TexasCHLforum.com

Panzer Possum wrote:Is this for guns only or does Randall's count? I went into one last night and the prices were 30% higher than HEB.
Just trying to lighten the mood.

I'm sorry to hear about New Frontier. It's understandable if they're raising prices on new orders, but retroactively raising prices on product that was already ordered and confirmed is a really slimy business practice.

We're not sure what's happening. The key issue is that we can't sell below the MAP (technically, it's a UPP). They have not come back to me and said they are raising prices of products that haven't shipped yet, but that's pretty standard these days (and you can pay the difference or get a refund).

...annnd now the New Frontier lowers are $169. Up $20 from yesterday.

The world has gone insane.

C-dub wrote:Not only will pricing be what the market can bear, but there's also the whole supply/demand thing going on. Right not demand is really high and supply is really low. Up up up goes the price. Then CTD found the market would not stand for $60 pmags and reduced the price to $30. We'll see how long that lasts.

The natural type of supply-and-demand situations are driven by forces up and down the supply chain. The unnatural type (unethical, if you want to label it that way), are driven by end-point sale markup based on scarcity. I'm looking forward to the day CTD needs a plumber and there's only one in town

PBR wrote:

OldCannon wrote:Well, supply chain increases, due to ramping up manufacturing to meet demand, have hit me -- the New Frontier Armory lowers have been raised to $149 according to recent info from New Frontier. They've also correspondingly raised dealer prices.

Sigh.

They're still a good deal at $149, but it certainly diminishes the ability to influence buyers on price alone.

Worse: It looks like I might have to pay MORE for the order I placed early last month, which hasn't been fulfilled yet.

yea seen that on NFA's site they 149 now -- oh well its happening all over -- im still needing one if anyone has one or when you get some in

They're not gouging either. The problem is that they ramped up to meet demand (they tripled their output). Because of this, they had to reach out to other suppliers for parts, who are also under pressure to make lots of parts for manufacturers. All this capacity pressure means more hours, more equipment, and less negotiation room for buyers. That means everything gets passed down to dealers and buyers. Remember that supply and demand is NOT "Oh, 5 people want two things I have, so I'll mark my price high enough to sell to only two people." That's part of the equation, but only in a strategic sense.

Well, supply chain increases, due to ramping up manufacturing to meet demand, have hit me -- the New Frontier Armory lowers have been raised to $149 according to recent info from New Frontier. They've also correspondingly raised dealer prices.

Sigh.

They're still a good deal at $149, but it certainly diminishes the ability to influence buyers on price alone.

Worse: It looks like I might have to pay MORE for the order I placed early last month, which hasn't been fulfilled yet.

chasfm11 wrote:The Feds can drive up FFL costs and will use a law to close the "gun show loophole."

Actually, as an FFL, I would welcome a type of "gun show loophole" closure - that a gun show can either exclusively have private sellers or only allow sales by FFLs as a "sanctioned event." The reason I say this is that it would eliminate the "professional private seller" that you see working tables at just about every gun show on the weekends. These folks buy and sell used guns all the time and operate in the "private sale" bubble. The challenge is that there aren't enough ATF people to enforce existing laws on private sellers that are genuinely operating "in the business" of selling firearms, which requires a license (and all that nasty paperwork, you know?). So, right now, FFLs who have gone through great trouble and expense to operate a business (and all that pesky sales tax stuff) are receiving "competition" from sellers that have all the benefits and none of the overhead. It would not surprise me, in fact, if the ATF passed such a ruling, as it would require no statutory law, merely a clarification of what a "sanctioned event" is.

Of course, this is my solitary opinion, and it is clearly colored by my perspective (now) as an FFL. It's definitely not something I've suggested to the ATF (nor would I), but it's definitely an annoyance among the FFLs I know.

Dreamliner wrote:If some idiot wants to pay that much so be it, y'all should have stocked up earlier. I think eventually the manufacture and distributors will roll out a price increases to the rest of the supply chain and thus it will eventually cost us more for everything. I worry about the consumables like ammo.

There is speculation that the ATF will increase licensing costs next year for FFLs. At a minimum, given the Obamacare taxes kicking in next year, you should reasonably expect prices to go up across the board on most products, regardless of industry. The operating costs are extremely high now. Prices will NOT stay the same. Most places just won't say it's Obamacare taxes, because that's politically incorrect now. They'll just say "higher operational costs" (true) or "supplier cost increases" (also likely true) or "inflation" (true, but that's a separate problem).

It's true there's a free market economy, and that some dealers are raising prices. I find it somewhat annoying, and from my perspective, it's a solid indicator of how the seller regards his buyers - either as simple "cash transaction units" or "clients." I prefer to be in the latter, which probably explains why I've sold through every last lower I had in the last week. Sure, I could have jacked prices, made money, and bought somebody a few more presents at Christmas, but at what cost to my business? I know _thousands_ of people who will never visit Cheaper Than Dirt again because of their recent actions, possibly enough to destroy CTD as a viable company in the future. I never want to be that kind of company, because true customers have long memories, and I like having happy customers.

So, here I am with a bare "cupboard" (ok, I have a DB9 and a SIG 1911 left), but I know my customers (many of them are readers here) are patient for me to get more lowers. I expect to get them in a couple of weeks, and even though I paid extra on my end for a "rush shipment", I will STILL sell them for the same price as always.

If I think there is a real "unusual demand" for an item, I do what most small sellers do and place it for auction at a fair starting price. Even if I have one bidder, I make a reasonable profit, but if hundreds compete for that single item and want to pay more, I'm fine with that. No gouging involved.