I too have consummated a few deals while waiting in line to get in, or while walking across the parking lot. The HiWall Gebby R2 Lovell from outside the Baltimore show 30 years ago comes to mind. I hated to spend my 'show' money so quickly, but it was on my short list of things to watch for. As I was walking it back to my car, another guy approached me and asked if I wanted a scope to put on it. When told that I did, he invited me to his table inside where he made me a sweet deal on a 20x Unertl. Just one instance where a 'table' guy was savvy enough to expand his horizons.
Whenever I took a gun to a show to sell, I did so knowing that I could only hope to get 'retail' for it from a fellow passerby, and that I should only expect a 'wholesale' offer from a dealer. Anybody not willing to accept that premise had best try to sell it in another venue and not get irritated by the dealer who is but trying to do business.
Regarding asking permission before handling, that is just common courtesy. And if you do pick it up and you do something awkward with it, be man enough to pay for your mistake. I watched my father ask, and be granted, permission to look at a clunker of a double shotgun. Upon picking it up and throwing the lever over to open it, the gun fell apart in his hands and the forend and barrels clattered to the floor. Imagine the embarrassment. My father immediately shoved the cash asking price toward the dealer whilst uttering every apology that came to mind. The guy refused to accept it in the end, saying it was his own fault for not warning Dad about the guns propensity to do that. It was a case of two honorable men doing what was right. (The gun remained on the table.)
Last edited by Gary D.; 01/13/13 11:17 AM.
