Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Midway jacking prices now

Very valid point. Then you have sellers who want "what I have in it" (particularly firearms at gun shows) to have some bearing on the price that a person should be willing to pay.

If shooting is soooooo important to someone, then they should prepare for shortages that have happened every 6-8 years for the past thirty or so years.

Eating is rather important to me. In fact, it's one of those things that I have decided my family and I can't do without, so I bought a large upright freezer 10-12 years ago. Not so much to prepare for shortages (although having a freezer full of food came in handy last year), but because my wife will buy a large quantity of something on sale, I divide it up and freeze it in individual packages sized for one family meal. It has saved us a lot of money over the years and probably paid for the initial cost of the freezer within 3-4 years.

Shooting is important to me, but not as much as eating, so I buy when things are on sale, and ride out the disruptions. Remember when primers were $16 per brick? I do. I have some that are marked as such that I've been using for aging tests. They still go bang with no degradation in velocity results over the past 25 years. I'll still keep testing them over the next 15-20 years until I die or get bored with doing it.

It's nice having primers on hand that will last me the rest of my life, and I don't think I paid more than $20-$25 per brick for them. Ever. And I've never bought more than two bricks at a time, that I recall.

I get it, and that’s great.

But it’s like when a guy says his marriage is on the rocks and is worried about his kids. Then the posts roll in “been married to the same gal for 59 years, she’s wonderful. Best mom ever! Look at my grandkids!”

BGG, I don't think we're all that far off in some ways. My issue isn't with not being prepared for something, it's the complaining and whining from people who really should know better.

I've sold bullets, brass, and yes, primers to friends during the last couple (and current) shortages. I generally sell to them at what Midway has listed for the price, even though they're out of stock.

Except primers.

Historically, after the last two primer shortages, when they became plentiful again, they had jumped in price 20-30% from pre-panic pricing. I just sold some primers to a friend for not what Midway has them listed for, but what I think they'll be priced at in two years, based upon historical precedent. He agreed with my logic, and was glad to pay that price, viewing it as me doing him a tremendous favor. My pricing was less than a third of what I've seen them listed for recently on Gunbroker and Armslist.

But I only do this for friends, and not as a way to supplement my income.

To add to that last post, I fully expect the going retail price of primers to be $60+ per brick, if/when they become readily available again in a couple years. Add tax to that. If shipping, add postage and hazmat fees to that.

HH and BGG, I understand and agree with where both of you are coming from. I guess that my issue leans toward that of HH in that I am more sick and tired of the gloating and lecturing than I am of the whining (I am sick and tired of both.)

HoosierHawk, Not to worry about these particular brethren.

They'll be fine.

Starbuck's and Einsein Bros bagels are only 23 floors and 2 blocks away.

No dude, we’re on the same page really. I’m not defending whiners stamping their feet and demanding prices they think they are entitled to. At all. Especially guys that should have known better and got caught flat footed, then instead of owning it and doing what they can, they bitch and cry.

There’s a couple things I wish I had more of, but I was asleep at the wheel and got blindsided by the election. My bad, I’ll either go without or pay the piper.

But I do take huge issue with guys that cruise stores selling stuff low, then buy with the sole intent of flipping. Honestly I hope they trip and knock their teeth out, then suffer through disfigurement and financial ruin after the infection sets in.

I prepare as best I can for things as best I can. Sometimes I make a good call sometimes I don’t lol. Onus is on me either way.

The flippers disgust me as well.

Why is that?

When the manufacturers make a profit, it's fine. When the distributors make a profit, it's fine. When the retailers make a profit, it's fine. But add one more link to the chain, and it's suddenly disgusting?

What if I am selling things I bought five years ago at bargain basement prices, and quadrupling, or more, my money now? Am I still a flipper?

Condense to fit in a Fortune Cookie

LOL

🦫

Because they're causing an artificial, temporary disruption of the market.

Note I didn't say they should be arrested, nor did I say they should be legally limited on their purchasing by retailers. Were I a retailer, I would limit purchasing on some items, which is my right.

What the the flippers are doing is perfectly legal, no different than hedge fund managers of today or land speculators 150 years ago.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But when I see people asking $300 for a box pf primers, even if someone is willing to pay it or not, it disgusts me. They have every right to ask it, and someone has every right to pay that if they want.

Caveat emptor still applies. My biggest concern is that when there are major market disruptions in various market segments, governments tend to step in to "do something".

That is the last thing I want the government to do in any market, particularly shooting sports related items. Could you see the current administration using this as an excuse to limit purchase quantities on items permanently, saying they are "protecting consumers"? We all know that wouldn't be the real reason, but it would give them an excuse to "do something".

Not good.

You’re a victim looking for an assailant.

Selling something you bought 5 years ago isn’t flipping. Driving around looking for lower priced items, buying, then reselling shortly thereafter is flipping.

Shidteating lowlifes buying .22s at what was retail price by the pallet then parting it out at a gun show the next weekend is what I’m talking about. Anyone engaged in such, I hope find financial ruination and are reduced to surviving on the benevolence and charity of others.

It's not people buying to flip anything, you all are killing your own market. Selling used equipment, dies, components, scopes, and firearms at near nothing prices every time things get rough. Companies can't keep producing new with everyone under cutting them at every turn. People use to buy only what was needed and used, fewer company's were able to supply those needs and still make a profit, Can't be done anymore, market killed itself.

Phil

Interesting choice of words. “Your own market”

Crawl back in your hole.

Only way I’d bitch is if i though i was paying $xx.xxx and after checkout got a notice that i was charged $yy.yy.


That’s jacking the price up.

“Don’t be a self righteous cu nt”.

Beav be a [bleep] . Shim can’t help it.

I know exactly what was being described, just wanted to point out the slippery slope. There is zero difference in me selling things I bought yesterday, last month, or last year.

As for the "lowlifes," I don't do such things, but I have zero issue with others doing it. Its legal, its profitable, and its a completely consensual trade in a luxury commodity that no one is forced to buy. Why wouldn't folks avail themselves to that opportunity?

Thanks for sharing the perspective. This is truly aweful