New classic batch?

[Loose}{Cannon]

I haven't payed attention to classic in recent months.  Its this a new batch with their 4/24/15 description update?

https://www.classicfirearms.com/chicomsks

[red state]

I saw that and was wondering whether I should try one.

[K-9]

Yeah, I have been watching the retail sales for a while.  AIM gets some, they go out of stock.  Then RTI gets some and they send a "This is the last of the SKSs" email and that's it.  No more there.

Now Classic has some.  For now.  And they are also saying "This is our second offering on Chinese SKS rifles and it appears these will be our last."  I do wonder what's up.

I don't want to order one just to see what they are selling, but it is interesting....

[Loose}{Cannon]

Wonder who classic received this one from.  Last batch was a hodge podge of ghosts, 6 digi, 2m, 3m, Letters, and 7m. 

I find this part interesting..

Ad Update 4/24/2015 - This is our second offering on Chinese SKS rifles and it appears these will be our last. We are told that there are no more available for import that come anywhere close  to meeting the aging requirement as to being stored in a non prohibited country for enough time to make them importable.
This group of rifles comes from a different importer than our previous group and from our inspection of random samples they appear to be somewhat nicer overall that our original batch. We were told by the importer that they paid a premium over their competition to get the upper end rifles, and while none of these are beauty queens, they do appear to be nicer overall.

Knowing there are spike bayo chinese sks in Albania, Im sure these age- importable blade guns have all been snatched up by now. The country isnt overly large.

I know classic likes to use stock pictures of past rifles.... wonder what all is in this group.

[Worm]

damn it. i dont want to spend money but i really want to be the guinea pig.

[K-9]

I guess we could all spend $300 and find out? 

I will eagerly await the reports of others unless the prices drop again.  I may get one, but I doubt it. 

[Ol Relic]

I think there may be a newish batch in the country-a shop near me recently put out about 5 or 6 Sinobanians (and IIRC, they're Century imports but don't quote me on that).  One of them is a 2 million series complete with an absolutely filthy sling.  They also have 2 or 3 ghosts, with one of those having probably the most intact stock finish I've seen on a ghost.  I'm tempted to buy it (priced at $349). 

[running-man]

Very neat!  If anyone gets one, please make certain to post up an import stamp so we can compare it to the known ones and maybe find out if it's a new batch.

[K-9]

I asked them if I could get a guarantee on numbers matching.  No way I am paying $300 for another Chinese SKS shooter.  If they can guarantee it, I will probably take the gamble. 

[Loose}{Cannon]

I dunno...  I still have last years prices ringing in my head also. But, looking back at RMs Chinese sales report.... damn things are going up!

[Worm]

More like prices are out of control

[K-9]

Nah, a few years ago, we had the RTI $199 gunsmith specials but Classic was selling the pretty ghosts for $300+.  The difference between the two was like night and day.  I have a feeling that these newest Classic SKSs are probably pretty fine but only worth it if the numbers match. 

I haven't bought one from them in a while (LC, you have one of those) and all were ghosts while RTI sold Chinese letter guns.  Has anyone bought an SKS from Classic in the past year?  What were they selling recently?

[Loose}{Cannon]

Like you said..  the $199 were fix ems and these are not.  Prices really have gone up on all chicoms. Just wsit until the election gets closer.

[K-9]

I can only imagine the prices in 2016 after reading R-Ms Chinese SKS report.

THANKS R-M!!  That was refreshing to read!  No panic, but panic prices now?  Come 2016 (and beyond, depending on the election winner) it is gonna be a seller's market.

[Greasemonkey]

$2 to a doughnut.... during the past import cycle, they pulled some and stored them away.. Fast forward 6 months to today, they know everyone is crying b*tching and bellyaching over not getting one.. so, hey Jimmy bring in storage container # BR549, unload it, and advertise them as "This is IT!!!!" ain't no more, specials..

It's not like they are loosing money on them in the storage container, the greedy whiny gun people will pay to play, it's guaranteed money in the bank...They could stamp $350/$375 or even $400, scream "BAN" and they "will" sell like hotcakes, cause where else are ya gonna get one, now.

It's all business, juggling the supply and demand, and offering a product your competitors ain't got.  Being they know they will sell, could fill in slow selling periods.
  And, maybe their sales pitch for once is an actual half truth, "This is it", simply cause, the storage container in the back lot is now, empty..

It ain't like this scenario hasn't been done countless times in the past by retailers.

[K-9]

Time will tell.

Inventory does cost actual money, though.  It isn't free to store stuff in warehouses.  These items don't depreciate, they have to be insured, they take up room, and they tie up money that could be used for other items. 

[Greasemonkey]

Time will tell.

Inventory does cost actual money, though.  It isn't free to store stuff in warehouses.  These items don't depreciate, they have to be insured, they take up room, and they tie up money that could be used for other items. 

Yes, it is capital expense, but, depending on the price they got them for, how they work/cook the books, it may not have any effect, profit from other items could be used to cover items. Think how big box stores do it, buy in very high volumes, they stock up, stock up some more, then mass release it for cheap prices, especially around holidays, same thing here. Almost 10yrs of seeing it in person, you learn the tricks of the trade. It could be the banknote is coming due, so lets get them out and sell them since no one else has any.

I'd almost bet given the volume bought, brokering deals, import inspections and fees, there is at least a 20 to 40% mark up on surplus goods such as this.. The importers quite possibly pay a set fee per rifle, not more for a nice one, less for a beater. The retailer does the separation between the grades, they jack hand pick/number matching price up, the broke down beaters sell for chump change, and the beaters possibly still show a profit, abet a little less. Now in the end, it evens out to an average overall profit.

And like most wholesalers who store them in or on facility grounds, the facility as a whole, inventory included, is highly insured, if they burn in a fire, poof, they are covered, damaged by act of God, covered. And a storage shipping container, both easy and cheap, not an issue to find one and have it set on the property. Warehouse, they wouldn't care, heck that is a business expense, a necessary for conducting business, A.K.A, a tax write off...just like the mentioned storage container. Now couple that with most companies fiscal years are over now, they can show a profit again without trying to just break even or show a loss, simply because, it's early in the tax year, so as not to get to far in hock with the tax people. The remaining amount of the tax year, the profit will wash out. Write off’s are easy, declaring big profit kinda hurts the pocket at tax time.

Either way, come a full fledged facility burn to the ground, work the tax system or sit on them for a few months and then sell, they, the retailer are gonna get paid..

[running-man]

Holy Mackerel Andy, I find myself agreeing with GM today.  WTF?!  Next thing we know it'll be the end of the world



I'd bet dollars to donuts that they were sitting on a few hundred units too.  Maybe they spent some time sorting some of the better looking ones during one of the lulls between fire sales and found a group that they felt was worth holding onto to be able to make an extra $50 profit per gun.  The opportunity cost of not selling immediately was well worth the risk that they might get stuck holding highly graded specimens for a few extra months.  It certainly cost them $$ to hold them, but the risk reward is pretty high on something like this, especially seeing how many T56s they were able to move in 2014.   Worst case, they hold another fire sale, unload them for $279 and make their money back plus a small profit...it's not like they would be able to park that money in an low-risk investment and generate any meaningful return in todays interest rate climate anyhow. 

[K-9]

Time will tell. 

My point is that, with the cost of insurance and overhead on those items and relatively low profit (in the scheme of things), it seems like a bad investment to let them just sit around and then sell them at about the same price as last year. 

These are still some of the cheapest items on the market.  It doesn't make sense to me.  If these were WASRs or something over $500, it might work.

Again, we shall see if this is the last of the SKS batches soon enough.  All of this is conjecture.  I am going to assume it is the last batch because it just might be. 

EDIT: I just received a reply from Classic.  They didn't answer any of my questions.  The entire response was:

They are from a different vendor and are a little newer than our last batch but the bluing and wood is better on this batch

No answers?  No purchase from me.  I hope that helps someone else decide whether to buy or not.

[Greasemonkey]

Hole Mackerel Andy, I find myself agreeing with GM today.  WTF?!  Next thing we know it'll be the end of the world

Call 911, call 911, somebody please, RM has done gone and popped a brain vessel and agreed with me on something, I said. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Time will tell. 

My point is that, with the cost of insurance and overhead on those items and relatively low profit (in the scheme of things), it seems like a bad investment to let them just sit around and then sell them at about the same price as last year. 

These are still some of the cheapest items on the market.  It doesn't make sense to me.  If these were WASRs or something over $500, it might work.

Again, we shall see if this is the last of the SKS batches soon enough.  All of this is conjecture.  I am going to assume it is the last batch because it just might be. 

Call it what you gotta call it, it's simply big business, balancing the books out, profit vs. cost. Over the past 15+ years, I've heard that "last call", no more imported crap so many times, I pay no attention anymore.
And in say a year or two, the laws willing, "oh, we just found a small batch, these are the last to be imported, get'em while they are hot $375" a piece. Happens all the time, Swiss K31s, Swedish Mausers, Romanian SKSs, PSL-54cs, Finnish Mosins, all have been in that last import party.
When I see no more on the market, for over a year plus, I start too believe it then. Almost like local gun shows, "get your guns before they are banned" crap, they have been toting that for over 5 years now.

Insurance is a tax write off.  Low profit, these were possibly bought in such a volume, they were bought sight unseen, in other words, we will take 10 containers, "if' they paid, I don't know 150-200 per rifle after shipping/dock fees/ATF/port authority inspections, do the hypothetical math, $100 to 150 profit per rifle, say 10-15,000 maybe more came in.  They by no means got hurt sitting on a container or 10.

If there was only say a 5% or so profit margin in this business, why bother going through all this trouble, importing, dealing with government regulations, other laws.. It would be 10 times easier just to import and distribute commie kotexs than a weapon.  There is money, and alot more than say a whimpy 5 to 10% in profit margin that keeps these companies cash flow pumping.