Off-roster profiteering?

[umd]

But if prices can't be raised, why bother? Sure, no 'gouging' will happen - but there won't be any goods in stock for anyone to buy.

bingo!

[bountyhunter]

I enjoy paying a premium for quality and/or hard to find firearms/curio's.

Reminds me of the guy who was selling a horse and said the price was a million dollars. The guy looking to buy said:

"Are you nuts? That horse is only worth $1000, that's what I'll pay."

The seller said:

"OK, I'll take $1000 but you missed the opportunity to be the only guy in the territory riding a million dollar horse."

[bountyhunter]

It's not that...it's supplying a demand. Which is a good thing.

Take Hurricane Irene in NYC. If there was a run on generators, prices should have been allowed to rise to slow consumption and to show that there was profit to be made by reallocating goods. If the local stores of a national chain sellout at twice the normal generator retail price, the national chain may decide to pull inventory from neighboring states and truck it in overnight...because it makes economic sense to do so. The more stores that do this, the more goods flow in, the faster demand is satisfied and prices drop.

But if prices can't be raised, why bother? Sure, no 'gouging' will happen - but there won't be any goods in stock for anyone to buy.

-- Michael

Sure, that plan would be so much better than the one where FEMA or the Nat Guard use their resources to bring in food, water and medical supplies for the people who desperately need them. Much better if there is a retailer who gets to gouge some poor schmuck... after all, that's the American way. If we just GIVE them stuff that their taxes payed for, that's filthy socialism.

Starving people with no water or power can be such whiners.

[ACfixer]

I own a generator and a decent supply of clean water and dried food, and If I lived near hurricanes I'd own twice as much food and water and two generators. The second one I'd sell to my whiney neighbor that was too stupid to buy a generator.

Remember the Looney Tunes cartoon of the lazy dog singing "Working can wait... this is paradise having no work to do....."

https://www.youtube.com/embed/UkZO6Qmc8sM

[elSquid]

Sure, that plan would be so much better than the one where FEMA or the Nat Guard use their resources to bring in food, water and medical supplies for the people who desperately need them. Much better if there is a retailer who gets to gouge some poor schmuck... after all, that's the American way. If we just GIVE them stuff that their taxes payed for, that's filthy socialism.

Starving people with no water or power can be such whiners.

How well did FEMA and the NG do with resupplying New Yorkers with generators?

-- Michael

[CalAlumnus]

Sure, that plan would be so much better than the one where FEMA or the Nat Guard use their resources to bring in food, water and medical supplies for the people who desperately need them. Much better if there is a retailer who gets to gouge some poor schmuck... after all, that's the American way. If we just GIVE them stuff that their taxes payed for, that's filthy socialism.

Starving people with no water or power can be such whiners.

Good plan. Who decides who gets the first delivery of generators? What are the criteria?

They should probably set up a process. Application form, review board, appeal options. You find out who the first generators go to in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, the profit motive incentives an entrepreneur to drive a few states over, buy a truckload of generators, and drive back, offering them to whoever values them most.

[Steve_In_29]

Hehehe - thought that would get some good remarks. Lol.

So are you going to sell the house for what you bought it for?

After all you bought the house to live in and not as speculation to make a profit on it right? So the "right thing" to do would be to sell it to the next person needing a home at the same price you paid wouldn't it? Or even better sell it to him for less then you paid since it is an obviously used house. After all you sure wouldn't want to gouge some poor slob just trying to find a place to raise his family now would you.

If the answer to this question is that you would sell it for CURRENT market value then you should stop trolling on the subject of guns for profit.

[Steve_In_29]

Good plan. Who decides who gets the first delivery of generators? What are the criteria?

They should probably set up a process. Application form, review board, appeal options. You find out who the first generators go to in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, the profit motive incentives an entrepreneur to drive a few states over, buy a truckload of generators, and drive back, offering them to whoever values them most.

But....but...but....that's not fair!! I have no money to buy your generator so you should give it to me for free because I want one too.

[Bullitt01]

Hehehe - thought that would get some good remarks. Lol.

Hehehe-C-N-B is getting more fun every post. Lol. smile

[riderr]

So are you going to sell the house for what you bought it for?

Better yet, buy some stocks, and after its price doubles, sell it back at the original purchase price. Don't gouge your brother!!! (... or sister).

[ArcherDog]

Assuming I wanted the Unobtanium XD 9mm. Found the only buyer willing to sell in California, took a day off work, drove 500 miles, transferred the gun at his buddy's shop for $100 fee, and brought it home, all told spending $2000 to get it. Decide I don't like it and put it back up for sale. Based on the logic of some folks here, I am only permitted to charge the $500 that Mr Arizona resident could buy it for at his LGS. Does this sound right? I may not ever get $2000 for it, but I wouldn't be unjustified in asking that, would I? Am I "gouging" as certain folks want to call it?

[1911aholic]

Don't buy from a profiteer. They don't buy a gun because they wanted it, they buy it to screw you! Just don't buy it and eventually they will lower the price. Some of these guys that have these off roster guns for sale have already been gouged themselves . They need to recover their expenses, so just hold off ! DONT BUY IT!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bonusweb]

I am sorry, but no - it is not a free market. It is a controlled market.

A controlled market is one where the government sets the price. I understand they have restricted the supply. But like with other products this happens all the time. Items once legal are outlawed ie ddt, lead gasoline etc.

So at the lower level it is free market, with government restricting supply above that. It comes down to use of words. It is generally accepted that free market applies when supply and demand and competitive forces are present.

Unlike people waiting in line at a government run store to buy a loaf of bread at a fixed price, like the former Soviet Union for example.

The government is interfering with supply, on a macro scale. I believe our topic is the micro scale, buyers and flippers.

Unless you want to talk about overall scheme of this, then yes this is a supply controlled market.

[ke6guj]

Don't buy from a profiteer. They don't buy a gun because they wanted it, they buy it to screw you! Just don't buy it and eventually they will lower the price. Some of these guys that have these off roster guns for sale have already been gouged themselves . They need to recover their expenses, so just hold off ! DONT BUY IT!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

but if that "profiteer" didn't buy that SSE gun last year to flip, it wouldn't even be in the CA market for you to purchase this year. If the only SSE guns bought last year were for those that were "really wanted" by the owner, there would be very few off-roster handguns in the market at this time.

[riderr]

Don't buy from a profiteer. They don't buy a gun because they wanted it, they buy it to screw you! Just don't buy it and eventually they will lower the price. Some of these guys that have these off roster guns for sale have already been gouged themselves . They need to recover their expenses, so just hold off ! DONT BUY IT!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So, let's say we have 50-50 split between profiteers and "true gun guys". If there were no profiteers on the market, the supply would be twice less. Moreover, the "true" guys are less likely to sell it, while profiteers are seeking to make a sale.
What do you think the market would look like, if the "true" guys are the only sellers there? I personally bought a few SSE guns I really wanted. Am I going to sell them? Nada. So, let's say you want P320 or G19gen4 or off-roster Shield, or whatever. Try and convince me to sell my toy