Primers in stock at midway now

[bakerjw]

Brownells had spp and srp in stock for about 5 minutes yesterday. Limit of 2k per type

At $79.99 per thousand? Gouging IMHO.

[Hometek]

I wish everyone would price primers at 250$ a thousand. Let them accumulate and then start going down in price til availability stabilizes. I don't see the high prices as price gouging as much as supply and demand issues. If it's so easy to make primers why aren't there new startups going into the primer business. We need more options.

[downzero]

At $79.99 per thousand? Gouging IMHO.

Yet nobody who bought them agrees with you and they're all gone now. Should they have given them away for $39?

I wish everyone would price primers at 250$ a thousand. Let them accumulate and then start going down in price til availability stabilizes. I don't see the high prices as price gouging as much as supply and demand issues. If it's so easy to make primers why aren't there new startups going into the primer business. We need more options.

That's absolutely right.

[bakerjw]

Yet nobody who bought them agrees with you and they're all gone now. Should they have given them away for $39?



That's absolutely right.

Last year, I bought 10,000 SPP from a CB member for $700.00. I was sick that I spent that much but with the trend that was occurring, I bi the bullet.
Places like Midway and Brownells are paying perhaps half of what they are charging. If somebody pays it, good for them. They are still gouging because they can. And that is reason enough for me to not purchase from them again. Free market and all but I can choose where to get gouged. Our local GS sells primers for half that when they have them in stock. Screw the big houses for what they are doing.

[Shawlerbrook]

Doubt the new normal will ever be less than $50/1000. Not defending Larry here, but if they sold that fast at $79 why would he sell them for $40. Not a smart business model. I would guess that many that would buy them at $40 would only resell at a gouging price.
Our idiot governor just declared gun violence an emergency situation which will only erode law abiding citizens rights further and fuel more of this madness. And crazy old joe has yet to make his play.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

My 2k of spm should arrive today from Brownell's. No, I did not like paying that much but if it keeps me shooting so be it. Still cheaper than golfing which I don't do.

[Wag]

In a free market economy, "gouging" doesn't exist except for necessities (water, gas, food, etc.).

For discretionary items like loading supplies, people can charge what the market will pay.

Basic economics. If you don't want to pay that much, you don't have to buy it.

--Wag--

[GARD72977]

In a free market economy, "gouging" doesn't exist except for necessities (water, gas, food, etc.).

For discretionary items like loading supplies, people can charge what the market will pay.

Basic economics. If you don't want to pay that much, you don't have to buy it.

--Wag--

You are right.

I put Midway last on my shopping list!

Free market so its my choice!

[Wag]

I'm not religious but the Bible has a great story about stocking up on things during the 7 years of plenty so that you have enough for the 7 years of famine. It's a good policy to follow, no matter what. It goes for money, food, water, medicines, spices, guns, ammo, etc.

Every time this happens, we all have the same exact dialogue but when the plentiful times come back around, only a very few learn the lesson and stock up.

For what it's worth, stock up on ammo. Loading is a hobby so it should be a follow-on priority, however, if you want to keep the hobby going, stock up on the rest of the stuff you need, too.

Of course, it also begs the question of how much stocking up you need to do and every person has their own idea of how much you need to have on hand, regardless. Personally, I don't think I need more than 1,000 rounds of ammo for self defense but for target shooting, several thousand rounds does make sense.

--Wag--

[farmbif]

its not just primers that have gone up in cost on midway, my last look through midway the cost of bullets is way up too. rifle bullets .358 and larger seem to be at least 50 cents each and up. I think I paid like 25 cents each for .375 220 grains when they were last available. I would not be able to shoot anywhere near as much as I do if I didn't cast my own. Learned lesson long ago that if I want to keep shooting on regular basis got to have plenty of primers.

[reddog81]

In a free market economy, "gouging" doesn't exist except for necessities (water, gas, food, etc.).

For discretionary items like loading supplies, people can charge what the market will pay.

In a free market buyers and seller determine the price of goods. Price gouging laws are an emotional and illogical response that keep the market from self adjusting.

If gas stations and grocery stores could adjust prices before and during an emergency they'd be able to serve the people that are willing to pay the market rate rather than being forced to sell at artificially low prices. Those laws encourage people to buy as much as possible and hoard the excess. Realistically 99% of people would still be able buy what they need and more people would be served because the pumps and shelves wouldn't be empty.

[QuackAttack24]

I was fortunate enough to stumble on 2000 SPP at Sportsman's Warehouse last month for $36/1000. No gouging going on there.

[Vettepilot]

Well, ya know, I've been doing some thinking about this problem from a marketing standpoint.

There are two ways, basically, to make money in sales. Sell at a small profit margin, but sell a boat load of them, or sell low volume, but at a very high profit margin. Normally, the market doesn't support the second option.

Competition, and a careful buying public normally keeps prices, (and therefore profit margin), low. So you have to put out a good product, promote it well, and hope to sell a bunch in order to make money.

But, if you could possibly get away with it, selling fewer items at a much higher profit margin is far and away the better way to go. Less manufacturing costs in every area; energy costs, labor costs, tooling wear, distribution, headaches in general, etc., etc., etc. Selling low volume at very high profit margins is a DREAM for sellers. It's something we learned from the Arabs and their oil, and is very effective. Create a shortage, get the consumers scared, then sell LESS for MORE as detailed above. It's a seller's heaven.

So guys, until we stop supporting this artificial market by buying all we can find at the higher prices, there is virtually no incentive for it to change. Truly, it would be foolish business practice to change things as they currently sit. But if we quit buying, sooner or later one manufacturer will break away, lower prices, and then the race will be on. Free market enterprise will take over, and competition will set prices; not fear!

Some might say the primer companies are not engaging in what I have described. Well, I can tell you, many sales outlets at least, definitely are!

Vettepilot

[farmbif]

as far as everyone boycotting excessive prices, not likely to happen, there are just over 50,000 members to this web site
last year something like 22 million guns were sold, I'm willing to bet a good percentage of that are new shooters, all hungry for ammo.
you would have to reach out to a whole bunch of people to make an effective boycott and people are still paying outrageous prices for ammo, components and anything reloading related on places like gun broker

[Vettepilot]

Oh, I know, and you're right. Plus I don't have the time and energy to try to organize a boycott, even if I thought I could get people to do it. (Which I don't.)

No, one can only try to wait it out unfortunately. Sadly, when you get older, such wastes of precious "life-time" are more annoying...

Vettepilot

[Wayne Smith]

I may be mistaken but I believe that a 50% to 75% markup on sporting goods was normal pre covid - has been for years.

[Vettepilot]

Well, 75 to 140 bucks per 1000 primers is certainly not pre-Covid pricing!! So someone is making an unfair windfall profit!

Vettepilot

[white eagle]

79.00 a thousand is high but they have primers and some do not

[VariableRecall]

Looks like 5.56 primers are $90 a brick on Midway! Yeeouch! I'm probably going to hold off on purchasing them for the time being...

[Froogal]

I feel that around $40 per 1000 will be the new norm. Pricing much greater than that will simply eliminate a lot of folks.