Good formula for figuring out a price to sell

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pgb205

New member
I'm looking to sell about 10 rifles/handguns. They range from desirable like aeroprecision to other that are less so like ruger 10/22 and SW SD40. Usage ranges from a few rounds to thousands of rounds for others.
Any suggestions on how to figure out a fair price to sell these at?

1. My strong preference is to sell these together to avoid the hustle.
2. I'd rather sell these in person:
a. I'd want the buyer to check in person so that there are no surprises or disappointments.
b. I'd want to get Bill of Sales filled out.

thank you in advance for the advise.
 
A lot depends on where you live and any restrictions on private sales that might be in effect.
Most newspapers used to allow private sale ads in them; if they still do in your area, that would be one way. There are on-line sites, some have sketchy reputations though filled with scammers.
Another way would be to rent a table at a gun show and sell them there. That said, not too many folks want their personal info on a BOS in a FTF private transaction. If you belong to a gun club and they allow ads on a bulletin board, that would be anther way and the potential customer can also try them out.
 
What state are you in?

I have not used armslist in awhile, but they require some basic registration and subscription service to sell. The fact that you have to log in to see anything will eliminate a large number of scams. It makes it so that most people looking are on the more serious side.

For pricing, I would register on Gunbroker and use their advanced search to see completed/sold listings. Average that with Armslist prices and see what the news ones are selling for on Buds. The old "Blue Book of Gun Values" can be used for reference but the gun market is too volatile now for that to be of much use.
 
It's more work to sell the guns individually, but you'll get a lot more for them. It's unlikely that you'll find someone who both wants ALL of your guns and has the money to buy them. If you sell them as a lot, you are in effect selling them wholesale and will get wholesale prices.

It is, of course, up to you to set your own $/convenience balance.
 
The rule of thumb that I've always used is to find the street price on a new version of that gun. Or something very similar if the identical gun isn't available.

The price of a used one should be somewhere between 50% to 75% of that. Exactly where between 50% and 75% depends on the condition and other intangibles. If I'm buying, I shoot for closer to 50%, if I'm selling closer to 75%. Since new guns have gone up, it wouldn't be unusual for you to sell a gun at 50% of new value for more than you paid for it.

This works pretty well with decently made common guns like Ruger 10/22's or Glock pistols. Cheap budget guns may not bring 50% and some high-end guns that are less common may bring more.

Less common guns and collectable guns are much harder to figure out.

Remember too that the gun market right now is slow. It's hard to sell anything unless it is at a bargain price. A year or 2 ago prices and demand were much higher.
 
A couple of points to consider, first, the difference between what something might sell for at auction (Gunbroker) and what it is actually "worth".

OF course, there are those who will say that "if it sold for X, then its worth X" and while true, it can be true that its only worth that much to that particular buyer at that moment in time.

People will often pay a premium to get what they want, "NOW", and especially if it is something that isn't a common item, easily and often found for sale.

Back in the mid 70s, a friend of mine paid $450 for a (lightly used) S&W M29 .44 Mag. At the time, MSRP on a new one was $283.50. Why did he pay so much?? because, at that time S&W was running about 2 years backorder on that model, and the guy who had that gun was asking $450 to sell it to you, TODAY.

IN the pre internet days, LOCAL supply and demand played a bigger part in the value of a gun than today. You got a better price selling a "bear stopper" in rural areas that have bears than you would selling the same gun in a metro area, and the reverse was generally true of pocket pistols.

Advertising on the Internet today gives you the whole country (possibly the whole world) as potential buyers, instead of just people reading the local want ads or seeing the gun in a local gunshop. This has gone a long way to leveling out regional price differences, but supply and demand, and getting it now vs. having to wait still plays a role.

Auctions (especially online) can result in you getting an item, at a savings over its usual price, or can result in you getting well over the usual price for an item if there is a bidding war.

I recently sold some virgin brass in .375H&H on Gunbroker. Initial bid was set actually slightly below "market" value. As time began getting short, bidding went up. Couple days before the end, bids were up to double initial, and in the last few hours, tripled. Because someone one wanted it, "now".

When it comes to pricing guns for sale, what is your priority? Getting some portion of the gun's value quicky? or getting as much of the guns value as possible? Because that will generally take much longer.

Good Luck!
 
On-Line Auction House.

Auctions (especially online) can result in you getting an item, at a savings over its usual price, or can result in you getting well over the usual price for an item if there is a bidding war.
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YEP !!!
Understand that I limited on your particular situation. So, I will default to mine. ...... :)


I have all my firearms cataloged with my listed value. There is a small amount that I will leave to family members that I know, will relate and appreciate. The rest will go to a designated internet auction house. I have sold a few, through them and overall, the results have been on the plus side. The auction house, is very credible and I'm sure you have one, in your area. Ya just have to do a little homework. ....... ;)

One thing you won't want to do, is burden your spouse/family with their disposition. ...... :)

Be Safe !!!
 
Ten guns? In my experience (which is limited to me), the only people likely to buy ten guns in a package are FFLs, and the price they're willing to pay will be low enough that they can resell the guns at roughly double what they paid.

Also, to echo what someone else already posted, many private, face-to-face buyers will walk away if you demand paperwork. An FFL won't -- they'll have to log the guns into their book anyway, with your name as the seller -- so there's no reason why they wouldn't be willing to create a paper trail. Private buyers? Speaking just as me -- if I wanted a paper trail, I'd just buy from a gun shop. I don't mind showing someone that I have a carry permit, to prove that I'm not a prohibited person, but if you want a photo of my permit or to write down my personal information -- sayonara, baby. No deal.
 
Not so !!!

Ten guns? In my experience (which is limited to me), the only people likely to buy ten guns in a package are FFLs, and the price they're willing to pay will be low enough that they can resell the guns at roughly double what they paid.
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Not the case as these auction houses, sell in lots. Whenever I'm in the area, I drop off any number, I want. Again, these are sold, in "Lots", Yes, I know of one collection off 300+ out of Colorado and then again, five from a buddy that lives in that town. ..... :)

Now then, some shops, sell on consignment and that's a different process. :)

Be Safe !!!
 
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