PSA PRICE GOUGING???

Ill just pile on with the "if you weren't ready, then that's your fault" bandwagon. Anyone who has been shooting for more than a year should know that in times of crisis or national outrage over something that ammo prices and availability will skyrocket. For those who just now purchased a firearm, then I hope they are able to get at least a few boxes from somewhere just to learn how their new shooter goes bang bang.
 
I’ve never understood the “price gouging” hysterics.

This is all Econ 101, supply/demand, price curve, market forces, etc.

Someone is gonna come along and note that PSA is now making $2 /box of ammo vs $1.50 in @BigWaylon ’s example above. And many will consider that “gouging”. I say it’s a hedge against loss of sales as the price increased and future supply becomes questionable.
Tim, I'll give you a prime example of what was my first time experiencing price gouging. Its been several years ago but one day I went to Mace Sports in Mebane. At that time the manager Don Beamon was there and they had 2 full palets of Federal .223 ammo for $299.00 per case of 1000. I asked Don if he would hold me a case till Tuesday because I did not have any cash with me. He said he would. Well the next day a mass shooting occurred and many kids were killed. The store is closed on Monday and so Tuesday morning I went to pick it up. Well when I walked into the store I was flabbergasted. There was a sign on the ammo saying price was $999.00 per case. Well as you can imagine I went to Don and asked him to ring me up for a case that he was holding for me. He said Sorry but Bill(Mace) told me that none of it was to be sold for less than $999.00..I was hot. I asked to see Bill and Don called upstairs and asked Bill to come and talk to me. I asked Bill why the big increase in the ammo which was the same cases he had on the day in mention. He said Its mine and the price is $999.00 if you want it. Simplely he said supply and demand . I told him that over the years I had spent over $20,000 in his three different locations and if he was going to be like this he was a SOB and that I would never deal with again. To this day I have never walked into his store again . And I will NOT !
 
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Tim, I'll give you a prime example of what was my first time experiencing price gouging. Its been several years ago but one day I went to Mace Sports in Mebane. At that time the manager Don Beamon was there and they had 2 full palets of Federal .223 ammo for $299.00 per case of 1000. I asked Don if he would hold me a case till Tuesday because I did not have any cash with me. He said he would. Well the next day a mass shooting occurred and many kids were killed. The store is closed on Monday and so Tuesday morning I went to pick it up. Well when I walked into the store I was flabbergasted. There was a sign on the ammo saying price was $999.00 per case. Well as you can imagine I went to Don and asked him to ring me up for a case that he was holding for me. He said Sorry but Bill(Mace) told me that none of it was to be sold for less than $999.00..I was hot. I asked to see Bill and Don called upstairs and asked Bill to come and talk to me. I asked Bill why the big increase in the ammo which was the same cases he had on the day in mention. He said Its mine and the price is $999.00 if you want it. Simplely he said supply and demand . I told him that over the years I had spent over $20,000 in his three different locations and if he was going to be like this he was a SOB and that I would never deal with again. To this day I have never walked into his store again . And I have NOT !

Sounds like they weren't really wanting to sell any at that time. Not price gouging.
 
As I posted earlier, I have an old AR-15 I've been wanting to sell for a while. I put it on Armslist for an absurd price, along with 100 rounds of ammo. It's still mine tonight, but I'm getting plenty of interest. Then yesterday I got an email trying to shame me for "selling a $400 rifle for $900". I didn't bother to reply, but I'm thinking that if someone is willing to give me $900 for a rifle, then it's a $900 rifle. When I bought it ten years ago, it was a $700 rifle (without the accessories I've added and the ammo I'm including), and everyone told me I got a great deal.

In my college Marketing class, they taught us that the value of an item is determined by the buyer, not the seller.
 
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As I posted earlier, I have an old AR-15 I've been wanting to sell for a while. I put it on Armslist for an absurd price, along with 100 rounds of ammo. It's still mine tonight, but I'm getting plenty of interest. Then yesterday I got an email trying to shame me for "selling a $400 rifle for $900". I didn't bother to reply, but I'm thinking that if someone is willing to give me $900 for a rifle, then it's a $900 rifle. When I bought it ten years ago, it was a $700 rifle (without the accessories I've added and the ammo I'm including), and everyone told me I got a great deal.

In my college Marketing class, they taught us that the value of an item is determined by the buyer, not the seller.
His last name wasn't Fish? Was it?
 
So I saw they had a case of Lake City 5.56 for a little over $400 and some change, sent out an email last week about "our distributors are charging more yadda yadda".......however I've managed to purchase the same LC brass ammo for $50 less over the past 2 weeks several times.
 
I’m gonna list some 556, trying to see what the going rate is. I just sold a little over 1k rds of 223 steel for .28. Can’t remember exactly what it is,, I think Privi?????

In the past 2 weeks I’ve sold about 7k rounds combined. About a year ago I realized you can have too much ammo.
I got close to running out of 22lr the year after Sandy Hook. Solved that buy buying a 550 box every week once it became available again.
 
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There's an old saying about fools and their money.

If it costs more than I'm willing to pay, I don't buy it. If enough folks feel the same way, price comes down.

I understand raising prices to keep up with the cost of maintaining inventory. That's just good business sense. But going up 4-5 times on price just because people are scared and not thinking? You can sit on it for all I care. I won't buy.
 
Looks like an infection of moronavirus! He needs immediate respewatory therapy!

When you find cases of ammo you forgot you had,, you might have 2 much. I found 2k rds of AK food and 1500 rds of 9mm when I was moving stuff around. Bottom of a unused closet with about 100 VHS tapes sitting on it.
Found another white plastic bag yesterday in the garage of 500rds of reman 9mm that I have no idea where it came from.
 
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When you find cases of ammo you forgot you had,, you might have 2 much. I found 2k rds of AK food and 1500 rds of 9mm when I was moving stuff around. Bottom of a unused closet with about 100 VHS tapes sitting on it.
That's called a surprise Christmas for us older folks.
 
When you find cases of ammo you forgot you had,, you might have 2 much. I found 2k rds of AK food and 1500 rds of 9mm when I was moving stuff around. Bottom of a unused closet with about 100 VHS tapes sitting on it.
Found another white plastic bag yesterday in the garage of 500rds of reman 9mm that I have no idea where it came from.

I swear it sounds like this is a problem.

Maybe a memory problem, but not an ammo oversupply problem!
 
When you find cases of ammo you forgot you had,, you might have 2 much. I found 2k rds of AK food and 1500 rds of 9mm when I was moving stuff around. Bottom of a unused closet with about 100 VHS tapes sitting on it.
Found another white plastic bag yesterday in the garage of 500rds of reman 9mm that I have no idea where it came from.
After looking at my ammo cans and shelves I said I'm missing something the I remembered this box that was covered by some furniture so I can relate to your closetIMG_20200330_115044250.jpg IMG_20200330_115058299.jpgThis was an old crate that mosin naggants were shipped in. I just put shelves in it and packed it full of 7.62x39 ,223 and shotgun shells
 
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This thread got me thinking... does anyone have old ammo that is worth something? Years ago, i went shooting at a range in either Burlington or greensboro, can't remember which, but the owner saw my old boxes of 22 that my gpa had left me and said if i can have those boxes of ammo, I'll waive you and your dad's range fee and give you double the ammo to shoot. We did it but ive always wondered what it was about those 4-50 round boxes of 22 that got him so excited. They were probably from the 60s if i had to guess. Any ideas?
 
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Some people collect old ammo/packages. Could be that it was something he had been looking for for some time.

Same thing with old paper shotgun shells.
 
Some people collect old ammo/packages. Could be that it was something he had been looking for for some time.

Same thing with old paper shotgun shells.


Yea, they were def old boxes, but in the condition they were in, i was half scared to shoot em anyway and gladly took him up on his offer. It was gonna cost us 75$ for both to shoot... He waived that fee and gave us double our ammo
 
PSA daily deals today. Sig Romeo 5 red dot was $119 two days ago . Today $139. And aluminum case 9 mm are $13.00 a box.And D&H mags went up $1.00 each. Were $8.99 today $9.99. They are getting greedy.
 
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PSA today. Who would ever believe that PMC bronze 9mm jhp would be $19.00 a box.38 cents a round. Thats higher than Winchester NATO 124 grain 9mm at 32 cents a round .And PMC bronze 223 55 gr ammo 20 round boxes for $10.00. .50 cents a round. How high will PSA go? These are todays rediculous prices
 
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Again, I don't think going up a bit in price is greedy. They have to keep restocking price in mind. Sure, they bought what they have for $5 a box and usually sell it for $8 per box, but if they are low on supply and they are projecting having to spend $10+ per box on their next shipment then they need to align their prices in accordance.

When I see everyone raising prices about the same amount I feel this is what is happening. When one company raises them far more than other companies, that's when I start to cry foul...but only softly, because no one is forcing me to buy it.
 
PSA daily deals today. Sig Romeo 5 red dot was $119 two days ago . Today $139. And aluminum case 9 mm are $13.00 a box.And D&H mags went up $1.00 each. Were $8.99 today $9.99. They are getting greedy.

They are most likely having to pay more from suppliers to restock.

If you, as a vendor, have to pay more for stock than you used to, but you continue to sell it for what you used to, you will not stay in business very long.

Consumers, pretty much, will set the price of a product. If a vendor prices a product and folks are willing to pay that price, I assure you the vendor will continue with that price point.

If a vendor puts a price on a product which consumers are not willing to pay, the vendor will have two choices:

1) Lower the price in an attempt to entice consumers to buy OR
2) Sit on inflated-price inventory they cannot sell.

My issue with vendors like CTD is when they cancelled active orders for products that were purchased at a specific price by consumers, then, relisted those items at the higher market price. That is patently dishonest and a sh*t-ass way of doing business.
 
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I’ve never understood the “price gouging” hysterics.

This is all Econ 101, supply/demand, price curve, market forces, etc.

Someone is gonna come along and note that PSA is now making $2 /box of ammo vs $1.50 in @BigWaylon ’s example above. And many will consider that “gouging”. I say it’s a hedge against loss of sales as the price increased and future supply becomes questionable.

Are people accusing PSA of gouging? Sounds like they’re being very transparent and their prices reflect maintaining margins. If they started charging 100$ a box, that might be considered “gouging” by most, but they’re not even close.
 
You don't think almost doubling prices is rediculous just because they can. I have not seen PMC prices that high anywhere else. Foul

I think the difference is that you are attributing malice where there may well be none. If they are sitting in a back office saying "DOUBLE IT! LETS MAKE ALL THE MONIES!" then yeah, its kinda shady, but again, its a business I am not being forced to participate in. One problem I have is finding comparable ammo other places to compare it to. We also have to take into consideration that comparing one brand to another on price has little to do with it. We don't know if PSA had one hundred cases of PMC and 1,000 cases of Winchester.

I think there is a thread here somewhere where people are posting ammo deals. So if you can find PMC for cheaper, by all means share it with us.
 
I think the difference is that you are attributing malice where there may well be none. If they are sitting in a back office saying "DOUBLE IT! LETS MAKE ALL THE MONIES!" then yeah, its kinda shady, but again, its a business I am not being forced to participate in. One problem I have is finding comparable ammo other places to compare it to. We also have to take into consideration that comparing one brand to another on price has little to do with it. We don't know if PSA had one hundred cases of PMC and 1,000 cases of Winchester.

I think there is a thread here somewhere where people are posting ammo deals. So if you can find PMC for cheaper, by all means share it with us.
Look at Bass pro shops. Not saying they have PMC but ammo equal or better
 
Lemme throw this out there and please do not interpret this as me taking up for folks that engage in shady business practices, because I'm not...

Let's say you have a basic AR and the current market for the rifle is around $500. For some reason or another..supplies dry up, demand gets high and that same rifle you have is routinely fetching $1000 on the market, with some folks willing to pay up to $1500 for it.

You've now fallen on hard times...house payment to make, medical bills, the car took a giant sh*t and you have to have it repaired so you can get to work. Are you going to list that rifle at $500, when you can easily get 2x that amount for it?
 
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Look at Bass pro shops. Not saying they have PMC but ammo equal or better

They did have Remington UMC on hand, but that isn't PMC...again, different brands come with different availabilities. And most of the other stock they have is out. They wont lower the price of a brand to compete with another store with another brand because they didn't buy it for the same price and cant restock it for the same price.

On the bright side, thanks for sharing where some 9mm is.

And most of it is not made in South Korea like PMC is

Exactly...the point. Perhaps getting foreign shipments is becoming more difficult which is causing foreign brands to be higher in price. Again, not gouging, just still looks like pricing based on what they have and what they can get.
 
Lemme throw this out there and please do not interpret this as me taking up for folks that engage in shady business practices, because I'm not...

Let's say you have a basic AR and the current market for the rifle is around $500. For some reason or another..supplies dry up, demand gets high and that same rifle you have is routinely fetching $1000 on the market, with some folks willing to pay up to $1500 for it.

You've now fallen on hard times...house payment to make, medical bills, the car took a giant sh*t and you have to have it repaired so you can get to work. Are you going to list that rifle at $500, when you can easily get 2x that amount for it?

In my opinion, and I have stated it before, that isn't price gouging. It is pricing it based on what the current market is demanding. A great example of this is the $99 and less mosin nagants many of us bought years ago, regularly sell for $300+. Its just the new cost based on supply and demand.
 
And...to be fair...many of us often brag about how our collection has grown and its value has grown. I have mentioned this to naysayers many times about the price of firearms. Among hobbies, firearms are one of the few things that either retain value or appreciate. That $99 Mosin is now a $300 rifle. Yay me...major return on investment. Or on the other hand, I demand one of yall that bought a Cold Snake gun back in the 60's 70's for less than $200 sell it for that.
 
Or on the other hand, I demand one of yall that bought a Cold Snake gun back in the 60's 70's for less than $200 sell it for that.

What if it's a Hot Snake gun, or maybe a Whitesnake gun?

LOL. Just ribbing you with a bit of smartassery...

I'm a member here; it is required.:)
 
What if it's a Hot Snake gun, or maybe a Whitesnake gun?

LOL. Just ribbing you with a bit of smartassery...

I'm a member here; it is required.:)

I’d take a look at either! But I’ll only pay 80s prices.


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