Author Topic: Unpopular opinion time. I have no problem with CTD selling AR mags for $100+  (Read 1050 times)

Offline tominphx

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And here's why.

Would you prefer if they charged normal, pre panic prices on them? They would be sold out in seconds, than resold for higher prices by others.

Also, if you REALLY want mags now, but can't find them anywhere else, $100+ a mag may be worth it to you, so you have the option of buying it, whereas if they charged $10 for one, it would simply be first come, first serve, and they would be gone, and a lot of people wouldn't even have the option.

So it's simple really, $100 magazine, or no magazine at all.


It's better to have it and not need it ...

Offline Outonowhere

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« Last Edit: January 25, 2013, 10:07:32 PM by Outonowhere »
"A GREAT CONTRADICTION IS THE BELIEF IN STATES RIGHTS WHILE NOT SUPPORTING THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL."  - Me
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Offline Grudgie

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It isn't an unpopular opinion at all.. Well maby 50/50. Anyone who understands how the free market works and can rise above the primal mindset of, 'you charge high price you bad!' will realize that the alternative is government regulation and/or unintended consequences under the guise of 'fairness'. *coughObamacough

This inflation would end much sooner if ammunition manufactures RAISED their price. My wallmart recently increased the price of Tulamo .223 to meet the demand of the market. Yep. A WHOPPING 17 CENTS A BOX. Sure, that will stem the flow of pouring demand!

But if you notice, the high prices are only on the aftermarket. Private individuals. Major corporations won't dare increase their prices drastically for fear of being called GREEDY. And PRICE GOUGERS. And the people who accuse these Internet companies of price gouging are unwittingly contributing to the shortage. Because as long as companies refuse to increase ammo prices, people will continue to buy it the second it hits the shelf so they can artificially create demand.

I won't say to much about ctd because I don't know the whole story. But if they cave to political pressure than I agree, scrw them.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2013, 11:15:53 AM by Grudgie »

Offline crudos

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I'm of the opinion that if you buying during a panic (whether real or imagined), your doing it wrong to begin with. You should have mags, ammo, firearms, etc., sorted beforehand. It's hard not to get caught up in panic buying, unless your a poor s.o.b. like myself, and you can sit on the sidelines and shake your head at the circus on view. I still am keeping note of who gouges their customers, and those who try and hold the line. When things return to normal, and they will, I'll have some money saved up and will spend it with vendors who showed respect to their customers during these wacky times.

Offline Grudgie

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It's funny that some of the most patriotic, liberty defending people are condemning the free market.

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I still am keeping note of who gouges their customers, and those who try and hold the line. When things return to normal, and they will, I'll have some money saved up and will spend it with vendors who showed respect to their customers during these wacky times.

Capitalism is not evil.

Offline crudos

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It's funny that some of the most patriotic, liberty defending people are condemning the free market.

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I still am keeping note of who gouges their customers, and those who try and hold the line. When things return to normal, and they will, I'll have some money saved up and will spend it with vendors who showed respect to their customers during these wacky times.

Capitalism is not evil.
But some capitalists are evil. As supporter of freedom, it is my right to not to support the gougers.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2013, 02:00:13 PM by crudos »

Offline thatGuy

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I have nothing to add because Walker beat me to it.

Offline RS762

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Im with crudos.
Don't get me wrong, it is their RIGHT to price gouge.  [url=http://www.freesmileys.or
However it is also my right to spend my money elsewhere.  [url=http://www.freesmileys.or

CTD are scum. $60 pmags and $100 usgi mags in the days following the mass shooting? classless at best.

I will never give another dime to CTD, we have local businesses here which manage to keep AR mags in and under $40 a piece.

There is ZERO need to charge $100 per mag, if local gunshops in podunk Arkansas can get mags and turn a profit on them ant $40 a piece you know for damn well cheaper than dirt could do the same, they have much more bargaining power with manufacturers than anyone here is willing to admit. It is pure profiteering.


Offline special-k

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And then there's the other side of this coin: 

The reason some sellers are charging so much for AR mags is because some assholes are paying that much for them... while screwing it up for everyone else.

« Last Edit: January 25, 2013, 02:40:20 PM by special-k »
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Offline thatGuy

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I'd help that lil'capitalist build a chicken coop just so I could hang out with him, he is too cool for school.

Offline Grudgie

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If Libertarians and constitutionalists are discouraging free market principles then I have lost alot of hope in them. I felt this was a growing movement and this thread just shattered it.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2013, 10:55:24 PM by Grudgie »

Offline RS762

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If Libertarians and constitutionalists are discouraging free market principles then I have lost alot of hope in them. I felt this was a growing movement and this thread just shattered it.

Why?
No one here is saying they shouldn't be able to sell mags for whatever they want.
They could mark them up to $1,000 for all i care, i still wont buy them.
We are just choosing not to support to a company by not spending our money there.

How is that "discouraging free market principles" in ANY way?
You aren't making any sense man.

1000meterstare

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It's not "gouging."  Simple laws of economics state where the supply and demand curve meet is the market price.  If people weren't willing to pay $100 bucks, the demand curve would shift inward (contract) and prices would drop (supply side unchanged).  I wish I would have purchased a hundred p mags 16 months ago, and I don't even own an AR.  AK mags have gone up as well because of increased demand. [url=http://www.freesmileys.or

Offline Grudgie

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If Libertarians and constitutionalists are discouraging free market principles then I have lost alot of hope in them. I felt this was a growing movement and this thread just shattered it.

Why?
No one here is saying they shouldn't be able to sell mags for whatever they want.
They could mark them up to $1,000 for all i care, i still wont buy them.
We are just choosing not to support to a company by not spending our money there.

How is that "discouraging free market principles" in ANY way?
You aren't making any sense man.

It's the people who refuse to buy from a company even after their prices come down. People aren't going to support a company to try and 'punish' them for increasing prices during a demand spike. This discourages the most basic rule of free market: supply and demand.

I heard from a gun shop owner during the 2008 gun scare that he wasn't 'getting rich' because he didn't have anything to sell. He couldn't order from anywhere because all of the suppliers were out as well. Even if he did keep prices the same some other retailer would buy them from him and sell them at higher prices. Or a customer would buy them and turn around and sell them for double. It doesn't matter who we 'support' with our money. As long as there is a demand someone is going to make money.

Offline JohnyMac

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I agree with most of what is has been written. Supply and demand.  [URL=http://www.smileyvault.co

On another note: I found a local gun shop that is not upping prices on ammo, mags or AR's. The farmer across the way bought a Windam AR for $950- yesterday and 2, 30 round mags for $20- each.

After money had exchanged hands and the background check was done I asked the owner why he wasn't taking advantage of the lack of supply. He told me he does when he sells at a gun show but doesn't when he sells to local folks. "I see my neighbors every week at church, the firehouse barb a que, grocery store or the pub."

Just an interesting side note.
 [url=http://www.freesmileys.or
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Offline NOLA556

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silly argument. i agree with both sides, if that makes any sense. I have absolutely no problem with anyone selling anything at any price they wish. and on the other hand, you won't catch me buying their overpriced crap.

example: i just got back from the gunshow. place was freakin swamped as expected. cheapest GI mags i could find were $50 a piece. i said fuck that. bought a few little BS nicknack items and left. there was a dude in the parking lot who bought 100 GI mags online for $2K. he was selling them for what he got them for, just to help ppl out. so I bought two from him @ $20 a piece. capitalism. well sorta. he wasnt profiting because he was basically donating his effort just to help other people out, but that was his choice to make, and he could have easily charged $30, having no problem selling every last one, made a profit, and STILL undercut all the vendors at the gunshow by 40%.

anyway, all i'm saying is that i see it both ways. charge what you want, but i'm not buying it if i don't like the price.
Rome is burning, and Obama is playing the fiddle - GAP

Offline Grudgie

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Exactly. And so they will either lower their prices or go out of business. Or go out of business competing with someone else who can charge lower prices.

Selling for a cheap price isn't good for anyone because it only lengthens the shortage. The sooner major retailers increase their prices, the sooner they can be lowered agian.

Stop discouraging people from raising prices!  >:(

Offline crudos

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silly argument. i agree with both sides, if that makes any sense. I have absolutely no problem with anyone selling anything at any price they wish. and on the other hand, you won't catch me buying their overpriced crap.

example: i just got back from the gunshow. place was freakin swamped as expected. cheapest GI mags i could find were $50 a piece. i said fuck that. bought a few little BS nicknack items and left. there was a dude in the parking lot who bought 100 GI mags online for $2K. he was selling them for what he got them for, just to help ppl out. so I bought two from him @ $20 a piece. capitalism. well sorta. he wasnt profiting because he was basically donating his effort just to help other people out, but that was his choice to make, and he could have easily charged $30, having no problem selling every last one, made a profit, and STILL undercut all the vendors at the gunshow by 40%.

anyway, all i'm saying is that i see it both ways. charge what you want, but i'm not buying it if i don't like the price.
Clearly that guy is total socialist/communist for not selling at the same price as the gougers, errr... I mean, capitalists are. Redistributing his product so more people have access to them, instead of soaking up every available RED cent of his customers. His name wasn't Karl Marx, was it?

Offline RS762

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Stop discouraging people from raising prices! 

Make me.
Oh wait, you can't, it's the free market.
Deal with it.

You can't look at this issue by villainizing those who don't want to be dicked by retailers.

Im not "punishing" anyone, im simply choosing not to be their customer due to business practices i disagree with, this is the RIGHT of the consumer.
 
I could have put my AR lower on gunbroker with a $750 opening bid but i didn't, because i didn't want to DICK anyone. Not spending my money at a place of business is not and can not be interpreted as "punishment". It's competition, the soul of the free market, whether you like it or not.

I find your incredibly skewed view of free market economics to be downright non-sensical. 

Again, by buying lower priced magazines and ammunition im not taking anything away from price gouging retailers, after all there are people with more money than sense that will always provide them a customer base.

A product is only worth what someone will pay for it. And I will NEVER pay $100 for a $15 magazine.
They are not made of gold, they are not scarce, i will not be gouged, and IM the bad guy? What am i missing here?

If you support this practice so much why don't you go out and spend $1,000 on 10 USGI mags?

Offline NOLA556

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Clearly that guy is total socialist/communist for not selling at the same price as the gougers, errr... I mean, capitalists are. Redistributing his product so more people have access to them, instead of soaking up every available RED cent of his customers. His name wasn't Karl Marx, was it?

maybe you misunderstood the concept of a FREE MARKET? not everyone is a vulture. like i said in my post, he could have charged $30, made a profit, and I still would have given him my business because he was the cheapest one there. there's a huge difference between someone selling product at cost just out of the goodness of their heart, or to further their cause, and .gov regulations and price mandates. I'm not sure I'm understanding the point you're trying to make.

the use of government force to manipulate markets is what the problem is. if someone wants to take it upon himself to do something charitable, he certainly doesn't deserve to be mocked for it.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2013, 05:50:49 PM by NOLA556 »
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Offline RS762

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the use of government force to manipulate markets is what the problem is. if someone wants to take it upon himself to do something charitable, he certainly doesn't deserve to be mocked for it.


 [URL=http://www.smileyvault.co

Offline crudos

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Clearly that guy is total socialist/communist for not selling at the same price as the gougers, errr... I mean, capitalists are. Redistributing his product so more people have access to them, instead of soaking up every available RED cent of his customers. His name wasn't Karl Marx, was it?

maybe you misunderstood the concept of a FREE MARKET? not everyone is a vulture. like i said in my post, he could have charged $30, made a profit, and I still would have given him my business because he was the cheapest one there. there's a huge difference between someone selling product at cost just out of the goodness of their heart, or to further their cause, and .gov regulations and price mandates. I'm not sure I'm understanding the point you're trying to make.

the use of government force to manipulate markets is what the problem is. if someone wants to take it upon himself to do something charitable, he certainly doesn't deserve to be mocked for it.
I was being sarcastic, and not to you NOLA. Sorry if you took it that way, my bad.

Offline Grudgie

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A product is only worth what someone will pay for it. And I will NEVER pay $100 for a $15 magazine.
They are not made of gold, they are not scarce, i will not be gouged, and IM the bad guy? What am i missing here?

You seem to be misunderstanding me. I agree with the above 100%. I am not asking anyone to pay prices that they don't want to pay. That is the oppisite of what I want.

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Im not "punishing" anyone, im simply choosing not to be their customer due to business practices i disagree with, this is the RIGHT of the consumer.

The 'buisness practices' you are describing are called Capitalism. Ofcourse it is your right to not buy from companies you do not like. And it is my right to tell people how the free market works. What you call evil is actually a healthy proccess that drives the economy and is BETTER for the consumer in the long run.

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Again, by buying lower priced magazines and ammunition im not taking anything away from price gouging retailers, after all there are people with more money than sense that will always provide them a customer base.

You got me wrong. People should pay whatever they are willing to pay. I am not asking people to pay more than that. 

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If you support this practice so much why don't you go out and spend $1,000 on 10 USGI mags?

Because I am not willing to pay that much. However the seller is not at fault.

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I find your incredibly skewed view of free market economics to be downright non-sensical.

And I find your disreguard for supply and demand frightening and ignorant. Sorry if I sound harsh, but I feel very strongly about the free market.

People saying they will never do buinsness with company x ever agian is encouraging companies to not follow the natrual law of supply and demand. I don't care what your intentions are, you are essientially putting a cap on the price companies can charge which is not laissez faire. All I am asking is for people sit back and let the free market do what it does.

Can you imagine what would happen if precious medal dealers charged a constant rate for gold? Imagine what would have happened back in 2007 if gold comanies refused to increase prices. There would be a shortage almost instantly. No matter how much they charge, someone will resell it for its true market value if a profit can be made. The free market will have its due. I understand this isn't a perfect example because guns and ammo have actual utilitarian uses. But it is the same general idea.

Go ahead and don't do buisness with whatever company you think is evil. I'm just sayin'.. this is how Socialists are made.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2013, 06:25:55 PM by Grudgie »

Offline NOLA556

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I was being sarcastic, and not to you NOLA. Sorry if you took it that way, my bad.


oh... sry bro. lol.  [url=http://www.freesmileys.or
Rome is burning, and Obama is playing the fiddle - GAP

Offline Grudgie

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Clearly that guy is total socialist/communist for not selling at the same price as the gougers, errr... I mean, capitalists are. Redistributing his product so more people have access to them, instead of soaking up every available RED cent of his customers. His name wasn't Karl Marx, was it?

If your sarcasm was directed at me, I hope no one has got me wrong. I am not calling the guy selling the mags for what he payed evil. I am trying to explain that the folks inside selling magazines for $50 are not evil.