Do you buy elsewhere and save money or from your LGS for a huge markup?

Interesting Reddit thread in Ausguns…

Would you support your local shop for $80 more? : Ausguns (reddit.com)

What do you guys thinks?

Yes. I have or did when the shop was a little more local. I probably still would at my regular GS.

There is a cost to have someone on your side if there are ever any warranty issues or other little glitches.

My cut off is probably $150-200+ before switching. However that does not include smaller items or parts such as MDT or Magpul bits they are an online thing from whoever has them in stock and at the cheapest price.

I’ve done both, i’ll stick with my LGS if their prices are a little more but only within reason, and i always give them the last crack at the deal.
To be honest sometimes i feel bad about hassling them for a deal so i don’t even ask, i just pay as i know they can’t compete with the big guys and i don’t want them to make nothing on the deal as that’s not cool. But at the same time i farking hate paying retail lol.

Generally i don’t use them when it comes to bulk buying ammo though as i can often get hold of it cheaper, sometimes (according to them) for even less than what their buy price is. For example i gave them a crack at my last ammo purchase which cost around $15,800 and my LGS quote for it was about $17,900.

I shop around. If I need cheap dies, factory ammo, a gun part or accessory I buy local. I bought my thrower and all my clays and shotgun shells locally. Plus I buy most of my new guns local.
I have bought a scope in the past, because it was there and the difference was about $150 on a $1200 purchase, but most optics I buy online because the savings are usually $200 on a $500 piece of glass. Online though, I buy mostly bulk non DG stuff like brass by the thousand, reloading equipment from overseas.

Depends what I’m after, how urgently I need it, and who has it in stock. Like for dies and stuff I don’t mind paying a couple of bucks extra to get them locally (especially since buying them online means there’s at least $10 in postage involved), but for something like a scope with a big price difference I’m getting it from wherever is cheapest.

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Only really use the closest LGS for stuff that can’t be posted.
At the same time, I’m a fiend for a deal, I’m happy to drive further to a different shop if they can do it for cheaper, or in larger quantities for ammo.

Other stuff I definitely buy online. Usually a good deal cheaper, and some places do free shopping if you do a decent buy. Online shopping is also way more convenient.

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Both, but a lot of cast bullet goodies, LGS don’t have. I know im keen to support RF Scott in Ballarat, as much as possible.

I try to support my club and put money through their till. They have the best deals on ammo so that bits easy.
Happy to pay a bit more to support local/Aussie businesses…but I have my limits and will usually at least search for the best price on anything, gun-related or not.

I support my local most of the time, and buy whatever I can from them, they do however make it hard sometimes. Prices can be quite a bit more expensive, but I figure if we support them they’ll stay open, ducking down the road much easier than ordering online and waiting. I know they don’t have the buying power of the larger shops and I do take that in to consideration, nevertheless, sometimes the price difference can be a little bit too much. I will pay an extra $200 on rifles to buy local.

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I’ll go local if they bother to hold stock, would have to be over 25% dearer for me to not get it from them. I don’t need someone to else to “order in” stuff that I can order myself.

Same here, pretty much!

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All I said above goes out the window when I need something now
I’ll pay a decent premium if for whatever reason I want to have something in my hands the same day, no faffing

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I’ll buy magazines, factory ammo and firearms because it’s just not worth dicking around getting stuff sent from over east and then paying a handling fee at the LGS anyway.

Getting something licensed in this state isn’t guaranteed either so I tend to put it on laybuy, put in the paperwork and see what happens. If declined and it’s not a special order the shop will let you put the money you’ve paid towards something else. If I got something from over east I’d be paying handling and serviceability certificate fees and monthly storage for the months the application takes and then if declined I’d have to keep paying storage until I on sold it.

Optics and accessories I’m pretty sure I’ll buy online from now on