Pros and cons of buying local vs online

J

Jonny Quest

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Hi everyone,

I live in Vancouver and have noticed that firearms, just like everything else in this city, costs more here. If I purchase online from another province and pay a lower price, don't have to pay provincial sales tax, and only have to pay shipping/insurance as extra costs I save around $50-$100. I can also buy from my home and it's delivered to my home. Am I missing something? Are there advantages to buying local? Is the process more difficult or take longer?

Thanks
 
You don't get to physically see the firearm until you already own it if you buy online.
If its a gun that you've never seen before I would suggest purchasing from a local store!
I was set on buying a Beretta 92 a couple years ago. I went to the store to buy it, and was basically disgusted with the size of the grips. (Did not buy it!)
If you really know what you want, don't hesitate to buy online from a reputable dealer.

I would say its more straight forward to buy locally. Walk in, choose your gun, show your pal, walk out with the gun (for non-restricted's)
If your buying a restricted gun, I find it more convenient to order online.
 
L1911 said:
I only buy local. As mention, I like to inspect the gun before purchasing. If I am expected to buy without inspection, I pass even if the deal is really good.
Click to expand...

Defiantly some truth here.
I almost walked out the store with a new marlin that had quite a bit of rust in the trigger group.
 
I've bought tons from, Ellwood Epps, online and in person, Both restricted and non never had an issue, Wolverine supplies has taken very good care of me as well with all my orders. I like to buy local when I can and support my community if its a fair price, I don't mind paying a little more for the service and opportunity to handle the item sometimes
 
This debate could be used for all business, as the online retail world is shutting down box stores left, right, and centre.

Pros for supporting LGS:

Hands-on the products before buying
You get to see items you may not have known about
You build rapport with a store, they tend to help you out
Any new gun issues a local store will help
Some let you try different glass until you get what you like
I find pricing to be very similar to online
No wait times - walk in, walk out with product
More choices - we have a lot of LGS to chose from - for now

Cons:

If one person in the shop bothers you, you may not want to go back
They have so many nice options I spend more than I want to ;)


Pros for online:

It's cheaper.
You may buy less (but you may buy more, thinking it's a deal).
Sometimes offer odd-ball items stores don't carry

Cons:

They will eventually shut down brick and mortar stores, leaving you no options. What will pricing be like then?
Wait time for shipping - and sometimes confusing delivery costs.



There are probably more to list, but that is what comes to mind here before I head out to work. In the end, support the local shops so that we have the choice of local shops in the future. I know I do.
 
Added time if there's something wrong. And you will pay the return shipping. Chance of the package going missing, etc, etc. Biggest one is your local shop(s) closing due to a lack of business. Plus if you buy ammo or reloading components, the cost will increase significantly due to shipping costs and that will negate any savings. Said shipping costs are not set by the seller either.
 
Thank you all for the replies. I will be buying local at least for my first purchase and see from there. Your insights were helpful and greatly appreciated.

Cheers
 
Support your local business. If it costs more for you to buy it where you live then it costs more for the dealer's to buy where you live... You're just outsourcing from your community... I'm not saying its bad to buy online, but only every now and again. What happens if your gun breaks 1 week in from the internet? A local gunshop you can take it back and they will take care of you. Any reputable dealer will immediately fix your problem...Good luck finding a company online....its just not the same as face-to-face transactions.. Basically, all in all, what you pay extra for in your local gunshop is security and peace of mind..

Sometimes a great deal online is awesome...But sometimes they're too good to be true. At least use extreme caution when purchasing online.

Plus, an online dealer wont recognize your patronage like a local dealer will.
 
It comes down to money and how much is left in my wallet after the transaction. I don't mind waiting for a package in the mail. And when I've had an issue everyone of the online dealers has fixed it no problem. My LGS is not so helpful, basically they told me T.S it's not our problem, all sales are final B.S. I find I usually use the same online vendors and I have never had an issue that didn't get solved. If there were some helpful knowledgeable people working at the local store and I didn't have to take a loan out to buy a box of ammo then it would be a different story. But until then my money is being shopped online.
 
Robbin Hood said:
Support your local business. If it costs more for you to buy it where you live then it costs more for the dealer's to buy where you live... You're just outsourcing from your community... I'm not saying its bad to buy online, but only every now and again. What happens if your gun breaks 1 week in from the internet? A local gunshop you can take it back and they will take care of you. Any reputable dealer will immediately fix your problem...Good luck finding a company online....its just not the same as face-to-face transactions.. Basically, all in all, what you pay extra for in your local gunshop is security and peace of mind..

Sometimes a great deal online is awesome...But sometimes they're too good to be true. At least use extreme caution when purchasing online.

Plus, an online dealer wont recognize your patronage like a local dealer will.
Click to expand...

The top banner has many reputable dealers that I personally have had problems over purchases resolved with, no problem fast prompt service. 7 posts in and your already slagging the support for the forum.
 
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People are going to hate me, but I browse for firearms in local shop, and buy online if the price end up being cheaper there. I only buy accessories locally.
 
Pro - Can Find Deals, Get What You Want.

Con - Waiting, Add Shipping Cost

Since nobody around here has WHAT I want, I don't buy locally ( well for accessories because never have anything )
 
I live in Vancouver as well. Develop a relationship with a local store and you'd be surprised what they can do for you. I find with Reliable they do their best to match online price to a point where it's actually cheaper buying from them.

And nothing beats to be able to handle the product and know I can take it back for warranty if needed.
 
I think you might need to look a little harder at your local dealers in the lower mainland. Many are advertisers on this site, and have great pricing. Many of the people on this forum shop online with those same dealers, because they do not live as close to them as you do.

But to answer the "online or not" question: if you don't support the dealers close to you, they can't support you. If you walk in and say "I bought this gun online, and I need help with it" or any number of similar things, they will either tell you their shop rates, or suggest you talk to the manufacturer, importer, or the place you purchased from. Also, when it comes time to head to the range or hunting, and you are out of ammo, where are you going to go? I know my local gun stores tend to have way better ammo price and selection than Canadian Tire and WallyWorld. I'm saving money by supporting them.
 
The vast majority of my firearms I have bought online. My LGS knows this. But I buy most of my accessories, ammunition and get my smith work done with them so I feel it balances out. I've bought thousands of dollars worth of firearms elsewhere but also supporting my local store with thousands of dollars of other purchases. It's not like I never buy guns from them, just that the ones I am interested in are usually in an inventory somewhere if they don't have it. That said, I have regretted buying some firearms without holding them. And it is hard having a conversation with an online retailer.
 
If its in Canada its local to me. I have zero issues buying from anywhere in Canada. It ONLY depends on what I want, and if YOU have it. If you have it when I casually walk into a store.. perfect. If not.. oh well. I guess I use my phone/pc and order it to be delivered to my doorstep.

I bought 2/3 of my stuff online. The rest local.

Buy local:
Save on shipping and instant gratification with local, but limited selection of course.

Buy online:
Get exactly what you want. Shipping extra.
 
I buy all my firearms online, the thing is to choose your dealer and establish a trust relation between you and him... When you are loyal to a dealer, he will be with you. Often he will included a couples of extras mags or give you an extra 5% discount you end up paying a lot less then anywere esle... Buying online is no different than a trust relation with a close person, a given word is a respected word on both side, i would not change a thing... JP.PS: a couple of times i did not like my buy, i was sended a CP return all paid so, i dont really care not seeing it up front, i aint loosing on any side...
 
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you are in a location where you should be able to find what you want locally. I buy a lot online because none of the local stores where I live carry anything I want. my top 3 no questions asked online places are Wolverine and two shops that are local to you LOL hi calibur services and wainstals. Sometimes it helps to shop both. I was shopping for a mossberg 715 a while back and found a great deal online. went into my local shop and asked to see one. they sold out of them but agreed to bring one in for me and they matched the price I had found online. sometimes it works out.
 
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