Wholesale Sig Sauer Pricing

[Ranger P229]

Wow. $696.00 for a basic 229 in 9mm. A local shop has them at $949.00. This table was an eye opener.

[afdcomposer]

Below, I've inserted a JPEG of a spreadsheet that I created which lists the current wholesale Sig Sauer pricing for the more popular handgun models. (I haven't figured out how to insert a HTML table into a post. If there's a FAQ that I missed, I'm all ears.) Additionally, I've provided a link to the original pdf table, so you can DL it, if you wish. Be aware, this is pricing that an FFL receives from a distributor and it only comes from one source. Thus, you won't get these prices from your local gun shop (and if you do, call me quickly and collect) although I'm told there is little variation from the manufacturers. However, since everything is negotiable, this gives you an idea of how much wiggle room your favorite FFL has.

At best you know nothing about what it's like to run a specialty retail shop like a gun store. What, exactly, is negotiable? Try negotiating on the price of a new pair of shoes. For realsies?

This tells you nothing about "wiggle room" because, as you already know, there are multiple suppliers, and they obviously have what you would call "wiggle room" in their pricing as well. Rent or buy a storefront, get your FFL, and find out how much it costs to run and insure a business, and the try to turn even the slightest profit in something like selling firearms and accessories, and then see if you want some irate consumer waving this meaningless spreadsheet in your face, cursing you for "overcharging."

Get real, bro.

If you think a shop's prices are unreasonable, shop around, and use this forum to inform the rest of us of your experience.

Rep = negative.

Mods, at the very least this post is not in the right place. This section of the forum is for shop reviews.

Cheers,
afd

[BDK]

Wow. $696.00 for a basic 229 in 9mm. A local shop has them at $949.00. This table was an eye opener.

Yea, its an eye opener that they ain't making much of anything off a SIG sale.

[jbachert]

I'm not taking sides on this disagreement amongst people who are on opposite sides of the fence, but it does surprise me that people feel very strongly that "dealer cost" shouldn't be publicized for certain things and that people don't have a right to negotiate prices on certain items, but what about sites such as edmunds.com or kbb.com where they publish dealer invoice cost of cars and everybody expects to go in and negotiate for the best price on their cars?

I always wonder when and why it came to be that certain items (cars, houses, jewelry) came to be items that is was acceptable to negotiate on, yet certain items aren't negotiable.

Like I said....no particular side of the coin being represented here...just casual observations of the perception of the situation across different markets.

[renalp]

I always wonder when and why it came to be that certain items (cars, houses, jewelry) came to be items that is was acceptable to negotiate on, yet certain items aren't negotiable.

On many big ticket items, the real profit is in comissions, financing, insurance, etc., not the actual sale. Plenty of car dealers, for example, sell "at invoice" (which isn't really their cost, but that's another story) and do just fine.

BTW, before price guides were commonplace, car dealers made all the same arguments that consumers shoudn't be allowed access to "insider" information.

[firemanmark]

I'm not taking sides on this disagreement amongst people who are on opposite sides of the fence, but it does surprise me that people feel very strongly that "dealer cost" shouldn't be publicized for certain things and that people don't have a right to negotiate prices on certain items, but what about sites such as edmunds.com or kbb.com where they publish dealer invoice cost of cars and everybody expects to go in and negotiate for the best price on their cars?

I always wonder when and why it came to be that certain items (cars, houses, jewelry) came to be items that is was acceptable to negotiate on, yet certain items aren't negotiable.

Like I said....no particular side of the coin being represented here...just casual observations of the perception of the situation across different markets.

When you mention kbb.com etc and the "dealer invoice" cost on vehicles....what you are seeing on there is NOT the actual amount that the dealer pays the manufacturer for a vehicle. And comparing firearms to vehicles is like apples and oranges....Think of it like this where is there more "wiggle room" for negotiations?.....a say 20% markup on a $25,000 vehicle ($5000) or a 20% markup on a $600 firearm($120)? Everyone seems to forget that having an FFL is an expensive proposition when you consider the overhead involved.

[jbachert]

When you mention kbb.com etc and the "dealer invoice" cost on vehicles....what you are seeing on there is NOT the actual amount that the dealer pays the manufacturer for a vehicle. And comparing firearms to vehicles is like apples and oranges....Think of it like this where is there more "wiggle room" for negotiations?.....a say 20% markup on a $25,000 vehicle ($5000) or a 20% markup on a $600 firearm($120)? Everyone seems to forget that having an FFL is an expensive proposition when you consider the overhead involved.

I understand that the kbb.com invoice pricing isn't what the dealer actually pays. I am aware of dealer incentives, etc. It was just an example to illustrate that some items seem to be more "in the open" than other items.

Of course the dollar amounts scale up on a larger ticket item such as a car.

The great thing about a free market is that both the buyer and the seller are entitled to negotiate and either accept or decline the terms of an offer.

I have no problem with a dealer making a fair markup. I understand how businesses work. But at the same time (as with anything) there are fair and unfair dealers.

Here is an example - I was at a gun show and I wanted to purchase an Arsenal SGL-21 - two dealers had them. I saw the price at the one dealer - he was asking $795 (and was surely making what I would consider a fair and reasonable markup to make a profit and account for expenses).

Unfortunately I didn't purchase at that moment and continued to walk around the show. By the time I got back he had sold it. Another dealer had the exact same gun....and he wanted $950. I asked if he had any room in his price - he wouldn't budge.

Would you have attempted to negotiate his price in that situation knowing how much more he was asking compared to other dealers?

In that case I feel he was adding an excessive amount of "wiggle room" into his price and I chose to not purchase it.

With all that said - most people have no problem paying a dealer a fair markup. Seeing the dealer pricing isn't really letting the consumer in on information that they didn't really have a good inclination to in the first place.

[medsteele]

A situation like that is pretty cut and dry, and it's how consumers should gauge whether or not something is a good deal. See everyone selling a Gen 4 G17 for $575? Chances are that's what you're gonna pay, regardless of whether it cost the dealer $450 or $250.

And avoid the guy selling it at $675.

[medsteele]

Wow. $696.00 for a basic 229 in 9mm. A local shop has them at $949.00. This table was an eye opener.

That's only a 35% profit. My mom sells furniture, usually to the tune of 100% markup. It's not a ripoff.

[Pvandunk]

To OP Flat out Ridiculous. Wiggle room huh I have worked at the same shop for a long time and there is little or no markup in weapons as it is for us to keep a decent Profit and you think there is Wiggle room huh ... This is Flat out Stupid NEG Rep is on the way.