I went to a club this am to take a bunch of 45acp, 9mm ammo all 20rds boxes of jhp of multi kinds to sell, had silver tips, zombies from hornady, star fire, thunder ranch etc, asking 16 dollars per 20 or 2 boxes for 30. And still had people asking me if I would take less for them, Alot of what I had were 25 dollars plus to buy in a store or on line. sometimes I think people would not know a good deal if it hit them on the head.
45acp and 9mm ammo
- Thread starter jhphurt
- Start date
Machineguntony
New member
Why does it bother you that your potential customers want to haggle? Are you not used to customers negotiating with you?
Not sure how long you have been buying and selling guns and gun stuff with gun people in gun circles... but in the event you were not aware, this is how things have been done with this stuff -- with these people -- in these situations... for DECADES. This "way" has been "THE way" since before any of us were involved in it.
Keep a smile on your face, respectfully give your answer to the counter offer and a sale is made or a sale is not made and life goes on.
Keep a smile on your face, respectfully give your answer to the counter offer and a sale is made or a sale is not made and life goes on.
tahunua001
New member
well here's a few things about buying used ammo.
1. you don't know how it was stored. if it's kept dry and sealed in an airtight container, ammo will last for several decades. I have cracked open ammo that was sealed in spam cans in WWII and it still goes bang. however when subjected to moisture, ammo gets corroded, the brass sweats and the powder and priming compound goes bad in years rather than decades.
2. unless you are an ammo collector, odds are you don't know what year a box of ammo was made. I have sellier and bellot in gray and pink boxes, remington that's in yellow boxes, winchester in orange boxes, etc etc. that stuff is decades old and none of it was sealed in spam cans. luckily it was stored in a semi arid location because it still goes bang and there's no corrosion...yet.
3. if someone is selling ammo they are doing it for one of 3 reasons:either they no longer have a gun chambered in it, the ammo is old and they are replacing it with new ammo, or the ammo has issues and they are replacing it with something more reliable/potent/accurate, ETC. if it's the latter 2 reasons a person should feel perfectly justified in haggling over price because there is a possibility they would be getting stiffed by purchasing ammo of dubious nature. if it's the first then you can't really fault a guy for trying to get the best price for something the seller has no use for in the first place and has no reason to hang onto.
I've been on both sides of the fence and often times I am the one being screwed because I gave them the benefit of the doubt and didn't haggle and ended up paying too much for junk ammo or I've sold ammo for way less than I wanted because I had no use for it.
while we're on the subject. a couple weeks back I was selling a bunch of milsurp ammo. I was not asking outrageous price for it, just giving myself wiggle room because everybody inevitably haggles. of course someone did and I sold it for $70 less than I was asking and about $20 less than I really wanted. well a bunch of it was plastic training ammunition and the person buying didn't do his research on what I was selling. a few hours after I made the deal he contacted me pretty P.O.ed because he thought he was getting combat grade ammunition for 1/4 it's actual value. he still got a good deal on a bunch of ammo that still goes bang, but he thought he was pulling a fast one and got burned.
1. you don't know how it was stored. if it's kept dry and sealed in an airtight container, ammo will last for several decades. I have cracked open ammo that was sealed in spam cans in WWII and it still goes bang. however when subjected to moisture, ammo gets corroded, the brass sweats and the powder and priming compound goes bad in years rather than decades.
2. unless you are an ammo collector, odds are you don't know what year a box of ammo was made. I have sellier and bellot in gray and pink boxes, remington that's in yellow boxes, winchester in orange boxes, etc etc. that stuff is decades old and none of it was sealed in spam cans. luckily it was stored in a semi arid location because it still goes bang and there's no corrosion...yet.
3. if someone is selling ammo they are doing it for one of 3 reasons:either they no longer have a gun chambered in it, the ammo is old and they are replacing it with new ammo, or the ammo has issues and they are replacing it with something more reliable/potent/accurate, ETC. if it's the latter 2 reasons a person should feel perfectly justified in haggling over price because there is a possibility they would be getting stiffed by purchasing ammo of dubious nature. if it's the first then you can't really fault a guy for trying to get the best price for something the seller has no use for in the first place and has no reason to hang onto.
I've been on both sides of the fence and often times I am the one being screwed because I gave them the benefit of the doubt and didn't haggle and ended up paying too much for junk ammo or I've sold ammo for way less than I wanted because I had no use for it.
while we're on the subject. a couple weeks back I was selling a bunch of milsurp ammo. I was not asking outrageous price for it, just giving myself wiggle room because everybody inevitably haggles. of course someone did and I sold it for $70 less than I was asking and about $20 less than I really wanted. well a bunch of it was plastic training ammunition and the person buying didn't do his research on what I was selling. a few hours after I made the deal he contacted me pretty P.O.ed because he thought he was getting combat grade ammunition for 1/4 it's actual value. he still got a good deal on a bunch of ammo that still goes bang, but he thought he was pulling a fast one and got burned.
Tucker 1371
New member
If you had some 230gr JHPs in .45 ACP I wouldn't have turned my nose up at $16/20rds. I think I just paid double that for my last box of Golden Sabers at Bass Pro.
That said, you can't blame people for wanting to haggle, that's just kinda how things work when you're not selling from a retail location. That's why when I sell anything on Armslist I set my price a little high, I anticipate being haggled with and I don't mind it at all. I do the same thing when conducting such transactions.
That said, you can't blame people for wanting to haggle, that's just kinda how things work when you're not selling from a retail location. That's why when I sell anything on Armslist I set my price a little high, I anticipate being haggled with and I don't mind it at all. I do the same thing when conducting such transactions.
Brotherbadger
New member
Haggling is part of the process. Most sellers account for this and raise their prices a bit higher than they would sell it at. You don't like it, just say the price is firm.
Cheapshooter
New member
Guess you've never bought a used car. Or new one for that matter!
Have a store front, display cases, cash register, and price tags on new ammo, no haggling. Go to a gun show, swap meet, or what ever, and expect it.
Have a store front, display cases, cash register, and price tags on new ammo, no haggling. Go to a gun show, swap meet, or what ever, and expect it.
springfieldmaniac
New member
Something I've observed with forums and other venues, for the most part expect 50% of retail on resale market. Sometimes on in demand items you can do much better in some cases make money but that's more the exception. In this case your ammo is worth more too you then the buyer's
polyphemus
New member
You got an attitude issue man.
springfieldmaniac
New member
Essentially since it's not sold from a retailer it's considered used so to speak. Besides the fact people don't know how old or how it was stored as that was already pointed out. People don't know if it has been cycled or stored in magazines and used as carry ammo. Could get a "new " box of ammo with cartridges with bullet set back. I normally don't purchase pre-owned ammo for a number of reasons. So to some people it might not have been a "good deal"
Just something to consider before you take haggling as an insult.
Just something to consider before you take haggling as an insult.
Haggling over price
It's all in how you haggle. When I sell used, I decide my rock bottom price and offer it for that price. If someone makes a counter offer I go to the haggling price and go from there.
A deal would go something like this:
Buyer: Hey. I see you got a 357 Blackhawk for $375. I'll give $350.
Me: I tell you what, I'll take $425
Buyer: You said $375 !!!!!
Me: Yessir, That's the sell price, I just give you the haggling price and the opportunity to haggle. You can buy it for $375 or we can haggle starting at $425, your call
It's all in how you haggle. When I sell used, I decide my rock bottom price and offer it for that price. If someone makes a counter offer I go to the haggling price and go from there.
A deal would go something like this:
Buyer: Hey. I see you got a 357 Blackhawk for $375. I'll give $350.
Me: I tell you what, I'll take $425
Buyer: You said $375 !!!!!
Me: Yessir, That's the sell price, I just give you the haggling price and the opportunity to haggle. You can buy it for $375 or we can haggle starting at $425, your call
SauerGrapes
New member
Ammo is a tough sell. Like someone said, the unknown factor of age storage and care.
SD ammo, I want it fresh off the shelf.
SD ammo, I want it fresh off the shelf.