How well do semi-autos hold value?

O

OhioGuy

New member
So I'm new to this world 'o guns, and I'm wondering if there's even a vague rule of thumb about how much you can sell a used pistol for. Assuming it's in working order and regularly cared for, of course.

I see a LOT of people who seem to buy and sell guns with great frequency. I've been told before "if you want to try out a gun, just buy it and use it for a while, and you can always sell it later."

So if I were to buy a pretty standard gun model--Glock 19, Beretta 92, Springfield XD, whatever--and sell again in a year--could I expect to recover a rough percentage of the purchase price?

I see a lot of used guns for sale at ranges, stores like Cabela's and Gander Mountain, and they never seem all that much cheaper than their brand new counterparts.
 
Those who buy and sell a lot of guns are probably "losing" $100 every time they make a swap.
Moving guns on an annual, or more frequent basis isn't going to involve collectability, but maybe availability of a very popular or limited-production gun, so keeping a gun short-term might include making some money.
I've profited by selling guns immediately after buying them, but any gun that I kept long enough to shoot becomes just a used gun, and the value drops to 80%-90% of a new one.
 
Concerning standard gun models for example, Glock 17 or 19, I would try and find a used one that looks almost new that has been discounted some for not being new. If you can do this and be patient enough to find a "fair" deal on a good used one you should be able to keep your loss down somewhere in the $50 - $75 range if/when you choose to sell it and haven't used it much. Sometimes even standard guns will appreciate. Try and find a 1st gen Glock 17 - they are more collectible than you might think in nice condition. But, then again, those have been around for about 30 years.

Most of the guns I've purchased over the years have appreciated. Some quite a bit, some not so much. There are only a few that I think I'd take a loss on if I were to try and sell them they would be:

Glock 17 Gen2. After owning this gun for over 20 years, I'd probably break even on it. To be fair, I've also shot it quite a bit, but its still in nice condition.

S&W 659 - Purchased this around 1988 for about $450 and that's probably about what I could get for it today.

Professional Ordnance Carbon 15 Type97 pistol - paid about $600 for it in '98; might get $480 - $550 for it ??? I bought this one thinking it would be collectible someday. It probably will....just not yet!
 
A common, cookie-cutter pistol like a Glock, SIG, H&K, you'll be doing well to get 60% of your NIB purchase price back in trade value. You can do a lot better selling yourself, but I wouldn't count on more than 80% or so of what you paid. (Basing that number off the fact that a Gen 4 Glock goes at $575 new around here, and a used one at $450 is considered a fair price.)

Local conditions may change these percentages slightly, but they should get you in the ballpark.

Limited run, special edition and difficult to find models also fall under different pricing structure.
 
I would say any pistol is worth 50-75% of original putchase price, depending on condition. Now boutique rare pistols usually go up in value like automags, LAR grizzlys, and lugers and war time 1911s
 
could I expect to recover a rough percentage of the purchase price?
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This really just depends. Are we talking about selling the gun outright to a friend, acquaintance, coworker, etc? Trading the gun in towards the purchase price of another at a local gun store? Or just selling outright to a local gun store? Also, was the gun in question purchased new or used?

Without this type of specific information, I'm afraid we can't really provide a helpful answer.
 
In a year, generally speaking, non-collector firearms, of any type, do not appreciate in value. Whether a particular firearm loses value or not depends on the firearm. However, nothing new increases in value in just one year. Most don't stay at approximately original price either.
Stores like Cabela's and Gander Mountain(horrible places to buy used kit) tend to grossly over value used stuff. All dealers base used prices on the wholesale price and whether or not they think they can sell the thing quickly.
"...a vague rule of thumb..." Sort of, but it depends primarily on local supply and demand. Isn't as bad as used vehicles, but current production stuff drops at least 25% when you go out the door. It becomes a 'used gun' as soon as you take it home. Regardless of whether or not you even shoot it, it's used. Adding aftermarket stuff(rails, scopes, etc.) to it doesn't increase the value either. That stuff will probably make a used firearm easier to sell, but will not increase the value.
 
OhioGuy said:
I see a lot of used guns for sale at ranges, stores like Cabela's and Gander Mountain, and they never seem all that much cheaper than their brand new counterparts.
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Cabela's an GM are notorious for having high used gun prices, except in the uncommon circumstance that they don't realize what they have. :rolleyes:

In general, I greatly prefer shopping at independent local gun stores (LGS in TFL parlance) or pawn shops. There is often haggling involved. :) Just keep in mind that many gun stores do significant consignment business, and there's usually zero or very limited room to negotiate on consignment prices, as they are set by the actual owner.

IMHO the 60% rule written by P-990 is generally a good rule of thumb when it comes to dealer trades.

In terms of private sale values, IMHO here is THE BEST way to figure out the real value of virtually any used gun.
  1. Go to Gunbroker.com (GB for short).
  2. Register as a user.
  3. Run an advanced search for completed auctions in which the gun actually sold. This allows you to filter out auctions in which the seller has set an unreasonably high starting bid or reserve price (there are a LOT of these on GB). I like to start out by looking at auctions with large numbers of bids.
  4. For the theoretical value of a local cash sale on a gun that's still available new in the same basic configuration, add $40± to the GB price to account for shipping and transfer costs, as a GB buyer would normally have to pay these fees.
Another rule of thumb is that you're very unlikely to recover the costs of accessories such as holsters and spare magazines if you sell or trade them with the gun. Experienced sellers know this, which is why the consignment rack at your LGS is often full of semi-autos that only come with one magazine. ;) Accessories are better sold individually on GB or eBay. NOTABLE EXCEPTION: if you're selling a potentially collectible gun (read: an expensive one!) in excellent or like-new condition, buyers are generally going to expect it to come with all of the goodies that were included from the factory, e.g. the original carrying case, the spare mags, the owner's manual, etc.; the gun may take a significant value hit if any of these items are missing.
 
I buy mostly used guns, maybe 80% of my collection. These usually hold 100% or more of the price I pay. I have only sold a couple of my new guns and they went for around 75-80% of the purchase price. Of course it all depends on the gun; condition, brand, model, popularity or rarity. One of the few new guns I let go sold for 150% of the purchase price. Lots of variables to consider.
 
Now boutique rare pistols usually go up in value like automags, LAR grizzlys, and lugers and war time 1911s
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I have those! In the past 30 years (or so) they have about doubled in price compared to what I paid when I bought them.

On the other hand, so has the cost of gasoline....:(
 
It depends on the gun and how much it's used.

I see people trying to sell used guns for more than new ones cost fairly often. If you buy smart than you won't loose much. If you walk into your local store without doing any research and pay full MSRP you'll loose $100 to $200 easily before you even shoot it.

If your patient and find a nice lightly used model for a decent price you'll be able to shoot it without much depreciation. Some people sell used guns and expect a premium while others sell guns because they want to sell as fast as possible.

If you want to shoot with out loosing much on the gun it's possible but half the equation is buying at the correct price.
 
The vast majority of guns will not beat the rate of inflation. Selling a used gun in a private sale will get you the % of your original $$$ back. For example if you bought a Glock 19 on sale at Brownells and were out the door at $479 from your FFL you could shoot 1,000 rounds at a range and sell it in excellent condition for $400 to $450 depending on your market. If you bought it at full retail it could be as high as $550 and you will get the same $400 to $450.

As a general rule if you sell them to a dealer you will get about 60%-70% of what they would sell the gun for NIB. So that $500 Glock would get you about $300 to $350 and they will turn sell it for $400-$450 which is exactly what you could get for it in a private sale.
 
Shop smart and buy used, take care of it and don't let it rattle around the bed of a pickup truck or something, and you should rarely lose money (not counting inflation or the money you could have made investing it and etc. etc.)
 
I recall an old article that said "we can trade Magnums for about $40."
But that was years ago when you could get a darned nice gun for $150-$200 so he was recovering 70-80% per go-round.
 
resale value on used semi autos

private sale is the only way to get a fair amount back for your gun

selling to a dealer is very similar to bringing it to the Pawn Shop

they think your desperate for cash and always offer a ridiculous low ball price

and expect a big loss , maybe 50% of what you paid on average or less
 
Don't be afraid of buying used. There are lots of guns that aren't shot much and traded in. I am always on the lookout for a "good deal" -- you kind of have to know how much things are worth and spot the deals. I also like weird guns, so resale means finding the right buyer. I've only sold a couple and later regretted it. With that said, guns really aren't an investment. I have a couple oddballs that are worth a lot more than I paid for them, but I didn't buy them as an investment. Trading in to a dealer as others have mentioned isn't going to get you much back. It is like trading in a car to a car lot. You are going to take a loss. In some states private sales are a hassle though. Washington now requires all private sales to go through an FFL transfer process, which adds to your cost. Another reason just to keep them and pass them on to your kids.
 
44 AMP said:
I have those! In the past 30 years (or so) they have about doubled in price compared to what I paid when I bought them.

On the other hand, so has the cost of gasoline....
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Exactly. But if you use the Inflation Calculator (link below) a gun you bought for $500 in 1986 would have to sell for $1200 today to give you the same buying power when you use the money you receive.

Everything, not just the price of gas has gone up. And we tend to think only of the $'s spent when we bought, and we don't compare those $'s to the $'s we spend nowadays, and today's dollars aren't nearly the same...

Here's a link to the CPI Inflation Calculator, which uses actual dollar values to show the effect of inflation: http://146.142.4.24/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

While there are exceptions, the only real good deals you're likely to find are ones you could feel bad about if you go through with them -- because by buying at a low price you'll be taking advantage of someone who doesn't know the true value of what they're selling. That's almost legal robbery. That's how pawn shop and gun dealers make a living and for them, everyone understands the rules.

Private sales and purchases is the way to go -- and in some states it's both easy and very legal.

(The only time I've felt good about such a low-price deal is when I bought guns from pawn shops that didn't know the value of what they had -- but I know they made money, even then.)
 
I have a couple oddballs that are worth a lot more than I paid for them, but I didn't buy them as an investment.
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You never really know which guns are going to go way up in value or why. Or, when! Most of the guns I have that have really escalated in value I thought I overpaid when I bought them - and I had no idea that they would ever appreciate. On the other hand, I've purchased guns which I thought would become collectible and several decreased in value. Some went up in value during the AW ban, but then came down in value when it expired. Others are nearly impossible to put a value on because so few ever get sold.

I enjoy collecting unusual and unique firearms, regardless of whatever happens to their value. Regardless of what they may be worth, other folks who like guns generally get a kick out of some of what I've been able to accumulate. Now, there are some folks here who have way outdone my little collection, but I'm still quite happy with it!:)
 
I buy guns I like and it matters little to me whether they increase or decrease in value because I don't plan on selling them. If you buy what you like, does the value really matter? The only thing that matters is what it is worth to you.
 
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