What do you say when a guy badmouths your gun???

[BigMatt]

I have been through shows where I have stirred up a conversation with a guy that is selling a gun. I ask him how much he is asking for it and if it is too high, I say "Thanks for letting me see your gun" and move on.

I have also been the guy that is carrying the gun and had the same thing happen to me.

When I was at an unnamed show, I walked in with a gun that I was sure of the value. The first table that I walked past, the guy asked me how much I was asking and I told him. He promptly told me I was asking way too much. I said thanks for looking and moved on. As I was at the next table, I could hear the guy at the first table telling all his buddies that he couldn't believe what I was asking and that it didn't even have wood grips! (the original grips were rubber)

Every time I walked past his table, I could hear him mocking me and my asking price. I wasn't about to get into a yelling contest, and the show wan't that good, so I left.

I promptly went home, listed it on GunBroker and sold it for $100 more than my asking price at the show.

Have you ever had this happen? What should I have done?

 

[223 Gunner]

I have walked plenty of guns at shows over the years. I personally would have ignored him. He wanted to get it cheap enough to re-sell it for your asking price. I too am an establised seller on gunbroker, I don't walk guns around anymore, I list them here for a few weeks, then they go to gunbroker, or gunboards and that is usually were they sell. On one of those two sites. In fact one of the items I have for sale now is also running on gunbroker.

 

[minuteman32]

You could've taken out to your car, walked back to the table & say, "Man, I just sold that gun to a collector for twice what I wanted. I guess it was worth more than I even thought!" then wander off.

 

[HandK]

They live!!! there are people out there that are just jerks and think they know it all and have to show off the group of friends that are with them, my Dad had a saying that if you have to put someone else down to make your self look good chances are you don't look so good!! Or you could have just said to him after the he did it more than once "hey I don't come to where you work and shout insults to you while your running the fry machine at McDonald's now do I" Best to just let the small minded live there own little world!! glad to hear you sold it at a higher price.

 

[JohnP82]

You did the right thing. I know it can be hard, but it isnt worth the time dealing with someone like that. It is frustrating though! Good for you and congrats on the sale.

 

[Integraholic]

I own a Kimber, so it doesn't happen. =D

 

[CSK22]

At the Lafayette show there was a gentleman trying to sell a officers size Kimber and was asking 450 for it. The guy behind the counter said "that piece of sh*t no way, I'll give you 300" the guy looked at him and said "i dont appreciate your tone and walked away" I wish I would have walked up to him and said how Impressed i was. I also wish I had 450 on me.

 

[shibumiseeker]

You need to have a script for situations like this. Mine is "Achmid the Camel Trader." (said in a loud offended voice with a slight accent of inderminate origin) "$300!!! Why that won't even buy bullets for this fine gun! Your ignorance of the true value offends me! Begone!"

 

[wtfd661]

Not enough time in life to care what some idiot says about your gun (or anything else)

 

[1943Izzy]

Some venders think that any gun that they are not selling , is not so hot , and that what they are selling is the best you can buy.

 

[Joe Williams]

Snake oil salesman. No need to pay them much mind. As someone else said, he was hoping to bully you into a lower price, so he could sell it for what you were asking. I'd much rather have a salesman tell me "It's worth this much, but I can only give you that much, cause I need to resell it and make a profit. I can give you a fast sale, but you'll make more money selling it yourself."

And I have had more than one gun salesman tell me something along those lines.

 

[tackleberry65]

You could've disrupted some of his negotiations with other customers as payback, but it sounds like you did the right thing.

 

[Joe Williams]

Oh, another option was to stand at or near his table, talking with your buddies about the high prices on his guns, ammo, ect., and how beat up some of them looked

 

[451_Detonics]

That's when you go get a couple gun show chili dogs then hang out next to his table for a couple hours dropping SBD's....

 

[indyartisan]

Why is my stuff sh-t and everyone elses sh-t stuff?

 

[The Meach]

He wasn't "bad mouthing" your gun. It was a pressure sales/buying technique.

By insulting your gun He was trying to lead you into a confrontation. He would eventually give in and pad you ego and complement you. He would allow you to educate him on the item and act amazed by things he would pretend not to know. After he got you to the point of making you feel like you won he would try and make you "meet him in the middle" while still pouring the praise upon you.

If he did it correctly you would be warmed up to him and already feeling like the winner. So you would sell to him at a discounted rate, but it would be the price he actually wanted to pay in the first place.

So you would walk away happy and probably willing to do business with him again. Even though he just manipulated you.

 

[Gungho_1989]

That's when you go get a couple gun show chili dogs then hang out next to his table for a couple hours dropping SBD's....

Best advice I have heard yet. Except he for got to mention the extra onions.


It just part of it sucks but the reality is there is the same cross section of people at a gunshow as there is in most any other place.

Unfortunately that stuff happens. There are guys on both sides of the tables who act the fool at the slightest chance. Crap from guys coming up and killing deals on you with some crap like "hey buddy CDNN has them thar pugnuts for half that price" then strolls on by, Its just part of it, rarely do I ever engage them and when I do I try to take the high side, but doesn't always work.

I have gotten good deals from both sides of the tables by simply engaging a guy in conversation about the item. Really isn't that hard.
SO you get just as many bungholes, only thing I would have done different stayed around the show a bit longer browsing the booths and shooting the bull with other gun nuts.

 

[EvilleDoug]

Something similar happened to me, and I just waited around and when someone else asked about the item I was trying to buy, I would say "Wow, that's like $15.00 more than what you told me.

His business dropped of quickly.

I'm just saying.

 

[XDinmyXJ]

I own a Kimber, so it doesn't happen. =D

My next handgun. I am liking the ultra carry II!

 

[malern28us]

I would just chalk it up to the beauty of the free market. Same thing happens whenever you go to buy a new or used car. I so love the looks on their faces when you walk away!!