Are retail prices over the top?

Equipment and accessories for shooting. Safes, firearm storage, bipods, carry cases, slings etc.

Are retail prices over the top?

Post by mickyj » 19 May 2019, 7:51 am

I’m new to shooting. My feel has been over the last few months buying guns accessories and the like that compared to general goods hardware etc one can expect to pay roughly 2-3 times as much for shooting goods. Is there gauging going on? Is there government sales tax or import duty on these goods? I dunno. But some of the prices for things I have found hard to swallow at times. Would be keen to hear what people think on the matter.. one possibility that went through my mind is that because of the heavy regulatory environment that there is a lack of competition in the market thus high prices. Anyway Over to you.....
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by TassieTiger » 19 May 2019, 8:59 am

Examples??
Tikka .260 (Z5 5x25/52)
Steyr Pro Varmint .223 - VX 3
CZ455 .22 & Norinco .22 (vtex 4-12, bush 3-9)
ATA 686 U/O 12g & Baikal S/S 12g.
Adler a110 reddot
Sauer 30-06 - VX 3
Howa 300 win mag. SHV 5-20/56
Marlin SBL 45/70
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by SCJ429 » 19 May 2019, 9:43 am

Open a gunshop and find out how small your margins are.

Just not a huge market here like there is in the States to make the economies of scale work for us but we get things at a fair price. Look how much a Tikka is in the US and compare to the price in Australia and the shops here are very competitive.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Member-Deleted » 19 May 2019, 11:59 am

Yes firearms are expensive but what isn't if you have been in business then you soon find out the true cost of getting something done or provided think of the machining ,moulding ,steel, and all else that goes into making a rifle then wages, tax, everything that goes with having a workshop insurance, permits, and on and on so are they expensive ? yes , but in most cases well founded i'd think but one positive is the firearm keeps its value if looked after
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Leadspitter » 19 May 2019, 12:57 pm

how long is a piece of string ?

if you smoke ciggys than you are going to pay whatever the shop asks , same with rifles and ammo cause importing yourself is not really practical.

$10.00 for one 22 cal brush is steep but if i buy in bulk i can get 3 for $10.00

obviously there are costs doin business , ,when i see blokes gettin around in pimped out utes be they tradies or gun shop owners then i know they are gettin easy money , if you are offended by that statement stop kiddin yourself
blokes who earn their money the hard way dont act like that.

easy come , easy go.

workin in an air conditioned shop answering a few stupid questions is hard work for some
so charging whatever some one will pay is fair compensation for that
just like them bankers taking money from dead people , its tough bein a banker, my heart bleeds for them.

try cleaning toilets or crawling around in 60 degree roof spaces as a sparkey suckin in fibreglass insulation dust or breakin your back as a courier gettin in and out of a ute 50 times a day

yeah , workin in retail is tough alright.
and charging whatever someone will pay is legitimate business practice , be it for firearms , paint
,bithday cards or whatever

lets face it , noone is puttin a gun to your head to buy from any particular shop and for the most part shooting is a past time and as such purchases are discretionary

just have to shop around and get the best price you can.
Last edited by Leadspitter on 19 May 2019, 1:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by bladeracer » 19 May 2019, 1:19 pm

mickyj wrote:I’m new to shooting. My feel has been over the last few months buying guns accessories and the like that compared to general goods hardware etc one can expect to pay roughly 2-3 times as much for shooting goods. Is there gauging going on? Is there government sales tax or import duty on these goods? I dunno. But some of the prices for things I have found hard to swallow at times. Would be keen to hear what people think on the matter.. one possibility that went through my mind is that because of the heavy regulatory environment that there is a lack of competition in the market thus high prices. Anyway Over to you.....


I started shooting in 1980. Compared to then, I think virtually everything related to firearms is now cheaper than it was, except for milsurp firearms perhaps.
Due to our smaller market our prices will always be higher than large markets, like the US.

There is GST on everything, and import duty on some things. I imported two rifles and there was no import duty on those, and I've never been billed duty on any imported brass, bullets, magazines, reloading equipment or firearm parts. Some states charge fees for import permits though, which I guess can be considered a pseudo import duty, Victoria does not. Import permits are only required for controlled items, like firearms, ammunition, brass, bullets, and major firearm parts like receivers, frames, magazines, triggers, barrels.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by pomemax » 19 May 2019, 2:23 pm

If you are saying firearms are expensive they are that,s the nature of shooting .
IF you go on some USA websites and see the cost of firearms there the prices seem cheaper than a item here then if you factor in the exchange rate add postage/Gst I got a shock on a lot of stuff its cheaper here.
But where we are there is not the availability of some things we may need or want.
I do agree Due to our smaller market our prices will always be higher than large markets, like the US. on some things .
Get a vpn and browse some gun shops in USA and UK ( some wont let you even seem them from outside of their country)
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by bladeracer » 19 May 2019, 2:26 pm

pomemax wrote: IF you go on some USA websites and see the cost of firearms there the prices seem cheaper than a item here then if you factor in the exchange rate add postage/Gst


And tax, US prices generally don't include tax.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by pomemax » 19 May 2019, 2:46 pm

bladeracer wrote:
pomemax wrote: IF you go on some USA websites and see the cost of firearms there the prices seem cheaper than a item here then if you factor in the exchange rate add postage/Gst


And tax, US prices generally don't include tax.

yes i forgot Sales Tax in USA some states add sales tax (STATE and Federal) only at the checkout onto advertised price
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Blr243 » 19 May 2019, 2:55 pm

We have a market place. Gun shops have competition. It's all supply and demand. Free enterprise. Nothing to worry about Save $ each week then choose wisely when you buy a rifle
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by CrackThump » 19 May 2019, 3:06 pm

call me crazy, but I actually dont mind paying a bit extra for my shooting stuff, mainly because my local store is owned and run by a local bloke, he is an invaluable source of local knowledge advice and resources, he's always good for a chat, and hey.. did I mention local.? you have to support your locals.

I could travel 20 kays into town to the bigger store and save 10-15 % or shop online but I dunno, I prefer the small shop feel and service and if that costs me more, so be it, Im happy to pay a premium (within reason) for something I love.

except possums.. I dont love possums
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 19 May 2019, 8:58 pm

Mate its the size of market, the gst/duty and the wholesale cut, the transport cost, the wages...it all adds up.

Considering in the USA in a really good month they can sell a million firearms, in Australia there are about a million licensed firearm licensed users in total explains the size and economies of scale. In USA they pay 10bucks per hour wage here its double. Just ads up.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by DropBear » 19 May 2019, 9:55 pm

The margin on new guns is pretty low, in general it would be 12-20% depending on the dealer's model and supplier deals when they buy in the stock. Dealers hope to get the extra few percent in the necessary extras such as gun bag mounts, ammo etc. In general though, the mark up is lower than most retail sectors.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Bill » 20 May 2019, 10:03 am

DropBear wrote:The margin on new guns is pretty low, in general it would be 12-20% depending on the dealer's model and supplier deals when they buy in the stock. Dealers hope to get the extra few percent in the necessary extras such as gun bag mounts, ammo etc. In general though, the mark up is lower than most retail sectors.


If this was true ........ why is it I can ring a store, order a gun from the US and have it here landed 10 days later and delivered to Sydney 25% below the local price.

Yep we get gouged big time :thumbsdown:
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 20 May 2019, 2:36 pm

Mate as the retail margins are only around 10%. The wholesalers have a big cut... and can't do nothing about that
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by No1Mk3 » 20 May 2019, 6:39 pm

Dear CrackThump,
Have you tried using just a little chilli powder with your possum? Improves them a lot! (Don't use older ones, I don't like older possum either) Cheers
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by mickyj » 20 May 2019, 10:54 pm

Thanks for all your replies. What I think might be one of the root causes of the problem that I alluded to in my original post like many other areas of modern society, government, or more accurately too much Government, is the underlying source of the problem. Not only is it too difficult to set up a gun retail outlet to start with (ok I accept there is public good in gun shops being subject to slightly more regulation than a milk bar) but that aside let’s not forget the onerous paperwork and compliance these dealers perform for no pay for the state governments vis PTA’s, registration paperwork, audits by police firearms registry etc etc etc, not to mention the free tax collection they already undertake (illegally in my opinion contrary to section 51 xxxi of our constitution ) for the collection of GST on behalf of the ATO. There is far too much government intervention and obstruction in the market for a fair price mechanism to prevail in my humble opinion.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Sus_scrofa » 21 May 2019, 10:10 pm

Are people just cheapskate nowadays or what? If your too cheap or prices are too high for you Don't buy it
get a different hobby and stop whinging ! Prices in my lifetime have risen along with inflation, for example I have packets of 22lr winchester rabbit ammo bought in the 80s from kmart for $2.98, packets of super x bought from a brizzy shop for $3.85 10 years ago and nowadays you pay about $10, & oh yeah over those 30 + years my wages have increased so I have more disposable income. If you shop around and u can still find $5 packets of 22s around. I prefer to pay the extra cause cheap stuff is usually rubbish ( sometimes it works but) We Australia is a small population the importers / distributors of firearm related items have the biggest margins but also the highest risks. Most shops I shop at offer good service and I will buy from them and stay away from price discounters that have crappy service. Rant over...

Ive been informed guns usually have 10-15% Mark up , ammo is about 40% my mate tells me who works in a gun shop. Now that ain't big margins!!! Compared to other retail shops. So support your local or they won't be around when u need them.
Last edited by Sus_scrofa on 22 May 2019, 5:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Oldbloke » 21 May 2019, 10:28 pm

Firearms industry would be no different to any other. Generally most stuff 100% mark up. Must shop around. And as mentioned earier, spend within your budget.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by mickb » 24 May 2019, 11:11 am

Mickyj I would tend to agree insofar as smaller businesses overheads are now making it difficult to exist. The first is often real estate prices and therefore lease/rents skyrocketing. When our properties became betting odds for multinationals( aka linked to funds and stocks) in the late 1990's it bubbled their value several hundred % higher than they should be. These prices should more closely match normal population growth, which has only been about 30% over the same time.

Another is electricity bills, we sold our grids to multinationals to build and maintain, and they promptly went and screwed us for about 200% inflation over the next 20 years. Costs like these have to be passed onto consumers in order to run the small business.

Aussies are also some of the dumbest when it comes to happily paying for things we want. We don't have the competing markets of Europe nor the sheer size of the North American economy.

It hit me when I was working in the middle east and I saw all these cashed up Arab families driving tricked up hiluxes and landcruisers for 20-30k US. Everyone says oh yeah, less taxes, less tarrifs. Taxes and Tarrifs dont triple prices. We get f**** over basically because the companies set prices in line with customers credit limits ;)
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Snip3o » 24 May 2019, 1:09 pm

Sus_scrofa wrote:Are people just cheapskate nowadays or what? If your too cheap or prices are too high for you Don't buy it
get a different hobby and stop whinging ! Prices in my lifetime have risen along with inflation, for example I have packets of 22lr winchester rabbit ammo bought in the 80s from kmart for $2.98, packets of super x bought from a brizzy shop for $3.85 10 years ago and nowadays you pay about $10, & oh yeah over those 30 + years my wages have increased so I have more disposable income. If you shop around and u can still find $5 packets of 22s around. I prefer to pay the extra cause cheap stuff is usually rubbish ( sometimes it works but) We Australia is a small population the importers / distributors of firearm related items have the biggest margins but also the highest risks. Most shops I shop at offer good service and I will buy from them and stay away from price discounters that have crappy service. Rant over...

Ive been informed guns usually have 10-15% Mark up , ammo is about 40% my mate tells me who works in a gun shop. Now that ain't big margins!!! Compared to other retail shops. So support your local or they won't be around when u need them.


This! My local gun shop pleasantly has really good prices and a good stock for how little the town is, support your local store!
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by Oldbloke » 24 May 2019, 3:36 pm

mickb wrote:We get f**** over basically because the companies set prices in line with customers credit limits ;)


About sums it up nicely.
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Re: Are retail prices over the top?

Post by flutch » 24 May 2019, 7:32 pm

Depends where you go, when I was shopping around for my 223 I got three stores at $1050 another two at around $1450, but ended up buying it from another for $745 all shops were within 40mins drive of one another
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