make for terrible customers.

I get so tired of my "friends" trying to take money out of my pocket. I posted a nice revolver on Facebook yesterday and an hour later a buddy calls me from a business trip to shoot me a low-ball offer $200 below my asking price. Thanks buddy. I'll remember that the next time you hit me up for door prizes for your charity banquet or come to me asking you to sponsor your barbecue team (he's done both and I've ponied up). A couple of hours later I'm on the skeet field and another friend hits me up about the revolver. Can you do any better? Fair question and I'm willing to work with him a little bit but I won't forget that two months ago when he was in a bind and needed to sell a gun, I stepped up and paid top dollar.

A few months ago my next door neighbor came into my pawnshop looking for a horn for his kid's band class. I had one he liked and I said I could do a little better on the price. His response: "Don't do that. The price is fair. I want you to succeed." Now he's my neighbor, but not really somebody I would call a friend. But he gets it. My good buddies who always want the good buddy price? Not so much . . .

That sucks man, I know the situation well. At some point you need to let them know that you don’t mind working with them a little on the price but you can’t take hits like that. If they want to low ball you make a counter offer with what you are willing to do and tell them that’s as good as you can get. I cut prices for friends and family but never so much that I won’t meet the numbers I need to hit to make it profitable. Like you said, it’s hard to do the sponsoring and donations when you aren’t turning a profit.

They assume you bought the items for pennies on the dollar and hope you pass the savings on to them.   Remind them you have a business to run, not a charity.

Yeah, they always overlook the fact that I'm competing with three other pawnshops and at least that many gun shops when I buy something. Lowballing doesn't get many guns bought when the customer has so many choices.

The only ones that get a pass without grief are the guy that either get us exposure or are useful other ways, or have done the same.

Service I'll hook you up all day. Product? Not the same.

Tell them you have that much into it and "you wouldn't want me to lose money would you?"

 

When we started our gun business and were selling on Gun Broker I made the mistake of telling all our friends our user name, we got all kinds of low ball calls from so called friends.

This.  We've had people do us favors and they get some nice discounts.  The ones who offer half of the marked price I try to steer to a competitor.

I know the feeling, i don't stock a lot of  inventory but do stock some ammo  
sucks when your " buddies" say come on man i can get it for that price at WalMart,
then go to fucking WalMart

or you take a rifle in at a good price looking to make a few $$ and then they try to Jew you down to less than you paid

know how it is. we all have them few " Buddies"

When I opened my shop I told my friends it is a business and it is ran that way. I do not give special deals just for friends. They do get my old transfer rate but that is about it.

I do sponsor various things and have no problem with that.

I flat out tell them that I don't buy guns and ammo by the boatload like WM or Dicks does.
Last fall I had one week where I had multiple people tying me up on the phone for extended periods doing price checks on essentially the same guns.
I eventually figured out that they were walking the aisles at a big box sporting goods store looking at guns and seeing what I could get the same thing for.
I had to tell them the same thing. Buy the gun there. I can't match those prices.