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Muzzleloading related small business?

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bigbore442001

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Maybe I am getting a midlife crisis or something but I was wondering if anyone here has a muzzleloading related business? I remember at rendezvous, a number of people have sold various items along trader row. I know some that have it as a full time occupation while others sort of dabble in it.

I was sort of thinking out loud about potential businesses that I would actually enjoy working at. Something along this line sort of popped in my head. Anyone care to comment?
 
Here is the long story ~ short version.
You want to play store keeper...forget about shooting!
I've sold reloading supplies for 19 years. use to do the gun shows, outdoor events came home dead tired and still having to move stuff around.
Everyone is tring to beat you out of a buck, you'll hear how cheap wal mart or another outfit is at least a 1,00 times.
I have a come back for that but can't tell ya here.
Better yet is the guy who just hangs around touching all your goodies. He waits for the one person who may actually make a purchase.
Just as you see him so does the vulture...at that moment as you quote the price...ol Vinnie voices his opinion..oh you can get that cheaper over on Tight wad Walt's blanket.

The really smart ones are the guys who have to open every box to see what a .490 RB looks like.
Then they move on to wanting to open the new cans of powder to look at the granules.

Have fun :winking:
 
I'm in a way starting a small business, but actually letting my hobby pay for itself.
I like making stuff and have been told for years
"Iain, this is really nice, you should start selling them!" I made 3 horns to sell with the plan to put the proceeds into buying more horns to make and sell, hopefully getting better at horn making along the way.
I still haven't sold the 3 horns, but haven't tried too hard either, and I have 10 American bison horns on the way which will hopefully give my operation a jolt.
I'm not looking to get my name up in lights in the powder horn maker's hall of fame, just to fund my hobby by making nice looking functional horns, (and perhaps shooting bags) for those who will use them :)
 
I bet you could make some easy cash selling black powder by the pound. Take a look at the Goex website then find your nearest distributor. Buy cases from him and then re-sell the individual cans locally with a $5 mark-up (so you are making $125/case). In Canada at least, and as an individual, no special authorizations are required to purchase, store, or transport any quantity of black powder. If you are officially in the black powder business, you must have your magazine building or transport trailer registered with the appropriate bureaucrat, but as a private citizen you are pretty much free to store as much as you want anywhere you please (even under your bed). I have 25 lbs. sitting in my garage as I write this, and the guy I got that from said he would sell me as much Goex in one shot as I could pack into my Hyundai Elantra.
 
I been there and done that. Well gun related business.
One thing you have to have is a permit to sell blackpowder from the BATF.
I sold Tactical gear wordwide. I outfitted everything from SWAT Teams to Special Forces units including Foreign Armies. I also did local trade/Gun Shows and usaully marked things down 20% to my good customers and kept them returning.
I would add a few things for the gun shows like rifle parts kits being imported and sell those off making a few bucks. I even setup gun purchases with local gun shops for troops needing pistols. I would call get a pistol and mags for a guy and have it waiting at the gun shop for them to do the paper work.
After doing this for years even with repeat customers doing face to face buys. I would still get people trying to get me to cut my price even more. I couldnt do it and pay rent for my office/shipping space.
The business got to be so cut throat with more and more people opening up wanting to try something similar. I ended up having most of my income from purchase orders. I shipped gear to the troops everywhere and did special orders for them making sure things were to them in a far away land on time. Once the war was going good the powers that be decided why do our troops and units go off and replace their gear why dont we buy it in the first place?
Well I got bypassed more and more straight to the manufacturer even though I could save the gov. 20% for shuffling some papers and have it drop shipped to them.
Once my Gear started hitting ebay from returning troops below my cost since they were issued the gear at no cost to them I was done.
On the bright side I was invited by lots of Police and military types to shoot and eyeball lots of toys. I did this ten years. Toward the end I was paying the shipping on most items to Iraq and Afghanistan out of my own pocket because I cared about my customers and what they were doing.
I finally had to shut it all down and take care of me and my family.
I would do it all again! :yakyak:
Just do your research dont do special orders unless your making a killing. Those special orders can turn on you and put you under.
I have ten years plus of nightmare shipping stories.

If your planning on buying and reselling from a major supplier expect to be holding the bag once in a while for something you cant return.
Like someone ordering ten of one item then when it come stime to ship or pickup they want one.
Nevermind you could have had the other nine out for sale all day. :yakyak: :yakyak:

flag-c.jpg
 
:hmm: I think that what has been said here is quite the usual pattern for these "camp follower" type businesses. However that being said, if you can make accoutrements such as horns and bags that will attract buyers over the internet. I know that there are many of these small one-man (basement workshop or forge ) businesses that can make you a buck. It wil never be a retirement plan or a money-maker. I carve decoys, shore birds and tweety birds for my personal pleasure and do sell some of these for a nice buck. But, when I calculate the hours spent in creating these little gems, a $400+ sale doesn't add up to any kind of visible "profit." :hmm:
 
I've had several other posts I made go MIA...I figured one of the moderators had an axe to grind. :haha:
 
Claude Mathis said:
Mike Brooks said:
I've had several other posts I made go MIA...I figured one of the moderators had an axe to grind. :haha:

Has anyone checked the "Forum Announcements"?


Thought I started a PT yesterday and today it was gone...Thought I goofed and hit previw and never added the post...
 
Mike Brooks said:
I've had several other posts I made go MIA...I figured one of the moderators had an axe to grind. :haha:

Seems like thim Moderators is lookin fer truble! :cursing: :blah:

Davy
 
Davy,
You got it.. you know how us muderators are, we are always lookin to stir sumthin up :haha: :haha: :haha: specially Zonie...
 

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