HOW MUCH MARK UP IN SHOTGUN CARTRIDGES

[Floating Chamber]

The last time I BOUGHT shells, they were 15/3d for 25.

(Someone explain that to the young-uns!)

Edited July 19, 2009 by Floating Chamber

[Harnser]

floating chamber i must be older than you because i can remember buying them at 10 shillings a box ( 50 p) fot the young ens and that was a princely sum . I had to save up to be able to buy 25 cartridges .

Harnser .

[reddan]

The last time I BOUGHT shells, they were 15/3d for 25.

(Someone exoplain that to the young-uns!)

 

 

Have you noticed any drop in the price of leadshot FC?

[Floating Chamber]

Some cartridges appear cheaper 'cos there's LESS shot in them.

 

Saying that, though, 21 gram will do the job

[starlight32]

OK, I'll throw in here.. I've sold graphite fly rods, and I've sold shotgun shells. Lots of both. I'll take the fly rods any day.

 

What most of the guys here have said about margins is true. For me, in the US, and I imagine it's the same in the UK, any shooter who spends a few hours can buy the things for the true lowest cost possible, ie: manufacturer's quantity wholesale price plus whatever is involved in the physical movement of the shells.

 

Gun clubs around me, operating basically as co-ops, sold shells and reloading components at true cost. Walmart, all across America, sold quality ammuntion like Winchester AA, at or below most gun store's wholesale, (not counting freight), so what is a gun store to do?

 

You either figure that you'll price your shells relatively high, (20% margin), for the guy who shoots two boxes a year, and you can discount as you like to a guy who ACTUALLY buys from you, instead of just talking about it. If someone asked me for a pallet of shells, I could quote them the price and go from there.

 

Think about it boys.... what other item in your world is so open to the negotiation, bitching, complaining, etc. as cartridges. Just because you shoot alot of them doesn't change things. Does your wife do the same thing when buying diapers for three kids? Do you ask for some free green beans with your steak? Cheaper gas because you drive alot?

 

Just sit back and watch as you lose gun shop after gun shop, (it's happening in the US, and in the UK I imagine), because the average guy seeks the absolute best price for everything, then bitches when poor old Jimmy around the corner "... just couldn't pay the rent anymore...." or didn't have that special gun sling or decoy I wanted.

 

THANK THE DAMNED INTERNET WE'RE ALL LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW!

 

And somebody who bitches about a guy who makes 5% or even 10% in a retail margin on an item, needs to get a life, or sign on to his posts saying he is an employee of some company and doesn't really know where his paycheck comes from every other Friday.

 

And, oh yeah... the GREAT margin on shotguns... in the US, for many years, companies encouraged dealers to go WAY OUT on a limb and order a ton of guns in November, then pay for them the following September. Browning, Benelli, Beretta, all of them. The Italians wised up after getting stiffed enough times. Browning still does it, but keeps a close eye.

 

This way, stores would sell some guns at a good margin, and as the owner looked at the huge invoice in July, he'd start dumping guns at or below cost to come up with the money. Good for the consumer in the short run, but not so great for the big picture. If I sold a Benelli or Beretta at full retail price, I would have a 25% margin. Basically I was buying a gun for $1,000 hoping to sell it before the bill was due, for roughly $1,250- $1,300. Nobody sold these guns at full retail. I was surrounded by dealers selling them for $100 over wholesale. This drastically changed the ski/backpacking/bike industries in the world. Small dealers, many whom offered great service were not able to compete.

 

Big dealers only get 2 to 3 % better pricing than small dealers on new guns, with very few exceptions. You do the math.

 

Buy the damn shells from somebody you like, quit bitching because somebody made a buck or two, and then go shoot them. Pretty simple.

 

Pete

 

I think you have hit the nail dead on the head swift4me......Its a classic pitfall of retail where ever you go in the world. You see people running 30 miles to get something a pound cheaper but not consider the fuel costs. Small retailers are finished in the uk as far as I am concerned no matter what you sell.

[anser2]

I must be still a spring chicken then Harnser. My first box of Gran Prix were 19 shillings and six pence , but I quickly started to use Impax at 6 pence a box cheaper. It was amazing what you could do with a tanner in those days.

 

A bag of chips off Yarmouth market for one .

Edited July 21, 2009 by anser2

[Chris Bb]

I think you have hit the nail dead on the head swift4me......Its a classic pitfall of retail where ever you go in the world. You see people running 30 miles to get something a pound cheaper but not consider the fuel costs.

Agreed, my local gun shop works out cheaper than "Just Cartridges" once postage is taken into consideration.

 

Small retailers are finished in the uk as far as I am concerned no matter what you sell.

Disagreed, there'll always be a place for knowledgable local service, even if it does cost a bit more. Apart from gunshops, compare real ironmongers run by men who know how to do jobs with DIY outlets manned by minimum wage muppets.