I think it depends on what you're selling and your customer base? Personally, I prefer buying/selling on the forums but I only buy used stuff. It's probably been 15 years since I've bought a "new" gun. It's primarily lower quality repackaged old guns with more plastic? I bought a 30's hi power, vs. a new one. Paid a little more, but the quality is 80% better. "Value" is a term most people now are unfamiliar with, and cannot grasp?
Prices are high.....on everything IMO, that's just the reality until the depression drops them on certain items. All gun laws need to be removed including background checks, since criminals commit crimes, not inanimate objects, nor the law abiding. Scams and fraud are everywhere in society, but the least amount of it I see are generally on the forums, so places like this seem far safer to me than say, calling a contractor, downloading an app, or buying an extended car warranty?
As for spending habits of the US populous.....they have zero math skills, which is a HUGE problem for all of us in the end. I've boiled it down to "do you turn the lights off when you leave a room?" The people who do have some sense of math skills, those that don't will/do have financial problems.