GUN SHOWS and SMARTPHONES
Just a few weekends ago I went to a Saxet Gun Show here in Corpus Christi, TX. This is probably the biggest show that comes around this area since “The Real Gun Show” stopped coming here.The Saxet Show is quite large, to my amazement. I thought The Real Gun Show was big. It’s been several years since I been to a gun show after my injury. Whats amazing though is the Gun Shows from late 80’s and 90’s you buy and sell with little knowledge of prices. As I worked my way around to sell a rifle that I had 2 of , I couldn’t get even close to what I wanted for it. Everyone there is walking around with their “SMARTPHONES” bumping into each other looking at prices or pricing of what they were wanting.
I finally ran into this table of an older gentlemen and his wife and he was telling me he decided to retire and invest quite a bit of there retiement to start getting into the firearm business. He ask me if he can look over my rifle and offered X amount dollars then someone came to his table to sell his gun and I over heard him asking a ridiculous price. I ask the gentleman right next to his table to help out this guy and his wife was listening to what I was saying and she asked me “you think this is too much” ? I responded “ask this guy” the one I was talking to. I didn’t want to start anything with this person trying to rip off this man. Then she told him that’s too much even in the condition it was in. Then he decided not to buy this gun. I mentioned to her do you have a “SMARTPHONE” she said yeah my daughter bought us one when we started to travel with Saxet.
I showed her where to download the gun blue book app, showed her how to use it. Then they were looking at this app like they discovered the Holy Grail. Anyway, he said I want to thank you. This is our 3rd show and we were investing some of our money to do this, but I have to retract the offer and I said, “That’s okay, just happy to help” and I was about to zip up my rifle bag he said, “Look you saved me a x, or x hundred dollars from that guy, but all I can do is give you X amount for it , I then ask him are you sure that’s xx more dollars than everyone else has offered” and then he said, “Yeah, just this one time.”
So is this the way Gun Shows are now ? Does it help the buyer ? Cause these sellers aren’t budging but will overprice just like car dealers do so when you buy it, you think you got a great deal, but I don’t see people walking around with 2 or 3 thousand dollar Rifles, Shotguns or Handguns anymore. Who do you think it benefits?
Frank R.
Moderator Edit: Frank, removed your publicly posted email. Not a good idea from a personal security and privacy point of view. Spammers and "phishing" virus types will scrape it from the screen and then use it for "bad" purposes. ;)
