AFAIK, dealer costs didn't change though, at least not what I've seen from our distributors.
Letter from Big Rock to their dealers, one of the largest distributors in the country::
Big Rock Dealers:
I sent a letter to everyone just prior to the opening of our January shows to inform you of the major changes we were seeing in regards to the scarcity of ammunition and select firearms in the marketplace. At that time, I also mentioned that we were not certain as to how vendors would approach these market conditions.
For the first time ever, we are seeing vendors refuse to honor pricing on the remaining back orders we have placed to support our shows. This is precedent setting and aggravating to say the least. Not all vendors have taken this position, but several of the majors have. ATK, Remington, Bushmaster, DPMS and others are re-pricing all open orders immediately or on April 1.
Big Rock Sports cannot absorb these price increases and still honor show pricing. We will be forced to raise the prices on open show orders as a direct result of the material price increases we are seeing from these vendors. As an example, ATK has raised promo ammunition by as much as 10–15%. Big Rock Sports will implement these price updates on April 1.
Here are some key points to help guide you through these price changes:
If you want to keep your orders in place at the newly established market prices, you do not need to take any action.
If you would like to see the impact of these price changes, your salesperson or customer service representative can answer these questions.
If you would like to cancel any of your show back orders based on these price changes, please contact your salesperson to discuss the details, or you can also discuss this with your customer service representative.
Thank you for your understanding. Our team will do everything possible to help guide you through these changing market conditions.
Best regards,
Andy Melville
Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Big Rock Sports, LLC