GUNSHOW TODAY = JUNKSHOW

0311marine

TODAY I HAD TO WORK THE TABLE AT THE GUNSHOW AT THE FAIR GROUNDS,ALL OF THE OTHER TABLES WERE MAINLY SELLING ALL USED GUNS THAT LOOKED LIKE THEY SURVIVED THRU NORMANDY,RUST FACILITY,AND A SCRATCH FACTORY,
OUR TABLE ON THE OTHER HAND STOOD WAY OUT CLASS 3,2,1 GUNS WE CARRIED BRAND NEW GUNS AND A FEW USED BUT IN EXCELLENT CONDITION OUR PRICES ARE AT 10% ABOVE DEALERS COST SO WE GIVE OUT GOOD DEALS ,BUY A GUN GET FREE AMMO OR A HOLSTER. WE DID ALRIGHT BUT HAD A FEW STOPPER LOOKERS WHO COMPLAINED ,ONE THING THAT IRRITATES ME IS A CUSTOMUER WILL COME TO ME ASK ME EVERYTHING IN THE BOOK ABOUT THE GUN AND I'LL TELL HIM AND SHOW HIM EVERYTHING WAYS TO DISSASEMBLE,CLEAN,MAINTAIN,RIGHT,AMMO,AND A LITTLE MARKSMANSHIP INSTRUCTION SO I SPEND ALOT OF TIME W/ A CUSTOMER WHO I THINK IS INTERESTED IN BUYING FROM US OR HAS QUESTIONS AND THEN I'LL GET A THANK YOU AND THEY'LL WALK OVER TO ANOTHER TABLE AND BUY ONE FROM THEM KINDA BUGS ME, I JUST WANT TO SAY TO THEM THANKYOU NOW PAY ME FOR MY INSTUCION I JUST GAVE YOU LOL BUT I HAD FUN TODAY I RAN ACROSS SOME OLD SALTY MARINES WHO TOLD ME STORIES AND IT MADE MY DAY


SEMPER FI

bambihunter

Stop shouting (turn off the caps-lock)!

I know what you mean about junk shows. I went to the one here in Oklahoma City last weekend. It cost me $8.00 to get in and there were MAYBE 1000 tables with half of them selling stuff that was in no way related to guns. I'll bet less than 1/4 of all the tables there had 1 firearm on it. There were tables selling rugs, coins, and even those dang Beanie Babies. Yep, that's where I'd sell them - at a gun show. I did wonder if they'd make good targets to take my stress out on spending that much for such a crappy show. If I recall the honest 3500 tables at the Tulsa Gun Show was $7.00 to get in...

0311marine

1 large table was selling candy and only candy i could maybe understand if was for a cause or something, but it wasnt?
candy at a gun show?


SEMPER FI

n/a

It depends on who your promoters are, and who they let in, our show dont let anyone in unless it Gun Related..That keeps the Quilting Bee at home where it belongs..



"A wise man is a man that realizes just how little he knows"
BIG DOG

0311marine

the promoters said a table had to be 95% guns but i guess not


SEMPER FI

offeror

I don't know how many tables we get at the Ft. Wayne Coliseum anymore but I don't think it's that many, but at least they are nearly all shooting related. Mil surp, antique militaria including old ammo, guns, gun books, hunting stuff, knives, scopes, reloading stuff, regional loads, even a gunsmith or two. About the farthest we get from guns is camping equipment and flashlights, which isn't too bad. That means that even though the show is smaller, it is more focused and filtered, and I usually walk the whole floor slow once and fast a second time to hit some highlights. Sometimes I carry a pretty big heavy bag to haul what I buy, sell and trade. I have to be careful not to buy heavy stuff early or I wind up wearing out my back or feet lugging it around. The hard cases with the machine guns on tripods don't bother with us anymore -- they probably weren't selling anything.

Some claim business is slow, and there are a lot of layoffs here, but I think the rate of shopping depends on the selection and prices too. If a Glock is $100 less at the next table, what do you expect me to do? Honestly, the last few shows have had less to choose from, but then again I have been tending to wait and go on Sunday, so if they don't have enough I may not even see it. The used guns are always worth a close look, but there is an occasional piece that looks like it has been lying at the bottom of the sea with the Titanic and you have to wonder why the heck they bothered. They all claim they have to leave so much behind and never know what to bring, you know... I think more of them could use business cards and web addresses illustrating what they left behind...

T. Jefferson: "[When doing Constitutional interpretation], let us [go] back to the time when [it] was adopted. [Rather than] invent a meaning [let us] conform to the probable one in which it was passed."

neatguns

The main reason that many gun shows are slow is the fact that many of the part time dealers and hobbyists have been scared off by the government. They say you can't "deal" in firearms without an FFL but make it near impossible to get one. The small guys who did it for a hobby or out of interest as a collector are the ones who had the best deals. I can think of a dozen or more "old timers" who are still around the area but don't set up at shows any more. So we are left with fewer FFL dealers who want to do a gun show. I hang on by dealing in collector and out of production guns and magazines. You probably won't find items like mine at ten other tables at the show. A niche market is what they're calling it. I would not think of trying to sell new Glocks or Sigs at a gun show. How boring. ZZZZZ.