Primers are still way over priced

[dgeesaman]

I have 10,000 reasons to see if store shelves pile up and prices go down.

 

[JimSC]

I get that material prices have gone up. My question has been, why is my local shop getting very few and able to sell them for $60-70, but Midway and Brownell's are $100, and some of these other folks are $120? Since when was the little guy getting a price advantage?

good questions. I have already found smaller sized alternate sources for a lot of gun related supplies rather than the big dogs. I might buy if it is something that I can't find elsewhere and really need but they are last on my look list now.

 

[L.Sherm]

The current price for primers has very little to do with production costs. The price is set by supply versus demand. As long as the demand leaves no product in the supply chain the retailer can set the price as high as he wants. If he sells out at $x then he raises his price the next time he has product. He does this because eventually his cost will increase. As long as buyers are willing to pay $150/brick that’s what the price will be.

Doom i wasn't asking for your explanation, but thanks for stepping in. I'm pretty sure you posted the letter for a reason, I know exactly what the letter means.

 

[Doom]

Doom i wasn't asking for your explanation, but thanks for stepping in. I'm pretty sure you posted the letter for a reason, I know exactly what the letter means.

Sorry about that! I didn't mean to sound like a smart_ss.

 

[L.Sherm]

Hell no problem at all, did even take it that way.

 

[Ol Thumper]

You guys come back to the thread in a couple years and tell us how much money you saved ”Holding Out” for better times and cheaper prices. Everyone wants to save money but if your holding out thinking the prices will go back down your fooling yourself. Between material costs, shipping, advertising, wages, etc etc the prices are what they are..

 

[Rsadams]

The price will drop as soon as people stop paying stupid panic prices..... I will shoot factory loads when I can find them at reasonable prices or not at all till this dies down... I have plenty of .22 a Glock 44 and a CAR15 preban setup with the cmmg 22 conversion kit... Ohh it runs great in case you're interested , like I needed another.22 but it's fun.... That way I get to train with the weapons I carry and not cost a billion dollars.... That also means I am not or have not been paying stupid prices for loading components either....

The thing that's hurting me the most is shotgun components for shooting skeet which have gone crazy over the last couple of months.... Now I can find just about any factory loads but shotgun has increased and disappeared.... Unfortunately like alot of people I will just have to skip days and not shoot as many games... I have noticed people have been not coming as much to the range as they were even during covid lockdowns... I will be moving in December so I guess my shooting days are numbered.... I am looking for enough land were I can do what I want.... Now if you think primers are stupid high try land....

 

[SEGARE]

If you want to reduce prices on primers, tell all of those new shooters to stop shooting factory ammo.

 

[LCazador]

Yep 20K primers $ 2,000.00 plus hazmat is a rip off any way one slices it . 2019-2020 they were $32.00 a K ,so WHAT changed ?

CCI Primers #400 Small Rifle - LOT OF 20,000 PRIMERS $1,999.95

Don't worry when the poor working stiff starts paying $7 a gallon for gas, $500 ,a week for groceries, $1k a month for health insurance for the wife and kids the last thing he's going to have money for is primers!! That's when the demand will come down!

 

[SEGARE]

I bet we reloaders don't purchase 1/100,000th of the primers manufactured. The retail pricing of primers is a reflection of the increased cost of factory ammo driven by the influx of new shooters, the increase in crime and citizenry's desire to protect themselves, and the pandemic in general.

 

[Dgd6mm]

I bet we reloaders don't purchase 1/100,000th of the primers manufactured. The retail pricing of primers is a reflection of the increased cost of factory ammo driven by the influx of new shooters, the increase in crime and citizenry's desire to protect themselves, and the pandemic in general.

I'm not sure about this, but it sounds logical.

 

[LCazador]

I bet we reloaders don't purchase 1/100,000th of the primers manufactured. The retail pricing of primers is a reflection of the increased cost of factory ammo driven by the influx of new shooters, the increase in crime and citizenry's desire to protect themselves, and the pandemic in general.

I left out the key" the desire to protect themselves", thank you for bringing that up! Why is it they have such a huge desire to protect themselves? Maybe our younger members can answer that! I'm sure everybody here is younger than I am!! I'm headed off to the Roman package I just got "to do the laundry", LOL!!

 

[Woofie]

The commentary on primer prices, and more especially the "I'll *never* pay $X" remind me of folk who (when I used to fly a lot) would say they would *never* fly X airline again, and, of course, invariably did. Some may not, but most will buy once their copious inventories are depleted.
I have posted elsewhere about Vista's financial results and its executive compensation. Folk are getting rich, very rich, on these shortages and folks' willingness to pay what a few years ago would have been outlandish prices. (BTW, tried buying a car lately? My local Toyota dealer had 4runners marked up $30K)
That said, imports are the solution to breaking this monopoly. Primer manufacture is a fairly specialized process, but I am betting Korean or Taiwanese primers are there for importers to find. Look, I posted a link to a retailer selling 5K unit lots of Unis Ginex SRPs a few days ago for $499 INC Hazmat and shipping. They had 139 then. They still have 110. Six months ago those would have been G.O.N.E. Someone will say that, well, sensible people won't pay that. Yes they will and we've proven it over and over.
I'm not saying it's right, but it is a fact of life in today's environment. I personally think, based on what I see online and on Bruno's shelves, that the primer shortage has run its course.

 

[CJ6]

With all the shooters and industry people on this board, SOMEONE has to work for an ammunition maker if not a primer maker. Maybe they can set some things to rest without giving trade secrets away and put the hear-say to bed. ANYONE ?.....I would say that manufacturers have contracts to sell at a set price for a set time within the contract. These contracts can be a 1 time delivery, to a set amount per month, or year what have you. The price negotiated is set for the length of the contract regardless of the political situation. I would be amazed if it cost more than a 100th to a 10th of a cent to make a primer. The biggest jump in price is going to be wholesalers and retailers. They are the ones who are in the position to UP their prices as they see fit (demand etc.). Yes... handloaders are at the low end of the volume totem pole.

 

[searcher]

I don’t know the reason primer prices have more than tripled but I do know that supply and demand had nothing to do with $4 gas.

I recall thinking how high the primers were when I paid $3.00 for Tula and Wolff - as had only been $1.00 several years before when I previously ordered. Now that there surely will be no more coming from Russia - the $3.00 seems not so bad - and will likely add to the length of time it takes for everyone to once again get stocked. Seems when everything is readily available - few people stock up. When one can't get it - they want not only what they need - but more to ensure it doesn't happen to them again. So instead of buying a year's worth - they order two or three. If the manufacturers can only keep up at a year or two supply per year - and three years' worth is needed- shortages persist. Happens every several years it seems - but a lot more duration this past few years from what I can recall. And only now are we getting into real inflation. Seems suggested retail and wholesale prices will only go higher if manufacturers try to keep pace with the inflation.

 

[joshb]

On a side note: I’m buying extra toilet paper while it’s on the shelves! Anybody forget that “shortage”?

 

[Dave Way]

I’ve been selling primers to my friends for the $50/1000 that I have in them. 15,000 so far. Powder for $35/pound too. I refuse to be part of the problem.

I’m just glad to be able to help them out.

Dave.

 

[searcher]

On a side note: I’m buying extra toilet paper while it’s on the shelves! Anybody forget that “shortage”?

I'm one step ahead - I'm buying sheet plastic and duct tape to seal the windows from nuclear particle fallout. Remember the 60's? Should add at least 15 minutes to my life.

 

[clowdis]

I see that Brownell's has had CCI Benchrest primers available for several days for $139.99. Maybe they're just not moving. Maybe there is a limit to what people will pay?

 

[pipe]

It really makes me want to puke!