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FAQ regarding

Business with Barnes

 

Keep in mind several key things when determining if you care to purchase. 1). "Few people pay cash." I seldom have inventory. Normal proceedure is to purchase a spot on the ledger and a custom pc. will be built especially for you. Efforts are always being made to improve efficiency. Some of those efforts are now paying off. Examples of certain models are becoming available for sale occasionally.

2). "Price" is relative to the effort I must expend." As you'll learn, my payment program makes buying as easy as possible. It's explained below but here are the high spots: No interest, 10-15% down, monthly pymt. targeted to clear the debt by the time the rifle is finished. Now, think of this: I have people buying my custom work for 1-5 dollars per day. That's right. A down payment, then divide the rest by 36 (approx. months to delivery). You can buy alot of rifle for $100/mo.

3). Rational for the program: Let me ask you something. How many people would buy a quality car or a fine home if they were required to pay cash? How much interest will you pay on that house over 30 years? Actually, the point is this: You judge your ability to live in your house based upon the relative effort it takes for you to acquire it. Whatever that monthly number is, you can handle it.

Now, let's make this apply to my rifles: I make them from scratch. I engineer them to be extremely well built. I don't cut corners. They offer world class performance. Often, they ARE the ONLY product which has demonstrated their performance. They take forever to build. Unless someone's done it (with all due respect) they don't have a clue. An hour, a day, is almost meaningless as related to the process of making one of these rifle from an idea and raw material. I charge simply what I must to maintain the business.

I make it virtually painless for anyone who wants to commit to a project. The Program below explains how you can have the best for a few dollars a day. The effort expended will be considerably lopsided between the few dollars a day and the months I'll work on the project. There's an old joke/saying ... have you heard it? Goes like this: "When you have a breakfast of Ham and Eggs, the Pig and the Chicken didn't exactly contribute equally!" ;?)

What I have done, is face the reality of the cost of making quality handcrafted work in 21st century America, AND, developed a system whereby you can afford it. The "Price" of the individual rifle, is simply the number that gets divided up into the small installments you make. You can see it either way. The rifle is either expensive or unbelievably easy to attain. You just have to stick to the program if you want one, just as I have to stick to the project in order to build one.

The "Proof" of what I say is this: Hardly anyone buys for cash (because an extra completed pc. seldom exists). When that rare situation exists, the customer has gained, not only the handmade rifle, but has benefited greatly in short cutting the wait. Most of my rifles are purchased according to the ledger system for a few dollars a day.

 

 Ordering Information

Custom Orders: 10-15% down with regular payments being made during the waiting period. Schedule to clear the balance by the time the project is complete. No interest for setting up the schedule. Payments are non-refundable.

Example: $5,500 purchase = $550 down - $4,950 balance. Divide by 36 month term - $137.5 / mo. No Interest.

 

The Program

Right now, some folks are putting down two hundred and fifty dollars and paying about $75-$100 each month. They'll hardly miss the money and end up (in about 36 months) with something they could never afford to buy outright. Something that will last them a lifetime or have been a real good savings account for the time and money spent. The catch? You order, you stick to it. Payments are non-refundable. This is the case with every entry on the ledger. In addition, those customers who are quite able to pay cash, use the very same system.

Here's the logic: Once I accept your order, I lock in your time slot. From this time onward, I must account for your ledger entry each time I talk to a new customer. The net result is that the time I've promised to you, diminishes the chance that the next guy will be willing to wait. As the ledger has filled, I've endlessly turned down offers for immediate cash sales because I've given my word to those on that very ledger. This is why I say, "What we start, we finish". I promise the client and then stand the weight of that promise. The client's part is to stick to the program.

Why should people who could pay outright be subjected to this program? Because it allows me to keep the price structure reasonable. The ledger accounts balance the cash flow of a business running long term projects. The program is structured in such a way that the client "immediately" gets the benefit of the ledger entry promise (he's locked in and I must tell everyone else he's in front of them). In addition, the client has minimal investment during the early phases of the project. It's not until the project is nearing the end of it's term (and the rifle is almost complete) that the bulk of the investment has been made.

Finally; you'll see that I cannot become a savings and loan institution. People must be responsible for their own circumstances. I can't endlessly juggle the ledger entries as people's life situations change. The system I've set up is allowing folks to buy the absolute finest product available for dollars per day. Because of this, I repeat that it must all be non-refundable. Don't spend your mortgage money here. This should be viewed as entertainment money. It just so happens that the market surge for my products means that you could recover, upon delivery, the money you've spent here (along with a very handsome return). When's the last time you got a return on your theater tickets or eating out?

I'm regularly asked something like this: "What if ... two years from now ... I've paid along and ... BANG ... a piano drops on Gary's head. Do I get all of my money back?" (this or some version of this question). Well, in our Walmart world, you'd expect you would - right? However; the reality of small business, and the difference between Barnes Pneumatic and Walmart comes into play. At any give time, there are three years of orders on my ledger. Some are being completed, some are just entering the ledger. In order to 100% guarantee all of those, I'd need to take three years of income, and stick it in a coffee can somewhere. Three years total income - set aside - just in case. I doubt you know any small business that can do that. So; some suggest ... "why not buy a big ole insurance policy for the purpose?" Can you see that conversation ... ? "Hello - yes ... I make big bore airguns and I'd like to buy a poli... "Airguns"? ... yes.... Yes, I did say that I ..."Make"... manufacturer ... Excuse me? ... oh ... "Big Bore" airguns - yes.... larger caliber - more powerfu.... No, they are not firearms... they are "Air" guns. Ya know, like a BB gu...... No, they're not BB guns ... these are highly engineered state of the art produc..... Sure, I'll hold ................."

I understand the system is not perfect. However; the actual exposure for customers is dollars a day. Generally, the good folks who ask about the issue have their numbers all totaled up - "Say, in 25 months, I will have paid in almost three thousand dollars ... I can't risk that kind of money". Actually, you aren't risking $3k - you're risking coffee money per day (which most folks wouldn't be saving in their own coffee can anyway). The idea of getting it all back in one lump sum following some tragedy here just isn't in the realm of possibility. Let me just state, for the record; that I avoid standing around under hanging pianos. My chances of sticking around long enough to make your rifle are about as good as yours are of hanging around long enough to pay for it ;?) We take the chance together. And, I have a real good record: I've never died before making a rifle yet!

Closing: The system works well for all involved. It allows you to keep your money in your own pocket and invest it until called for monthly. To my knowledge (as attested to by many clients) I'm the only one offering such a program with custom investment quality handmade product.


I post a recent e-mail responce to a gentleman who wanted to place an order. His questions will be clear, even without his text. My answer seemed faily concise and I thought it may help to post it here for you ...

Nice to meet you. Thank you for your note.

In fact, I was out on the patio shooting a Liberty 25. I don't get alot of shooting time so have to make some. Had the target illuminated - good fun.

You have done it correctly. There is no automated order form. I'm on-line 18-7 for folks to get to know what they wish to have.

I suspect you have read the page business.html

I am a very small business. As such, I've developed a system that works well for myself and customers alike. The nature of my work, and the current interest in it, does not allow me to stockpile product.

People target a particular project and a particular cost window. From that, we calculate 10-15% for a downpayment. The down secures the spot on the ledger and the clock starts on the build. The deposit is deducted from the projected cost - the balance is divided by 36 for the projected term. No interest payments are made monthly or close to that per arrangement. People alter their down payment amount often in order to make their monthly come out to some round number they wish to use.

I try to keep it simple. All the details need not be nailed down at the start. As folks read and become familiar with things, they often make small or even large changes. That's OK. I hold the relative cost of the initial project for you. If you want other accessories, you build off of that. If you decide, twenty months from now to go with something new I've just designed, that would pick up at the new cost scale (if different).

The only fine print is that the payments are non-refundable. The logic is on the page I linked here. Basically, I'm just too small to absorb the whims and woes of other people's circumstances. I make it painless to obtain the work - a few dollars a day - so, in reality - that's the actual risk factor for the buyer.

If you have questions, I'll try to answer or point you to pages which answer them.

My snail mail address is:

Gary Barnes
Barnes Pneumatic
Box 138
305 Church Street
New Windsor, Maryland 21776-0138

Personal checks are fine. Many people set up an auto pay thingie with their bank. I do not require that at all - just what alot of people like. Checks to Gary Barnes or Barnes Pneumatic at your option. I've been at this location 24+ years.

Many thanks,

Gary

 

The End of the Rainbow

Every day I develop my craft. When I go to start an order, I don't use three year old knowledge, I use "today's" knowledge. The product is always better than the order. That's benefit #1. Here's another: I hold the cost of the order to the customer. BUT. I don't hold the price structure as demand increases. Therefore; market value increases while you wait. I've delivered quite a few rifles which were worth twice to three times what the customer paid for them. I held the cost to the original client. They realized their investment back when they opened the shipping case, upon delivery, and; got the rifle to boot.

 

 

Day to Day

Waiting Period: Every effort is made to complete the work in a timely fashion. Customer contact is welcomed at any time during the wait. I remain in regular contact and provide news of any new technology which might have arisen since your order was placed. I prefer e-mail contact if possible. This allows me to work through an uninterrupted cycle in the machine shop and then, over a cup of coffee, answer several e-mails. During a typical day, I will answer e-mails six to eight times. Yes, I realize that's way too much coffee . . . ;?)

 

Delays: They happen. Life goes on here as it does everywhere. I do my level best to make sure that you are treated as I wish to be treated. By making myself available to clients, everyone is kept in the loop. Progress is steady from the beginning. We develop your knowledge of pcp rifles, my work ethics, and the details of your order.

 

Technique: Over the past thirty years, I have developed work habits which work well for me. There is no luxury to do one thing at a time. Life doesn't present one thing at a time. I must do shows, develop product, complete orders, and stay on top of the business all simultaneously. I've had quite a bit of experience by now. If you read about a new product I've just developed, don't assume that I've stolen your spot. It's all in the pipeline.

 

Surprise: Customers regularly tell me that they never expected the gun to be as fine as it turned out. I know you are waiting. I want you to be happy. You get my best efforts.

 

Before you know it, you will have had your rifle longer than you waited for it. It's yours for keeps - "The wait is forgotten with the first shot".

 

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