Primer Prices

[EJSG19]

In a related thread, similar to my AR price b*tch thread, I had a curiosity about primer prices.

We all know primers were $15-20 per 1000 not too long ago, now they are $40-50 per thousand.

Are the suppliers charging these higher prices to the retail guy? Or is the retail guy raising the price based on his own initiative? I wonder what the invoice price is from say Winchester, and how that compares (with a reasonable mark up so the retailer can stay in business of course) the price charged to you and me.

Somebody has us over the proverbial barrel, just curious who.

(Lets exclude the whole supply and demand thing, we all know Econ 101. Someone along the food chain raised the price regardless of the market, curious where the extra profits are sitting right now.)

[1911fan]

I am seeing prices at the places that do not gouge of between 29 and 33 dollars a thousand. I was talking to someone on friday who was in a position to know, and he said prices were still firm from about 6 months ago, for what was available.

He spoke bitterly about one of his long time customers who had been in and bought what was left of his entire stock of primers, and then went gouging at a gun show. Had he known that, he said, he would never have sold them to him.

I bought a few thousand from a friend who found some in South Dakota, price was 31.95 a thou for small rifle and small pistol.

[EJSG19]

Oh I love the Re-Seller phenomenon. Nothing like an alert jackal looking to make a lot of money for doing next to nothing, off of his fellow shooters and gun-owners. That would chap my back side also.

So something around $30/1000 is the going "fair price". Thats good to know, I didn't really have a good guess. But I haven't been checking for primers a whole lot in the last month.

If I can take 1911fan's comments one step further without his permission. I am then to believe that anyone selling primers in the $40+ range is sticking that extra money in their pocket.

I know of a few places who do not, and will not gouge a reloader. Frankly Wal-Mart has impressed me with their ammo prices. Still, probably too high, they haven't increased the price of say, WWB .45acp 100/box beyond $30 in the last 6 months, when other places (gee I don't know, Gander Mountain?) have deemed it prudent to charge well above that. There are still some, I hesitate to say "honorable", retailers in the firearms industry.

[westberg]

I know this is a primer topic. But at the Zombie shoot we were selling Magpul P-mag 30rd for $17.95, another table had the exact same mags for $50.00. I don't think he was stocking dealer, just trying to cash in on the shortage. I know we sold a lot of them, I wonder if he did?

[nyffman]

While the gouging is agravating, and it is the ugly side of capitalism, we probably don't want to ask our benevolent "leaders" to step in and make things right. I'm more concerned about what our great and wonderful "leaders" could do. Personally, I don't consider them leaders as much as followers of the money that got them in power. It would probably be better if they would just get out of the way.

[1911fan]

mark. Agreed.

We are however educating the populace in true meaning of Caveat Emptor

[nyffman]

You're right. We all have a lot of which to beware.

[EJSG19]

We are however educating the populace in true meaning of Caveat Emptor

I guess that sums up what drives me to create threads like this. It burns me up to no end to realize I got taken advantage of when buying things.

Just like knowing the correct way to repair something, it is to your/my benefit to get it right the first time. I like these discussions as it brings transparency to our local markets, and on the flip side, it saves people time/hassle/wasted money/embarrassment/whatever to have a good knowledge base in the first place.

In the grand scheme of things, maybe the fact that a person will pay whatever they feel like something is worth is enough and I should let it go. But there is always a better way of doing things.

As to the other, maybe the Supreme Court should move their arse and see about removing the * from President* Obama's title. Whether that means he isn't eligible to hold the office, or if he is, somebody should figure this out. Something tells me 6 months is probably pretty generous to discover/prove natural born status.

[nyffman]

The way prices have gone lately would suggest that ammunition and components are similar to gasoline in that they all have relatively inelastic demand/supply relationship. There seems to have been no decreasing demand for ammo and components as the price has gone through the roof. Wonder what that is telling someone?

[EJSG19]

The way prices have gone lately would suggest that ammunition and components are similar to gasoline in that they all have relatively inelastic demand/supply relationship. There seems to have been no decreasing demand for ammo and components as the price has gone through the roof. Wonder what that is telling someone?

Tells me my great, great, great ancestors might have chosen a more lucrative industry for times like these.

Speaking of gas, I see it jumped 20 cents last night. Must be all that clear weather the tankers are having on the Pacific.

[MNIceMan]

GS has some Large rifle primers.

[ComradeBurg]

I don't know if the manufacturers are charing more but I would be they are. A simple case of supply and demand.

I do know for a fact at least one gun store has gotten in some primers by buying them back from people who previously bought them there. Of course the buy back price is much higher so they have to charge more. I really hope things return to normal soon.

[SIGP240]

My IDPA guru claims that his neighbor, the Federal Rep, stated that by the end of June, the retailers will all be navel deep in primers. But, you guessed it, at a new price! They did this 7 or 9 years ago, remember? BTW, I recall $7.47 a thou Alcans that I bought with no limit, they were amazing, they brought home a lot of trophies when used in the old S&W M-52 Mid-Range.

[EJSG19]

My IDPA guru claims that his neighbor, the Federal Rep, stated that by the end of June, the retailers will all be navel deep in primers. But, you guessed it, at a new price! They did this 7 or 9 years ago, remember? BTW, I recall $7.47 a thou Alcans that I bought with no limit, they were amazing, they brought home a lot of trophies when used in the old S&W M-52 Mid-Range.

Wouldn't doubt it. Supply will come before price reduction. Why would a for-profit business drop the price when demand is still unreasonably high, just because they can actually meet the demand with their supply? Might as well take advantage of the consumer's willingness to pay crazy prices until the consumer lowers their demand (stops paying stupid prices).

Opportunity to gouge, and as a result keep adding to the troubled economy. People aren't paying equivalent amounts for the things they are buying. Primers' cost of production is a lot less than what they are selling for from what I gather.

Available primers and comfortable prices aren't something I expect until a couple years from now.

[Stradawhovious]

Did you expect them to go back down to $7? if we are talking about the recent difficulties finding primers, there are many places that are selling them for the same price they were 6-8 months ago (when they have them in stock that is....). The inflation seems to be on the retailer end, not the manufacturer. I just purchased 1000 Large Pistol Primers for the same price (and at the same shop) I paid before the crazyness.