there is some markup in the suppressor world, but not as much as you might think- at least for most brands…
Surefire and Knight’s Armament are overpriced AF because of the mil contracts, and you’ve got a select few Mfg’s like Q who just blatantly overcharge for absolute JUNK because because they can get away with it by relying on hypebeast marketing and faux buzz generated by “influencers” (AKA shills), with a little bit of previous brand recognition thrown in (seriously tho… Avoid Q or anything else affiliated by Kevin Brittingham like the plague; on top of him being an insufferable, creepy, sleazy scumbag, none of his products are innovative, they’re all marked up by at least 100%, their QC sucks, their designs are just plain BAD, and you can build a better version of anything he sells for half the money)
Most cans, however, aren’t actually marked up as much as you might think… While the cost of the raw materials might not be high, actually PRODUCING them (and owning/running a suppressor company in general) IS high- mainly because of NFA b.s. and related shenanigans.
For starters, while the raw materials don’t usually cost all that much (at least for the more conventional, non-3d printed cans and the ones not made of exotic alloys), the EQUIPMENT required to make them IS pricey… And that cost has to be passed along to the consumer.
You also have to consider that simply being NFA items keeps the suppressor market much, MUUUUCH smaller than just regular guns- between a lot of people flat-out mistakenly believing “silencers are illegal”, people that don’t want to “go on a list”, those that can’t afford the $200 tax stamp or don’t understand the paperwork, or the people that simply don’t wan’t to bother with the (until recently) year-ish of waiting after paying? The market is so small that manufacturers HAVE to charge more per unit in order to run a successful business, since they have a smaller quantity of product across which to distribute costs. Think “economy of scale”, but in reverse… So those expensive multi-axis cnc machines and laser welders? Instead of being able to pump out enough product to add 5 cents to the price of each to recoup the cost of the equipment, they’re having to add $100 to each.
The whole “cost to do business” thing is also rough when it comes to silencer companies, even moreso than “regular” gun companies. They can’t just have a regular FFL, they have to maintain and pay for a SOT, and there are a LOT of very stringent rules they have to follow regarding marking, storing, and paperwork, all of which require extra employees.
