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Talk about ammo gouging

Annihilator

Annihilator

Emissary
Founding Member
Went to my LGS today to pick a few boxes of .45acp, I was just down there this Wednesday when I bought my S&W 625, I picked up a couple boxes of Winchester white box, 230gr FMC for 30.99, today, the same ammo, 62.99!
No freakin way would I pay that much for it, 32.00 increase in just 2 days. They had tons of it, but at that price I ain’t that desperate.
 
I am willing to give retail stores the benefit of the doubt for prices in the $30's for common defensive calibers. I tend to believe stores that I have done business with for years when they say that distributors are charging high enough prices to justify a markup. Once you break into the $40+ area, that's when I become open to accusations of gouging. $62.99 for Winchester White Box is the highest I have heard from a reputable shop. Not only would I refuse to pay that price, I would avoid doing business with that particular shop in the future.
 
bigx5murf said:
That's the "new normal", I've personally been buying ammo through private sales. They're still gouging, but way less than retail, and online stores.
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As long as people keep buying at those prices the retailers will continue to sell at those prices. Buyers are the ones driving these prices.

Everyone gripes about the prices then they go out and buy a couple boxes at the inflated price. If everyone would stop shooting / buying for a couple months we would see the prices start coming back down.
 
papa said:
As long as people keep buying at those prices the retailers will continue to sell at those prices. Buyers are the ones driving these prices.

Everyone gripes about the prices then they go out and buy a couple boxes at the inflated price. If everyone would stop shooting / buying for a couple months we would see the prices start coming back down.
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I been saying this for months, lucky for me I was buying ammo before this pandemic so I haven't the need to buy any. But humans will be humans and do what they deem is necessary.
 
Prices seem to have stabilized in my area, albeit way above pre-Covid, and while demand is there it's also stabilized.

I have little need for more, but still won't be shooting like I have in the past. Will only pick up select items that are within my price-point tolerance.
 
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I've been somewhat lucky. I've been able to find somewhat decent prices online, but only after thorough searches. Nothing really for good defensive loads, but for target practice, yes. Not pre-covid prices, but not taking out a second mortgage prices either. I still get out about as much as I did before to shoot, but not shooting as much at each session. No more fun "mag dumps" at the end, to burn up ammo, just strictly marksmanship training. And for now, not burning up my defense loads, unless I can replace what I shoot with a reasonable price (which is not that often). Sometimes I feel like a online stock broker, and keep my credit card near me when I spot a good deal! lol
 
Was just able to order some 9mm Punch 124gr from the Federal site. Two bxs per order permitted. 20rds per box, at $18.99 per box. After s/h and tax, order for the 2 boxs came to $52.98. It's PD ammo, so it's not like I'll be taking it to the range to burn through.
 
chrisjohnson65 said:
I've been somewhat lucky. I've been able to find somewhat decent prices online, but only after thorough searches. Nothing really for good defensive loads, but for target practice, yes. Not pre-covid prices, but not taking out a second mortgage prices either. I still get out about as much as I did before to shoot, but not shooting as much at each session. No more fun "mag dumps" at the end, to burn up ammo, just strictly marksmanship training. And for now, not burning up my defense loads, unless I can replace what I shoot with a reasonable price (which is not that often). Sometimes I feel like a online stock broker, and keep my credit card near me when I spot a good deal! lol
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It's been the opposite for me, hard to find training ammo at a decent price. But I've found hollow points at pre-covid prices a number of times.
 
KillerFord1977 said:
Millions of new gun owners that never bought ammo have no clue that 9mm was $8.00 for a box of 50.

so any price the store sells it for, the new consumer has no price comparison from “a previous purchase ”, so the store can get top dollar
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Thinking that's a lot of it from what seen around here too.

Buying guns w/o checking for ammo 1st is like buying a printer w/o checking out what refill ink costs before hand?
Neither work as intended w/o their correct "ammo." But, then again, a gun may still print w/o ammo? Go figure? :)
 
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There’s another reason for retailers pricing an in-demand item (in this case, ammo) high:

It actually keeps more of it available for more buyers.

If the price it cheap, people will come in, buy it all, and resell it. Even if retailers ration it, people find work arounds (and we’ve seen people here talk about doing just that in other threads)—have friends, wives, kids, etc buy ammo for them—not necessarily for reselling, but because “the price is good, and I need more”.

However: if the price is high, people will buy just what they need to get by, there won’t be a profit margin in reselling, so there will be more for others. People (like myself) that have a comfortable stock will pass up the high prices (I do buy ammo—for friends who need it, mainly, or in calibers I am very short of...dang it, I thought I had more 6.5 CM than I did!)

In a way, it actually prevents gouging (the hyperinflated resale market).
 
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