Gun Show Dealers Lie alot....

leeblackman · October 2001

Ever go to a gunshow and theres that guy who looks like a used car dealer born from two politicians on a full moon... (I just thought that up, no one copy it...)Anyway, you know who I'm talking about.And you pick up a gun, any gun, and they tell you, "Thats a one wholer there, it will shoot under 1" at 100yds." Then the next guy who picks up a different gun you here him say the same thing.Or it seems like ever person who's walking around trying to sell a gun tells you it will shoot under an 1" at 100, even if its a 12ga slug shotgun with a 18" barrel...I hate that, and they always seem to want more for that used one their trying to get rid of for some unknown reason, than you can go to the table about 25 steps away and buy one new.Some of those guys are worse than pawn shop dealers...Oh yea, no offense to pawn shop dealers, or use car salesman intended. But I still think you lawyers are the scum of the earth, LOL

varmit hunter · October 2001

You must have gone to the Pt Arthur show last weekend.

A unarmed man is a subject.A armed man is a citizen.

Evil ATF · October 2001

I agree, Lee. Especially on the pawn broker thing. No offense to all the decent and honest pawn brokers out there, it's just that every single one I have met is an ignorant *. I have a bad habit of paying cash for everything, guns included. I went out in search of a Desert Eagle in either .44 or .50 one day, just for fun.You've all purchased on impulse before, I'm sure. Well, I went into this pawn shop downtown and saw a NIB .50 Desert Eagle. I fell in love with that stainless beauty on the spot. I had $1,200 on me and asked the guy if I could take a look at it. The prick actually said "No!"!! Never had that happen before or since! He said that he didn't want me smudging the finish, because he had just cleaned it off from the last guy. So, I tell him I'm interested in buying it, but of course I want to at least touch it and check the action first. After all, I explained, my version of NIB means "NEW IN BOX", not "Fired only 400 times" like some folks. So, the jerk still laughs and says no. At that point I got frustrated, so I showed him my bank roll and my middle finger and left. I ended up buying a Benelli M1 Super 90 Tactical later that day. Anyhow, sorry about the tangent. You mentioned pawn brokers and I went nuts like a dog on the Post Man. (No pawnbrokers were harmed during the production of this post.)

varmit hunter · October 2001

Evil.I would have liked to have been there when you showed him your net worth.Good job.

A unarmed man is a subject.A armed man is a citizen.

Pelican · October 2001

I TAKE OFFENSE.

"Audemus jura nostra defendere"- - - - - - - - - - - - - It is useless to hold a person accountable for anything they say while in love, drunk, or running for office.

Evil ATF · October 2001

"I agree, Lee. Especially on the pawn broker thing. No offense to all the decent and honest pawn brokers out there, it's just that every single one I have met is an ignorant *." -The Great Evil ATFNothin' but love, Pelican Man. The disclaimer was for your benefit alone!

Got President? Evil in 2012!

nunn · October 2001

I used to work gun shows regularly, as many as 20 a year. I have met the guys you describe and simply either avoid them or examine their wares extra carefully. At any gun show you will find some, but you will also find the ones that will not lie to you, and will go the extra mile to make sure you get the item you really want, even if it means sending a customer to another dealer.I have met a FEW jerks behind the counters of pawn shops, but most are decent, honest, knowledgable people. Pelican included.Gun dealers are like any other group. Most are good, but some are not so good. I got quite a few repeat customers by treating them the way I would like to be treated.

Certified SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Egotistical Rogue, Evil, Dangerous Racist Moderator of the General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Email davidnunn@texoma.net Jesus is Lord!

lrarmsx · October 2001

There is a pawn shop her locally that used to snag me every time I walked in there. They wanted me to show them "how this worked" or "how that came apart". Usually they had an outragous price on the thing and didn't even know if all the parts were there. The best one was about a year ago I walked in to see a CZ 70 pistol on their display marked "Rare, $400.00". Not 12 inches away is another CZ 70, also marked with "Rare, $400.00". I had to laugh. If they are so rare, then how is it that you have two?It is true there are some good ones and some not so good ones out there. The "buyer beware policy" should usually be followed if you haven't dealt with the place before. As for dealers at shows, you'll see the same thing, some are good, some I wouldn't trust. Most of them I would. I've dealt with dealers at shows for over 15 years, there's only a couple I wouldn't trust. Most of them know their stuff. If you know at least an average amount, you'll easily be able to tell the good guys from the bad ones. As a rule you can tell by the way they interact with the other dealers as well as their customers. I've had some of the same people buying stuff from me for over a decade, I must be doing something right. Just like anybody else, I don't like it when someone knowingly screws me, so I try to never do it to them. I take it too personally when someone intentionally steals or knowingly tries to sell me something they know to be broken. Consequently I can't do it to someone else.About 4 years ago I had a guy telling people I had stollen the 50 round drum out of the box of his new Thompson 1927 .45acp. He later came in wanting to buy one of the drums. I told him that I had heard what he had been spreading around town and I didn't appreciate it. I also told him that the $795 gun does not come with a $500 magazine included for free. There is a cut out in the box for the drum, but it doesn't come with a drum automatically. I opened the factory sealed box that contained the last of the 50 round drums that I had. It was still in the wrap all oiled and sticky. I asked him if it looked like I had pulled this from his box since it would have been all oil soaked. He apologized for having thought such a thing. After he left the store he called and apologized again. I appreciated the apology, but I'd rather had him not say the bad things to begin with. By the way, I only sold the drum for $ 235.00. If I had sat on it for another couple of years it would have been worth at least twice that. In today's world, bad press can kill an industry or business, just look at the airlines. I don't think the rest of us can expect the gov't to bail us out if we fall on hard times. We have to depend on our reputation to carry us through. Find the good guys to deal with and avoid the others. I recently had a large sporting goods store move into the area. A guy in my unit used to work for that chain in another town. He was told, in training to be a clerk with them. "If a customer asks you a question and you don't know the answer, you are to make it up." In other words, "LIE". That policy at that store has sent more customers my way than I could ever begin to count. Most people are smart enough to figure out when they are being lied to. Of course their policy of "selling used guns as many times as they can get away with and calling them new", hasn't hurt either. I had a guy that caught them doing just that after I had to explain to him that going from new to used, a gun will drop in value. They had been giving him these great trade-in values on these "new" guns he was buying and later trading in for only a $20-25 loss of value. I told him the only way they could be giving him that kind of trade-in was if they were selling his "used" gun a second time and calling it new. A week later he came in and told me of them doing just that. I didn't know before hand that that was going on, I just knew that a used gun doesn't lose a couple of dollars after it is used with the warranty card sent in. After that he started wondering, "how many of the 'new' guns he had bought there were in fact used."Anyway, whether it be gun show dealers, pawn brokers, sporting goods stores, or gun dealers, if you screw with you customers, you probably won't do it to the same one more than once or twice. "Treat others as you would like to be treated." I think that policy is as sound today ( especially since Sept. 11th), as it ever has been.

Iconoclast · October 2001

There are idiots & thieves in any population of retailers. Once you have some basic knowledge, they are usually easy to spot. Have to wonder how they can stay in business with their ethics & attitudes. I particularly liked Evil's story. Every so often I've encountered dealers who acted as though they thought they were English Lords. Always a pleasure to take them down a peg. Let's not forget the other side of the coin. The truly obnoxious &/or arrogant (I'm not talking about bargain hunters or bargainers) bottom-fishers that come by & try to beat you down on a fair price - especially 10 minutes after a show closes. I had one member of a sponsoring organization paw through my goods at least seven times at a show, making the same ridiculous offers & then have the chutzpah come back after the show closed to ask what was the best deal I could give him. Said I'd give him a deal . . . his eyes lit up . . . "Take the ticketed price & multiply by three, or multiply by two & I'll shove them down your throat" or words to that effect [grin]. And yes, the goods (custom -order .351 SLR Barnes orginals) were well worth the price on them - I raised it at the next show & still sold all I had with me.

Gun Show Dealers Lie alot....

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