People taking advantage

[Mighty Mouse]

So what is the acceptable level of mark up on anything?

Anything to the left of the arbitrary line:

 

[*zap*]

^ change the faces to butts... butthurt....

 

[CorbLand]

Anything to the left of the arbitrary line:
View attachment 303249

Americans..."I bought my house 5 years ago and its up 40%. This is awesome, I love capitalism, all those that complain should have bought in earlier...to bad I took the risk."
Also Americans..."what do you mean ammo has gone up 50%? You're just ripping people off."

I spent 4 years getting an economics degree. Makes me far from an expert but I cant think of one time that I was ever asked to calculate the amount of price gouging happening in a market.

The problem is that economics works perfect until you add peoples emotions into the mix. The problem with that is that having emotions is what makes us human. Stores should have been raising their prices daily starting back in May of 2020. If they would have done that, it would have stopped the secondary market and pricing would have still be high but would have leveled off more quickly. Stores didn't raise their pricing because then people freak out and blame the store for price gouging. Instead, you have people buying 9MM for 13 bucks a box from Sportsmans Warehouse and selling it for 20 bucks a box on gunbroker. Had the store raised their pricing to 20 bucks guess what wouldnt have happened. Hell, even if the store raised their pricing to 18 bucks a box (which it is what it is now) it would have stopped the secondary market.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

When nobody buys what you are selling, you marked it up too much.

it's What the market will bear. Is it right, that is up to the individual to decide.

 

[5MilesBack]

I was on another forum last night and someone was selling 5.7 ammo for $70 a box. This kind of scalping just irritates me.

Not sure why it should irritate you. I'm sure if he's priced it too high above market pricing then others won't be buying it from him, so not sure how that affects you or irritates you in any way.

Just learn to look at "everything" as a mathematical equation. There are no emotions in mathematical equations. The equation may not make sense to you, but it shouldn't make you angry.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

While it sucks to want something that is over priced, the buyer needs to decide what something is worth to them. Yeah it sucks when a house is 20k over what you want to pay, if it’s not worth that to you, then don’t buy it.

It’s a shit time to be a buyer and a good time to be a seller all around.

 

[sndmn11]

If you were hunting elk and passed on a bunch of 5x5s and small 6x6s, and were later rewarded with an opportunity at a big 6x6, are you hunt gouging?

 

[PNW bow hunter]

If you were hunting elk and passed on a bunch of 5x5s and small 6x6s, and were later rewarded with an opportunity at a big 6x6, are you hunt gouging?

Maybe if it’s a 290 6x6 and your guide charges you a $10,000 trophy fee you didn’t know about

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Maybe if it’s a 290 6x6 and your guide charges you a $10,000 trophy fee you didn’t know about

That's gota hurt.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

For Elk I shoot 300 win. mag. Barnes 180 gn. ttsx. If you can find it, plan on paying $120.00 for twenty. It's what the market will bare. After what guys spend on an Elk hunt that is an insignificant cost.

Heads up bro!!!

Sold - 300 WM Barnes VOR-TX 180 gr TTSX BT

Cleaned out the safe this weekend and found a new box I forgot I had. These will not get used. $75 shipped to lower 48

www.rokslide.com

 

[thinhorn_AK]

House next to me, 3 BR, 2Bath, 1250 sq. ft. Last august Listed for $695k, 22 offers later sold for $769K

It’s ******* wild isn’t it?

 

[String&stick]

So what is the acceptable level of mark up on anything?

Oh supply and demand win out. . . I just think it's funny that when the government wasn't prepared and people bought up hand sanitizer they put a stop to capitalism, but now that the government created inflation by shutting off and turning on the economy, they have no problem with prices running wild.

I'm all for capitalism, but let's not kid ourselves we don't live in a purely capitalistic society and I don't think anyone would really want to see the prices of things if we did!

 

[tuk]

I don’t have a problem with people making some money. I won’t sell my ammo to strangers but help my friends out. But as for ammo when people are selling for 2to 3 times what you can buy it for when you can find it. and a few of the people locally that i have found that were doing this i found had friends or family working at one of the retailers selling ammo. They were getting heads up and ability to buy more than others. Then up charging. One guy was selling 5.7 for $150 box. I personally won’t pay those prices. I feel bad for the young families trying to buy their first house right now. In my area people are selling within days of listing and getting offers of 50k over asking price.

 

[Geedubya]

When Selling on GunBroker, I start everything, at $.01. I figure if folks want to pay too much, that is not of my doing. Win some lose some! Ya! GWB

 

[Marbles]

If you're up for a challenge to your preconceived notions, here's a good explanation of the legitimate economic role of the much-maligned "middleman": https://mises.org/library/24-middleman

Most middlemen add value (move goods, store goods until needed, Etc.). I figured the parentheses showed that the no value statement was referencing back to the case in question that was discussed in the same sentence, guess I should have been wordier to make that clearer. Also, dispite being a terrible speller I did intend to say "their" as typed and was not misspelling there.

Listen to the link you posted. Then tell me the the five things that it states in defense of middlemen that do not apply to the scenario I described in my post. Alternatively, describe the specific value provided by the middleman in that scenario that makes his services worth the price (not the product, specifically what he contributes by walking into the store, buying all of a product, then reselling it to the stores normal customers). Remember, by your own source middlemen must provide an essential service, or people would just go around them in a free market. Well there is 1 of the 5 for you as his service only exists because he has cut off the ability to go around him by controlling the supply, as soon as he can no longer control supply what will happen?

 

[223dude]

I just paid $600+ for 8lb jug of
4350 powder on GB.

I needed it for my 6.5 creed hunting load for
this fall.

I also paid $200 for 1k of primers.

I was happy to pay that,

supply and demand......

 

[mwebs]

I was on another forum last night and someone was selling 5.7 ammo for $70 a box. This kind of scalping just irritates me. I have quite a stock of ammo, not as much as i would like more than a lot of people. But i hate to see people buying ammo at those prices. the guys scalping should be ashamed of themselves. but i am sure they have morals or spine anyway. I did put a message on his post saying he should be ashamed of himself and got a nasty gram from said forum. But worth it, if for no other reason than to make myself feel better. In all this i have not sold ammo to anyone for more than i have bought it for and most of the time just give it to those who need it with the instruction when you find some you pay me back. The same with anything else people need. Grrrr just irritates me to no end people blowing up prices on things In this way. Hope you all have a great day.

Wait so your against capitalism and for socialism and controlled prices?

 

[roadrunner]

There is no such thing as price gouging.

You would be wrong on that one.

 

[tuk]

Not against capitalism. Just frustrated seeing people selling way above what I think are fair prices. I have a personal ethics that I can’t sell things for 2 to 3 times price. If I were selling my house and there was a bidding war I can’t stop that. But when this whole thing started and a roll of toilet paper was on Craigslist for$20. Bs.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Most middlemen add value (move goods, store goods until needed, Etc.). I figured the parentheses showed that the no value statement was referencing back to the case in question that was discussed in the same sentence, guess I should have been wordier to make that clearer. Also, dispite being a terrible speller I did intend to say "their" as typed and was not misspelling there.

Listen to the link you posted. Then tell me the the five things that it states in defense of middlemen that do not apply to the scenario I described in my post. Alternatively, describe the specific value provided by the middleman in that scenario that makes his services worth the price (not the product, specifically what he contributes by walking into the store, buying all of a product, then reselling it to the stores normal customers). Remember, by your own source middlemen must provide an essential service, or people would just go around them in a free market. Well there is 1 of the 5 for you as his service only exists because he has cut off the ability to go around him by controlling the supply, as soon as he can no longer control supply what will happen?

I'll have to get back to you with a more complete answer to the homework assignment, but for now I'll just say that the fact that the middleman reselling ammo can turn a profit is itself proof that he is providing a valuable service. If there were no value being added, there would be no profit opportunity. His valuable service may be as seemingly trite as being in the right place at the right time to buy ammo from a primary retailer, but it is a service nonetheless that buyers in secondary markets such as GunBroker, online forums, etc. are currently willing to pay a premium over retail prices for.