Want To Become A Local Ammo Dealer
- Thread starter sgt.rock
- Start date
- Location
- Fort McMurray, Alberta
I have given a little thought to doing the same thing up here in Fort McMurray. We have the same troubles, just Wal Mart and Canadian Tire for ammo... and only rifle ammo at that. They are out of virtually everything other than 20 GA shot shells when hunting season hits.
I am led to believe that there is very little mark up room on ammunition, so it may not be a big money maker, but it would be great to make it more available up here, especially in the handgun calibers. To get them, we have to drive a minimum of 3 hrs... well, three hours at the speed limit anyway... I am pretty sure the repution of highway 63 preceeds me.
I am led to believe that there is very little mark up room on ammunition, so it may not be a big money maker, but it would be great to make it more available up here, especially in the handgun calibers. To get them, we have to drive a minimum of 3 hrs... well, three hours at the speed limit anyway... I am pretty sure the repution of highway 63 preceeds me.
I am in Yellowknife too. That's why I reload! There are times, however, when I have to resort to the local shops and I see the same problems that Sgt. Rock is having - crappy selection and high prices. It's fairly common knowledge that the local sports outlet is not totally "eeking out a living" as such as it is backed by other businesses in the area. The business came up for grabs after it got run into the ground by some bad management a few years back and a local business owner grabbed it. Most of the store's profit comes from fishing supplies in the summer months and if they were depending on one area of their stock to turn a profit it would be that. That bit of info comes from an employee of said shop.
There is a prevalent attitude among people here that "it's up north, so it's going to be expensive", as we see in real estate, groceries, etc, but the driving force behind that thinking is a corollary of the simple law of supply and demand: you can charge what the market will bear. There is a lot of money floating around in Yellowknife and because many people can afford to pay 350 K for a trailer, they do. They can afford to pay $28.00 for a dozen beer, so they do. Many retailers know they can charge these exorbitant amounts, so they do. It doesn't make it right but that's the scenario.
So, Sarge, if you do make a go of this please don't forget to make my .25 and .32 order for my prohibs; besides .22 LR those are the only ones I don't reload for. Good luck.
There is a prevalent attitude among people here that "it's up north, so it's going to be expensive", as we see in real estate, groceries, etc, but the driving force behind that thinking is a corollary of the simple law of supply and demand: you can charge what the market will bear. There is a lot of money floating around in Yellowknife and because many people can afford to pay 350 K for a trailer, they do. They can afford to pay $28.00 for a dozen beer, so they do. Many retailers know they can charge these exorbitant amounts, so they do. It doesn't make it right but that's the scenario.
So, Sarge, if you do make a go of this please don't forget to make my .25 and .32 order for my prohibs; besides .22 LR those are the only ones I don't reload for. Good luck.
Hey Man, go for it if you can invest. The worst that can happen is that as soon as you start selling your stuff, the big ones will jump in and it won't be worth it to order a second batch.
Good on you! I started a tire shop about twelve years ago because someone ripped me off to fix a tire. I had a guy in winnipeg plug a tire for me on the car.. He did not even take it off, I just cranked the front wheel and told him where the nail was. He charge me 25 dollars for two minutes of work.
Last year I did around 200 grand in tires. part time. I teach full time.
My only warning is that you must realize that that opens the door to having people calling you at all times of the day, and expect to get items at all times of the evening.
Last year I did around 200 grand in tires. part time. I teach full time.
My only warning is that you must realize that that opens the door to having people calling you at all times of the day, and expect to get items at all times of the evening.
If I do this, I will be glad to dole out the ammo at any hour I am awake. I would consider it more of a responsibility to keep people shooting. I wouldn't be doing this for money, I will make sure I just break even. Once I get a list of desired ammo, then I will probably take the plunge and start doing it. I will check out a business license and am gonna go to the library this week to find out some of the details I will need to know to do this. Insurance, liability, storage, transportation of ammo, etc.
There should be lots of books on small business startup. I dont intend to try to run a large scale operation, just cater to those who go through bulk ammo and are sick of the markups. The average joe who only wants a box of basic ammo will probably still go to one of the three retailers here. I will have to be selective of the ammo types I buy so that they will move and I wont get stuck with ammo I cant sell. Seeing as its gonna be my own money. I assume I will stick with .223, .17, .22, 9mm, 7.62x39, .357 mag, .308 nato, .30-06, and a few more. I think I will be making a mistake (at least at first) by buying obscure calibers that this 20,000 person market may not be use often.
I guess the calibers should also reflect the type of game thats hunted here.... Moose, caribou, black bear, grizzly, dall sheep, wolverine, etc.
Any feedback as to what I also need to do to get a slow start on this, please pipe up and let me know.
There should be lots of books on small business startup. I dont intend to try to run a large scale operation, just cater to those who go through bulk ammo and are sick of the markups. The average joe who only wants a box of basic ammo will probably still go to one of the three retailers here. I will have to be selective of the ammo types I buy so that they will move and I wont get stuck with ammo I cant sell. Seeing as its gonna be my own money. I assume I will stick with .223, .17, .22, 9mm, 7.62x39, .357 mag, .308 nato, .30-06, and a few more. I think I will be making a mistake (at least at first) by buying obscure calibers that this 20,000 person market may not be use often.
I guess the calibers should also reflect the type of game thats hunted here.... Moose, caribou, black bear, grizzly, dall sheep, wolverine, etc.
Any feedback as to what I also need to do to get a slow start on this, please pipe up and let me know.
