Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Brick and Mortar Support.

The conversation with Paul Helinski, founder of GunsAmerica, at the Blogger Bash got me thinking of what I could do to support the FFL's local to me besides just buying supplies or the occasional firearm. So here's what I'm going to do:

I'm adding a new feature to Days of Our Trailers. Starting June 5th, 2008, I'm going to be advertising firearms available through my local firearm dealerships. Some will be added each day for the next week or so and will be attached to a new sidebar list available on the site. After that, as they are sold, new firearms will be added to keep the list as current as possible.

Except for some store credit for sales made through referrals, I am not being paid for this. I am doing this to not only help out a friend (I bought my first gun through Arcola Guns and about half my others) but to help support the local firearm industry and economy.

Note that I am not selling these firearms. I do not own or have in my possession any of the ones that are being listed.* All sales go through the advertised FFL at his shop or transferred to one local to the buyer. Federal, state, and local laws apply.

If any other Central IL FFL's are interested in this, feel free to contact me.


*If I sell any of my personal collection, it will be noted and same conditions apply.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is Helinski, and I'm sorry but it's kinda dumb. The shop can post them for sale on GA for free (50,000 buyers a day), and in five clicks have their own website with inventory and everything else they need. There is also a live storefronts API that you could ad to your page and drag their inventory out automatically, linking to their website, which has no aftersale fees even from GunsAmerica. They can also sign up for Guns On Demand and get pennies from heaven sales without every listing a gun for sale. I've built an application more powerful than Amazon to support the profitability of our stocking dealers, and you want to hand list things on your website like it's 1997. Go figure. -ph

Thirdpower said...

Mr. Helinski,

You are computer savvy. My friend is not. E-mail is about his limit. This blog is pushing the limits of my computer knowledge so a hand list circa 1997 is an accomplishment for me.

Anonymous said...

LMAO I love it! That my friend is what I am dealing with in the whole industry. The gun grabbers are using the power of the internet to lie to people and build their poison liberal base, and our guys just coast along figuring life for them and their children and their grandchildren is just going to be the same as it was for them without them having to ever do anything. Signing up for an account and posting guns for sale, and doing the five clicks website, on gunsamerica.com, is easier than doing this blog. Grrrr we are all sunk!

Thirdpower said...

Actually, through the power of the internet, we're destroying them. Their bulwark is the print media.

He's running his business as he sees fit and is active in local pro-rights politics. How is that "just coasting along"?

I'm not running his business for him or doing transactions. I'm helping him advertise.

Why is this such a problem?

Anonymous said...

I didn't say it was a problem lol. He could be using the internet to capture the customers around him who are hitting the internet looking for guns, not just selling the few guns he has in the store. Every new relationship he finds he can build, and ultimately increase his profitability, his ability to expand into classes, etc, so that when the next round of legislation comes around with the liberal congress and liberal president, he'll have a better financial base from which to deal with the new bullshit. You are that one voice that could tell him how much he is missing out. The internet is about communication and connections. The more he uses it for those strengths, the more chance that he'll be selling guns in 20 years, no matter what the liberals throw at us. -ph

Thirdpower said...

I actually did discuss it with him. It was a direction he did not want to take at this time.

The internet isn't for everyone. Even those of us who know its potentials don't necessarily have the skills to take full advantage of it.

His strengths are "brick and mortar" sales and doing shows. I'm using what I know to help him expand a bit more into the net. It may be "five click simple" for some but not everyone.

Anonymous said...

Yea, I hear that. Our guys have traditionally been way behind the curve of technology, and all the power to him! The internet has so many negatives to deal with that unless you really grab hold of the positives and use them, its not worth it. Hopefully there will be enough of us on the front of he curve to at least tread water. Ultimately the world in in control of G-d and the 1% that we do needs the 99% in Blessing to succeed, so hopefully we will all merit success, and our grandchildren will have a place to buy guns. -ph