HW Rifle Prices

[EricP]

I see that Pellpax are advertising the HW77 at £465 and that is a Hull Cartridge import. PP never had a reputation for being the cheapest.
It is true that gun prices have been increasing both here and on the Continent over the past few years. German wage increases have pushed up the price of German guns and components (such as Walther barrels) but also I think in this country the stopping of Mail order has resulted in less guns being sold, which means that for a retailer the margin on each item has to go up to cover expenses such as rent on the premises, business rates, salaries...This has been exacerbated by the screaming of the popular press over any Airgun incident, which makes neighbours less tolerant of them, which restricts the places they can be shot, which makes people less willing to buy them. I have a small garden and have rifles I have not shot since March.
It is also true that people are pushing up the second hand prices. I saw a rifle on here I wanted recently but the seller wanted about £50 less than the same was available new. Sellers have to remember that since what they sell is not covered by the protection offered by Trading Standards, and of course they do not offer a guarantee then the buyer is taking a lot more risk buying privately and the price should reflect that. Sellers might also like to consider that glass on a rifle does not add value, as most buyers would want to put their own glass on
Eric