Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles my take on price gouging

Very good point You dont have to buy this Mag or box of ammo

If you were dying of thurst and someone had a the only gallon of water to keep you alive and demanded 1000.00 that would be price gouging
Not something you choose to buy

Hank

No, it would not be. There is still a choice on the part of the consumer. Like I said earlier, the choice may suck, but its always there.

Ethics and economics are in no way connected. The ethical person would give the dying man water, the economist would charge him every dime he could, or find a dying guy with more money. Neither is wrong, but they are in no way comparable.

Sportsman's Warehouse online store has 30rd PMAG magazines listed on their site at normal prices and in STOCK. Only 2 per customer, though. There is still places to get them minus the ass rape.

I missed it!!!! Out of stock now it appears...

Brent

In my opinion this is the worst panic to date. Its not just AR-15's its components, ammunition, shotguns, high cap pistols, everything. Perhaps someone will write a children's book "how dad squandered the Christmas money on a $1,200 dollar rifle that cost him $3000 with no magazines and no ammunition". Hell I am selling mine off and buying single shot rifles and maybe a new pistol. I am tired of the drama.

It is called capitalism and is the result of supply and demand. This is just the market at work and is supposed to be how all things are priced. What do you want? Big Brother to jump in and set the prices for everything? We have too much government intervention now. How is that working out for you?

Gun Salesman of the year goes to Barack Obama. Just glad I got my AR stuff before the CT shooting. Im waiting on this surge to slow and there be a abundance of overstock and selling for less.

For those who believe that there is no such thing as price gouging and that it's just the free market at work:

Fine.

Then may we assume that you agree that there is no such thing as customer loyalty either, or that it is of no value?

That door swings both ways. Don't whine when your customer goes elsewhere.

Paul

Agreed. CDNN has has lost me as a customer forever over this issue. They have every right to gouge those that will allow it and I have the right to take my business elsewhere. Thankfully they don't sell a thing I can't buy somewhere else.

Terry

I for one will never do ANY business again with companys or shops that price gouge or pull weapons off their shelves.

Cheaper than dirt, Dicks sporting goods, ect.

So if you bought some silver coins tomorrow for $38 an ounce and by next week it was up to $80, but the prognosis for it continuing upwards or even holding at that level was not good, one can assume y'all wouldn't sell on moral principles, but instead would wait til the prices went back down?

Big differance is I buys gold, silver or other precious metals as an investment...I buy guns for using and enjoying not tripping them to make $
Actually it's not legal for me to purchase guns today strictly for resale the next day or week as many are doing right now
Need an FFL to do such

I think you're reading more into my post than I intended.

I was thinking of a normal retail type of relationship, maybe one sporting goods store among others. Could be a hardware store or bank or whatever.

I wasn't considering "morality", but more in terms of the expectations of repeat business, which is why I mentioned customer loyalty.

I always think of the TV commercial for loan shopping service in which the banker complains "But you've been with us for ten years", after his customer goes elsewhere for a better deal.

To answer your question directly, I have no problem with anybody playing the market, especially with a commodity. Just saying the "rules" and expectations should work both ways.

I don't "owe" anybody my business, they have to earn it, and keep earning it.

And I agree with George, Ethan's coin example is more an investment or commodity.

Paul

Change your scenario from silver to generators or gasoline after a major storm. Still feel the same way? Nobody said they can't do what they are doing. Just that he plans on spending his money with the ones that didn't do it after this is over with. Brownells and Midway are good examples of the good guy's. Sometimes you vote with your wallet.

Terry

my first take at it was this was a bunch of opportunistic jerks playing off peoples emotions to make some money. after i calmed down and thought about it rationally, i figured that people don't really need an AR or a 30 round mag. if they are willing to pay twice the price this week as last week, then let 'em have at it. its not like gas price gouging that occurred after 9/11. i still won't buy BP gas because they raised their prices the afternoon of 9/11 and were the last to lower them. and i used to get all my gas at BP because it was very convenient.

however, AR's are luxuries for the most part for most of us. i am just mad about what this has done to the supply of even non-AR ammo like 22's and the crowds at gunshows. the tacticool yuppies with more money than brains are going to ruin the market for the average shooter for a while. i will wait out the madness and purchase stuff i need when the price is right for me. i have plenty for now and i ain't selling my excess.

Yep your scenario of generators or gasoline after a disaster is gouging and call gouging ...they even have laws prohibiting such behavior

I bet BP did not think it was gouging either. The ones doing it never does, but the ones being gouged always notice. miles

Yes, but if you can compare the precious metals trade to AR-15's I figure it's all fair.

Yes, you can get by without an AR-15 but you know what, you can get by without a generator too. Thankfully, I planned ahead and have both.

Terry

Frankly, I'm against such laws. All they do is transfer wealth from the haves to the have nots.

If I have two generators and decide to sell one, I'll take market price. What these laws tend to ignore is property rights and the time/place value of a product.

Yep. I must have touched a nerve. Then again, I keep fuel around my place in case of such things. I feel for those who simply can't afford a generator, fuel or guns. Those that can but expend their resources on other things, not so much.