E-Mail 'Running a Gun Show Business - Part 2' To A Friend

10 Comments

1. I don’t like gun shows. I get worked over if I’m not careful. I was looking for a .50 cal scope, the kind that wouldn’t shatter the reticles when fired. Remember these people have paid for a table, transportation, hotel, even taken time off from work to sell you something. They will say anything, in my opinion to get there fair compensation for their expenses. I had to toss the scope in the trash after the first shot. I bought online, where there’s a factual description you can depend on being truthful and also a much wider variety to select from.

   Not all gun show hosts are like this, but I’m too stupid to know when I’m being bamboozled.

   1. JD,

      In this day in age with technology at our finger tips it is very easy on an iPhone or android to google a “reviews for (insert what you are looking at)”. I’ve seen items that seemed like a good price then Google reveals that it is a waste of money. I have had the opposite occur too. Buyer beware.

2. “A man has got to know his limitations.” If you cant swim, stay out of the water!

3. Fun read. I know the article addresses being a seller. If, like me you are more of a buyer my experience might help you too.
   I remember attending the Washington Arms Collectors (WAC) show a few years ago. Before I left the house I grabbed the bolt out of an old Remington Scoremaster bolt action 22. The rifle was a family heirloom that had a broken ejector for decades. I found a table with a bunch of NOS parts, I handed the guy the bolt and he pulled one out of his box.
   $15.00 plus he had NOS Remington magazines for the same rifle. I spent $40.00 at his table and I made my father in law very happy. Priceless!
   If you have an old firearm that needs a small part, take that part with you. You might luck out.

4. I like gun shows and I have enjoyed this article. I agree with the comments, sometimes you buy something that is not right, the gun shows 30 years ago were better, I liked the gun shows when everybody was dealing out of the bed of their pickup in the parking lot, sometimes guns are cheaper thru gunbroker & the FFL transfer, yep a lot of negatives. So, I will mention some positives that I have experienced. Local shows are usually small around here, but I look for private sales and target steel (heavy & expensive to ship), and primers without the haz-mat fee. The big show in the mid-south is the Tulsa Wanenmacher show.

   http://www.tulsaarmsshow.com/home.html

   If you haven’t been to Tulsa, you haven’t been to a show! While you still get the kettle corn, with 4,200 tables there are plenty of guns and gun related items to look at. My buddy and I have had a few tables at Tulsa for 20+ years, so we have seen the good, bad and the ugly. While most of the gun dealers are FFL holders, there will be 100s of private sellers. Most southern states allow the resident to legally purchase a long gun from a dealer from a state that borders their own state. So, for me, most dealers can sell me a new AR or any long gun or shotgun. I like older guns, so 20+ years ago I got a Curio & Relics FFL (C&R), which allows me to buy any gun 50 years or older from either a FFL dealer or a private citizen. If I want to sell C&R guns at my table, since I am out of state, I just put up a sign “FFL or C&R needed”. More and more collectors are getting C&Rs. The ATF is there, so you want to do the legal thing. Lots of good suggestions on selling in this article. Only one to add, we have used a black fabric screen netting (bought at Walmart) for a few dollars, we lay that over the antique guns, when the show is really busy, and your attention might be distracted to discourage theft. The Tulsa show now has cameras and that has caught a few thieves.
   I agree with JWR, always price everything, be friendly, encourage people to pick things up, be ready to deal. For the young readers, CASH is king, leave your debit card at home. Most of the dealers will take plastic, but most of the other sellers want cash.
   If I am looking for a hard to find item, it can usually be found at Tulsa, sure it might be on gunbroker, but you might have 5 guys that really want it also, and the price quickly goes above your budget or what it is worth. For instance, I was looking for a M73B1 sniper scope to complete my 1903A4 sniper rifle, at Tulsa I actually found 2, as I was purchasing the scope, I asked the older gentleman who had the table if he ever sold on the internet, like gunbroker. He laughed, “heck no- I like selling at gun shows”. So, not every item is available or cheaper on the internet, there are a lot of old guys who would rather do the gun shows, and some of those may have the treasure you are looking for. Having a table at a show gives you the opportunity to see the many items people bring to the show ‘to sell’. While many of the younger show goers will have modern guns, some have just acquired grandpa’s pistol and are looking to buy an AR.
   We have bought many antique guns and C&R guns below value for cash, because the dealer who had the AR did not want to trade. Especially at the end of the day, they will carry it around expecting to get retail, but eventually come back to accept your wholesale offer. As a table holder you want to ‘buy it right’. Now, when I am visiting a show and walking around my local show with a gun to sell, I would not expect a table holder to accept retail. If I want a higher price, I need to market to the local show attendees. Table holders are like gun-shop owners, unless they want the gun for their collection, they need to turn it, and make a profit.

   1. I know of one individual who specializes in large fishing tackle boxes full of every spring, pin and sear for every old rifle known to man, at the WAC shows. He may be the one who actually hooked you up. He’s also a regular at the Centralia, WA monthly shows. Also shows up at some of the Portland (The Devil) shows.

      He’s part of that generation of vendors that plankowned the modern gun show since the 1970’s, and we’re rapidly losing them.

5. Jim, this is a wonderful article. For many years, as a kid (age 9-12) my father would bring either myself or my brother to gun shows either at Fire Halls or Shiners facilities or little towns in Pennsylvania such as Honey Brook. I worked the cash register (back then in the 1970’s that was fine and we just kept our quiet and listened) and learned how to do the math in my head for sales and then how to count out change. It brings back a lot of memories, listening to all of the guidelines you offer which sound so familiar.

   Funny enough, I later used a number of similar principles in business. Thank you for writing such a thorough and wise piece. The folks at gun shows and their willingness to share info makes that community, for the most part, special. Stay well.

   T.R.

6. Jim,

   Thanks for the article. Had to laugh about not selling books if you have dirty military surplus. I had a small part time surplus business and did local gun shows and flea markets. I ultimately gave up the retail gig and did it wholesale and did very well. I took a promotion at work and that ended that business. I was reading your article thinking that there seems to be some difference in shows based on what region of the US you are in. Do you only do shows in the Redoubt? Around me little shows at fire department social halls are the number one venue. If we want a bigger show we have to go to Pittsburgh or over to Ohio. I was shocked at how much stuff walks off!!! One of the book dealer I often saw would have one copy out of the wrapper for people to thumb through. If you you bought one it was in the cellophane. One observation I have is buy some inventory when the market is flooded. I remember buying 440 round cans of Russian 7.62x54mm for $40, now a can is over $200. Remember when the 26.5mm flares and flare guns hit the market? $10-$20 for a box of flares or smoke. I stocked up on a few boxes of the parachute flares and now you can about name your price on a box of those. Those might be bulky items but the prices have increased dramatically. I seldom buy guns at a show. I almost always go for ammo and military surplus.

7. As for my own micro-enterprise at the shows, I’ve been minimizing my ammo on the table and focusing on preparedness supplies: Small LED flashlights, headlamps, cap lights, “affordable” survival knives, machetes, shoulder bags, universal tactical MOLLE holsters, etc. Basically anything that moves. However, most of the preparedness gear I sell is stuff that has personally appealed to me, and have been able to get a line on from other vendors.

   I’m basically just a flipper: I get my stuff from the internet and Ebay, brick and mortar retail, and bulk deals from other vendors. To me, the shows are like the floor of a stock exchange.

   As I’ve told other vendors, “I’d sell Pink Flamingos at the shows if they’d move.” I keep and analyze my sales data to see what moves, and at what prices people are willing to pay for things.

   Once in a while I’ll strike out. For instance, one of VISM’s newer products is a low-cost “PEQ,” or rifle-mounted dual laser box: Normally over $1000.00, these PEQ boxes were retailing at around $100.00! And, there was at least one good independent review on YouTube. These visible and non-visible lasers for use with night vision are a force-multiplier for us Survivalists! However, as far as the GDP (Generally Dumb Public) was concerned, you could have heard crickets.

   It’s all about knowing how to hustle. Many of my customers simply don’t research anything. All it takes is a smart phone. Otherwise I’d have a lot less customers…

8. To expand upon Jim’s point about watching your table like a hawk – Don’t rent more tables than you can keep an eye on. If you need more table space, find someone to do the show with you – your kids, your spouse, your parent, a friend, someone from your shooting club who has a few things they want to sell. Anyone who can watch the table(s) while you talk to customers and when you need to take a bathroom break. We had a few friends who would come to the shows as our helpers. When we weren’t too busy, they could browse the show and they got in for free, but when we got slammed, they were there to help out and to keep an eye on things.

   Also, bring your own drinks and lunch or snacks. The food at many of the venues will be overpriced and, quite often, you won’t be able to leave the table long enough to wait in line at the concession stand, even if you have someone helping out. We actually did shows at one venue that tried to tell the vendors they weren’t allowed to bring in food from outside. The vendors pretty much told the venue management where they could get off. Most of us couldn’t afford the time or money to get our food from them.

   Sunday mornings were always slow so that was when the vendors got to browse and shop. My husband would usually check on the other vendors while I watched the tables and handled any customers who might show up. I very seldom got to do much shopping at the shows. If I happened to be looking for something specific – a particular gun, mags or a leather belt, I would wait for a lull in business and take a half hour break to look, but otherwise, I was at the show to work, not to shop.

Comments are closed.