York, PA gun show March 2 & 3

**Thrillz** · March 5th, 2024, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by Marines55

..where the public isn*t interested in paying retail price.

Dead on right there. Speaking as a consumer who went and had several friends who went as well, we were all going there looking for the killer deals. Just so happened there werent many to be found (not a knock on anyone, just is what it is). Ammo prices were largely the same or more as what you can get online shipping included (though the guy in the main hall seemed to be selling a ton), and pretty well the same for the firearms and accessories. In this market/economy, people wanna get the best deal they can, and I saw A LOT of people stood in front of tables looking at a gun and then checking their phone for prices.

That said, I absolutely blew it and spent way way more than I wanted lol

**Marines55** · March 6th, 2024, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by Thrillz

Dead on right there. Speaking as a consumer who went and had several friends who went as well, we were all going there looking for the killer deals. Just so happened there werent many to be found (not a knock on anyone, just is what it is). Ammo prices were largely the same or more as what you can get online shipping included (though the guy in the main hall seemed to be selling a ton), and pretty well the same for the firearms and accessories. In this market/economy, people wanna get the best deal they can, and I saw A LOT of people stood in front of tables looking at a gun and then checking their phone for prices.

That said, I absolutely blew it and spent way way more than I wanted lol

We have been seeing the phone thing happen for the last 10 years. People pay the promoter $10-$15 to get in the door, then comparison shop the tables with their phones to save $8 on a gun. It*s nothing new and unfortunately has led many people to make poor choices as what they see on the internet is not the same as wha *tis on the table.

Ammo prices are dumb. Nothing more to say. I can get better prices on ammo seek than i can get through a wholesaler. This si the reason i dont do ammo*it*s heavy and you will never make enough money on it to offset the wear and tear on your body.

Deals are tough to find period. Like i said, i saw the most firearms for sale by show attendees i have seen in years at this show. All of them were well over priced and most of the time they were asking more than a dealer had them for on their table. Dealers cant find good deals anymore because people that are selling (or trying to sell) have some weird inflated price in their mind. I cant tell you how many people i get in the shop that when asked what they want for their gun, the first thing that comes out of their mouth is *well i see these online for**. If that is the first thing i hear from them, 99% of the time i know they want too much and i dont even try to tell them what their item is really worth. I did see one interesting rifle walking through the show that the guy wanted $1700 for. It was a decent USMC 0-66 marked Garand but it had some ugly pitting on it he wasn*t willing to budge enough for me to buy it even for my personal collection. Is it a buyers market? I dont think so. There just isn*t enough stuff out there priced reasonably for it to become a buyers market.

**fritz1255** · March 10th, 2024, 08:04 AM

There are LOTS of gun shows from February through May as shown by the listings on this forum. I went to two shows just yesterday. Many people have already spent more than they can afford or are saving up to buy something they really want. Some like me fit into both categories. Price your merchandise reasonably and sales will come. Not a buyer's market now but not a gouger's market either. People who buy older guns should be encouraged to get a C&R license which bypasses the misnamed "instacheck" process.

**hoytx10** · March 14th, 2024, 07:05 AM

I love it, I state the obvious that this is a buyers market and nobody can agree. Prices on literally everything in the gun world are the lowest they have been in 4 years since mid March 2020. Just so happens demand is the lowest it has been in 4 years also. But no, this definitely isn*t a buyers market, a buyers market is when I can pay the same prices I did before we had 30 - 40 percent instant inflation from pandemic money printing! Listen up, prices are not indicative of market conditions, you have to factor in inflation. When you factor in inflation, prices are generally lower now than before the pandemic.

**Marines55** · March 14th, 2024, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by hoytx10

I love it, I state the obvious that this is a buyers market and nobody can agree. Prices on literally everything in the gun world are the lowest they have been in 4 years since mid March 2020. Just so happens demand is the lowest it has been in 4 years also. But no, this definitely isn*t a buyers market, a buyers market is when I can pay the same prices I did before we had 30 - 40 percent instant inflation from pandemic money printing! Listen up, prices are not indicative of market conditions, you have to factor in inflation. When you factor in inflation, prices are generally lower now than before the pandemic.

Your statement is mostly incorrect but feel free to believe what you want. New firearms are coming down in price as wholesalers and manufacturers lower their prices. Used and collectible stuff*.not even close to your claims. When in doubt, just check the trader here*.prices on there are surely not coming down at all. Over the course of 20+ years in this industry, you will see patterns such as seasonality, collector interest, and panic buying. This all changes on a weekly/monthly basis. Unfortunately, it is still not a buyers market as the public is not selling. When we start seeing the public at shows walking around with one or two guns on each shoulder, that will indicate a buyers market. It is not even remotely close to that. Sorry.

**hoytx10** · March 22nd, 2024, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by Marines55

Your statement is mostly incorrect but feel free to believe what you want. New firearms are coming down in price as wholesalers and manufacturers lower their prices. Used and collectible stuff*.not even close to your claims. When in doubt, just check the trader here*.prices on there are surely not coming down at all. Over the course of 20+ years in this industry, you will see patterns such as seasonality, collector interest, and panic buying. This all changes on a weekly/monthly basis. Unfortunately, it is still not a buyers market as the public is not selling. When we start seeing the public at shows walking around with one or two guns on each shoulder, that will indicate a buyers market. It is not even remotely close to that. Sorry.

Perspective is reality.