Bud's Guns.

[gyvel]

What's the deal on the Bud's Guns website where it says "make an offer" on something? Has anyone actually done that successfully?

[JimmyR]

Supposedly they are allowing you to make them an offer on a firearm, if you don't want to pay their price, basically bringing haggling into the online marketplace. My guess is they balance the offer you make with the rate the firearm you make an offer on is sold, and try to maximize their profit.

I've never tried it, but have been tempted to many times.

[gyvel]

They have a couple rifles that interest me, but they are pricey and maybe don't sell so well. I might just try it.

[Nullcone]

I just purchased an approx. $500 shotgun from bud's and lopped $14 off the price, so it basically covered me being able to use a credit card rather than doing an immediate withdrawal from checking.

hth

[Brotherbadger]

I've never had them accept any of my offers. I think it's a neat idea though.

[Patriot86]

I got them to knock $50.00 off of a DW Valor; I was going to buy it anyways because they already had the best base price at the time the $50 was just icing on the cake.

[BigBL87]

I was able to knock $5 off my Savage Mark II FV purchase using it. Price was decent to begin with on that one though.

[Machineguntony]

All gun prices are negotiable. Almost all.

[FrankenMauser]

There seems to be a fixed percentage or dollar amount that can be "negotiated" off the price. Beyond that, you'll get a message that the offer is too low or the offer will be declined.

Various reports around the interwebs show that some of the "discounts" are downright laughable. If you do some searches, you'll find many examples of the discount be well below even 1%. Often times, people that felt like sharing their experience are quoting discounts of only 0.2% to 0.4%. (That's $1.20 to $2.40 on a SIX HUNDRED dollar firearm. )

[stephen426]

Margins on guns aren't great in the first place. While online stores can process a lot more volume with less staff, there is still overhead to account for. Last I checked, Bud's is not a non-profit organization. We as buyers try to get the best deal we can, but don't expect people to give you something for nothing or take a loss on a sale. They may take a small loss on items that just aren't moving so they can get it off their shelves. From what I have seen, their pricing has always been very competitive. I guess they take the "bird in the hand vs. 2 in the bush" mentality. Better to make a little less and still make the sale.

[SamNavy]

I've never bought a gun on impulse. When I finally make up my mind, the search is on for the best price from a place I desire to give my business too. Buds has a great reputation and regularly the lowest prices on the whole of the internetz... not always, but regularly.

I've bought 4 guns from them and for each one I waited about 2 months before buying. I watch about a dozen major websites and hit my LGS's to gauge what I should pay, set a price, and wait. But I always give my LGS the opportunity to earn my business, which means they don't have to be able to beat the online price... maybe we also work a deal on accessories or I just feel like it's worth the extra dollars to get it that day.

Once I know my LGS can't/won't meet my price, I just sit and wait for a deal... free shipping, 10% off, rebate, free t-shirt, free ammo w/purchase... sooner or later, I buy.

Buds prices on "in-demand" firearms can/will go up or down daily... sometimes a buck or two, sometimes $20 in a week. I bought an R700 a few months ago for $604 shipped... a week later it was $589 shipped. Shouda waited?

The "make an offer" is a great idea... and yes, some guns only come down a dollar or three, but being Buds, it's probably the lowest price to start with. Find a gun that Buds is asking more for than other places, and offer it down... or try your offer in a week and see if the computer that runs the pricing scheme likes your digits.

[Jay24bal]

I have not used it personally, but my brother told me he had $9 taken off the price of a S&W M&P.

[gyvel]

I guess they take the "bird in the hand vs. 2 in the bush" mentality. Better to make a little less and still make the sale

In other words: "Three fast nickels are better than one slow dime."

(A point which many merchants should learn.)

[ranchito457]

I was playing with it yesterday on handguns it was a joke but then I went over to rifles and on some rifles it was taking 150-175 off.Try it you have nothing to lose your not bound to buy it until you add it to your cart and checkout anyway.And if you exceed the 5 bid max log out and log back in and start from where you left off..

[dakota.potts]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd update this because I haven't found much information from Bud's Guns Make an Offer in the past year.

I ordered a CZ 612 shotgun from there and the offer was a joke. It wouldn't even take the magical $7 reduction that most people say it will normally take. It knocked my cash price down from $317 to $312, and I ended up paying a little over $321 on the gun itself because I paid with a card and not cash.

I mean, I won't say no to a $5 reduction, but that's hardly enough to justify the "Make an offer" button

[JimmyR]

I bought my CZ 75 PCR on Buds with the "Make an Offer" option. The listed price was $531, I worked my way up to a $525. It knocked a few dollars off, but not much. I wanted the gun anyways, so it wasn't that big a deal.

[Radny97]

It knocked about $15 off a handgun purchase I made a few months ago.

[FrankenMauser]

I tried the "Make an Offer" option for a Marlin XS7, about six months ago.

'Cash' price: $319
Final offer: $318


Yep, 0.32% discount.



(I did buy the rifle, but not from Bud's. I knew that the going rate for that particular variant was closer to $280, and looked around until I found one at that price.)

[Targa]

I just purchased a Saiga IZ132 that listed at $649.99 for $550. You have 5 offers available to you, I started at $500 and worked my way up to $550 when it was finally excepted.