In late July I asked a friend with a retail sales license to look into getting Trijicon dealer pricing. The best he could do was an account with RSR Group.

On 7-30-03 we back ordered a TA31, locking in a delivered price of $771.55.

On 9-11-03 RSR advised the site was instock and requested payment. We sent a Money order on 9-16-03.

The site arrived on 9-24-03, about two months after we started looking. It included a scope coat and lens pen.

If you are looking for the best possible price on a TA31, and can stand to wait a while for a backorder. RSR has very good pricing.

Now I just have to find a good source for an ARMS #19S...

I ain't waiting that long for a new toy [:d]  I ordered mine on Friday, and got it on Tuesday.  Ordered the 19S from Wes at [url]mstn.biz[/url] on Friday and got it the same day as the ACOG (Monday was labor day).  For $70 or $80 difference, why subject yourself to the torture?

True. Not everyone is willing to wait a while to save some money. However, in late July, few places had the TA31 in stock, at any price. SWFA had two and wanted $899.99 for them.

At $771.55 delivered, I saved enough to pay for the ARMS #19S, which it looks like will cost $104.00 Delivered.

Yeah I know, it's really the most sensible thing to do.  I'm the type that will speed and cut off slow drivers on the fast lane just to sit on my ass at home when I get there, I think there's no virtue in waiting [:)]  Since I got it much sooner than you, you might wonder what I did with mine....that's right, in the safe, not even went to the range to sigt it in yet [BD]

$771.85 vs. $899.99 is otherwise known as Wholesale vs. Retail pricing [;)]

RSR deals w/ DEALERS and RESELLERS...due to volume, they offer discounted prices so that dealers/retails can sell the product to pay the bills.

Anyone can get the $771.85 price on the sight. Just start a business, pay your overhead, deal with zoning, meet all your mins, obey all MAPs and hope to turn a buck once you sell everything at or below cost [:D]

If $771 is RSR's wholesale price, how are dealers like CS Gunworks selling them to consumers for $793?  I don't know how anyone can afford to make only $18 and still pay the bills?  Doesn't make any sense to me...

Or....go to city hall, get retail sales license for $35.00. Open "dealer" accounts with Eagle, Blackhills, and RSR...

And there is the problem [;)]
Many wholesalers are catching on and restricting their sales to formal businesses. Sales certs don't carry a lot of weight with some distributors anymore. More are figuring this out each day and restricting sales to legit businesses.

I support the fine folks here I've had the pleasure of buyin from.  CS Gunworks marks up theirs for $50 or $60, that's not much, considering the cost they must bear to be in business.  Local gun shops are going out of business because of better pricing (not to mention no rude and know it all gun shop jerks) we can get on the Internet, I don't want to see outfits like MSTN or CS Gunworks and C4Grant going out of business because we all want to get reseller pricing, they are an essential link in the industry, cut them out of the picture and our hobby would surely diminish.
edited to add C4Grant to the list [;)]
Furtheremore, for what little profit they make they provide us with services we all have come to appreciate, people (myself included) often express shock at the high level of support and service they receive from these excellent dealers who consider such ethics a norm.  Outfits such as MSTN (and many others), and Botach are two worlds apart, yet they're all dealers. I for one will spend more to keep them in business, if for selfish reasons.

Duffy is right about that... the cost first mentality gets you Wal-Mart, Academy and other glorious examples of customer service.

Already it is very difficult to find high-end AR gear (in a major metropolitan Texas city no less) at local gun shows. None of the dealers will carry it because there is no margin in it. You tie up $400 of your own money and can only afford to mark it up $10 and still be price competitive with the internet.

Not a very good return on investment, so many of them have stopped carrying the nice stuff like KAC and ARMS entirely. I only found two dealers with the gear at the last 1,500 table gun show and one of those was dropping both ARMS and KAC as soon as he could sell off his existing stock.

I like to buy my stuff at a good price; but its worth the extra dollars to support the quality merchants and keep them around - because the low,low price guys are usually only around for a brief time anyway (except for Botach who somehow manages to survive).

Simple - volume pricing and terms.

I bought my latest TA31 from a guy who does most of his business with RSR for $789.  He is all over Gunbroker and sells tons of guns through there.  His gun show prices are even lower than his auction prices.  Below dealer cost if you figure in the air freight in many cases.

How does he do it?  Volume and pricing terms.  No way he paid $771 for the TA31.  He told me he wants to be the Walmart of internet gun sellers.  He buys virtyualy everything from RSR, so he gets better pricing that the onesey-twosey dealers, plus he gets 60 days to pay the bill, free freight and a discount for paying in 10 days.

Mike at CS told me they couldn't offer the 5% off $793 price right now as their backup source charges them more than their primary supplier.  Apparently this site cleaned 'em out and he had to restock elsewhere.