My take on it......

Price gouging occurs when there is a sudden spike in demand in a local area.  Think generators prior to a hurricane.  Both buyers and sellers know that the supply chain is intact and functioning and more generators will be arriving at the same approximate price.  Demand spikes because people see an immediate need.  Yes, they could have bought it three months ago, but they didn't need it then.  Yes they can buy it in three months but they won't need it then.  They need it now, and they are willing to trade pieces of green paper (representing their labor) for a generator to meet their immediate need.

What we are seeing with ammo and components is different.  AFAIK, there is no locality within the US that is, and continues to be, well stocked with ammo.  So the demand increase has been national (at least) in extent.  Availability began decreasing in March 2020.  In response, retailers began placing huge orders.  Domestic manufacturers have stated that filling those orders at maximum production rates will take until the fall of 2022.  I do not know the US share of the global sporting ammunition market but I would guess it is at least 30%.  Foreign manufacturers have also increased production in response to the demand but there are real and legal limits on how much gets to the US.

How did we get here?  The pandemic caused many shooters to look at the supply chain and become worried about the potential disruption to their hobby.  Training facilities also realized the threat.  But when political leaders allowed the spring and summer mayhem to go unchecked, more people decided that a gun for protection was a wise precaution.  Some of these people were hunters or former hunters so they would pick up a few boxes for the deer rifle or shotgun.  Many people realized that they may be threatened away from home so handgun availability dropped and remains low.  Being unfamiliar with the gun, they took classes or bought a few boxes to try it out.

Now ammo manufacturing faces a dilemma.   Politically, the incoming government proclaims opposition to the shooting sports as a plank in their platform.  The president could ban the importation of ammo.  He could cite the current civil unrest and restrict ammo sales to LEO and DOD customers only.  Too much unknown for shareholders to back the expansion of the production lines (which would take 24 months at the absolute minimum) regardless of the demand.

TL:DR  Ammo prices will probably increase until it is a sport of the rich.  Availability will be extremely limited for 3-4 years.  Prepare accordingly.

Of course, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong

SRM

It's a little late for that.

TL;DR

this,,

I want some Malibu beachfront property,  but dem damn gougers!  

You lost me at ''gouging.''

I call it the ''ill-prepared and lazy.''

Attached File

FPNI.

The ones to bitch about here are the buyers, not the sellers.

TLDR

FPNI

OP should feel bad

I want a link to the story on the gouging of the hand in your avatar

Many people would buy ammo "as needed" when they wanted to shoot because it was plentiful and cheap.  Now it is not readily available or cheap, so people will buy more than they need at elevated prices.  This occurs even though we are producing more ammo than is being shot until people become comfortable with their supply.  Shortage and panic is only accelerated by internet rumors.

Same basic principle as toilet paper last march.

I call it the stupid tax, sometimes I am the tax man, some times I am the tax payer.....

The only part of all this I'm confused about is why we need two or three new threads PER DAY on this exact same subject when there are plenty of previous threads to participate in.

FPNI

1st grade Capitalism: Supply and Demand.

Supply, meet Demand...

Failure to understand this phenomenon is common among the 'Fudds on other sites who complain about not being able to find ammo at 2017 prices.

FPNI
And DNR

I sold 550 rounds of Remington for 200

Walmart had cci 100 round boxes for 7.87 per box so I bought 20 boxes of those 157.00

I tripled my ammo and made a few bucks.

That .22 ammo I sold I bought in 2006 at Walmart for 9.00

FPNI. Lock it down.

FPNI

I'm watching an auction, some clown bought a 525 rd box of Golden bullets for $210 plus 15%.

That's how to do it. I sold almost all of my 22lr in 2012 and bought tons of 54r with the proceeds. in 2020 I sold a bunch more 22lr and some 9mm. Increased my 9mm components 5 fold and gained a free AR, Viper PST, RMR, and some better 22lr.

"Gouging" only occurs when someone totally controls the supply of something and buyer(s) must have it or die. The seller can then demand any price he wants and the seller is forced to pay for the value of his life, not the value of the product.

What we're seeing with ammo costs is textbook supply-and-demand capitalism and nothing more. Multiple factories are cranking out the product, but the buyers want more than normal, and there are more buyers than ever before.  

Multiple manufacturers, distributing through countless retail channels, results in a market price, not an individual gouger's price.

That too. I told numerous guys at work they needed to stock up on ammo last year when they got into shooting. Few did other then 100 rounds here and there. Then, when prices shot up they got angry and refused to still buy some, now that prices have gone up much higher since that time, they are in ''desperate'' mode trying to find ANY ammo to buy. And these are guys that DID have the money to buy in normal times easily.

I think price gouging is when the gas station attendant leans over and looks at your fuel gauge, sees you are riding on E and knows the next gas station is 10 miles away.

Knowing he has you trapped - he hikes the rate.

Supply and demand is the gas station attendant knowing he's the only station for 10 miles and therefore charges 30 cents more per gallon than what people are used to paying.

Price gouging is  knowing the world supply of fuel is the same, but due to a hurricane many people are fleeing the area and will need gas, so scrank the price.

Supply and demand is knowing that of the 12 big refineries one just got knocked offline by a hurricane, restricting the fuel supply, so the next shipment is going to cost you more, so better raise prices now.

People who are aware prices of ammo, guns, etc when they were generally available, expect them to sell them said them item(s) to them at the price I bought them for...  after I had to front the money, store, contend with the wife etc, plus if you sell too much the overlords would define you as a "retailer" and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."

Absolutely there is

There is a small store in Ohio that as of ~4 days ago had plenty of 9mm in stock for prices lower than many, if not all, of the big boys in the scene who are gouging

TL;DR

The remedy for high prices is high prices.

Im going to start a youtube channel.

My first video

"Watch how I turned 1k round into 1Million, in a year"

FPNI

If they are charging more than a cooler tycoon can afford simply do not buy any.

Yep.

Gouging is a term (at least as it pertains to ammo currently) of entitlement.  They can FIND ammo...they just feel entitled to buy now for the price it "always was".

Disagree on timeline in OP.
Likely not see $15 .22lr bricks again or $10 9mm, But my money says summer or fall 9mm in the $15 range.

This week may be a good time to keep an eye out. Distributors are doing E-Shows in lieu of SHOT.  Bet gun and ammo availability eases this week...will be short lived.

1. No such thing as price gouging.
2. Everyone had tons of time and opportunity to stock up.
3. The poors and their whining greatly annoy me, so please go do so somewhere else such as your beloved dollar store or 5 below.

It's not gouging if lives aren't in immediate danger.

Oh, wait...

Free markets allow for (depend on) a variety of prices from various channels.  That doesn't prove gouging. That proves capitalism.

This small store might have low overhead costs, or may pay their employees less than others. Or he may be using ammo as a loss leader to get you in the door where, hopefully, you'll buy other things. Maybe he's just seeking publicity.
Whatever the reason, good for him for offering ammo for less than others.  As long as he's satisfied with his profit margin (or lack of profit on that one item), I'm sure he's a happy capitalist.

Failure to prepare on your part does not make an emergency on mine.  The production of ammunition is relatively constant, as the price goes up more buyers leave the market for alternative dollar spend, so price comes back into a more favorable territory.  

Or we just end up
With Zimbabwean levels of inflation from UBi

You seem like the kind of guy who blames “Banksters” for the forklifts on America’s highways

If only ammo had been cheaper for a long time.

I got “gouged” out of a Young 27.

you must have that magical supply of ammo, or ammo fix'ns that magically replenishes itself after you run through it

i do not give a rats ass how much ammo you have , be it 100 rds or 100,000 rds , if they cut off the supply none of us will be shooting like we once did ,  what you have is a finite ,perishable number/supply , you can boast how well prepared you are ,but deep down you know im rightor you wouldn't have stockpiled , because what you have is what you have when the spicket runs dry , then you can either shoot it or save it

Higher prices during periods of high demand assure availability of the product or service. Similar to payday loans. It's not popular with many people, but it serves a purpose.

You played the Gasshopper in the school play I take it?

Same experience.  One lady and her husband took advantage of Midway selling IMI 5.56. Another split a case with me. I forwarded  SGAmmo sales, offering to share the shipping with others, no response.

I keep using it as an example since its what I've been through.  when sandy hook happened, I just ordered 2k 556 and had all of maybe 6 magazines for my AR.  I just got into reloading and literally a week before, I just bought a good amount of components.   When sandy hook happened, necessary to say, I got caught with my pants down.  I also sold that 1k ammo 556 for $1k.

Once things calmed down, the "buy cheap stack deep" saying really kicked in.  When places had sales of 10 pmags for $70 shipped, if buy 10 or 20.  If find deals on gunbroker for all my pistol mags and buy them there.  Hell, I didnt have a 22 yet and I was buying 22 when ever someone posted deal here when a brick would be around $.01/rd after rebates. And reloading stuff I learned bulk is better and would get powder in 32-40lb orders.  Primers would be 5k packs at a time.  I didnt put myself in debt or put it above family funds, just bought when the deals where there.  

I have other shooting friends and alot of them were just the "im going shooting in a week, I prob should order 500 rounds" and maybe have 100 or so left from a range session and are now panicking cause they can't find any.  I just tell them for YEARS I've sent them links to deals and if they turned it down, its only their fault.