posted by falcon123



Blaze orange Fezzes! I can see it now.​
Click to expand...

Make em a tad darker and they'll mistakenly let you in the bar at Wilmington. Lol

Marston said:
New shooter, first gun show. Have a Mossin Nagant 91/30 on its way and was looking at Garands, Mausers, and Lever Actions - initially have gotten into this for the historical rifles - so very little knowledge in terms of modern day kit.
The price of ammo felt to be the most manipulated. Price swings between dealers is always going to be there - also saw more than a few variations in overall used quality ranging from brand new to one step above dumpster.

What I simply do not understand is why markup at a show? Why not drop prices a bit to gain a following, gain customers, advertise special show prices. Most, if not all of the businesses there had more people walking by than they've had internet traffic in the last month alone - a captive audience with money in hand. IMO, not the best business practice.
Click to expand...

Tough call. Does he cut prices and piss off his regular store customers? Ther were some show specials. But I'm betting most guys assume that SOMEONE will buy it at that price. OTOH, I actually feel bad for a few of those dealers - I've seen the same guns for years now. Or the ones stocking 42 different used shotguns. That's gotta be a bear to lug in and out.
 
dwarven1 said:
Well... Here's what they're spending to be at the gun show:
  • Cost of the table
  • Cost of the electricity for the table, if needed (cash registers, card readers, computers, printers, etc, all take power to run)
  • Internet, if needed - some venues may have poor cell service, so the venue will ALSO charge for the use of WiFi - having been tech staff for shows at the Bayside I will tell you that the prices for those services will be several times as much as the table because they do things like charge union rates for setting them up!
  • Cost of gas to get there
  • Labor cost for their employees to work on a Saturday & Sunday (not to mention Friday nights loading the truck and setting up, and Sunday afternoon / evening packing BACK up, trucking stuff back to the store and unloading it), and that's probably at overtime rates.
  • Food for the day

Most of these guys have stores that they're taking personnel and stock away from for the day (if not closing outright), so there will be reduced or no sales during that Saturday, typically the busiest day of the week, at the store. Four Seasons doesn't NEED to attend because they're the largest volume dealer in the state and every Saturday they're jammed wall to wall - they'd be taking a loss to go there, I'm sure.

And as for foot traffic... It's your first show, so you won't know this, but LOTS of people will walk by, maybe take a card... and never be heard from again. So, no - the exposure doesn't pay for all the costs of being at the show.

Hope that helps explain things.

Fred, C-pher, Jamie - did I cover most of the costs?
Click to expand...

Add hotel expenses for some of them to that list.

And Carole charges $50 for electricity and $50 for WiFi per show! At Big E, each vendor car has to pay to park each day too (Fri for setup, Sat & Sun).

It's not cheap to work the shows.
 
kalash said:
Are those molded plugs really worth $50-$60 or however much they cost? I normally use CVS-brand ear plugs with muffs over them.
Click to expand...

I paid $70 ($74.38 with MA tax) for mine today - and although I don't yet have them, according to the NES threads I found, folk seem to absolutely love them:

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/153782-Custom-molded-ear-plugs
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/133916-Custom-moulded-ear-plug

- - - Updated - - -

LenS said:
Make sure to remove earrings so as not to break the seal and pull on your ear.
Click to expand...


Len, you've seen the size of the earrings I wear! I always remove them.
 
LenS said:
Amazon or OpticsPlanet.com are best bets for glasses. I've never found gloves that I feel comfortable shooting with . . . IMNSHO too much material in the trigger guard. Shooters Outpost or a police supply place seems best place to find gloves for shooting. I wear bicycle gloves sometimes, all fingertips are exposed in these gloves so I don't lose tactile feel.

I haven't washed or brushed my hair in years . . . I'm still trying to find my hair! [wink] [rofl] [rofl]
Click to expand...

LOL! Your hair looks just great to me, Len! Plus, you clearly get a shower each day...

I'd prefer no gloves for shooting, but after a few particularly painful sessions at the range lately, with outside temperatures in the single digits and teens, the range temperature has been frigid, and truly heinous to play in. Friday night I thought I was going to end up with frostbite. I definitely need something to provide a little protection. I've been looking at gloves for LE from Hatch Products, and these seem to have good reviews. Might try them out.
 

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