....
3 hours and still waiting. Thanks anyway.
Need to go work by 230......not looking too good.

Who are you waiting on?  Roadside assistance? AAA? Some dude at McDonald's you handed $40 to who promised he'd be right back with your patched tire?

....
3 hours and still waiting. Thanks anyway.
Need to go work by 230......not looking too good.

Well, if you want to play hooky from work, I’ll come pick you up and we can go to the show. 

I enjoy going to the gun show primarily to see familiar faces from the shooting community. I usually look for good deals on ammo and accessory items. I’ve rarely seems great deals on gun, but I think there are deals to be and if you really looked as well as negotiated. Much like the classifieds section here. Yeah, I do see many guns listed for prices that are way high, but could be many reasons for that. I also think many of the good deals are steeped up, sometimes even before the show opens. When I used to volunteer for the show, we had about at an hour to browse before the doors opened.

There seemed to be many empty tables. Some people seem to spread out (no table cloth) and was difficult to know if the item was for sale or for show. I didn't see anything that made me say "wow that's cool, I've got to buy that". Just bought the .22 ammo and the garlic fries.

lol, same shit, different year

missed you today, man
were you there in the AM?

 

Pm

If people have problems with the gun show, then do something about it.  Run a table with good deals or displays and activities.

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So setting up a table is going to reduce inflated prices from other vendors going on 6 years and bring in more vendors?

I think ill pass.

Who are you waiting on?  Roadside assistance? AAA? Some dude at McDonald's you handed $40 to who promised he'd be right back with your patched tire?

...
Costco tire shop.
Very busy, but I did get the flat fixed and tires rotated for free....on a Sunday.
It's hard to complain too much about that.
.....
Re. Gun show same stuff
Considering that we live on an island with limited range access, it's not bad.
Mainland gun shows have vendors driving in from surrounding areas.
This spurs more competitive pricing.
I used to sell stuff and make a lot of money, but it was hard work and took time.
What was the benefit besides money and finding a great bargain?

I made lifelong friends. Many of whom hold prestigious societal positions.

I gained knowledge. If you go to the gun show just to go shopping for a bargain, you are missing out.
The gun show is administered by the Hawaii Historic Arms Association. As part of its charter, the club needs to prove that it provides a public service in the form of educational exhibits. The gentlemen who create the displays spent decades learning about their particular field of expertise and building collections of artifacts. There are some amazingly knowledgeable people here who are glad to share their mana with you if you have the desire to learn.

I also go to the gun show to socialize and to take inventory of friends who are still alive. Over the past 37 years, a lot of my friends have gone to the big gun show in the sky. The remaining friends are very happy to see me and I am happy to see them.
There are few places better to socialize than a room full of like-minded individuals.

Finally, there is the "barnyard find"!
Are you akamai enough to recognize a lost treasure?
A few months ago I was at the Ukumehame range on Maui.
I met a gentleman who was shooting a vintage Mossberg target rifle.
He said that he bought it at the gun show really cheap. He researched the rifle and discovered that it was a rare variation that was collectable and worth quite a bit of money.

I found some 38sp and 357mag at a good price
I always like looking at the custom knives.  1 day I'll get one of them custom blades.
I also like looking at the historical arms and the cowboy action displays 

I made my cost of admission and parking back in cheap 12 gauge slugs mini mags and wolf gold 223. Plus I got to see who all the latest local gun shops are.

Nothing is perfect but it was worth coming out for.

And I got to throw some money into the pot for Zippz and London’s work. I would have gone just to do that.

And I got to throw some money into the pot for Zippz and London’s work. I would have gone just to do that.

Much appreciated.  Our table looked better than expected and got lots of attention thanks to our hard working volunteers.
Amicus brief is being worked on and will be posted here when I get it.  Another week or two.

Picked up some armscor 223 which was $75 for 250rds.  That's $300 a case.  Which is very cheap
CCI-SV from SEC that's $33 for a brick.  About $5 cheaper than in the store
Blazer Brass 9mm.  $50 for 5 boxes ($10 a box).  So pretty cheap from Young Guns.

I'm too picky, so I only go to the show for ammo.

I got a good deal on some .22 magnum ammo and I put a deposit on a 9mm pistol that I've been looking for.  There was quite a collection of 1911a1 pistols for sale, along with more than a few 03s and a lot of Garands. 

There were a number of table holders who had the "same old (overpriced) stuff" but it's their "sos" and it's up to them to set their prices.  It usually takes me a couple of days to select the stuff I'm going to take to the show, 8 to 10+ hours a day to man the table, a couple of days to clean and put away the stuff I didn't sell, so for me the show is a substantial investment in time and effort.  I like to think that my prices are fair and I can say that very few people who have bought stuff from me over the years have ever complained about what they bought.

I think the neatest table I saw had all kinds of rifle grenades, mortar shells and dummy rounds for sale.

I got a good deal on some .22 magnum ammo and I put a deposit on a 9mm pistol that I've been looking for.  There was quite a collection of 1911a1 pistols for sale, along with more than a few 03s and a lot of Garands. 

There were a number of table holders who had the "same old (overpriced) stuff" but it's their "sos" and it's up to them to set their prices.  It usually takes me a couple of days to select the stuff I'm going to take to the show, 8 to 10+ hours a day to man the table, a couple of days to clean and put away the stuff I didn't sell, so for me the show is a substantial investment in time and effort.  I like to think that my prices are fair and I can say that very few people who have bought stuff from me over the years have ever complained about what they bought.

I think the neatest table I saw had all kinds of rifle grenades, mortar shells and dummy rounds for sale.

I can imagine.  I see some tables that I would think takes quite a bit of time to layout the items, let alone get them too and from the show.  Some folks have a lot of neat stuff and some folks have so much stuff, one could spend quite a while searching for that elusive item.  My dad found bayonets and scabbards for his M1 Garand and 1903s a few shows back.  He just happened to see them while walking by a table.  He had been wanting them for a while.  He never told me, so I was never on the look out for them. 

If people have problems with the gun show, then do something about it.  Run a table with good deals or displays and activities.

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I've gone to most of the Hawaii gun shows in the past decade, and I finally made a 2a account to ask this...

I understand the frustration when people only complain and don't try to help, but how is the average joe supposed to "run a table with good deals" especially if they don't have a business?  Hawaii isn't easy to start up a firearms related business, and my understanding is that the margins are not very much on firearms or ammo.  Every Hawaii show I attend, I am surprised how much it feels like a gun related yard sale rather than a put on "show".  Seems like a lot of the local gun stores have chosen not to come to the show anymore, and that's their business prerogative.  Especially since anno isn't light to move.  imo, the average attendee is helping in their own way by attending even if the show is just ok.

Also, from the clothing drive thread, it sounded like show tables were sold out and that the drive had to be considered against the integrity of the show.  Just my 2 cents, but I don't see how the crack seed store or the coin display contributes to the integrity of the show either.  But again, how is the average gun show attendee supposed to change this?  Go tell the show organizers right?  I know several that have tried, and quite frankly the attitude and response to any suggestion to improve was not well received.  The guys at the front table seemed friendlier this year though so maybe things will improve.

A reason I complain about the complaints is I heard the complaints before so I started a business to try and make the show better and offer good deals.

I had no experience starting a business so I had to learn everything.  I tried my best to price things cheaper than amazon which meant a 5 to 10% overall profit margin after expenses.  I learned how 3% credit card fees and 4.5% tax seem very small, but it took away half my earnings.  With the dozens of hours I put in to prep each show and run the table plus expenses, I made less than minimum wage. My primary goal was to learn and gain experience which I did.

Ive also did a lot of volunteer work with the Puuloa, HRA, and meetup tables.  The HIFICO project is a long term part time job for me.

What I'm getting at is the success of the gun show is determined by people in the gun community.  Most do it for love and service, not for profit.  Most people are probably making less than minimum wage or losing money.  Some gun stores dont attend because its not worth it.

Most people wouldnt understand what I wrote unless theyve gone through it themselves.  Words I live by are dont expect anyone to do something you wouldn't do yourself.

The only people that can make decent money are those selling the cheap odds and ends with high profit margins.  All those non-gun related stuff.  Explains why theres more of them now.  Also tables that sell a lot of ammo for cheap.

Something you guys can consider is getting community tables.  Get a few tables and whomever can put used stuff on the table to sell.  Then rotate shifts to man the tables

You dont need to have a business to sell used stuff at the gun show.

I would agree that the success of the gun show is determined by the people in the gun community.   The fact that people still go year after year paying entrance and parking fees hoping to find something cool is the gun community coming together.  If the show wants to become more of a science fair type display focused show, then great, but as it is marketed now its also gun and knife buy/sell show.  Love and service is great, but that's not going to make it commercially or economically viable. I also think most on 2aHawaii appreciate how much effort you put to the cause. 

What I was getting at was that (in my opinion) when people go to a "gun" show  (I know its also a knife show) they are generally going to be looking for guns, gun accessories, and ammo.  And it would be very difficult, logistically and zoning, for an average person to start a business dealing in those items at a break even type margin without having dealer connections but those dealer connections usually require bus licenses and in some cases ffls.  Not saying its impossible, but its not quite as easy as go out and get it and run a table.  If people want to run their booths at a loss that's their choice, but realistically its unreasonable to tell people to go run good deals if that means running at a loss.  Making decent money and running at a loss are two different things, and not everyone has the luxury of running such a charity business model.  If someone can, then great, but most can't and shouldn't be expected to.  And why should they be expected to when the local gun stores don't.... its because the local gun store wouldn't be around anymore if they did. 

That's a good suggestion for community tables.  Personally, I'm not really in the market to buy used gun items or extra ammo though so I guess for me, I was looking for more business booths.

Picked up some armscor 223 which was $75 for 250rds.  That's $300 a case.  Which is very cheap
CCI-SV from SEC that's $33 for a brick.  About $5 cheaper than in the store
Blazer Brass 9mm.  $50 for 5 boxes ($10 a box).  So pretty cheap from Young Guns.

The Armscor guy looked busier than ever. Good for him.

Oldfart, you really aren't that old. I was looking at that large collection of cast boolit equipment and almost bought one.Maybe next time. I noticed a couple tables were from collector estates. Is this a trend or have they always been there?

I know someone (_Andrew) who bought an Osprey laser sight. He figured that if it ever broke, they always seem to be there at the show so they can honor their lifetime warranty. Makes sense...

If people want to run their booths at a loss that's their choice, but realistically its unreasonable to tell people to go run good deals if that means running at a loss.  Making decent money and running at a loss are two different things, and not everyone has the luxury of running such a charity business model.  If someone can, then great, but most can't and shouldn't be expected to.  And why should they be expected to when the local gun stores don't.... its because the local gun store wouldn't be around anymore if they did. 

Generally, I'm not going to make a huge investment in something (pretty much anything over $200) until I've seen it a couple times and have thought about it considerably. I'll buy it if it's a really great gun show deal, usually because I've seen it in the store at the higher price. If it's at the regular price, I want to know what store it's at in case I'm interested in it later. Not a lot of tables have good branding. Eugene has the best booth babe at the show but was mostly selling the firearms. BTW, he's been trying to sell that Stormtrooper shotgun for a while in case anyone's interested.