Or might title the thread "monetary value on convenience and/or impatience".

Looking at a new gotta have firearm. Local Sportsman's Warehouse has it for X dollars out the door or I can get it on the internet for about 40 dollars less, that's total cost after shipping and local FFL fee.

Buying from Sportsman's I'd have to order it in but they'll get it in store in maybe 5-6 days at no additional cost to me. Order by phone, drive over there one time, anytime between 9 AM and 9 PM 6 days/week, 10-6 on Sunday, look at it, no prob if I don't want it and if I do I can pick up some new scope mounts or bullets or whatever at the same time, and get a 5% veteran's discount on those.

From the net it's drive to the bank, get a certified check, mail it, wait 3-5 days, wait 1 to 4 days for item to ship, 3-5 days in transit (UPS doesn't move anything on weekends), drive to the local FFL dealer between 9-12 in the morning M-F, by appt. on Saturday. If it's damaged or not to spec then I have to get the dealer to ship it back at my cost and depending on the seller's return policy may or may not have a hassle there.

In this scenario, I'd just as soon pay the extra 40 bucks to SW for the straightforward nature and lack of known and possible hassles. If it was $100 difference then I'd risk the hassle of buying on the net.

Have found good deals and mostly few problems buying from gunbroker or internet dealers but I must be getting lazy in my old age. If the difference is just a few bucks (I'm not rich by any standard but $40 to me is still "just a few bucks"), often as not these days I'll deal with the local store at my convenience instead of driving here, driving there, waiting on this, waiting on that.

So, do you guys just go by bottom line in all cases or do you weigh other factors?

I'd rather give my money to the local guy. I just bought a new pistol and paid the LGS an extra 30.00, I was worth it IMHO.

Always buy local here. Our community has a hard time competing with the net. We are a small community and supporting all local merchants, helps keep the local economy going! Plus I always like to touch any product before purchasing.

I'll usually pay a little more for convenience.

I wish you could. I buy a lot of stuff online just because it convenient. The prices are usually not much lower than the local stuff (if you can find it locally). I've had a lot of problems lately with the items not being as shown on the website and with shipping (especially the Post Office).

Only if I am causing it.

Yes, and often for less than $40.--

The other thing to consider is if everyone tries the "save $30 order online" path, the local guy goes out of business and then when you need those scope rings, or ammo, quickly, you don't have that option.

Time is preciou$.....

Sounds to me like 40 dollars well invested. I would not even think twice about that.

Depends on what I'm buying and from whom. Got to weigh time/money/hassle/quality. Like a three person teeter-totter and nobody weighs the same.

Gasoline is generally higher closest to the Interstate highway.
How do you think 7-11 stays in business despite the higher prices?
Same with Costco and Sam's Club.

I'll factor in time, gasoline burned, hassle, etc. into a purchasing decision. I'll also spend more to buy from a known quantity rather than chance it with a company I'm not familiar with.

I use the amount of money I earn per hour working to convert time into money.

I'll pay a premium to be able to inspect the gun prior to purchase, returns are a hassle. Often you will be able to inspect several and choose the one that you prefer.


mike r

Yes, I do place a value on hassle or the avoidance thereof.

Time=$$$$$$$

I hear, and get what you're asking.

And it depends. If I'm buying blued steel and walnut I'll always prefer local/face to face and pay the price for it.

The local guy still gets ~$300 extra for the same AR15 I can have in a couple of days from online sources. Different deal...

Edit; My online buying is normally fast and easy. No trips to the bank. Order with a card and it's at the FFL in a couple of days. Buying from a private party is a whole nuther thing, and involves some footwork.

Call RJ over at Al's on the Blvd. and see what he can getja one for.

Timely.....

walked into Harbor Freight to pick up a couple of items that would run like $10... two of their 4 registers were opened...

each one had over 40 people each in line...

uh yeah, I walked out the door.. they'll be open today also..

with a lot less people in there....

Time and hassle definitely have a price/cost. We bought a new camper for travel and to use at the hunt club. Old camper was a 2003 with some issues. Had thought about scrapping it, just to get rid of it and avoid any hassle. Instead, picked it up Saturday, got home at 1:00. Started cleaning it and finished the cleaning at 7:00 Saturday evening. Took some photos. Pulled it up to the storage place where I was going to display it for sale. Sunday morning put in on Craigslist at 7:20. Went outside to do some stuff. Came back in about 8:45. Five emails of people wanting to buy it. First guy said he'd come right then. Would take an hour to get to the storage place. Had cash. So, went down there. He was on time. Dickered a good bit. Sold by 10:30. I could have held out and gotten three or four others to come look. Would probably have gotten $150 more. Not worth the hassle when this guy had $100 bills and a truck to tow it right then.

I've bought guns online. Have bought them at local gun shops. If I decide I want something, will check the locals first. If they have it, sometimes they deal some.

I ALWAYS put a monetary value on hassle factor.

And it goes up exponentially when someone lazy or just plain stupid is on the other side.

have to have a sixth sense early on to know if a deal is going to get shaky or dragged out and stick to your threshold

My time is valuable and my BS tolerance has dropped considerably as I have aged.

I do. I take people fishing for money. My rate is very reasonable, unless they want me to fish daylight 'til dark.

I'm not a big haggler when it comes to buying guns. But my standard question when I'm looking at a gun I'm interested in is:

"What's the best you can do me on it?"

Sometimes they don't take anything off of it. Sometimes they'll knock it down a very decent amount.

I've had people knock 20% off with no more than that question. Even on guns that were worth what they were asking.

I generally hassle people for free.

I bought a new Ducati motorcycle for $2000 less than the local dealer was asking by driving to Columbus Ohio and riding it back,...about 450 miles round trip. Both of them were new leftover models from the previous year.

The Columbus dealer had an ad in a regional sales magazine and had a lot of leftover models that he had marked down to clear them out.

I told the local dealer that I would give him $250 more than the Columbus dealer was asking just to save me the trouble of going to Columbus to get the bike. But he wouldn't budge a bit.

I told him I'd have to go to Columbus for $2000.

I used to have a big sign in the auto shop I owned:

"LABOR RATES ARE VARIABLE BASED ON THE CUSTOMER'S ATTITUDE"

My time is valuable- - - -so is yours. If we're doing business, I'd much prefer to do it face to face, with a considerable amount of respect given by both sides. The best way to lose me as a customer forever is to act like a jerk. That applies to the local guy, and the one across the country with nothing but a website to deal with.
Jerry

My LGS does transfers for $20 inbound, $30 outbound. Owner is also Left Handed. So, is somewhat sympathetic to me ordering unique LH stuff off the internet. When I order stuff directly through him, I never haggle the price. I always pick up "something" while I am there. Always pay cash.

I feel like I get dang good service, for a reasonable price, and never feel like I am being talked down to, brushed off, nor taken advantage of. So, if I am paying a few dollars extra here and there for being treated like a human being (zero hassle), it is worth it...

Heck yeah. I'll pay more if I get a few more minutes of my day back.

My wife thinks I’ll do some crazy stuff to save a few bucks but the older I get the more valuable I find my time to be. Maybe when the kids are grown and life slows down (if it ever slows down) I’ll revert back but I find myself increasingly paying for convenience

I look at the whole transaction and certainly factor in convenience, reliability, cost and local versus online.

My son was telling me the other day he now takes all his motorcycle/ small engine/ mechanical work that needs professional intervention over an hour away to a guy in Columbia MO because the guy did a rush job for him when everyone close by him couldn’t handle it in less than four days.

That's what I do as well. Paying a few bucks more for convenience from a reputable source is worth it to me.


However....

The decision has been decided based on a lucky happenstance and also my waiting too long.

I've been trying to get a quote from Whittaker Guns on this particular rifle but I guess they don't do those on Sunday or Monday, so no quote. No quotey, no buyey - and that's not my choice. Their website won't let me add the rifle to my cart at all without a quote. SW has been showing that I could pick up the rifle in their store on Monday, September 9th.

Well, I was poking around the Whittaker website and found the exact same rifle in a different caliber but listed under a slightly different manufacturer, "Tikka Beretta" instead of just "Tikka". And lo and behold, they have a price listed and it's considerably less than Sportsman's, even after I cash in my Sportsman's rewards points and throw in the military discount. I'm assuming the rifle in the caliber I want will be the same since it's the exact same model. $9.99 flat rate shipping from Whittaker doesn't add much plus it's Whittaker's so they have a good rep for fast shipping.

The final kicker is that now the Sportsman's website is showing that I can pick the rifle up on Monday, September 16th, a full 13 days away. Guess they only do inter-store transfers on one day each week and if you miss that day you have to wait until the next week. A phone call to Whittaker's tomorrow to order and pay by CC, plus I'm sure they have my local guy's FFL on file, and it should get here sometime next week.


Way lower price from a very reputable dealer and faster delivery to boot. Damn, I hate when that happens....

I don't consider Sportsmans Warehouse, a local gun store. They have a local store but the money goes somewhere else. I tend to buy used guns, which Sportmans don't have. I don't buy used because it's cheaper (sometimes it is) but I tend to like older guns. Not that many shops around here anymore to dicker with. Just easier to find it on one forum or another, or sometimes, Gunbroker, If it's on a forum, lot's of people will take my check because I've been around a long time. That makes things easier, far as I'm concerned. Usually there's not a one to one situation to determine which is the one I want. Sportsmans is usually less expensive than Cabelas, although I think Sportsmans raised their price when Cabelas came in. I seldom (read virtually never) go to Cabelas to shop for guns.

if it involves work yes.

Buy local if you have to. that is the gun has any issues. you just have to follow the money.