Are we entering a new era of used gun pricing?

The market has been circling the drain for a while now. I'm not sure when we'll call the time of death?

Plenty of guns in every store I go into, and most Pawns I go to will haggle. It sucks if you're a seller right now. Unless it's something unique, in demand, or rare. .40's are probably the cheapest right now. And I've also seen good deals on off-brand 1911's.

But in general, it's a buyers market.
 
The market does go in cycles, usually caused by political forces. There were years where guns were flying off the shelf, and then the manufacturers complained because there was a downturn after that. Guns aren't like consumables like bread and butter. At some point, you can only own so many, no matter how much we try.
 
My local FFL is selling everything for $10 over cost just to get some stuff going. People aren't spending money on non-essentials right now.
 
For some additional perspective:

The NSSF's adjusted NICS numbers show that September 2023 NICS checks were lower than September in 2020, 2021, or 2022. However, they were still higher than any other September pre-2020. It is the 50th straight month of over 1 million checks.

There is also a fair amount of info out there about the changing demographics of firearms buyers, particularly first time buyers. Segments that appeal to those customer groups continue to have strong demand.
 
I think it is a combination of the economic downturn, the drying up of most of the "stimulus" funding and the decrease in impulse (panic) buying. I also agree that discretionary spending must be lower on all fronts, not just sporting goods or collectibles. It may take a major uptick in the economy for the market to come back.
 
I find shows & dealers clogged with plastic, black and low end stuff. I don't find the prices soft on classic handguns. Rifles and shotguns are all over the map. In most cases shotguns in shooter grade are soft. Younger generation going to by that new action hero gun before they pay the same for a classic in shooter grade.
22s are harder to figure out. Brisk movement in them because for a lot of people shooting is recreational and 22 is only thing affordable today.
Was hitting shops in WVa. over weekend. Never even came close to a deal.
They were certainly proud of their firearms. Didn't matter they were less than 50% condition, they went straight for top dollar. The only way this makes sense is they have it displayed where some pilgrim with more dollars than sense might deal on it. The other angle is not wanting to sell it for reasonable price when they can spin the wheel of fortune and put them in online auctions. I always hear pilgrims bragging about winning auctions.
 
I agree that the market, in general, may be softening a little, but most of my deals are situational. Depends on the particular gun, seller and venue.
 
I recently won two items on an auction site with a minimum bid. I was the only bidder on both. The minimums weren't unreasonable either.

I'm not sure this indicates sales of used firearms have slowed, but I got what I wanted without having to compete with stupid bidders. I've avoided that particular site for the longest time because of that.
 
Well have noticed a drop off in Trap/Skeet shooting at my club on Sundays. Most that show up are the reloaders. Seems price of shotgun shells have gone up substantially. Used to get em for under $7 and now have seen 12 gauge ammo going for almost $12 or more depending on brand. Center fire ammo prices are really eye-opening
 
Panic buying is over for now and inflation has been taking a toll on disposable income. Not just effecting firearms, some RV, Boat and MC dealers still have new 2022 models in the yard looking for buyers..
 
mauser9 said:
Well have noticed a drop off in Trap/Skeet shooting at my club on Sundays. Most that show up are the reloaders. Seems price of shotgun shells have gone up substantially. Used to get em for under $7 and now have seen 12 gauge ammo going for almost $12 or more depending on brand. Center fire ammo prices are really eye-opening
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My club only shoots trap and 5 stand until noon on Tuesday. They shoot trap in the evening on Wed. also. That isn't a real money maker for the club. They're probably close to breaking even on the overhead but at least it's available.

The cost is $5 per round for members. Then it's $10 for the ammo if you don't reload. $15/rd gets expensive if you shoot a lot.

I also shoot at our rifle and pistol range. I reload all of my metal cartridges so I'm at least saving some money there.

I can't see how a young guy with a family, car payments and mortgage/rent can afford to shoot these days.
 
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Dvus said:
Three weeks ago, I was in the market for a nice 1st gen. Colt SAA. I placed a lowball bid on 3 of them on Gunjoker just to see where they would go, knowing that I was going to get outbid. 1st gen Colts in good condition like these, 4 3/4" .45 Colt caliber, have been selling for $3500 and up for the last several months. I about had a heart attack when I won the first one, and was instantly worried about the other 2, which of course I won as well. I won all three three for significantly less than $2000 apiece. OH HOLY ****! I had only intended on spending $2500, not $5500. Oh, well, I guess I'll have to enjoy all three. I guess I have time to figure out which one I want to sell when the market comes back.
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Well...I'd really like one!
 
LostintheOzone said:
I recently won two items on an auction site with a minimum bid. I was the only bidder on both. The minimums weren't unreasonable either.

I'm not sure this indicates sales of used firearms have slowed, but I got what I wanted without having to compete with stupid bidders. I've avoided that particular site for the longest time because of that.
Click to expand...

That's actually fairly common due to the psychology of auctions and one of the things I tell people to look out for if they want to get a fair deal on gunbroker. Honestly a fair price is about the best you can hope for on gunbroker, there are rarely deals and if there are they're usually as a result of clerical errors on the seller's part and the item not showing up properly in people's searches. The biggest thing that contributes to a high selling price on gunbroker is the number of bidders and the way you get a high number of bidders is to put the item at a penny auction no reserve, especially if it's something uncommon, rare, collectible, or just nice. That is a sure way to get at least two guys to make up their mind that they want that gun and they will incrementally bid their way up to a price no one would pay if it was just a sticker price in a store.
 
Here in Australia, from my own observations, I believe there is a glut of entry level handguns and people getting out of the handgun shooting sports with the decline in our economy. (All Firearms owners need to be licenced, the firearms for a specific purpose, and each firearm registered. Handguns can only be used for Target Shooting or Collecting). Owning a handgun in Australia can carry additional expense besides just the purchase of the firearm and ammo e.g. Mandatory club memberships.

With all the recent interest rate increases we have had in Australia, discretionary spending might not stretch as far to cover these shooting expenses. Also, Handgun owners need to maintain a minimum number of shoots per year and so there is also a time cost as well as fuel and related travel expenses.

There are quite a few good deals around on Model 686's as this is a very popular firearm for people to buy as their first Centrefire handgun. Even the price of CZ Shadow 2's seem to becoming down recently.

Rifles and shotguns are a bit of a different case and I have not noticed any decreases in their prices. In fact, Lever Actions rifles seem to be getting more and more expensive whether new or secondhand, regardless of brand.
 
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Moo Moo said:
Here in Australia, from my own observations, I believe there is a glut of entry level handguns and people getting out of the handgun shooting sports with the decline in our economy. (All Firearms owners need to be licenced, the firearms for a specific purpose, and each firearm registered. Handguns can only be used for Target Shooting or Collecting). Owning a handgun in Australia can carry additional expense besides just the purchase of the firearm and ammo e.g. Mandatory club memberships.

With all the recent interest rate increases we have had in Australia, discretionary spending might not stretch as far to cover these shooting expenses. Also, Handgun owners need to maintain a minimum number of shoots per year and so there is also a time cost as well as fuel and related travel expenses.

There are quite a few good deals around on Model 686's as this is a very popular firearm for people to buy as their first Centrefire handgun. Even the price of CZ Shadow 2's seem to becoming down recently.

Rifles and shotguns are a bit of a different case and I have not noticed any decreases in their prices. In fact, Lever Actions rifles seem to be getting more and more expensive whether new or secondhand, regardless of brand.
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Sad to see that everyone is having problems.
 
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