Get a gun Blue Book. This will get you in the ball park for value. Remember, except for collectors value guns, dealers will most likely give you half of "their" wholesale cost. Set you value and put an add in the paper....they will sell. Will have to work out the actual sale as you feel comfortable.
Brother Passed - Approach to dispose of small collection??
- Thread starter AZAmmo
- Start date
Again, thanks all.
Yes, I have detailed pictures of each gun, left, right, serial #, stampings, chamber area, etc. However, I don't have the fancy "blue light" picture many use to show inside the barrel.
johnwilliamson062 - then list the guns here for 25% more than Cabela's offered - This is what I was thinking, take the wholesale price offered by stores, mark it up slightly. I think everybody wins this way.
We had a large garage/yard sale few months ago. We estimate 700-900 people stopped by over 3 days. Although none was displayed, many asked if we had any guns or ammo. I had all the ammo sorted and boxed in a private viewing area out back. We ended up selling all the rounds of various ammo, about 3,500 to a handful of people. For security purposes I told everyone no guns available or for sale, didn't want the house to be a target for future theft. I took down contact info of those I felt were solid people, told them I will contact when any guns are for sale.
Once we get fair prices, I will contact them and a couple contractors we horse traded his gun accessories with. They can spread the word to their circle of influence. I'll work on getting 25 posts so I can list in the 4 sale section of TFL. That should be a good start.
If someone local wants to purchase one of the guns I then need to find a FFL dealer correct? They charge a fee to process the gun purchase correct?
Yes, I have detailed pictures of each gun, left, right, serial #, stampings, chamber area, etc. However, I don't have the fancy "blue light" picture many use to show inside the barrel.
johnwilliamson062 - then list the guns here for 25% more than Cabela's offered - This is what I was thinking, take the wholesale price offered by stores, mark it up slightly. I think everybody wins this way.
We had a large garage/yard sale few months ago. We estimate 700-900 people stopped by over 3 days. Although none was displayed, many asked if we had any guns or ammo. I had all the ammo sorted and boxed in a private viewing area out back. We ended up selling all the rounds of various ammo, about 3,500 to a handful of people. For security purposes I told everyone no guns available or for sale, didn't want the house to be a target for future theft. I took down contact info of those I felt were solid people, told them I will contact when any guns are for sale.
Once we get fair prices, I will contact them and a couple contractors we horse traded his gun accessories with. They can spread the word to their circle of influence. I'll work on getting 25 posts so I can list in the 4 sale section of TFL. That should be a good start.
If someone local wants to purchase one of the guns I then need to find a FFL dealer correct? They charge a fee to process the gun purchase correct?
Baba Louie
New member
Only if selling out of state. If sales stay in AZ where you are, face to face sales are good to go.
Cleveland48
Inactive
I would check out the smith and wesson forum for the model 15 and especially the model 29-2. Bunch of great guys over there. If that model 29 is in its original box like in that picture with cleaning tools it will bring far more than you will get at any gun store. Many have sold for real good money on the S&W forum.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
Don't look at current bid prices on auctions that are in progress. Look at "reserve not met" listings to see what bids aren't up to what the seller thinks the gun is worth, and look at listings with an initial or opening bid (which to me is functionally the same as setting a reserve). Lastly, look at recent listings for actual sales -- there's no better indication of value than an actual price that a real person paid for a specific firearm.AZAmmo said:
Aguila Blanca
Staff
???Pahoo said:
Why? The value is the value, irrespective of whether the owner intends to keep it or sell it. That applies to anything, not just firearms.
When my mother died, the appraiser didn't ask what my brother and I intended to keep. Each item had a value. If one of us chose to buy something from the estate -- the appraised value was the price paid.
johnwilliamson062
Moderator
Yes, but a dollar in my pocket today is not worth the same as a dollar in my pocket six months from now.
It isn't a bad idea to get a "what can I sell this on armslist this week for/" price to go along with the "if it sits in a gun store on consignment for 6 months what can I get price."
I have several guns I m thinking of selling. I hate mailing guns I sell. I also don't want to play all the games with no show meets and people showing up to find exactly what was described and still trying to come down 25% As suc, I am considering selling by consignment at a local store. I think that is the best way to get money out without a hassle. It won't be as fast as a short sale online though. May take weeks or even months. No one has to hassle with it during that time though.
A lot of guns never receive one bid because the sellers start at a higher than market price, apparently hoping for someone to come along eventually who just has to have it.
Guns that start at reasonable prices move quickly. You will definitely get a better price from a gun auction site than you will from a dealer. You shouldn't sell to a gun dealer for the same reason you shouldn't sell your car to a car dealer: he is only going to offer you wholesale prices or less. You should only sell to a dealer if you need cash immediately, which doesn't sound like it's the case.
Look at prices for comparable guns with completed auctions and start your auctions somewhat less. Or get your guns appraised at a dealer, then put them up for auction starting at whatever the dealer offers you. Odds are excellent that every one of them will be sold in a week for a good deal more. If you do decide to go to auction, mention it here and I'll be glad to offer some tips.
Best of luck.
leadcounsel
Moderator
A gun auction site is going to require significant investment in time and energy in photographing, listing, etc. Also, a person needs to build up a reputation through feedback before someone will spend a lot of money. The "house" always takes a large percent, like 10%. There are shipping and FFL fees to contend with that eat into the costs. Each gun will require a separate packaging, driving to the FFL, paperwork... what a hassle indeed. And then if someone isn't happy, dealing with a return...
I'm saying that for a small collection of really average $500-1000 guns, the effort is not worth starting the auctions.
Much more efficient to do FTF.
The OP has already demonstrated enough skill to take and post a photo and make a listing.
Neither of these are really true. Gunbroker, for example, does take a percentage, but it's nowhere near 10%. They use a sliding scale, but the TOP percentage is 5% and that's only on the first $25. Realistically, the fee on a $500 item would be $13.13 or 2.6%. Not unreasonable.
http://www.gunbroker.com/User/Fees.aspx#finalvaluefee
Shipping and FFL fees are paid by the buyer. Return shipping is paid by the buyer. Now I suppose you could argue that they increase the total cost to the buyer and therefore reduce the amount you'll get, but the vastly wider market you'll reach online will more than make up for it. It costs money to reach a wide market.
FTF is cheap, but you have to deal with large cash transactions with the public, which is not without risk. Everything is a trade off.
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Hi All! Again, awesome insight.
I took all the guns to a local Phoenix shop/shooting range...should probably not mention company (have 2 locations, been in business 20+ years), it wasn't Cabellas. I did get to see some of our ominous Arizona DPS tax dollars leaving the parking lot (see below image).
In the store, I immediately noticed very few used guns for sale. I felt bad for the counter guy, all his time spent looking in his old book, at the guns, & serial numbers (even though I provided a complete printed spreadsheet of details). He didn't seem very experienced. The highest bid for any gun $400 for the boxed S&W 44 magnum cannon. Most others were around $100 or so. The funniest part, he says at the very end "And if we get all 8 guns I'll throw in an additional $25".
Using the boxed SW 44 Mag as an example, adding "our" theoretical 25% on top of a wholesale price ($400), means I should sell that gun for $500. That would be ludicrous considering many sell for over $1,000. Before any of these appraisals, my gut was thinking $800-850 would be fair for this gun.
I did get a line on a more fair shop in Mesa, talked to the owner, very comprehensive and sharp guy that considered all of the details of our situation. It's a 104 mile round trip so I couldn't make it there this week.
I took all the guns to a local Phoenix shop/shooting range...should probably not mention company (have 2 locations, been in business 20+ years), it wasn't Cabellas. I did get to see some of our ominous Arizona DPS tax dollars leaving the parking lot (see below image).
In the store, I immediately noticed very few used guns for sale. I felt bad for the counter guy, all his time spent looking in his old book, at the guns, & serial numbers (even though I provided a complete printed spreadsheet of details). He didn't seem very experienced. The highest bid for any gun $400 for the boxed S&W 44 magnum cannon. Most others were around $100 or so. The funniest part, he says at the very end "And if we get all 8 guns I'll throw in an additional $25".
Using the boxed SW 44 Mag as an example, adding "our" theoretical 25% on top of a wholesale price ($400), means I should sell that gun for $500. That would be ludicrous considering many sell for over $1,000. Before any of these appraisals, my gut was thinking $800-850 would be fair for this gun.
I did get a line on a more fair shop in Mesa, talked to the owner, very comprehensive and sharp guy that considered all of the details of our situation. It's a 104 mile round trip so I couldn't make it there this week.
Sorry about your brother. Wish I was closer to help you out.
If you sign up for a Gunbroker account (free, and you don't have to ever use it), under the "Advanced" tab you get access to the "Completed Auctions" section where you can see what guns are actually selling for.
For example, you'll be able to see that this 29-2, with case, just like yours, was re-listed eleven times with a "buy it now" of $1,110 and no one even bid on it. He finally listed it starting at $.01 (one cent) and it sold at $1,150.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=487089105
Your "gut" feel of $850 or so would be a good price which should sell the gun almost immediately. If you're willing to sit on it longer and put more work into it (list it on national websites, deal with the shipping hassle, etc), you could probably get a few hundred dollars (20%?) more.
I look at a LOT of guns and buy a LOT of guns. I'm not a collector, but an accumulator! General idea below of what would be "good" prices around here for a private sale of a gun in "excellent" to "like new" condition and sell the guns pretty quick. I'd ask about 10% more and let the buyer beat me down so they feel good:
Colt Commander - $700
Ruger .22 - $250
Ruger .357 - $400
S&W .38 - $350
S&W .44 - $850 - one EXACTLY like it (8 3/8 Nickel 29-2 with case, etc,) has been on the local Facebook gun trading site for $900 for about a week now - I've been tempted to buy it to go with my nickel 29-2 6"!
Ruger M77 .270 with scope - $400, depending on scope - again, one EXACTLY like it on the Facebook page a few days ago for $350, but it had a Leupold (expensive) scope on it. It sold within 5 minutes, I would have bought it if I had seen it first.
870 Express - dozens of them in pawn shops for $250 - $300
Romanian .22 Trainer - I have no idea on this one.
Most of the used guns around here are sold on Facebook sites these days. You may want to have some internet savvy young whipper-snapper check out the local gun pages for you if you're not into that kind of thing.
A shop is going to need to make a significant amount on each gun, so their offers will be much lower. Up to you to decide if the hassle of personally selling them is worth the difference in price to you.
Good luck!
If you sign up for a Gunbroker account (free, and you don't have to ever use it), under the "Advanced" tab you get access to the "Completed Auctions" section where you can see what guns are actually selling for.
For example, you'll be able to see that this 29-2, with case, just like yours, was re-listed eleven times with a "buy it now" of $1,110 and no one even bid on it. He finally listed it starting at $.01 (one cent) and it sold at $1,150.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=487089105
Your "gut" feel of $850 or so would be a good price which should sell the gun almost immediately. If you're willing to sit on it longer and put more work into it (list it on national websites, deal with the shipping hassle, etc), you could probably get a few hundred dollars (20%?) more.
I look at a LOT of guns and buy a LOT of guns. I'm not a collector, but an accumulator! General idea below of what would be "good" prices around here for a private sale of a gun in "excellent" to "like new" condition and sell the guns pretty quick. I'd ask about 10% more and let the buyer beat me down so they feel good:
Colt Commander - $700
Ruger .22 - $250
Ruger .357 - $400
S&W .38 - $350
S&W .44 - $850 - one EXACTLY like it (8 3/8 Nickel 29-2 with case, etc,) has been on the local Facebook gun trading site for $900 for about a week now - I've been tempted to buy it to go with my nickel 29-2 6"!
Ruger M77 .270 with scope - $400, depending on scope - again, one EXACTLY like it on the Facebook page a few days ago for $350, but it had a Leupold (expensive) scope on it. It sold within 5 minutes, I would have bought it if I had seen it first.
870 Express - dozens of them in pawn shops for $250 - $300
Romanian .22 Trainer - I have no idea on this one.
Most of the used guns around here are sold on Facebook sites these days. You may want to have some internet savvy young whipper-snapper check out the local gun pages for you if you're not into that kind of thing.
A shop is going to need to make a significant amount on each gun, so their offers will be much lower. Up to you to decide if the hassle of personally selling them is worth the difference in price to you.
Good luck!
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johnwilliamson062
Moderator
I am not surprised by their offers and don't find them to be far out of line with normal. None of the shops around me would consider buying that revolver for $800.
The 25% I mentioned was for a near instant sale. If you post that SW revolver on the classifieds here or $500 I am quite certain there will be people willing to meet you wherever over the weekend and purchase it without haggling over price or asking for tons of nice pictures. Five minutes after you post you will get a cal to the effect of "I jumped in my car and I'm driving to the ATM machine. Where do I drive from there."
The 25% I mentioned was for a near instant sale. If you post that SW revolver on the classifieds here or $500 I am quite certain there will be people willing to meet you wherever over the weekend and purchase it without haggling over price or asking for tons of nice pictures. Five minutes after you post you will get a cal to the effect of "I jumped in my car and I'm driving to the ATM machine. Where do I drive from there."
Blindstitch
New member
Many gun shops will give you only 60% of what they're worth because they want to make a profit too. You might try to sell on consignment.
Very sorry for your loss.
The prices listed by 45_auto look good to me and I should think that you will sell those pretty quickly. I've used Armslist in the Chicagoland area a few times with great success as a buyer and all local laws were followed, with bill of sales exchanged and done with cash. Another option may be to bundle up some guns together and knock off a couple bucks for a quick sell and the guns gone at once. I've definitely found great deals as a buyer this way and I couldn't get in the car fast enough.
The prices listed by 45_auto look good to me and I should think that you will sell those pretty quickly. I've used Armslist in the Chicagoland area a few times with great success as a buyer and all local laws were followed, with bill of sales exchanged and done with cash. Another option may be to bundle up some guns together and knock off a couple bucks for a quick sell and the guns gone at once. I've definitely found great deals as a buyer this way and I couldn't get in the car fast enough.
I'm not sure that's the best way to go from the seller's perspective. I'd want the buyer to be satisfied with the deal he got, not ecstatic.
-------------------------
Consignment was mentioned earlier and is worth exploring further. Consignment would get the guns out of the house quickly if that's a factor. Consignment terms should be laid out in advance in writing. Usually a sliding scale percentage of the final selling price (e.g. 20% under $200, 15% $200-500, 10% over $500) goes to the dealer and the owner gets the rest. You should get a better price selling on consignment because the dealer doesn't have to pay out his money up front. However, it may take a while for the money to come in depending on what the market is like for a particular gun in your area.
Be aware that if you decide to take a gun back out of consignment, you will have to go through a 4473 and background check. This seems unlikely in this particular case.
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Dave Chuppa
New member
Consignment is the way to go. Find a Shop that you know to be honest. It may take a while to sell but they will be out of the house and in my opinion the best way to get the most money.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
BOTH FFL fees?natman said:
I have always understood that, for handguns, where most FFLs won't accept an incoming firearm unless it comes from another FFL in the seller's state, the seller pays the FFL on his end and the buyer pays the FFL on the receiving end.
It is not legally required to use an FFL on the shipping end. However, that comes with a couple of caveats: some FFLs make it their policy to require the use of a sending FFL because it makes any possible returns easier.
Also because of UPS's handgun shipping policies and the fact that FFLs can mail handguns while mere mortals can't, it's often cheaper to send a handgun using an FFL because the combination of FFL fee and USPS postage can be less than UPS Next Day shipping.
In any case all shipping and handling fees are usually paid by the buyer.