How do I sell?

G

gbclarkson

New member
Sadly, an impending divorce is forcing me to sell my firearms, accessories and unopened boxes of ammo. I will need to whittle my accumulation down to a single multi-purpose pistol, my son's .22s, and what has been gifted to me. Any suggestions? Local pawns shop will likely not pay as much as I could get from other avenues of sale. I have never sold a firearm to anyone other than a cash transaction with a buddy and the last was years ago. I have never purchased or sold through an online service. I am not desperate... yet. Any suggestions?
 
Sadly, it all depends on WHERE you are. Please post your location and this forum will help. Local and state firearms transfer laws vary greatly from one place to another.
 
Do you have a local FFL who will work with you on shipping and transfers? If so, you can set up an account on Gunbroker or Auction Arms, sell (or not) to the highest bidder, and let the FFL handle the shipping. FFLs can ship handguns through the U.S. Mail, which is far cheaper than shipping by UPS or FedEx. Technically, we ordinary mortals can mail long guns, but I'd rather let an FFL handle all that for all firearms, to save me from having to argue with a postal counter clerk.
 
You should speak to your lawyer about selling ANYTHING wth the divorce pending. Most States dont allow “Marital assets”to be sold or hidden.

Be careful here
 
Find a local auction house who lists on Proxibid. Negotiate to somewhere around a 10% commission. They handle everything and you get a check.
 
Damn, I feel for ya. I went thru the same crap 20-something years ago.

To get top dollar, Gunbroker is your best shot. Otherwise, Face-to-Face transactions also get top dollar, depending on your location. Also, look into consignment. Smaller shops are usually happy to show your stuff in their display cases. Whatever you do, don't sell directly to a gun shop or pawn shop.
 
Gunbroker collects a fee; face to face (if legal where you live), will net the most proceeds. Local ads in papers or local web sale sites will gain good exposure as will placing ads at local gun clubs.
As mentioned, check with your lawyer first.
 
Like it was posted above, knowing your location (State) would help with advice but:

I've bought and sold through Armslist. You'll have to be prepared to deal with tire kickers and lowballers and have a safe location to do face to face sales (if legal in your state). Your state may require all private sales go through an FFL.

Gunbroker is another option but will add the pain of shipping. In my case the nearest UPS/FEDEX hub is 40 miles away and expensive. In addition the receiving FFL may not accept from a private person (it's not illegal but some will not). An accommodating FFL will probably charge $25.00-$50.00 to ship for you.

Another option is a consignment sale through a local FFL.
 
Last handgun I sold was on gunrunner, no fuss no muss just dropped the gun off and did a bit of paperwork.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've managed a pawn shop for the last ten+ years. Today is actually my last day here, ironically, but we are happy if we recover a 25% margin on used guns. I know that's not great when you're trying to catch every penny, but not nearly as bad as many people think. It's a point of reference for you, if nothing else.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top