A Veblen good is something where as the price increases so does the demand. Usually it's some sort of niche luxury item. That means don't buy when prices are stupid high, then you can quickly find that you paid way more for the item than what it's worth ot what you can resell it for.
But, what if you need something like right now. Are you saying that if you can't find ammo nor reloading supplies you should rely upon the police / state to provide your security? How about if you've been stuck in traffic due to an accident for 3 hours and your tank is now telling you that you have 5 miles to empty and the only gas station within 30 miles is charging 5.50 per gallon and is 1 mile away, do you drive until you run out and then walk to the cheaper gas? I'm sure that most have not had the luxury of time to delay an over priced purchase. Sometimes, one just has to eat the cost and call it a lesson learned.
You should have already have a truck load of ammo before patient 0 in china got the bat sniffels. 3 years ago a case of 556 was like $150. No excuses.
What if the person just now figured out that the world is in trouble and they are now too. Are you advocating that now that Ammo, firearms, dried survival food, generators, used bug out vehicles, bugout locations are all way over priced that they should just sit there and wait their turn in the FEMA camp? Remember, we are all not at the same point in the journey here. Can't be bashing them that came late to the party.
I sold ammo to those people, yeah they got hosed. What can I say the price of education is expensive. Waiting till the downward spiral has begun is not a good time. I guess that's the next lesson, when the downward spiral is underway there will be millions of people who suddenly get it and nothing will be available.
Maybe that's why the "shortages" last so long. People who've had the awakening buy as soon as the product is available, extending the short supply situation.
We will see if it's a lasting lesson. There are riots and cities burned in the United States on a large scale about every 20 to 30 years. I remember my first primer shortage. It was the early 1990s, the Rodney king riots were still fresh in people's minds, Clinton got elected the stupid democrats were trying to pass an illegal assault weapons ban and primers and ammo were gone.
So you are the guy charging 10 dollars for a red solo cup at the party with the open bar and no cover.
The open bar with no cover charge was 2018. Unfortunately the only memorable ammo related purchases I made in 2018 was a case of shotgun primers and 3 bricks of small rifle, bought walmart out of all their rem subsonic 22lr a few times and filled out my 17hmr stash quota. This is me selling decades old 22LR in ziplock bags, opened partial boxes of ammo, mixed lots of manufacturers, bullet weigh and styles in late 2020. Prices were crazy, all rifle ammo, at least a $ per shot, all magnum wheel gun ammo $2 per shot, 12ga buckshot was $2 to $4 per shot. I rest my case.
As recently as this week I walked past small rifle primers at a Cabelas for $80. I don't need them that bad. Looks like primers are as good as gold. https://www.handloadersbench.com/fo...ers-available-at-brownells-this-morning/page2
GFL small rifle primers are down to leas than 7 cents each, with shipping, hazmat and tax. Only catch is you have buy 12,000. That's right on the line but, they're "non-magnum" which I guess would just be more encouragement to move away from dirty old harder to ignite ball powder. I have the perfect carbine load with M193 bullets that uses stick powder but I have not found a good stick powder replacement for full power 69gr bullets.
In the year 2080 the prices might be $2,500/1,000, if primers are still legal and available, but I'm not gonna buy tens of thousands of primers...mostly cause I'll be long dead! I have always tried to balance my preps by purchasing a mixture of food, fuel, ammo, filters, etc., but I'm not gonna go into bankruptcy trying to purchase everything at once (unless I REALLY believe that the end is neigh), nor am I going to die with a wallet full of worthless fiat money waiting for the prices to magically go down! If, in the future, shortages do develop, hopefully I will have sufficient preps to see me through, but if not, then I'll spend whatever I have to in order to plug any holes in my preps...and I won't shed any tears over it! Actually, in a real SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation I'll be glad that I had managed to find a sucker to take my fiat dollars in exchange for whatever he had to offer! I'll pray that his death was relatively quick and painless!
