Advice for a newbie selling a few guns

N

nickaudette

Inactive
First time poster here so forgive me if this post isn't in the correct place.

I have 3 guns (all shotguns, specifics listed below) I will be selling and am looking for advice for selling them. I'm not sure what website to sell from, anyone recommend gunbroker.com or gunsamerica? Is one better/easier/more active than the other?

What are some good things to know when selling? As far as I know I do not need an FFL to sell but the buyer does? And I can check that using this link https://www.atfonline.gov/fflezcheck/ . I live in Virginia.

As far as shipping goes I read through the sticky on this site and it looks like since I'm selling shotguns/rifles I can ship via USPS with insurance and I do not have to tell them it's a gun? I have sold and shipped tons of music gear equipment including amps, guitars, effects pedals, etc so I'm not too worried about actually packing up the gun unless I need to take it apart or anything like that.

I'm not sure how to price guns. It looks like it may be similar to music equipment in that you price the used item 70-80% of the new value if it isn't vintage. Is that right? The guns I am selling are: 2 Browning Over/Under shotguns (I think they are Citori, I have to double check), and 1 Benelli shotgun (I have to check which model it is but I know my Grandfather paid around 1300ish for it from Greentop about 10-15 years ago if that helps).

Browning "Magnum Envelope" Auto % Special Steel 3" 32" barrel Made in Belgium
Browning "White Lightning" Citori Over/Under 2-3/4" and 3" Made in Japan
Benelli Legacy 12 26" 2-3/4" & 3"

I'll edit the post once I have the specifics on the models. Thanks for any help!
 
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Asking for legal advice, especially on a subject with dire possible consequences, can be hazardous to your health.
Best check with those who absolutely know the laws and restrictions in your home state.
Otherwise you may be getting useless information from someone whose state and local laws are completely different.
As for the price to ask to actually sell your shotguns, that is also open to conjecture.
You could check with those online auctions to see what changes hands, rather than asking prices that get no action.
You could also check with professional appraisers like the Blue Book of Gun Values and even what buyers like Durys will take them off your hands for:
https://www.durysguns.com/
Another venue for selling shotguns is your local trap, skeet and sporting clays club.
P.S>
Gun buyers are lot more canny than music folks.
So expecting that much for your shotguns might be kind of optimistic.
 
*Updated original post to include better description of guns*

"Gun buyers are lot more canny than music folks.
So expecting that much for your shotguns might be kind of optimistic."

I'm not sure where I said what price I was expecting? I posted the price that was paid several years ago to try to gauge what to sell for in relation to % off new price. Thanks for the tip on Dury's, I'll definitely send them the info and see what they offer. I'm expecting that to be similar to Gazelle or something where it is like 60% of what they would sell it for. I looked on Gun broker a little bit but didn't see too many active listings for guns that are similar to these, could just be I didn't look well enough.
 
It looks like it may be similar to music equipment in that you price the used item 70-80% of the new value if it isn't vintage. Is that right?
Click to expand...
Wasn't that an estimate of expected price?
The best of luck with your endeavors.
 
I think Gunbroker.com will get you the larger market and perhaps a better price. Do have good photos of the guns, and describe the condition accurately and completely. Make sure any dings are in the photos and description, let the bidder know what's what.

Do get clearance of funds before shipping. That may be a week or longer after deposit of a check or money order in your bank. You can spend that time properly packing the gun and getting the FFL data from the buyer. Actual shipping times are pretty fast, the carriers want to get the firearms out of their custody to the FFL as soon as they can, don't be concerned about that, most guns will ship cross-country in 3 or 4 days, so between shipping and fund clearance your buyer will have his new toy in two weeks, a perfectly acceptable time frame.

$30 to $40 seems to be a pretty standard pack/ship fee. Lots of vendors put the gun into a cheap Plano case and pack that up to ship, it's well worth it to do that.

Do communicate with the buyer and his FFL, including receipt of funds, shipping dates, and tracking data.
 
Kilimanjaro really covered things well.

I'll only add (or stress) a few points.

Photos, Use a camera and take plenty of shots. Evaluate them critically.
You'll be asking a buyer to send you money based on them alone.

Mention in your listing that you are a private party and whether you are willing to find a dealer to ship for you or not.
Many FFLs will not accept from individuals, so I would be real clear about that up front.

Pricing? 70%-80%? Without photos, who can say.
Only you know how quickly you want move them.
As a member of GB, you can check COMPLETED auctions in the advanced setting
to see if and/or what the models you have are selling for - not what people are asking.

As a non-rated seller, you are going to lose some potential buyers, it is just a fact.
There is a good percentage of folks who will not take a chance with their money
on an NR seller, even when you go the extra step and get verified on GB.

As an NR seller, I would suggest you mention in your listing that interested buyers could contact you either through the system, or over the phone.

JT
 
The easiest way is to go to some of your local trap/skeet/sporting clays clubs and post some ads on their bulletin boards.
The second easiest way would be to list them on shotgun sites like ShotgunWorld.com.

Yes you can ship them via USPS, but it can also be cheaper to use Fedex or UPS. These can all be shipped via ground as opposed to air. If shipping interstate, they will need to be shipped to a FFL in the recipient's state. Some FFL's will not accept shipments from a non-FFL, so you need to state that in your ad that you are not a FFL. If the successful winner has such a FFL, then you need to state there will be extra costs.

IF you use a shipping service do NOT try to state "machine parts" or similar; you'll be breaking their tariffs and if something happens, you will be out of luck.


Browning "Magnum Envelope" Auto % Special Steel 3" 32" barrel Made in Belgium
Click to expand...

What is this? Google returns 0 results

SOME guns can be worth MORE then the original price - all depends on condition and what it is.

Personally, sites like GB, GA, AA, charge a nice fee.

Added:

Since you live in VA, here's a list of the shotgun clubs in VA - some might be pretty close to you:
http://www.claytargetsonline.com/virginia/
 
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Thanks JT, I'll definitely post a ton of photos since I'm pretty used to doing that with selling music gear. Also, I will likely post links to my Reverb.com and Ebay.com feedback since I have bought and sold over 75 items with reviews on those sites. I will also be sure to state I am a private party and do not have an FFL. Thanks for the great tips!

Quote:
Browning "Magnum Envelope" Auto % Special Steel 3" 32" barrel Made in Belgium
What is this? Google returns 0 results
Click to expand...
I did some more research into this, it is a Browning Auto 5 made in Belgium. It has "Magnum Envelope" along the receiver. I think it is from 1975 based off the barrel. I tried to follow the tables on the Browning site to date it but didn't have any luck.
 
No Ebay guns. No PayPal for guns, either.

I wouldn't want to try and sell a gun on Ebay, you'd get a million people 'reporting' your listing just to gum things up and another million bidding with no intention to buy, just play games with the gun nuts.
 
No, I wasn't saying I was going to list them on ebay, I was saying I would post links to my feedback on other sites where I have sold other items to show buyers I have sold and shipped stuff online before.
 
Selling a browning

The Market on an Auto 5 is as soft as it has been in years . You really need to know what your selling CONDITION IS EVERYTHING

Good Luck
 
Maybe Armslist VA? Depending on what larger cities you are near to offer market demand, plenty of locals check the pages. Most of us do Not ship, and the buyer always handles the item.

I've bought about four guns-both handguns and rifles-on Armslist TN, and sold four handguns and a rifle.
All of these deals were within the last two years. You need patience and just common sense and a little intuition. Loew's, Gander Mt. parking lots etc work really well, in a quiet corner.
 
May I strongly suggest armslist. I would strongly suggest a ftf sale in a public parking area. This way you see an ID and they actually see the gun.

Your idea of pricing seems low, but I would check Armslist and sold prices on Gunbroker as a cross check. Guns are typically graded by the amount of original finish remaining, with steep discounts for broken stuff.

In 95% or better condition, I would expect 90% to be the going rate.
 
There seems to be a LOT of complaining about scams on Armslist.

FTF at your local gun club where the buyer can try it out will not involve FFLs, shipping costs, etc.
 
Gunbroker. I looked at armslist once or twice, but they NEVER have any gun I'm looking for. I stick to gunbroker.
 
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