best venue for used gun sale

[donbouquet]

What is the best way to sell a used gun?
Pawn shops and gun stores don't seem to offer a good price. I'm not trying to get "retail" prices, just to sell a good used gun at a fair price. Do individual sellers usually get a decent price at gun shows?

 

[arjay]

generally not.Sell it here,lots of buyers,or gunbroker.

 

[peyton]

Welcome to the forum. We have a "Guns for Sale" section. A good description and pictures help a bunch.

 

[mudcat100]

I've had pretty good luck with Facebook gun groups in SC. I've sold or traded several in the last 6 months and generally if you post a fair price, you'll get it. I traded a Ruger for a Browning Hi Power, met the guy at a McDonalds just off the interstate and turns out he was a SLED agent. Nice guy and no problem.

 

[Woodsman22]

There are two places that I can recommend; one is Dury's in Texas. Take a couple of photos of your guns and email the photos to them. They will make an offer to you in a day or two and then if you are satisfied and tell them so, they will send you a pre-paid Fex-Ex box to ship the gun to them. They will also auction it for you if you prefer, or sell on consignment.
The other is an FFL in Oregon called "Oregon Guns". The owner is David Warner and the shop is in Troutdale Oregon. David does auctions on Auction Arms and he is very professional. He will also do consignment sales. He is honest as are the people at Dury's. I can personally recommend either (and NO, I am not related to anyone at either establishment and I do not work for either one). I have had successful transactions with both of these businesses. Hope this helps.

 

[Woodsman22]

I also wanted to add that Oregon Guns has a devoted following on Auction Arms- David is known for is quality photos of the guns he sells as well as accurate descriptions of them.

 

[H Richard]

Do you have any auctioneers in your area that do specialty "Sporting Goods" auctions? Often times it is mainly firearms, and if the auction is listed on the internet with Proxibid you have the entire world as your potential customer. You may be surprised what might be available in your area. I am in a semi-rural area, but there are three different auctioneers that each have two gun auctions a year. Each auction is form 400 to 500 guns.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Smith here, or private sale at gun show to another retail purchaser.

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

Join a gun forum for your home state. Post an ad in their classifieds section.

 

[Twiki357]

You didn’t say where you’re at, but if you’re in a free state, just list it in the want ads of your local paper or on local bulletin boards at gun ranges or online listing services like Backpage.com or other local online listing services for a face to face sale.

 

[Biggfoot44]

No mention of what , or expected expected return. A resonably honest gun store will typically pay prox 2/3 of what they will ask for it as a used gun on their shelf. Subject to demeand and their existing inventory. Additionlly many LGS sell on consignment , rates and terms vary. And won't be instnt grtifiction.

Along lines noted - specality web forums for prticular make or type of firearm ( such as here for S&W ). State or regionally based general gun forum , if there is a large and active one for your location. And to be Old School , list it in the newsletter of your gun club.

In general , firearms have been sometimes good investments, and at the least retain most of their value. BUT in recent years their have been a couple of phenomina :

1. A push for gun control at either national , or individual state level. A huge frenzy occurs , particularily for handguns and evil looking rifles. If the legislation passes , everyone is greatful for everything they could actually get their hands on regardless of price. ( Been there 1994 and recently in my home state). If gun owners dodge the legislative bullet , in 1 to 2yr prices will normalize.

2. Guns used to stable products, and the market moved very grdually, and prticular products were in steady demand for decades at a time. Recently however there are constantly highly publicized new flavors of combat tupperwear. They sell at a premimum near the introduction , after a while they fill the pipelines , and are subject to sales and promotions.

In the S&W world , the SD pistols . Decent guns. At today's prices. Screaming deal ( not this low in my area , but members here report 299-329 in Free Americ ). Now if you had bought when first introduced at $500-550 , and now looking to sell , you have. Severe case of reverse sticker shock when you get LGS offers of $200 and down if they want it at all. Hold on for a few more years , and the market forces will move back to the middle. Meanwhile it has more inherent worth as a pistol than the csh trade in. Unless you really need the $175 or so to buy a months worth of PBJ sandwiches to feed your family.

 

[BB57]

Bigfoot is on the mark.

The best you'll ever get from a LGS is about 80% of their selling price, and that's on a firearm that is in high demand that they feel they can move quickly. If demand is lower, they'll offer less, probably around 60-70% on average and down to about 50% of their anticipated selling price for a slow moving item.

Pawn shops are more likely to offer you something in the 50% range, as they are used to dealing with sellers who are either a little more desperate, or a lot less invested in what they are selling. It's the kind of place where people in need of quick cash dump that family heirloom they just inherited.

The trick with getting near full price from an uncommon firearm is to find the right buyer. The internet has made that a lot easier in a few different ways:

1) Selling it directly through a site like this. Take care though to obey the federal laws that pertain such as properly transferring firearms across state lines. I also would not start bragging about selling or trading several firearms in the last six months as the ATF is likely to decide you're operating as a firearms dealer without the required FFL. In fact, if I were the guy who posted that, I'd edit my post.

If you're selling more than 1 or 2 firearms a year face to face, I'd suggest you're pushing into dangerous territory in this era of extensive focus on straw sales, and you'd be much better off running those sales through an FFL on at least one end of the transaction.

2) Selling on an auction website like Gun Broker, Guns America, etc. The same restrictions apply as with face to face sales and you'll want to run any out of state sales through an FFL.

Some LGSs have embraced on line auctions and will list their in store stock on line as well, allowing them to sell less common guns much faster and for a better price by finding a more interested and more motivated buyer. They recognize the value of the FFL in facilitating the transactions and they rely on cooperating FFLs in the buyers location to make those transfers possible.

On the other hand, many LGS also see on-line sales as a threat, and as a result, they won't accept incoming firearms from a non-FFL. This forces the use of an FFL on the seller's end of the transaction. That will impact you as a seller, so option 3 might make more sense for you.

3) Selling your firearm on consignment through an LGS that lists on an on-line auction site is often the sweet spot. You'll be giving up 15%-20% of the final sales price in commission, but you'll have an FFL on your end of the deal at no extra cost along with someone handling shipping (2nd day air shipping is required for handguns and is expensive unless you have a business account) as well as the listing of the item. And you'll not only get exposure in the shop, but also on-line and it will sell faster.

-----

Gun shows are not a great option anymore unless you run across another visitor at the show looking for what you are selling. In the distant past, it was common for run of the mill collectors and shooters to have a table to trade military parts, etc, along with a few guns. But between the increased costs for a table, the requirement to have a storefront for an FFL, and increased scrutiny of face to face non FFL facilitated transfers, you don't see much of that any more. Consequently, the folks with tables are not going to offer you much more on average than your local gun shop.

 

[Ranger17]

i've been thinking about this as well; since i picked up my fs9 my 9c has been left on the shelf each range visit. Not sure if i'll end up keeping it as a potential carry (as it was a cheap enough purchase to begin with), or perhaps sell/trade for a shield for that need.
As I've never sold a gun before, any realistic concerns about 'liability' these days in a private party sale on who the buyer may be or what they may do?
I've read of those who only sell to someone with a carry permit, or handle sales at a FFL to help cover those concerns.

heck, i'll probably just keep the dang thing since it wasn't a high cost investment, just curious on it all.

 

[hoc9sw]

I belong to a couple of clubs / ranges that keep a storefront, and sell through them on consignment. They do the paperwork and send me a check.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

Hi Donboquet:

Welcome to the Forum. While (perhaps) not paranoid, I am very security conscious. I haven't sold a firearm in many years, but I have traded some at local gun shows. When I buy used guns off of local gun boards, I always insist on meeting in a public place - usually the parking lot of a large sporting goods store like Cabelas, Gander Mountain, etc. It would give me the heebie-geebies to have a stranger come to my home to look at a firearm I had for sale. I agree with the advice from others here - advertise it for sale here on the Forum, follow the laws regarding shipping and processing the sale (i.e. ship from your FFL to another FFL), etc. Another option is to have a local gun store sell it for you on consignment, but be aware that you will have to pay commission on the sale.

Best of luck,

Dave

 

[dant]

good points above, and there are many "pros & cons" either way, too much to cover ALL the "points" either positive ,or negative......having been "in the business" had three shops over the years, done, worked at helped auction folks, and tried the internet route...I still do the "best" over all at the local gun shows, but ee are lucky, have many GOOD show venues around here, and besdies, I have a 'reputation' at all of these show that works in our favor, we have helped countless folks get rid of their 'estates' over the past 50 years, and have a very GOOD idea of just what is what,who is who, the ****fty cons out there and the thieves.......bottom lne is YOU are looking for another "end user" the guy looking for one to bvuy , to keep ,NOT to get as cheap as possible to try and resell it ..you are NOT a "wholesaler" you want fair,market value, shops , pawnshops, etc are there to make money off YOU, the gun, and the future buyer.......auctions and the interent have far too many "transer fees, shipping, insurance, buyers fees, sellers fees and on and on, and if across the country, you are on your own.........nice guns ( stuff) sell them selves, yes if "make related" ala S&W , try here, or any forum, gun club or where YOU know and can trust those you may be dealing with......................good luck

and questions, feel free to contact me, and NO, I am not a "dealer" any longer, been 'retired ' for some time now. Just enjoy trying to help folks out, seen far too many widows, families, get screwed out of what Dad or grandpa may have had other intentions for their heirs..........

 

[Arik]

Every mom and pop store is different. My local lgs give pretty good value for used guns unless they already have a few of the same sitting around. The best place to sell would be forums

 

[quneur]

There's a pawn shop here that is owned by a gun guy. His consignment rates are very reasonable. Last time I visited, a couple of years ago, he put a flat charge of $15 on each gun. You set the price. Now with our background check law, I suspect he also charges the cost to cover the fees. He'll also purchase the gun minus $15 fee and he'll use the average GunBroker price.

So, not all pawn shops are bad. It wouldn't hurt to check them out as you can say no.

 

[cowart]

advertise it for sale here on the Forum, follow the laws regarding shipping and processing the sale (i.e. ship from your FFL to another FFL)

Wrong. There is no such legal requirement to always ship from an FFL.

Here is exactly what the ATF 'Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide' (ATF P 5300.4) says:

(B9) May a nonlicensee ship a firearm by carrier?
A nonlicensee may ship a firearm by carrier to a resident of his or her own state or to a licensee in any state. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. In addition, Federal law requires that the carrier be notified that the shipment contains a firearm and prohibits common or contract carriers from requiring or causing any label to be placed on any package indicating that it contains a firearm.

[18 U.S.C. 922(a)(2)(A), 922(a) (3), 922(a)(5) and 922(e), 27 CFR 178.31, 27 CFR 478.31 and 478.30]

(B8) May a nonlicensee ship a firearm through the U. S. Postal Service?
A nonlicensee may mail a shotgun or rifle to a resident of his or her own state or to a licensee in any state. Handguns are not mailable. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. A nonlicensee may not transfer any firearm to a nonlicensed resident of another state. The Postal Service recommends that longguns be sent by registered mail and that no marking of any kind which would indicate the nature of the contents be placed on the outside of any parcel containing firearms.

[18 U.S.C. 1715, 922(a)(3), 922(a)(5) and 922 (a)(2)(A)]

 

[BB57]

Wrong. There is no such legal requirement to always ship from an FFL..../

He wasn't saying all firearms have to be shipped from an FFL, he was just saying you as the seller have to follow all applicable laws.

He could have used e.g., rather than i.e., perhaps but what he said was accurate in terms of having to use an FFL in some cases, such as selling a firearm to someone who is not a resident of your state.

From the ATF website:

To whom may an unlicensed person transfer firearms under the GCA?

A person may sell a firearm to an unlicensed resident of his State, if he does not know or have reasonable cause to believe the person is prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms under Federal law. A person may loan or rent a firearm to a resident of any State for temporary use for lawful sporting purposes, if he does not know or have reasonable cause to believe the person is prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms under Federal law. A person may sell or transfer a firearm to a licensee in any State. However, a firearm other than a curio or relic may not be transferred interstate to a licensed collector.

[18 U.S.C. 922(a)(3) and (5), 922(d), 27 CFR 478.29 and 478.30]