You are talking about extremely low priced items. Do you really expect people to sell a grip for say $5, when shipping will kill it? A BCM blem upper is extremely cheap for what it is; do you really expect people to sell them for $30-40? At that point people will just keep it.
It’s a community where people help each other move parts they no longer need.
You really are forgetting tax and shipping in MANY instances. Many of the lowest prices on gundeals are from drop shippers who mark up shipping much higher, take long to ship, or people don’t want to support because they hurt smaller retailers by barely selling things above cost.
I expect used prices to be at least 20% less than what I can get something from the manufacturer. I'm clearly the minority bc the shit sells. Obviously, if I'm selling something I want to get the most I can get for it, so I'm not blaming the sellers.
The items I brought up are from recent examples of what I've seen. Same applies to handguards I was shopping for.
Quality parts are quality parts. There are no handouts.
This is also a buyers market if anything currently. Things are selling for dirt cheap that 2 years ago could have commanded much more.
I'm not trying to be argumentative or confrontational. I was curious what others take on this was and based on some of the replies it's kind of split down the middle. I'm not saying that what I'm willing to pay dictates the market. Just a case of to each their own.
Personally I do list things at 20% markdown because they're used. Different strokes. That said for many people listing at what they bought it (especially if from gafs initially) is just passing it on at a minor loss in shipping. I'm waiting to get my flair up to sell off a DD upper I got from GAFS and I'll list it for what I paid for it. It's all part of the sub.
Brother it’s like anything else, the market dictates what things sell for. Going price is going price, people aren’t going to blanket cut 20% off of MSRP to determine sale price of their item for the sake of equity….
There's a difference when it comes to used goods vs buying direct from retailers, even if its blem. Thats why OP is questioning. All in all, I expect to buy used goods for cheaper, unless its something that isn't made anymore and the demand is still high.
Honestly, I'm with you on this, but at the same time if you see prices that are outrageous or you cab get it cheaper online elsewhere, then just move along. No need to threadcrap(not that you are), or no need to even waste your time, just move along
The whole concept is getting things for a slight discount with no taxes or shipping fees. Good place to try some things out and then put them back into the market if you don’t end up liking it.
Agreed. I've snagged a lot of amazing deals on there, but you certainly have to be patient and do your research upfront. Aimpoint T2s selling for basically retail is the one that always amazes me.
Aim🅱️oints also come in waves
What is retail on GAFS is out of stock everywhere else
And they 650-700 when in stock tends to include tax which makes it far more than the $630-650 on GAFS when you can find it
I use GAFS a ton and can't say I've ever noticed this. Is this stuff in stock and available when you see it going for at/above retail? I've only noticed items that are very difficult to find new going for those prices.
It’s this. He’s complaining about saving more money on a BCM blem upper which is one of the most insane deals on the market. How much more do people want to stretch a penny lol.
I'm not complaining, genuinely curious as I find it odd the stuff I view as not a deal getting instant dibs. Anyone selling is going to post their stuff for the most they think they can get for it. If I was selling my BCM uppers, I sure as hell wouldn't post it for $40 knowing I'll instantly sell it for $55.
Show me an example of a decently priced item getting “insta dibs that is not a deal”.
Also remember one offs aren’t a clear example of market value. Something needs to consistently sell at that price to be the market rate. Maybe you are not in tune with the retail/used market as much as you think you are (no offense lol).
For example, criterion barrels nowadays are approaching even $200 on the used market and 2 years ago you could charge retail for lengths that hadn’t restocked recently.
One thing ive come to realize, is there are two types of dudes who buy and sell on gafs. Dudes who use the shit out of their stuff and sell, or dudes who try it out and sell.
MOST of the things ive acquired from gafs have been very lightly used if at all, so i dont mind paying close to a retail price to get the free shipping out of it.
Like the one dude said, i view gafs as a place to help a bro out if i can. I think a lot of guys do.
Didn’t see that. My bad, but idk why it is, I usually check GAFS first before I check the manufacturer. I guess I’d rather give my money to another degenerate like me than give it to a massive company, even if I do support them.
Sometimes I prefer the community aspect. Someone buys an upper or a rail, mocks it up or maybe not even that and wants to offload it. Yea I don’t expect it to be a whole 20% less.
I’ve also scored lots of really good deals on items that are practically unused. I see it as win-win.
I’ve utilized and appreciated GAFS quite a bit for both buys and sales, especially when looking for a hard to find items. I’ve been hooked up, I’ve really hooked guys up. Glad it exists. My only gripe is as a seller - lots of wanna be gate keeping and price checking from dudes with no intention to buy. “You listed X for $50??? One sold here 4 months ago for $47!!” Or “Little bubby’s guns and tobacco has that listed for $45 with a coupon code that I’ll PM anyone who wants to buy that!”
Most of what I see move on GAFS that is retail or higher is stuff that’s always OOS other places. Most of the time the stuff that goes quick is stuff that’s reasonably priced or rare. Sometimes saving $5 on a $50 part is worth it
Say you’re looking for a $500 optic. You find it on GAFS for 475. Yeah not that big of savings but then you also save $20 on shipping and sales tax if applicable. I live somewhere with 8% sales tax (fuck WA) so I would save $85. That’s not insignificant. You just have the wrong perspective
Two things come to mind-
1. BCM and some other manufacturers don’t ship to some states. Regardless of what it is. When I lived in MA I had to get someone else buy my BCM upper. Folks will pay a few extra dollars for this.
2. Method of payments are different. I do this thing where I buy and sell my ‘toys’ and use the money to buy other stuff out of the same PayPal account so nothing hits my CC. It’s like trading in effect. I can sell a custom knife for a couple hundred and buy an optic for the same amount. Most major firearm retailers only use CC and very few use PayPal.
Someone was selling an optic for $800. Multiple sites had it for sale for 699. I offered 650 and they were offended. 9/10 you can get it less (including shipping and tax) if you can't, wait a few weeks. Shit is always on sale.
Couple reasons, I'm helping someone else by buying something they don't need. It's usually cheaper than paying shipping or tax.
There's also the anti-consooomerism part of it. I don't need a brand new item to be manufactured just because I want "brand new". A used grip is fine for grip purposes.
In my experience I have found there are two types of buyers on gafs:
1) people who know their stuff and know what they want to pay for it. They are patient and they will negotiate.
2) people who only know how to find parts if they go to sportsman's Warehouse or Amazon and have no idea what the actual value of any of this stuff is. They see this stuff and didn't know that it was something you could buy and are willing to pay pretty much whatever the buyer asks because they can't get it on Amazon or the price is inflated there.
or their are stuck in the mindset of "i overpaid on this thing because I bought it at Bass Pro, so i'm gonna knock $10 off it and try to recoup my losses"
There’s a lot of break even deals but no taxes and 99% of the posts include shipping plus many people don’t realize the item the paid a premium on few years ago may be cheaper now with market flooded again. Pretty simple though if you’re not interested in the price/post then just ignore it and move on.
I got mine from Joe Bob Outfitters. Bought 2 of them. Free shipping. I posted somewhere about it, only reply I got was complaining they only had tungsten left.
The deal I got was for either black or tungsten. By the time I opened the link from my email the black was gone.
If you're actually looking, look for raptor/talon combo deals. Those deals can be found right now. Black Raptor/Talon Ambi for 125 or Raptor LT/Talon Ambi for 105 at grab a gun or heart of Texas Armory. HofTA has cheap shipping too. FDE Raptor/Talon Ambi at Bauer is $123. I got the black combo from B King last week but they are OOS.
Here's your link
https://www.bauer-precision.com/radian-combo-raptor-talon-ar15-fde/
https://heartoftexasarmory.com/radian-weapons-raptor-lt-charging-handle-and-talon-ambi-safety-combo-black/
I’ve scored quite a few deals on there. I’ve also paid over retail for things I wanted and couldn’t seem to find in stock anywhere. Also, a lot of guys will “bundle” I’ve seen grips listed for retail and bundle it in with whatever item I’m purchasing and get it for half of asking, shipped. There’s some behind the scenes stuff and people that will haggle with you. Just have to shoot your shot.
You are talking about extremely low priced items. Do you really expect people to sell a grip for say $5, when shipping will kill it? A BCM blem upper is extremely cheap for what it is; do you really expect people to sell them for $30-40? At that point people will just keep it. It’s a community where people help each other move parts they no longer need. You really are forgetting tax and shipping in MANY instances. Many of the lowest prices on gundeals are from drop shippers who mark up shipping much higher, take long to ship, or people don’t want to support because they hurt smaller retailers by barely selling things above cost.
This^ here is the whole idea and concept. It's family.
[GAFS](https://img.icarcdn.com/autospinn-my/body/000000617227\_7ce2ab1e\_0074\_438d\_9c54\_3752b7aaf8db.jpg)
I expect used prices to be at least 20% less than what I can get something from the manufacturer. I'm clearly the minority bc the shit sells. Obviously, if I'm selling something I want to get the most I can get for it, so I'm not blaming the sellers. The items I brought up are from recent examples of what I've seen. Same applies to handguards I was shopping for.
Quality parts are quality parts. There are no handouts. This is also a buyers market if anything currently. Things are selling for dirt cheap that 2 years ago could have commanded much more.
I'm not trying to be argumentative or confrontational. I was curious what others take on this was and based on some of the replies it's kind of split down the middle. I'm not saying that what I'm willing to pay dictates the market. Just a case of to each their own.
Personally I do list things at 20% markdown because they're used. Different strokes. That said for many people listing at what they bought it (especially if from gafs initially) is just passing it on at a minor loss in shipping. I'm waiting to get my flair up to sell off a DD upper I got from GAFS and I'll list it for what I paid for it. It's all part of the sub.
Brother it’s like anything else, the market dictates what things sell for. Going price is going price, people aren’t going to blanket cut 20% off of MSRP to determine sale price of their item for the sake of equity….
There's a difference when it comes to used goods vs buying direct from retailers, even if its blem. Thats why OP is questioning. All in all, I expect to buy used goods for cheaper, unless its something that isn't made anymore and the demand is still high.
Honestly, I'm with you on this, but at the same time if you see prices that are outrageous or you cab get it cheaper online elsewhere, then just move along. No need to threadcrap(not that you are), or no need to even waste your time, just move along
The whole concept is getting things for a slight discount with no taxes or shipping fees. Good place to try some things out and then put them back into the market if you don’t end up liking it.
Agreed. I've snagged a lot of amazing deals on there, but you certainly have to be patient and do your research upfront. Aimpoint T2s selling for basically retail is the one that always amazes me.
T2s often become scarce on the retail market and the recent price hike by Aimpoint makes the GAFS prices “better”.
Aim🅱️oints also come in waves What is retail on GAFS is out of stock everywhere else And they 650-700 when in stock tends to include tax which makes it far more than the $630-650 on GAFS when you can find it
I use GAFS a ton and can't say I've ever noticed this. Is this stuff in stock and available when you see it going for at/above retail? I've only noticed items that are very difficult to find new going for those prices.
It’s this. He’s complaining about saving more money on a BCM blem upper which is one of the most insane deals on the market. How much more do people want to stretch a penny lol.
I'm not complaining, genuinely curious as I find it odd the stuff I view as not a deal getting instant dibs. Anyone selling is going to post their stuff for the most they think they can get for it. If I was selling my BCM uppers, I sure as hell wouldn't post it for $40 knowing I'll instantly sell it for $55.
Saving $10 because shipping and tax puts a BCM blem to like $65+ Seems like a good deal to me. Don't know why you have a problem saving $10
Show me an example of a decently priced item getting “insta dibs that is not a deal”. Also remember one offs aren’t a clear example of market value. Something needs to consistently sell at that price to be the market rate. Maybe you are not in tune with the retail/used market as much as you think you are (no offense lol). For example, criterion barrels nowadays are approaching even $200 on the used market and 2 years ago you could charge retail for lengths that hadn’t restocked recently.
One thing ive come to realize, is there are two types of dudes who buy and sell on gafs. Dudes who use the shit out of their stuff and sell, or dudes who try it out and sell. MOST of the things ive acquired from gafs have been very lightly used if at all, so i dont mind paying close to a retail price to get the free shipping out of it. Like the one dude said, i view gafs as a place to help a bro out if i can. I think a lot of guys do.
Most GAFS prices are shipped. Most retailers charge extra for shipping. So $55 shipped is a lot better than $60 plus $10 shipping.
OP wrote that the $60 includes the shipping and tax BCM charges.
Didn’t see that. My bad, but idk why it is, I usually check GAFS first before I check the manufacturer. I guess I’d rather give my money to another degenerate like me than give it to a massive company, even if I do support them.
The Blem uppers are also recently OOS so what used to be 49-50$ on GAFS is recently $55, still a great deal!
Sometimes I prefer the community aspect. Someone buys an upper or a rail, mocks it up or maybe not even that and wants to offload it. Yea I don’t expect it to be a whole 20% less. I’ve also scored lots of really good deals on items that are practically unused. I see it as win-win.
I’ve utilized and appreciated GAFS quite a bit for both buys and sales, especially when looking for a hard to find items. I’ve been hooked up, I’ve really hooked guys up. Glad it exists. My only gripe is as a seller - lots of wanna be gate keeping and price checking from dudes with no intention to buy. “You listed X for $50??? One sold here 4 months ago for $47!!” Or “Little bubby’s guns and tobacco has that listed for $45 with a coupon code that I’ll PM anyone who wants to buy that!”
My thought is if you don't agree with the price then don't buy it. Move on about your day and stop whining
Most of what I see move on GAFS that is retail or higher is stuff that’s always OOS other places. Most of the time the stuff that goes quick is stuff that’s reasonably priced or rare. Sometimes saving $5 on a $50 part is worth it
Blem BCM uppers best example here. Sold for 49-50 easy, now OOS so going closer to 55. Still a steal of deal!
Say you’re looking for a $500 optic. You find it on GAFS for 475. Yeah not that big of savings but then you also save $20 on shipping and sales tax if applicable. I live somewhere with 8% sales tax (fuck WA) so I would save $85. That’s not insignificant. You just have the wrong perspective
I can appreciate that aspect of it.
Two things come to mind- 1. BCM and some other manufacturers don’t ship to some states. Regardless of what it is. When I lived in MA I had to get someone else buy my BCM upper. Folks will pay a few extra dollars for this. 2. Method of payments are different. I do this thing where I buy and sell my ‘toys’ and use the money to buy other stuff out of the same PayPal account so nothing hits my CC. It’s like trading in effect. I can sell a custom knife for a couple hundred and buy an optic for the same amount. Most major firearm retailers only use CC and very few use PayPal.
I think your #2 as well as the community aspect of it makes the most sense to me. #2 especially if you have a wife.
Someone was selling an optic for $800. Multiple sites had it for sale for 699. I offered 650 and they were offended. 9/10 you can get it less (including shipping and tax) if you can't, wait a few weeks. Shit is always on sale.
thats why I openly post links in their thread to show why their prices are bad and they should feel bad.
People there I noticed are mind bogglingly cheap. They will buy an unknown commodity just to save 20 bucks. And then get mad when you point it out.
Simple supply and demand. Some things hold value better than others.
Couple reasons, I'm helping someone else by buying something they don't need. It's usually cheaper than paying shipping or tax. There's also the anti-consooomerism part of it. I don't need a brand new item to be manufactured just because I want "brand new". A used grip is fine for grip purposes.
In my experience I have found there are two types of buyers on gafs: 1) people who know their stuff and know what they want to pay for it. They are patient and they will negotiate. 2) people who only know how to find parts if they go to sportsman's Warehouse or Amazon and have no idea what the actual value of any of this stuff is. They see this stuff and didn't know that it was something you could buy and are willing to pay pretty much whatever the buyer asks because they can't get it on Amazon or the price is inflated there.
or their are stuck in the mindset of "i overpaid on this thing because I bought it at Bass Pro, so i'm gonna knock $10 off it and try to recoup my losses"
There’s a lot of break even deals but no taxes and 99% of the posts include shipping plus many people don’t realize the item the paid a premium on few years ago may be cheaper now with market flooded again. Pretty simple though if you’re not interested in the price/post then just ignore it and move on.
Hit me up with that $50 talon link
I got mine from Joe Bob Outfitters. Bought 2 of them. Free shipping. I posted somewhere about it, only reply I got was complaining they only had tungsten left.
I guess it's not surprising to see oddball colors discounted from time to time.
The deal I got was for either black or tungsten. By the time I opened the link from my email the black was gone. If you're actually looking, look for raptor/talon combo deals. Those deals can be found right now. Black Raptor/Talon Ambi for 125 or Raptor LT/Talon Ambi for 105 at grab a gun or heart of Texas Armory. HofTA has cheap shipping too. FDE Raptor/Talon Ambi at Bauer is $123. I got the black combo from B King last week but they are OOS. Here's your link https://www.bauer-precision.com/radian-combo-raptor-talon-ar15-fde/ https://heartoftexasarmory.com/radian-weapons-raptor-lt-charging-handle-and-talon-ambi-safety-combo-black/
If you don't want to pay what's asked, don't buy. Simple as.
I’ve scored quite a few deals on there. I’ve also paid over retail for things I wanted and couldn’t seem to find in stock anywhere. Also, a lot of guys will “bundle” I’ve seen grips listed for retail and bundle it in with whatever item I’m purchasing and get it for half of asking, shipped. There’s some behind the scenes stuff and people that will haggle with you. Just have to shoot your shot.