Buy Local Or Online???

[cantbebothered]

Ello all!!

Super-noob here.
I have put many rounds thru guns that were not mine but never owned a gun and I am looking to get my first handgun: Sig P226 MK25 - I've shot it plenty as a lot of my friends have some variation of a 226.

Some people have it around town for a few hundred bucks more than what I can find it online (before transfer fees, etc).

Can you give me the pros and cons of buying from a local shop and buying online?
Generally, how much room is there to maneuver with these local guys: 5%? 10%? 0%?

Just want to make an informed decision with the most intel possible AND make it as painless as possible.

Thank you in advance.

[mrgoochio]

Same question.

Also, how much is a reasonable price for FFL to charge for their fees including DROS when purchasing a pistol/long gun?

[heidad01]

It depends on how much your time is worth to you.
If the price difference is up to $100 or maybe $150 for a gun that is less than $1k, I will buy it local. Support your local shops. They are on our side.
Dros fee is $25 no matter where you buy a new gun and you pay your local tax at dros time regardless of where you buy.

[cantbebothered]

Found it at CAP Firearms, in Lawndale.

They're super-friendly.
Price was right.
And it wasn't too far away from my house.

7 more days...


Sent from my iPhone
(Which means I am probably sitting by the car, confused.)

[lastinline]

I'm glad to hear that more gunshops are friendlier than in years past. I know there are still some rude examples out there, but not like it was pre-Internet. Some in the L.A. Area were particularly bad, but now those are all gone I think. The old Place that was near North Hollywood comes to mind......

[bsg]

Found it at CAP Firearms, in Lawndale.

They're super-friendly.
Price was right.
And it wasn't too far away from my house.

7 more days...


Sent from my iPhone
(Which means I am probably sitting by the car, confused.)

congrats. seems that you've found the lgs that you may want to continue to do business with. if it works, don't fix it.

although i've made gun purchases from Gunbroker auction site with no mishaps, over the past three or four years i've settled in with my favorite lgs. ironically, my lgs won my business while assisting me in an out of state gun transfer from a Gunbroker seller.

i make gun-related purchases from online stores as needed. of course, some are better than others. it's always a good thing to do some research and read reviews of a vendor before making the plunge of parting with the money.

most of my guns are early variants of current production models and guns that are no longer being manufactured. it would be impossible to find original, time-period OEM parts and accessories at my lgs. many of these items are obsolete and not available from any steady source. for these things and many other gun-related wants, i buy from the online auction circuit. Gunbroker and ebay have provided needed and wanted items that i otherwise would have no access to.