Can you haggle with gun shops?

[Untamed1972]

Yes you can on privately owned shops( Mom and Pop) , Chain shops such as Turners have set prices

That actually isn't true.....because I haggled Turners down a little on a new deer rifle just a few months ago.

A lot of it will prolly depend on the gun in question though and how much mark up they have to work with. On a $400-500 pistol....prolly not so much. Get into something over a $1000 there prolly starts to be a little more wiggle room.

[Whiterabbit]

Awesome input thank you all!

Maybe a stupid question, but is "cash" strictly a stack of dollar bills, or does a debit card count as "cash" ?

cash must be green, and a green debit card does not count.

If your cash is metal, that won't be any better either.

And if your metal cash is copper colored, that will just make the shop upset.

[MrExel17]

I do all the time only with mom/pop shops and dollar amount knocked off asking price is always good!

[Dvrjon]

I haggle at Penney's and Mervyn's fer chrissakes.

Huh. Mervyn's bankrupted out a few years ago, and Penny's looks like it's on it's last breaths.

Now we know why.

JR

[PolishMike]

I like the guys that come in and do this:

"Hey buddy, I wanna buy a couple guns but Im only gonna buy em if you cut me a good deal. I want an that Colt AR, 5000rds of ammo, that 1911 and a Glock for the wife. Got cash"

So we work out a deal and break everything down and almost inevitably here comes:
"Ok - I'll just take the Glock for x price then. Here's my AMEX"

[Whiterabbit]

you break down the price?

"so what's the individual prices?"

"this is a package deal, there are no individual prices."

Maybe that would lose me the sale of a glock on an AMEX. Maybe that's why you are a businessman and I am not.

[Multra]

I like the guys that come in and do this:

"Hey buddy, I wanna buy a couple guns but Im only gonna buy em if you cut me a good deal. I want an that Colt AR, 5000rds of ammo, that 1911 and a Glock for the wife. Got cash"

So we work out a deal and break everything down and almost inevitably here comes:
"Ok - I'll just take the Glock for x price then. Here's my AMEX"

That is when you point at the door.

[Dvrjon]

I've found some will give a price reduction depending on what you're buying and how much.

However, I've also found real savings from shopping, price comparison and a request for offers.

Combine the two, and you've had a good day.

In December, I stated looking for a specific rifle. The rifle I wanted was on sale the previous month for $200 under list. I asked that vendor if he could sell at the previous sale price, Nope. List price now.

I approached two other stocking FFLs and asked if they could go $200 under list. One offered $100 under, the other said, "OK". (I felt like I'd left money on the table, and should have gone lower, but I got the price I had set as acceptable).

I went with the low price vendor, and while doing the paperwork, saw they had stripped lowers at a really reasonable price. I asked, considering my current purchase, what could they do on a price for 3 lowers? 15% off. Done. Consecutive numbers; pre-1/1/2014!

Went back to pick them up, and saw they had a Henry Golden Boy on the wall. I'd been looking for one, but they were all at MSRP and far more than I wanted to spend. There was dust on the gun (sad), so I offered 80% (I hate dusting ). Sales guy took it into the back to check with the owner and returned offering at 85%. Done.

It's kinda like dating pretty women....if you ask, they can turn you down.

But if you don't ask, they can't say, "Yes."

Cheers.

JR

[robcoe]

I was at a shop today, looking at a Colt AR15, 6920 and a Sig P226. I stupidly right now cannot think of the individual prices.. However I did ask if there was a multi-gun discount. He quoted me $2400 for both. Sounded good...?

It got me wondering, can you haggle? Meaning if I went back and offered to pay up front $2200 type of thing?

Also, thoughts on that price point?

after an agreement was made probably he won't deal(obviously you were willing to pay)

Generally, you can haggle anywhere, but they don't have to take the offer.

[TonyNorCal]

A definitely think a private gun store is a place to try a lower offer.

I'd throw this caveat in though...if it's a place you may come back to, I wouldn't necessarily throw out a really low-ball offer. The reason being that some folks get offended over such things. People shouldn't, but, some do. With some folks, if you piss them off, they might be less likely to work with you.

Some gun store types can be a little quirky or ornery at times (as most of us have seen). I'd say the goal would be to build a bit of a rapport with someone and engender some positive feeling. That said, I'd make an offer, but, something that is still in the 'reasonable' range. Sometimes you need to be a quick mental recon of someone, what your goal is, and try to manage the situation accordingly.

Non-gun related Craigslist buying, and people you'll never see again, low ball away!

[whipkiller]

I've had success a few times in smaller LGS's.

Given the choice I prefer to buy things in a store where I can touch them rather than looking at pictures on a website.

I tell them "This is what I can get it for online, but I'd rather give you the business. I know you guys have overhead so I don't expect you to match the internet price, but can you meet me somewhere in the middle?"

If you're respectful about it and you're talking to the right person, you can often get them to work with you, depending on the item and if they actually have room to wiggle.

[RedFord150]

I was at a shop today...can you haggle? ...

There used to be a Gun Shop in Whittier called Frontier Guns (I think?). Everything in the store was priced at MSRP on the tag. If you could produce a lower price elsewhere, they would match it.
If you did not know any better, they would be happy to sell at full list.
This was before the internet. I suspect this practice might have put them out of business. Or maybe it was just the lousy attitude from the owner and his Son.

[-hanko]

It got me wondering, can you haggle?

It gets me wondering...why would you even ask if you can haggle?

Awesome input thank you all!

Maybe a stupid question, but is "cash" strictly a stack of dollar bills, or does a debit card count as "cash" ?

You're saying you don't know if a debit card counts as cash?

For a transaction that allows you to get something in exchange for "cash", "cash" is defined as: "In English vernacular cash refers to money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins." Quote from Wiki.

[TonyNorCal]

Nothing gets taken more seriously than tangible cash in hand.

[Dvrjon]

Nothing gets taken more seriously than tangible cash in hand.

Carrying a bunch of Benjamins around a gun store, and flashing them to prove you have cash, seems a bit adventurous for me. And I have an LTC.

Every gun store I've dealt with, including those who surcharge credit cards 3%, has looked at my Debit card as cash-equivalent....no surcharge...."cash" prices apply.

JR