Best way to sell guns.

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MR.G

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I want to sell some guns. Mostly S&W revolvers. What is the best way to sell them. Want to get a fair price and not give them away. Local gun store offered low amount. Not sure that I want to ship to out of area, but could since relative is a licensed dealer.
 
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Most local dealers will lowball you. Best bet is find an FFL that will ship and sell on the internet. Selling FFL to FFL is pretty safe.
 
MR.G said:
I want to sell some guns. Mostly S&W revolvers. What is the best way to sell them. Want to get a fair price and not give them away. Local gun store offered low amount. Not sure that I want to ship to out of area, but could since relative is a licensed dealer.
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It all depends on how much work you want to do. If you just want to get rid of an abundance quickly, the LGS is the way to go. He/She will offer a low amount because they have to make a profit in resale. Basically you are paying them for for their store, employees, licenses, advertisement, etc. everything that makes them a store.

If you want to get top dollar and are just selling a collection, I would recommend listing them on a few local web sites. You won't sell very fast, but you will make the highest dollar.

If you have a way to ship easily and cheaply, then I would recommend online auction sites. You will probably maximize you dollars. Shipping is the problem with handguns if you aren't an FFL holder. There is a lot of information on the web for you to read. I take my handguns to a local FFL to ship; he charges me $45 flat. Longguns I ship myself via the USPS, but I have to ship to an FFL holder (if out of state, read the rules) either way.

And all this assumes you are not planning on making this a business, as then you will need to get a license and do a lot of bookkeeping. What a business is is the milion dollar question. Talk to a CPA and an attorney.
 
I'll suggest another option, might not maximize your sales but will minimize your effort and, in my experience anyway, will get you pretty close to market value. If you have a good relationship with an FFL (LGS, pawn shop, etc.) you may be able to consign your guns with them. If you want to consign one gun with a shop with whom you have no relationship it might cost you 25% of the sales price. If you know someone well, maybe have bought a few guns from them over the years, and let them know you'll be selling multiple guns, you can probably negotiate a pretty good deal. Sometimes you can name the minimum you'll accept and the shop owner can try to get as much over that price as he can. Another option is to set up at a gun show and sell them yourself assuming you live in a state where that is an option. I've done that but if you don't want to spend several weekends (and the cost of table, travel, etc.) I've found the consignment route to get about what I'd expect to sell them for at a gun show; my guy will sell them for as little as $50 a gun whether its a $500 or $1500 gun. Auction sites are fine but if you don't have feedback and a reputation its not all that easy to get top dollar. Selling them here is fine too, and we'd love to have a chance at your S&Ws. Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
 
Some good advice here. Consignment might be an option or listing here. Hope you can get what their worth.
 
If they are the rare and desirable ones, then Rock Island or James Julia auctions will get you you dollar (minus their cut). If they're just good old guns with modest values, face to face, gun shows, website ads (like here) will usually get you the most.
Also, if you belong to any gun clubs, they usually have a bulletin board for members to post things for sale.
 
In your o/p you mentioned a relative with an FFL do they have a storefront or do business at a venue to sell guns ? If they are close to you why not work a deal with them to help sell them for a fee. They could help research,market ,sell and transfer. As mentioned by others here maybe give a list for input by members as to value, your location is unknown and prices vary from area to area.
 
"THE BEST WAY"

Much would depend on you, your knowledge/experience/ willing to wait for the best price, tolerance of time wasters wanting endless pictures & back and forth emails/phone calls, the "meet me FTF 1/2 ways" that may show up late if at all... I'd recommend starting with knowing what you have & a solid idea of what they are worth before continuing.
 
Maybe someone said this and I missed it but, first, post them one by one here, in the correct Forum, and simply ask for opinions on price. We all have opinions, we love to share them, you'll get a good idea fairly quickly about FMV. Then you can decide what you want for them and POST THE S&Ws HERE FIRST! Let the Forum members have first crack at them! ;)

Then use your FFL buddy to ship them - you should pay for the shipping so add a few dollars to the price and give "free" shipping! :D
 
I've sold a few guns, but lots of ebay and a number of gunbroker items ;)

Its not that hard to look at gunbroker and on-line dealers (but don't expect to get that amount) and decide what actually SOLD FOR and not just asking price.

The biggest mistake you make is when you under-offer shipping :) You check and then say, $45 shipped 2nd day air and it costs $65...

Also, when selling, I always say - if this has to go through an FFL (most of the time you can ship direct and yes it is cheaper to go through an FFLf), but if their dealer won't accept from me as a collector, then I say in the ad - ADD $50 if I have to go through an FFL 01 dealer. -- note - since a dealer can ship via USPS to another FFL 01 its cheaper, but shipping costs and dealer cost can add up to more than shipping it yourself
And suggest you say, actual shipping cost - but then either ignore the many requests by folks who say, I am in 07241 zip, how much to ship to me? I generally don't ignore them, but say, probably $50, but lets see AFTER you win the item.

Take lots of clear pictures, do a good description and some idiots will still ask for additional pictures, especially if you have very few positive feedback - and on armslist, folks kinda assume its a scam until you prove otherwise :)
 
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Local gun shows and Armslist FTF deals are your best bet - no commissions, taxes or other fees. Although there are rare exceptions, the vast majority of LGS and pawn shops will LOWBALL you.
 
MR.G said:
I want to sell some guns. Mostly S&W revolvers. What is the best way to sell them. Want to get a fair price and not give them away. Local gun store offered low amount. Not sure that I want to ship to out of area, but could since relative is a licensed dealer.
Click to expand...

IMHO---THE BEST WAY TO SELL FIREARMS IS ON GUN BROKER. YOU WILL REACH THE LARGEST AUDIENCE, AND REALIZE THE MAXIMUM PROFIT, WHILE AVOIDING ANY HAGGLING ABOUT PRICE, ETC.....

THE PROCESS IS VERY SIMPLE, AND ONLY REQUIRES BASIC COMPUTER, AND PHOTO SKILLS. THE GB SITE HAS TIPS FOR SELLERS, THAT WILL ASSIST YOU. THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE A RELATIVE, THAT IS AN FFL, PUTS YOU AT A GREAT ADVANTAGE, ESP WITH REGARD TO SHIPPING COSTS. FFL TO FFL SALES ARE TROUBLE FREE---AND SHIPPING OUT OF YOUR AREA, SHOULD NOT EVEN BE A CONSIDERATION. ALSO, YOU CAN REQUEST THE TYPE OF PAYMENT YOU ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH......

I HAVE SOLD A NUMBER OF HANDGUNS, AND RIFLES ON GB. I HAVEN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS, EVEN AS A MERE INDIVIDUAL, SHIPPING TO A BUYER'S FFL. I HAVE FOUND PEOPLE ON GB TO BE HONEST. ALL WE HAVE ON GB IS OUR REPUTATION--WHICH IS EXPRESSED BY FEEDBACK FROM BOTH BUYER AND SELLER, AFTER EACH TRANSACTION IS COMPLETED. THIS FEEDBACK IS EASILY CHECKED, BEFORE YOU DEAL WITH A PERSON.......

FOR INSTANCE, I HAVE AN A+ RATING FOR 36 TRANSACTIONS, SINCE I BEGAN MY DEALING, IN 2008. MY REPUTATION IS MY LIFELINE ON GB. SOMEONE WHO CONTEMPLATES BUYING FROM ME, CAN REST ASSURED, AFTER READING MY FEEDBACK, THAT MY FIREARM WILL NOT BE MIS-REPRESENTED. ALSO, I WILL COMMUNICATE WITH THEM, AT EVERY STEP IN THE PROCESS. THE GUN WILL BE VERY WELL PACKAGED, ENSURED AND TRACKED, SO THAT IT WILL ARRIVE, IN A TIMELY FASHION, JUST AS IT WAS DESCRIBED.....
 
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The best advice I can offer is to do your homework and find true market value for each gun. A good source is GB in the ended auctions. That way you won't be giving them away, and you'll know how much you can afford to negotiate.
 
Last summer I sold a model 19-3 on this site and was very pleased with the whole results. When the funds came I took it to my FFL and he mailed it to the buyer's FFL and it was a done deal. The new owner was very pleased with the gun and I felt that I got a fair price. Two very pleased forum members. Can't beat that!
 
Gunbroker has worked well for me as both a buyer and seller.

To determine actual market values I search the completed auctions and sort by the number if bids. This is the true market value that is determined by willing buyers and sellers.

As a buyer I ignore auctions with a reserved price. I have not been successful in having reserved price auctions accept fair and reasonable bids.

As a seller I set the starting bid at $0.99 with no reserve. This attracts lots of bidders and watchers. It is fun to watch the bids hit during the final twenty minutes of the auction. I have always gotten fair final bids that are in line with the average final bids on the searched completed auctions.
 
If I had S&W Revolvers to sell without a doubt I would target S&W Enthusiasts. This is the place. And with many of the members belonging here for years, their (our) desire to protect our reputation will provide you buyers with at worst reasonable integrity.
 
I have found selling via a local "Gun Auction", with on line Proxibid access to be one of the best ways to get top dollar for your guns. It will cost you (usually) about 15% auction fee. It has been my experience that I have obtained enough of difference on the selling prices that the 15% is made up for in the results. I am lucky in having three auction houses that have 2 -3 Gun & Sporting Goods auctions a year each, and two of them have on-line Proxibid access. What's nice is they handle all the shipping etc. And, you can attend the auction and buy someone else's guns there also.
 
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