New Gun Shop - Looking For Input

Another thing that popped to mind is signage.
The best the town will allow anyway.
If I didn't already know about my favorite local shop I wouldn't even know they were there.
 
Put in a Single Lane shooting booth, you know, so your buyers can rent/test fire sample offerings...

Build one behind your shop from a CONEX container...

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I have shot in one of these. Live fire inside the trailer. Loved it. Movie plays on the screen - real world situations unfolding. Simulation then shows all of your hits (or misses). Great training tool.
 
FWIW...

Here is a mistake I see a ton of dealers make. And as such many are out of business..

New stuff.. everybody basically gets the same stuff. And the pricing of the little guys can’t compete with the big guys. So if you stock the same stuff everybody else does it is in appealing price wise..

So concentrate on new stuff they don’t carry..

Used stuff is where it’s at. If you have things nobody else does it is not about price.

But.. you need to concentrate on flipping inventory. Keep mark ups low and consistent and move volume.mits better to move 2 guns in a month making $50 each than it is to sit on a gun for a year plus and make $100.
 
I have shot in one of these. Live fire inside the trailer. Loved it. Movie plays on the screen - real world situations unfolding. Simulation then shows all of your hits (or misses). Great training tool.

I think a very cost-effective alternative can be DIY'd using a CONEX 45-footer container, floor to ceiling sandbags, a high CFM fan (in and out) and a little lumber and adequate electrical runs...
 
I never understood why shops do not keep a running list of used guns people are looking for. I wanted some stuff that is not easy to find in MA. I offered my name to several shops in case something came in and all refused. For example if I am looking for a Colt Python (I'm not) it would be hard to find. If you took my name and a year later one came through you shop it would be easy to refer to the list and make some calls thus assuring a sale and helping out 2 customers (seller and buyer). It would also give you an edge over the big guys you can't go to to toe with price wise. It also might help offset any price difference on new firearms when those customers go to buy a new something.
Its easier to toss it on the case or gun broker.
 
Definitely sell ARs. Pre-bans are OK! There is a nice little gun shop in Ipswich , MA that is owned by a nice guy who is very helpful but he is apparently scared sh....tless of the AG. That's a shame cause I'd go in there a lot more if they were not afraid of the AG.
 
Beyond the stuff that people want you to stock... I'll echo that attitude goes a long way. I hate the tacticool/operator sales people. I've put down the gun I was handling and walked out because the guy was way over the top with his attitude/voice/cockiness.
I call this "shut up smile and take my money" . Im generally already sold if Im in the shop i just have to pry thw money out of my own hand.
 
FWIW...
Used stuff is where it’s at. If you have things nobody else does it is not about price.
Chet079 once said "In order to make money, you have to steal it". (Chet was not a thief - he meant you had to offer such a low prive that you were essentially stealing it).
But.. you need to concentrate on flipping inventory. Keep mark ups low and consistent and move volume.mits better to move 2 guns in a month making $50 each than it is to sit on a gun for a year plus and make $100.
You need to look at inventory turns too. If the gun you sat on and made $100 only cost you $5 to buy, that's "yuge". If you spent $500 on each of the guns you made $50 on, that's no so yuge.

If you get some oddball piece for next to nothing, overprice it. It's the kind of stuff you can't give away to your ordinary customer, but if someone comes in looking for it, they'll pay whatever you're asking.
 
“Fudd corner”. Not everyone drools over military hardware.

Cheap wood stocked used rifles and shotguns. Made for hunting or low enough that people can Bubba it into a tacticool monstrosity.
Oddball ammo that people still want: 16GA, 28GA, 9mm Mak, etc.
Skinflint cheap used .22s and shotguns that people will buy just because it’s $75.
 
On a similar vein to Tuna, above, workhorse entry-level options that are priced accordingly. I'd love to be able to point my students somewhere they can pick up things like used Mossberg 500s, Remington 700s, S&W 3rd gen pistols.
 
I wouldn't downplay this. There was a MA dealer who used to work the gun shows with his Wife. She always wore a low cut top and their table attracted a lot of attention. IIRC she actually knew something about the guns and other products they were selling too so she wasn't just window dressing. They were nice folks and I bought a handgun from them at one of the shows.

Here's something I've thought about doing.

Get hooked up with an online gun shop, but restrict the selection to Mass compliant guns (what you're allowed to sell). There are two Mass gun shops I know of that have online shops, and both let me put a Glock Gen 5 in my shopping cart. (I'm pretty sure neither shop will go through with those sales). Set it up so the customer pays in full before it's shipped to you, and the supplier sends you a check. That way you don't end up carrying inventory. If the sale doesn't go through, return the gun to the supplier, and have the supplier issue the refund. Remove anything that you stock from the online store so you're not undercutting yourself. (You NEED to make the margin on your inventory).
Well that seems to be sort of the model that Atlantic Tactical uses, at least if you are trying to buy a Sig. You pay for the gun when you order and they will tell you that it will arrive in 3-4 months. They aren't lying either. Be aware that it is a Cop-Shop and they no longer sell any guns to non-LE in Mass.

If you get some oddball piece for next to nothing, overprice it. It's the kind of stuff you can't give away to your ordinary customer, but if someone comes in looking for it, they'll pay whatever you're asking.
You mean like a Flobert?
 
I think a very cost-effective alternative can be DIY'd using a CONEX 45-footer container, floor to ceiling sandbags, a high CFM fan (in and out) and a little lumber and adequate electrical runs...

That setup plus lead free ammo and one of these home bullet traps at the end of the trailer. Bullet Trap USA Home should work. The fans for ventilation to keep combustion and powder residue moving away from the firing line. Clean the trap and vacuum up any unburnt powder/copper residue every so often. No hazmat fees or OHSA worries.
 
I wouldn't downplay this. There was a MA dealer who used to work the gun shows with his Wife. She always wore a low cut top and their table attracted a lot of attention. IIRC she actually knew something about the guns and other products they were selling too so she wasn't just window dressing. They were nice folks and I bought a handgun from them at one of the shows.


.


You mean like a Flobert?
That's why I buy from the Springfield gun
shop each show, his 2 hot daughters
 
Here's something I've thought about doing.

Get hooked up with an online gun shop, but restrict the selection to Mass compliant guns (what you're allowed to sell). There are two Mass gun shops I know of that have online shops, and both let me put a Glock Gen 5 in my shopping cart. (I'm pretty sure neither shop will go through with those sales). Set it up so the customer pays in full before it's shipped to you, and the supplier sends you a check. That way you don't end up carrying inventory. If the sale doesn't go through, return the gun to the supplier, and have the supplier issue the refund. Remove anything that you stock from the online store so you're not undercutting yourself. (You NEED to make the margin on your inventory).
Yeah, be a Davidsons Gallery of Guns reseller just like anyone else.

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Remember, it's about the customer. The customer does not want to hear your costs are higher, you can't meet Four Seasons price, etc. They want deals. Don't say anything about "support your local shop" unless you make it worthwhile for the customer, otherwise, you are just asking for donations.

I watched a friend try to buy a gun at a small independent.

Buyer: This is $100 more than Four Seasons; I'll buy it if you drop the price $50.

Seller: That shop is hurting the industry whoring out those low prices. I need my price, sorry I do not negotiate.

Me: Do you make sure you buy your inventory from distributors that are good for the industry by charging healthy margins and not hurting the industry with low prices, or do you buy from the cheapest reliable supplier?

Seller: That's different. (presumably because we were then talking about the shop's money).
 
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Yeah, be a Davidsons Gallery of Guns reseller just like anyone else.
At least one of the stores I've tried used Davidsons Gallery of Guns. It did not prevent me from ordering a Glock Gen 5. My suggestion is to ONLY allow Mass compliant guns to be ordered. I don't see anyone else doing that.
 
So to sum up this thread you should have the lowest prices with the biggest selection including oddball ammo, cheap used guns, rare guns that are a legal gray-area to purchase in MA, reloading supplies, and not too much tactical stuff but also a lot of accessories.
 
So to sum up this thread you should have the lowest prices with the biggest selection including oddball ammo, cheap used guns, rare guns that are a legal gray-area to purchase in MA, reloading supplies, and not too much tactical stuff but also a lot of accessories.

Do you mean cheap price guns or cheaply made? I once saw a guy looking at a used gun that was $50 (200 new) and was complaining about holster wear. If you sell cheap guns beware of cheap people that might be more aggravation to you.
 
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At least one of the stores I've tried used Davidsons Gallery of Guns. It did not prevent me from ordering a Glock Gen 5. My suggestion is to ONLY allow Mass compliant guns to be ordered. I don't see anyone else doing that.

Theshootingstore.com might limit sales to compliant models. It's one of the competitors to Davidson's.
 
I never understood why shops do not keep a running list of used guns people are looking for. I wanted some stuff that is not easy to find in MA. I offered my name to several shops in case something came in and all refused. For example if I am looking for a Colt Python (I'm not) it would be hard to find. If you took my name and a year later one came through you shop it would be easy to refer to the list and make some calls thus assuring a sale and helping out 2 customers (seller and buyer). It would also give you an edge over the big guys you can't go to to toe with price wise. It also might help offset any price difference on new firearms when those customers go to buy a new something.

In today's technology, that would be an easy spreadsheet to put together. Boggles my mind. I bought a used car a couple months ago, I jokingly mentioned the twin turbo version of the vehicle, the salesman immediately said, "Leave me your name and I'll find it for you". The wife swept his knee and dragged me off the lot.
 
So to sum up this thread you should have the lowest prices with the biggest selection including oddball ammo, cheap used guns, rare guns that are a legal gray-area to purchase in MA, reloading supplies, and not too much tactical stuff but also a lot of accessories.
yep, and with low overhead but with an experienced, knowledgeable sales staff and don't forget the shooting range attached...somewhere. i wish you good luck, cdsusa!
 
Yep. I always figured it would be a good sales tool for rare / hard to find stuff. List for M&P 9c? Bad idea. A list of guys wanting a Delta Elite or rare xyz = sales tool in my mind.

I have a list of customers waiting to get in. When I hit there name they either bring in there car for work or I move on. If they find someone else before I get to them that sucks because lost sale but hopefully there are a few names behind his.
 
Be genuinely happy to interact with the customers
Smile
Wear deodorant
Be LGBT friendly
Have plenty of cash on hand to get you through lean times

Good luck!

Oh, and NEVER EVER TALK TO THE MEDIA.
 
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At least one of the stores I've tried used Davidsons Gallery of Guns. It did not prevent me from ordering a Glock Gen 5. My suggestion is to ONLY allow Mass compliant guns to be ordered. I don't see anyone else doing that.
Stores configure their shop by a control panel; this would have to be done at Davidson's. The "shops website with hundreds of guns" is but an illlusion.
 
Nothing wrong with shops grouped close together. It certainly hasn't hurt Four Seasons and Collector's Gallery that they are 12 minutes apart (well, according to Google Maps anyway). [cheers]
There were 3 others just a few years ago in Woburn alone. Just precision point left beside FS
 
Forgot a couple of items:

- Do you have liability for the shop, including from any ne'er-do-wells who sue you? And no, the protection of lawful commerce in firearms will not protect you against legal fees for gun liability claims, and nothing but good insurance will protect you from someone slipping on the sidewalk or any other manner of unfortunate happenings that have everything to do with the plaintiffs status as an invitee into your shop and nothing to do with guns.

- If you have such a policy is it claims made or occurrence? If it's not occurrence based, you can get bitten for a something your shop did or did not do years ago if you don't have a continuous renewal of the policy if force.

- Do you have an inpenetrable corporate veil in place?
 
I've been in this gentleman's shop and he is truly a nice guy. Saw a couple of nice Springfield 1911's in there at a pretty good price. Had I had not had the same model, I would've have bought one of them. Can't speak for everyone else, but I've become more interested in 9mm 1911's these days, and Springfield and Ruger make some decent ones. Maybe also try a few consignment pieces. Today's customer wants it now and for free, so that is the challenge. Remember Customers, he has to pay rent too!!
 
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