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Strange business model today

I'm blessed with a few local stores that carry primers and powders at reasonable prices. I buy there and buy often. I can't justify the prices online especially after shipping and hazmat. Hell most of my local prices compete with online prices. Some of the vendors even extend me a 10% Veteran discount on top of their awesome prices.

I'm in the Harrisburg, PA area and happily shop at Shyda's Outdoors, as well as Acri Gunshop (haven't been in a while due to his hours), and Trop (not an awesome selection but I get primers if I'm in there).
I do the same. My LGS told me he would match online prices for me. I assume that he pays a comparable hazmat fee that the onliners charge, then spreads the cost on a per item basis. Say $25 hazmat on 100,000 primers gets to be almost zero to me.
 
In other words. The company that lists the powder doesn't really have any powder and they forward the order to some third party who hammers you again.

Since we aren't naming names here I won't either but another company who does this same practice. I will tell you their initials are "Midway USA".......opps! Dang, I hate when I do that.
 
Some businesses are forced to drop ship powder or ship from a secondary facility due to their location. Where you establish a powder bunker falls under federal, state and local laws that can prevent people from having it stored at their main facility. And the hazmat charge gets applied by the carrier for each shipment, no way around that. However, if a retailer made an error then they will often offset additional charges that came through no fault of the customer. Apparently not in this case.

Powder and primers are always something to look for locally, especially if buying less than 8-16 lbs at a time.

If you don’t like a businesses pricing, vote with your dollar. They have to make money and margin isn’t a dirty word. So if you feel the pricing is not in line with the market, then go elsewhere.
 
If you don’t like a businesses pricing, vote with your dollar. They have to make money and margin isn’t a dirty word. So if you feel the pricing is not in line with the market, then go elsewhere.

Exactly. Nobody sets up a business to lose money while some are better at keeping customers happy while also making a fair profit along the way. We have to strike a balance between what we want to do with our money vs. what we can obtain for the efforts we expend (some have more options for local sourcing than others) that leaves us comfortable with our situation.

One option for lowering the HAZMAT hit is buying with a group of friends to lessen the per-pound spread. Takes time & effort but it can save you $$ if it’s done carefully.
 
Last question: If HAZMAT fees are to provide an extra layer of protection...why can they ship primers and powder in the same box as long as they aren't over 40lbs? I would have guessed that if it was all about safety and not revenue...then I would be sticking the firing mechanism in with the pixie dust.
 
nice selection pirate ammo, if you were within a 50 mile radius of where I lived I would be ecstatic.

Relating to this the Supreme Court yesterday heard South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. arguments and if they overrule Quill Corp. v. North Dakota state taxes will start being collected on every internet purchase. That would increase costs for consumers but would provide states with more income and probably be a boost for the local Mom and Pops with no internet presence. As with most things it is al a matter of perspective and there is no free lunch
 
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nice selection pirate ammo, if that was within a 50 mile radius of where I lived I would be ecstatic. Even with a nice selection like that it is still limited compared to the big internet suppliers. At one suppliers site I counted over 60 Hogdon products alone.

Relating to this the Supreme Court yesterday heard South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. arguments and if they overrule Quill Corp. v. North Dakota state taxes will start being collected on every internet purchase. That would increase costs for consumers but would provide states with more income and probably be a boost for the local Mom and Pops with no internet presence. As with most things it is al a matter of perspective and there is no free lunch
 
Last question: If HAZMAT fees are to provide an extra layer of protection...why can they ship primers and powder in the same box as long as they aren't over 40lbs? I would have guessed that if it was all about safety and not revenue...then I would be sticking the firing mechanism in with the pixie dust.
1 hazmat fee covers to 50 lb.,,so if you got 60 lb. that would be another fee for the other 10 lb.,,I try to keep shipments below 45 just in case,,I have recieved BLACK POWDER and
primers in the same box,,I let my UPS and FEDX drivers know what I have coming,,put it way back in the truck,,got 6 more flavors coming this week.and yes,if 2 or 3 people got together
for an order we do it and discount it right,has to be full cases,can be mixed,,we ever catch fire the local fire dept. knows to STAY BACK,,:confused:
 
In the meantime our local home-owned gun shops are struggling to stay alive against increased internet commerce. If and when these small shops shut their doors, we can finally quit complaining about shipping and hazmat fees because we’ll have no other option.

You are (at least I am) paying a much higher price right now at LGS's which build in shipping, handling and a very high hazmat fee into every pound of powder sold.
 
You are (at least I am) paying a much higher price right now at LGS's which build in shipping, handling and a very high hazmat fee into every pound of powder sold.
I myself have to include freight and hazmat charges into every pound of powder I sell,I order enough to spread it out so its only $1.00 per pound or less,sometimes my wholesalers do
discount hazmat,,I try to keep everything $29.00 or less,I have some for $24.00,,insurance will eat you up,and then yearly property taxes,,if you lease or rent you pay that also,,sales tax GRRRRRR
but we do endeavor and overcome,,,:cool:
 
You are (at least I am) paying a much higher price right now at LGS's which build in shipping, handling and a very high hazmat fee into every pound of powder sold.

True. I spend more money when doing business locally. Truth be told, I am trying to my part to keep the man in business. Once the internet fees become unbearable and all the big box stores stop handling guns, reloading supplies, etc (Hello Dick’s, Wal Mart, Academy) MAYBE my LGS will have survived the storm.

Maybe.
 
nice selection pirate ammo, if that was within a 50 mile radius of where I lived I would be ecstatic. Even with a nice selection like that it is still limited compared to the big internet suppliers. At one suppliers site I counted over 60 Hogdon products alone.
you may of counted over 60 hodgdon,but how many of them just sit there,I got some that do,I call them stepchildren,mostly shotgun stuff and a few others that don't move to well :cool:
 
you may of counted over 60 hodgdon,but how many of them just sit there,I got some that do,I call them stepchildren,mostly shotgun stuff and a few others that don't move to well :cool:

No doubt. That it is why the LGS cannot stock every powder and primer but the internet stores can. That 60 + count was just Hogdon. There are at least ten powder brands. Some are more commonly used than others but IMR, Alliant, and AA would easily double or triple that number. Then you have Ramshot, Norma, VihtaVouri and a couple of others.

I think most people are like me and want to support the locals but it can be hard to do at times. This can be a expensive hobby and as a retiree I have to spend my money in a prudent manner.

Recently when I bought a rifle and the LGS did not have it in stock, I approcahed them and found they could order it from their distributor. However it was going to cost me close to $250 dollars more than I could get it off a internet site. Add in tax and it was over 300 dollars more. I told the LGS if they could come within 10% of the internet price I would buy from them, they declined. Too much problem for them to order it, unload it from the truck and call me to pick it up I suppose. They also wanted 50 dollars just to to file the paperwork if I used them for the background check, another mom and pop did it for 20.
 
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Pirate-

The LGS's within 15 miles of me (six or seven) all spread out the hazmat fee over each four or five pounds. If they did it in a less piggy way, I would purchase locally.
 
Pirate-

The LGS's within 15 miles of me (six or seven) all spread out the hazmat fee over each four or five pounds. If they did it in a less piggy way, I would purchase locally.
if I have 30 items its spread over 30,,this week it will be about the same,I adjust prices as needed,,the more you buy the less it is,,I don't change my website prices all the time,,but
with a phone call or visit we do things,,:cool:
 

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