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96 COMMENTS

      • Because letting the free market set the price in an open auction is disgusting? I suppose you also support economically illiterate “gouging” laws.

        • +1

          the irony is that gouging laws hurt businesses and make products unavailable to those that truly need them.

          case in point: hurricane sandy. selling gasoline at the same price only ensured that people that needed gas couldnt get it because somebody else got in line first and obtained some “just in case” rather than on a “needs” basis.

          Another irony is that the black market flourished. people were trucking down to new york/new jersey selling gas for 45-60 dollars a gallon because there was no fuel in gas stations. they had NO problem selling it either because those that needed it payed it forward.

        • when that dericho storm hit wv last summer i was driving around with gas cans and some people in line just stopped randomly and asked for some and offered ten a gallon. I could get gas for like four something so i doubled my money and just drove thirty minutes away and got like fifty gallons to do it again. funny thing is some might think i was gouging but those folks trying to get home stuck in a six hour gas line to maybe get gas had no problem, actually were fighting each other over paying me twice as much. the last guy gave me 20 a gallon just so he could get enough to get to the next station.

        • Nothing like driving the prices up so noone can afford them. Sounds like a Democrat ploy for gun control…?

      • Dont worry Nate, (actually, we should all still worry at this point, but the libtards ability to get an AWB through is REEEEAL tough) the factories are working overtime to fill the void and try to cash in on the high demand. We will see a VERY significant drop when this happens and the chance of a ban subsides, while many rifles flood the market.
        Gulp…..I hope.

        • Yup.

          I am seriously thinking about selling my AR to someone who is willing to pay a premium to be ‘inb4theban’ and using the money to replace it once the market is flooded. I’m supposed to feel bad because they didn’t discover their deep love of shooting semiautomatic rifles back when prices were reasonable?

          Um, no. An AR-15 is not an essential good you cannot live without.

        • Rosignol: As if to illustrate my point, I made an order for a Colt 6920 for $1,049 and was told the price may be higher when/IF I got a call months later. This order was made on the 22nd (8 days after the shooting). I literally came home from that gun shop and called another to ask if they had any Colts. They said yes, and I asked how much……..”THREE THOUSAND, and they are really moving”. I just got a call yesterday (one nervous month later) from the gun shop saying my Colt was being shipped and I could pick it up in a week. How much, I asked. $1,099…..a fifty dollar increase.
          People, do NOT let yourself be skinned alive out there!
          My God, can you effing imagine paying 3K for a 1K gun? Alot of poor bastards just got a painful economic lesson, and a lesson in thinking before panicking.

    • At my Local Gun Show SKS’s were going for about $450 a pop. I just sold my Tapco 20RD magazine for $50, and my intrafuse stock for $100.

        • Back in the mid-90s the local sporting-goods store (Big5) frequently had garbage cans full of ’em. The going rate was $89.

      • Alameda County fairgrounds, Pleasonton, California about 12 years ago. Gunshowa were still allowed then and SKS’s were considered Curuios and Relics. You paid for it, filled out a sales slip and walked out with it. You could do the same with Mosins, Lee enfields Mausers, any of the old school military rifles.

        Now, no more gun shows at the fairgrounds and waiting periods for all. So much for our rights.

      • Bought one brand new in ’88 for $59.

        Norinco, spike bayonet still slathered in cosmoline. It was the only affordable rifle a poor sophomore in high school like me could afford. I dearly wanted that Type 56 but at $289 it was only a dream. Back then 20 rounds of honest to goodness Chinese steel-core went for .99 cents! When I sold it off a few years later the last thing in my mind was how much I’d eventually regret doing so.

  1. you should see the ridiculous prices guys on calguns.net in CA are asking for AR’s. Unfired, basic furniture COLT M4 semi-auto’s with bullet buttons and a 10 around mag for $3500!! These people should be ashamed of themselves.

    • For offering a product at the current going price? They should be no more ashamed of it than if they sold it 2 months ago for $1200. Someone in the market is willing to pay that much for it, let them do so. Their choice.

    • Why? I just sold two AK’s with 4-5 30 round mags each for a total of $2900. I listed them for sale, and buyers pulled out cash and placed it into my hands…no coercion. For my part, I turned around and immediately bought nicer weapons…things I had always wanted to own (a 9mm series 70 Colt Commander and a Springfield M1A). What exactly should I be ashamed of?

      • +1 Smart.

        The thing is, I like my AK too much to sell it… too bad I don’t got a cheap SKS around that I can pawn off for big bucks.

        • I like my AK and SKS too much to part with them, but I can’t say I haven’t given it serious consideration. I just need to get my stockpile up so that if(when) this ever happens again I’ll be able to cash in on the market. I did sell a 20 round SKS magazine for $50, the auction started at $0.01, and a tapco sks stock for $100, the action also started at $0.01.

        • i just sold a spare Russian SKS for 700 bucks. never thought id see the day where SKS rifles are bringing in more than what you paid for.

      • For taking advantage of the situation and further inflating the market for everyone. Making a little bit is ok, but gouging people by taking advantage of the silly season is something else. You should be ashamed IMO. What, will you sell water at $100 per gallon to a dying family during a natural disaster? Sounds like the answer is yes.

        • So I should be ashamed for being better prepared than the next guy and taking care of me and mine. Well, I’m not.

        • We don’t have a natural disaster. We have a politically created disaster that it now looks like will blow over in a few months. Will those people be angry they spent $3500 for something they can get then for a third of the price? Yes, but they have no one to blame but THEMSELVES.

        • Say what you will guys….fortunately I bought all the ar’s, ar10’s and ptr’s I need…so I’m not one buying at ridiculous prices. I could sell some and make a mint right now if I wanted. not interested. I don’t need the money and would rather keep my arms. The fact remains if I wanted to sell a couple, I wouldn’t gouge people. Id find a friend/coworker and sell it at a very reasonable price – to bring a new gun owner into the family. I wouldn’t try to line my pockets by taking advantage. I guess it’s just a difference in character. Point blank.

        • So many of these auctions start with $1 listings, this is what the market will bear. Should these people be ashamed of even listing them on the auction sites?

        • If selling water at $100 a gallon is the way to make sure the family only buys what it needs, not what it “wants” then that is the moral thing to do. Or would you rather one family horde all the water so others die of thirst? Gouging laws are economically illiterate.

        • “What, will you sell water at $100 per gallon to a dying family during a natural disaster?”

          yes, if supply is very limited. this will ensure those get the water that they need versus those just buying cheaper water “just in case” (which is what happened to gas stations after the hurricane season).

          call me a cold, evil capitalist. i have no obligation to sell my water at a fair price because i took advantage of cheap, plentiful water before a crisis. its not my fault others chose to make excuses instead of preparing.

  2. to be frank, i dont blame people for selling at these prices. the laws of supply and demand are in effect here. it amazes me that people are actually bidding on these items and making these purchases at these prices. never underestimate the unpredictability of markets during a crisis.

  3. i suppose this is a measure of gun control… make retailers raise prices so high only those who truly want it can get it

    • This was the strategy by the gungrabbers, divide and conquer. Turn us against each other and get them gun prices high! They knew there would a gun buy-up as soon as this gungrab legislation was announced.
      I blame the politicians and the gun hoarders, they are both mostly against us in this fight. And by hoarders I’m not talking multiple firearms in the safe or home, I have a coupe dozen I’ve obtained over the years, about 15,000 rounds of different ammo, accessories, scopes ect. I could be considered a prepper. I’m talking about people who buy up everything in short periods of time or those who collect excessively over time. I had an uncle and a grandfather who hoarded weapons not for profit but to have them, after they passed the guns went to a few relatives or to auction, many were seized by LEO, most had never been shot. What was the point? My uncle had a dozen CARs and over 20 AKs, along with many Vietnam and WW2 weaponry and hundreds of handguns. At some point it becomes a sickness for some I think.
      I have three ARs and four AKs, I plan to sell one of each to a friend or relative at a low price as I did for a co-worker last week who couldn’t afford one. If you got some extra guns be decent and let some of them go to folks who need one.

      • the problem is those that do not take advantage of inexpensive guns and ammo during good times then decide to buy during a crisis.

        stop blaming others and take some responsibility for your own actions people!

      • “I blame the politicians and the gun hoarders, they are both mostly against us in this fight…”

        “I’m talking about people who buy up everything in short periods of time or those who collect excessively over time.”

        ill also add to my previous comment,

        the irony of those statements is so thick i could whip it like butter.

        you bitch about high prices due to increased demand then blame “gun hoarders”. what do you think perpetuates hoarding behaviors? thats right, lower or the same prices despite the substantially increased demand. Prices increase because those that feel that they need a product will purchase those products for that price. a hoarder that already has several ARs and AKs (like me and i resent that statement) has no incentive whatsoever to spend more money for a AR or AK. somebody that doesnt have one and needs one is able to buy one, albiet for more money.

        low or the same prices in a time like these only caters to those that get in line first. regardless of what you may assume, those that need ARs and AKs are definitely out buying them right now and those that dont need them simply arent.

        i simply invite you to obtain your FFL and start your own firearms and accessory business and sell at “reasonable” prices if you think these behaviors are immoral. you will be out of stock within a day, with no new inventory arriving within six months to a year (or two years in some cases), then you will go out of business. i doubt your distributor will give you a “fair” price when other businesses that are “gouging” will pay more for products or simply have the capital to buy more and expand their profit margins.

        • Yup. Some people will pay too much for stuff now, so, if/when the AWB bill starts to appear like a libtard pipe dream, and all these rifles start showing up from the various companies filling the high demand void, PRESTPO….falling prices…..and a lesson on supply and demand that the person will learn for other times in life.

        • i think that is why companies like daniel defense arent increasing their factory prices for dealers: they know that there is a good chance any AWB will fail and it will be business as usual.

          I give it six months for ARs to be in stock (a year for some models). a full year until prices decrease and another year before the overall market prices normalize.

    • Around here rounds for that AK (assuming 7.62×39) are cheaper and easier to find than .223 Rem for a Mini 14. Something to keep in mind short term.

    • If you want a Mini I’d say go for it. They are outstanding rifles. Big parts and not many of them kinda like the AK.

      I’m sure some fellers would call me crazy but if it came down to it I’d part with my AR before I parted with my Mini. In the 15 years I’ve owned my Mini I can count four failure to feeds all from the same mag of some reloads where I was trying to skimp on the powder charge (shouldn’t do that with W748 anyway). Factory ammo has been 100% – milsurp brass, steel case polymer coated, steel case lacquer coated, you name it.

  4. How can anyone blame a seller that starts an auction at .01¢? All they did was list it. I do think these prices are getting silly though. Unless you live in a commie state, their will be no AWB. Ain’t gonna make it through congress.

    • And when the people start to sniff which way the winds a blowin and a whole crop of new rifles hit the market…….POW….er….POP POP POP (the sounds of gunfire, and the great gun bubble bursting).

  5. I just sold a DPMS Carbine Lite with a few accessories on it to a co-worker last week for the 500 it’s worth, I paid 699.99 new about 5 years ago, about 1000 rounds through it(not the claimed 100 or 200 rounds you see in everyone’s ads on armslist). He damn near cried. His need to grab one was causing friction in his marriage as his wife could not justify or agree on spending 1,500+ for one. It sickens me how us gun folks turn on each other in times like these. I even threw in a few 30 and 20 round mags and some crappy 55 grain rounds.

    • Amen…that’s what I’m talking about. To a co-worker, I would have sold it “retail” 😉 but you’re an even better man than me I guess. 😉 A closer friend would have gotten it from me for that same $500.

    • Good on you, man. I understand the reasons, both good and bad, that this price increase wave is happening. But seeing someone sell so fair it makes a loss for them just to guarantee another American is armed, it’s very touching. You didn’t have to, it wouldn’t necessarily be “wrong” if you didn’t, bravo for doing it anyway.

      • Sheezuz, pathetic for sure.

        I’m all for making a nice premium in these times but trying to nail someone straight up the keister like that takes a different kind of fella than me. My Momma, bless her heart, would slap me sideways for asking those prices.

    • us capitalists will keep the “price gouging cry foul” jokers in mind when good times come again. well stock up with excess and make a huge profit when another panic comes along.

      as long as people are buying those products (which they are), then how does that make them predators? i swear some of you dont have any idea how the free market works or are fair weather free market supporters.

        • There is a difference between capitalism and greed. Greed is what got this country into the mess it’s in now…

        • Lars: Fair is Obamaspeak. We aint talking food and water to starving children, for pete’s sake. Would I soak a family member? Only if they soaked me, and maybe not so bad, if I was doing better than them financially or they were in dire straits. Would I maybe ramp down the crazy price a bit so the item would sell faster and I would maybe feel a bit better (and more…gulp…communal)? A little bit, sure.
          Some of these people who are buying crazy need a wee bit of a lesson in patience and on panic buying, dont you think?

        • “There is a difference between capitalism and greed. Greed is what got this country into the mess it’s in now…”

          you dont know very much about business and free markets do you?

          let me drop some knowledge on you:

          the reason why prices arent the same is because if they artificially remained the same, all inventory would be sold out and the owners of the businesses that kept prices the same would have to wait six months to two years before they got new inventory. they will be out of business.

          those that raise prices sell to those willing to drop the cash (which is right now). the raised prices compensate for the lack of inventory and the guns that would otherwise be sold if the price remained as low as the pre-CT levels but cant due to restricted inventories. The raised prices allow them to offset low inventory so that they can keep items in inventory and compensate for longer waiting periods, which adds to their line costs (known as overhead, i.e. electricity, taxes, rent/loans, employee pay, etc).

          and that is how businesses are affected by the laws of supply and demand. this is just a generalization but nevertheless should paint a clear picture on how reality really works.

          businesses dont raise prices to f^ck with people. i promise you. 99% of business owners are not psychopaths that way (multinational corporations, though, can be beasts of a entirely different roar ;). they do it because they have to. this current government and their symbiotic relationship with massive corporate interests makes the atmosphere for small businesses very hostile. the antithesis of free market economics.

    • Here is the store that has those ridiculously priced guns for sale.

      Kramers Gun Shop
      (715) 752-3465
      Location:
      N8380 Poplar Rd
      Bear Creek, WI. 54922

      This is the address I was told to send DL info and payment to:
      Gale Kruger, PO Box 321, Cassville WI 53806

      Now you know who this particular ripoff artist is.

      • congratulations, you revealed yourself to be a douche bag needlessly highlighting a business for harassment.

        uzis, spectres, and MP5K semi autos are already pretty rare and were expensive before the obama scare. dont be surprised.

        if you dont like the prices, THEN DONT F^CKING BUY THEM!

        Im sick and tired of you self entitled ass hats thinking that everybody owes you cheap prices. nobody does. here’s a idea: how about you save your money now, get a second job, donate plasma, and wait until the prices go down again so you can buy a lot before something like this happens again?

        stop trying to get something for nothing.

        • Talk about ass-hat….and missing the point. Put down the whiskey, relax and try using your brain (ya’ cold, evil capitalist)

        • There ain’t $500 worth of plastic and metal in the damn things. Our overinflation of this commodity does nothing but help the libs keep guns out of the hands of people who want them. Yay free market!

  6. I have no problem with people selling at the prices the market will bear, I do hate to see people who know squat about firearms get screwed. On Texas Guntrader I’ve seen Norinco SKS go for $600. I got my SKS for free in 1991 when I bought a case of surplus 7.62×39. Worse are people paying over $600 for Glocks that are in stock all over town at four and change. When the dust clears there are going to be a bunch of pissed off folks with stuff in their safe worth a third of what they paid for it. I hope most of them are the gougers.

    • You touched on something I think a lot of us feel for and that’s the folks that don’t know any better hear the hype and end up spending way too much.

  7. It’s an auction, it’s not like Bud’s listed it at $2500…..the high bidder surpassed the previous bid by $1k, I’m pretty sure TTAG simply meant the pic to be a representation of the times, as crazy as it is.

  8. I found a LGS that is a little off the beaten path and they had ARs starting at $1100 (Colts) and up. A little higher than before the shooting, but only by about $100. They still had .223 in stock too, so I snatched up a few boxes of Wolf @ $8.50/20 rounds. It was refreshing

  9. As with most distortions in a market, those where demand can suddenly increase (thus price) while supply response can only slowly ramp up to meet it, we usually see some great disturbance at work. Electic generators in a disaster like Sandy. Or in this case, the calculation that the supply of AR’s will dry up. Both sides of the S&D equation.
    (Let us shake our fists at the gods for bringing a super storm on the east coast or earth quakes to the west. Hey, isn’t that where gun controll efforts are greatest? Maybe the gods are angry.)
    Anyway, many of the people that read TTAG already have 1-5 AR/AK’s. The concept of diminishing returns means that those who have see less value in an additional than those who have zero AR’s but see a great value in having ONE. This allows them to outbid you who already have TWO and keeps you out of the market because you don’t need one at that price. This mechanism allows those with out, to acquire and prevent those with, from hoarding. Those paying those high prices are thankful that horders are priced out of the market. It is rationing of scarce resource not gouging! A good thing. You know damn well that if you could, you would buy onother AR if it was ONLY $999.
    If there is blame to be had, it is not a rationing market but DiFi, Cuomo and the President.
    Quick poll: Who wants the President to implement price controls?
    ……..I only hear crickets,,,, and that’s a good thing!
    KCK
    BS Economics
    UW Wisconsin class of 81

    • “Those paying those high prices are thankful that horders are priced out of the market. It is rationing of scarce resource not gouging! A good thing. You know damn well that if you could, you would buy onother AR if it was ONLY $999.”

      exactly. I find it hilarious that the bitching is done on two fronts: against hoarders (which is the ugly cousin of the “needs” argument) and against high prices, both of which are essentially polar opposites.

      you can either have low prices and lots of hoarding/lower inventory, or no hoarding and high prices/more inventory. you cant have both.

      KCK, you hit the nail on the head. This “black rifle” drought is ensuring that folks that need ARs/AKs are definitely getting them and the ones that own a number of them have no incentive to buy any whatsoever. if ARs were 900 bucks and uppers 400, it would be business as usual for me: more buying and more building. Since rifles are 17-2500, and uppers 1-1500, then im sitting back and watching.

  10. Some folks are so, eh, enthusiastic about their 2A rights they forget there are other rights, namely, property rights.

    If one guy has property (gun), and another guy wants to trade other property (money) for that property, it is entirely their business how much goes to whom for what.

    If somebody thinks an AR or AK is worth $1,500 or $15,000, that’s really nobody’s business but their’s…unless, that is, you have, or want, one. If you have one you don’t want, or want to risk not getting another one in the future, then you have every right to sell it for whatever price you see fit. If you want one, and didn’t buy one before the market went crazy, you are pretty much stuck. That is simply the consequence of waiting too long.

    Lets not forget that the whole point of the 2A is to keep us free to do as we will, and that includes hiking up the price of popular guns and ammo.

    Personally, I didn’t think AR’s and AK’s were worth 2012 prices, and I don’t see the draw now. Then again, one tends to get spoiled with an SKS and M1A.

    Anyway, if you want to pay retail prices for your weapon of choice, simply place an order and wait for it. I doubt a significant ban will be passed, but even if that happens, manufacturers will come up with workarounds, if they aren’t working on them already.

  11. As to price gouging, no one needs an AR or Ak. That’s what they want. During times like these it’s best not to buy a gun at all. Let the market straighten itself out and then buy.

    For those that have no gun and want one now, Big 5 is still selling shotguns for a reasonable price. You can pick up a .30-30 for not much more. My son and I took a .30-30 to the range today and had fun with it. The ammo is available and cheaper than 5.56.

    There are a lot of ways to arm yourself without bankrupting yourself. And when this frenzy is over there may be some huge deals on panic bought guns. I feel a lot of people are melting their plastic to feed this frenzy and the cold reality of those incoming bills is going to cause a lot of hardship in these households.

    Would I be a gouger to offer a man a thousand dollars cash for a rifle I know he paid 3500 for six months ago?

  12. I just took this ad off NorthwestFirearms.com that is a regional site for selling/buying/trading mostly used guns. Seller wants $6,500.

    “Chinese Dragunov NDM-86 7.62×54 Rifle Milled Receiver – MINT (unfired)
    I have a near MINT (only scuffs on Scope rails), unfired, Chinese Dragunov NDM 7.62×54 Rifle Milled Receiver, Clinton Banned Norinco AK SVD AR sniper rifle for sale. Weapon was purchased for use in films, and has only been held, but never fired. Low serial number. This Chinese Dragunov is in near mint, collector grade, condition. Imported by KSI Pomona, CA. Model NDM-86 made by Norinco. Has 1985 date on the bottom of the receiver. Comes with the side mount scope (with eye piece, and rubber boots), three magazines, cheek rest, and hard case and small accessory kit with manual. Scope number, matching on stock (as it should). Very rare piece of history, only 1000 were EVER imported before the ban. It has a milled receiver and laminated wood and a new finish on both. Asking $6500, or partial trade/cash deal (like an AR and Cash). FYI: a Used rifle, not as nice, just sold on Gunbroker today for $7025.00.”

  13. Whenever these crazy things happen it’s fascinating to see both the sky-rocketing prices and the unbridled demand. I was thinking about this whole situation the other day. Put yourself momentarily in the position of being unarmed (I know for most of us that is laughable) and seeing the potential of not being able to procure a weapon in the future. Then once you have that in your head…ask yourself what you would be willing to pay to arm yourself. In that light a $2500 Bushmaster sounds pretty appealing.
    I won’t be selling any of my weapons. I am of the mindset that the prices you are seeing currently will be considered a major bargain pretty soon. My prayer is that I am completely wrong though.

  14. LGS is selling 5.56 ammo on consignment since they can’t get any.

    $30 per box of 20 rounds – any takers?

    I didn’t think so.

  15. I have 3 local gun stores in my town all of them are selling semi auto rifles and shotguns for 2.5 to 3 times retail, 2 of them have plenty of stock coming in and on the shelves but they are selling it quickly and have more coming in on a regular basis. I would understand if they marked them up 25 to 30 percent over msrp but 200 to 300 percent is too high and they are using scare tactics, just like they did last time, too sell these firearms by telling their customers that a ban is definitely coming even though the evidence shows otherwise. Meanwhile our local Gander Mountain is still selling firearms at standard prices even though their inventory is going out as fast as it is coming in! I will have the money in the next 3 months to make several large purchases, before this I would have tried to get what I want from one of the smaller dealers, now that I see them misleading and grossly overcharging everyone I will spend my money with the company that did not try to rip me off during this and when this surge in sales is over will probably watch these smaller dealers struggle after all of the customers that they ripped off go somewhere else.

  16. A buddy of mine sold his used Ruger SR556 with some toys (free floated quad rail, buis, and some lower end single power optic) for $2500 on Armslist and I thought that it couldn’t get any worse… An entry level AR for $2500…

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