GunBroker Price Madness
- Thread starter Model39
- Start date
one eye joe
US Veteran
THE DEMAND FOR OLDER FIREARMS IS INTENSIFIED BY THE EXTREMELY POOR LEVEL OF QUALITY CONTROL EXHIBITED BY S&W WITH REGARD TO THEIR CURRENT PRODUCTION---INCLUDING THEIR FLAGSHIP "PERFORMANCE CENTER" LINE….( AS IF THE IL AND MIM PARTS AREN'T ENOUGH TO STEER PEOPLE AWAY)
I don't know a bunch about gun values. I find something I like, then shop around. I bought a governor with the laser grips for around $100 cheaper than they were going for. I've found you gotta be patient and look constantly. I did get that not really good for nothin but cool revolver off GB
Recently, I got lucky, and picked up a nice M 65-5 Ladysmith at G.B. for several hundred $$ less than going prices. There are SOME deals out there but they are few and far between. Sadly the good deals, are getting fewer and farther apart.
bp231986
Member
Lol well did my comment stir up the pot or what? Just my personal opinion fellas, never came out saying it was a Scientific fact. Have a good evening gents [emoji41]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Did it ever occur to anybody that maybe values are heading north rapidly.I spent the afternoon gun shopping with a friend.Out of five gunshops I didn't see one older revolver by any maker.I didn't see any new revolver outside of the raging Judge line.The only decent deals appear to be right here,where values tend to get low balled passed as realistically priced.
I don't claim to have ever gotten a DEAL on a gun purchase on Gun Broker. I think I have normally paid a fair price. To me, a fair price is one in which the buyer feels he received a reasonable valued gun for his money and the seller feels he received a reasonable amount of money for his gun. I would not expect to be able to make a PROFIT on any of the guns I've purchased any time soon - I wouldn't want to sell any of them either.
And just today a beautiful 4" 629-1 sold at it's buy now price of $749. If I had the extra cash I would've grabbed it. It had been up for a few days too.
Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Just to keep things in perspective:
In my experience, when it comes to unrealistic price tags, your average gun show has a LOT more of those than Gunbroker. And declaring a seller to be out of his mind is much safer in front of your computer than while standing in front of his table ....
In my experience, when it comes to unrealistic price tags, your average gun show has a LOT more of those than Gunbroker. And declaring a seller to be out of his mind is much safer in front of your computer than while standing in front of his table ....
I'm surprised you guys missed this one. I felt certain someone was going to knock me out at the end.
Smith & Wesson Model 15-2 38 Spl Revolver : Revolvers at GunBroker.com
I just snagged this for a total of $420 including shipping. Seller has 100% feedback. Only thing wrong is the damaged right grip. Everything else looks 99% and I spoke with the seller first to confirm it. Nice replacement grips aren't hard to find and fairly cheap. This is s/n: K48713x which puts year of manufacture around 1965-66. Not sure if the grips were numbered to the gun or not during this period. Still, it's hard to find 15-2's in good shape. (There are a lot more 15-3's.) Even for a shooter $400 is a great price.
Everyone wants hi-res pics. I think a lot of people skip over the ones with not so great photos. I look at them really close and then ask questions; get additional photos if possible. It might be a little risky, but I've made out pretty well this way.
Smith & Wesson Model 15-2 38 Spl Revolver : Revolvers at GunBroker.com
I just snagged this for a total of $420 including shipping. Seller has 100% feedback. Only thing wrong is the damaged right grip. Everything else looks 99% and I spoke with the seller first to confirm it. Nice replacement grips aren't hard to find and fairly cheap. This is s/n: K48713x which puts year of manufacture around 1965-66. Not sure if the grips were numbered to the gun or not during this period. Still, it's hard to find 15-2's in good shape. (There are a lot more 15-3's.) Even for a shooter $400 is a great price.
Everyone wants hi-res pics. I think a lot of people skip over the ones with not so great photos. I look at them really close and then ask questions; get additional photos if possible. It might be a little risky, but I've made out pretty well this way.
If I were selling and in order to get top dollar, especially on a desirable choice piece, I'd list on GB.
Based on my limited experience, both gunshows and GB have had some unheard of prices lately. But I will add that an occasional bargain or at least a fair-priced item can be found at both.
I see no reason that the quality pieces won't continue to appreciate but most markets correct themselves eventually.
Just my opinion.
Based on my limited experience, both gunshows and GB have had some unheard of prices lately. But I will add that an occasional bargain or at least a fair-priced item can be found at both.
I see no reason that the quality pieces won't continue to appreciate but most markets correct themselves eventually.
Just my opinion.
Last edited:
raylan007
Member
You need to learn to work the system
1-S&W M19-8 .38 special, rare find if you like that kind of thing
Price $550 NIB
1-S&W M15-2 2" .38 special
Price $480 condition 95%
1 S&W M15-2 4" .38 special
Price $550 condition 99%
1- S&W M63 4" no dash .22 L/R
Price: $565 condition 95%
1 S&W M66 no dash 4" .354
Price: $475 condition 90%
I feel all of the above qualify as good deal if not better than that. Bottom line is they made me real happy as in most cases I had waited awhile to find a "GOOD DEAL"
As I said I do have an abundance of time and most of these I found, one found me.
It may sometimes be frustrating but none the less GB still the best game in town in my opinion. Over the past few years I have saved a list of favorite sellers which I think is a real asset. Now go buy a Smith
There are many things about GB that I to despise, such as the 15 min. rule, reserve auctions, 3-4% CC SURCHARGES, lack of customer service , I could go on and on but in spite of my sometime extreme dislike of GB they are still the biggest and best auction house for firearms. You either need to learn to make the best of their system or move on down the road. Here are a few good deals I have experienced in the past few months. I will note I do have the time which does make a big difference.
1-S&W M19-8 .38 special, rare find if you like that kind of thing
Price $550 NIB
1-S&W M15-2 2" .38 special
Price $480 condition 95%
1 S&W M15-2 4" .38 special
Price $550 condition 99%
1- S&W M63 4" no dash .22 L/R
Price: $565 condition 95%
1 S&W M66 no dash 4" .354
Price: $475 condition 90%
I feel all of the above qualify as good deal if not better than that. Bottom line is they made me real happy as in most cases I had waited awhile to find a "GOOD DEAL"
As I said I do have an abundance of time and most of these I found, one found me.
It may sometimes be frustrating but none the less GB still the best game in town in my opinion. Over the past few years I have saved a list of favorite sellers which I think is a real asset. Now go buy a Smith
Attachments
I agree with many of the frustrations, especially the 3-4% CC fee. I believe once a dealer decides to use credit cards the fees are their responsibility. Gun dealers are the only sales companies I have ever seen who do this. The fifteen minute rule should be changed to something like two minutes, or even one. This way it would be no different than any real auction house. Reserve auctions I rarely even look at. If it's something special I'll throw down a bid, if it doesn't hit the reserve I move on and don't even watch it.
GunBroker is certainly the biggest, but I've found some good deals on gunauction.com which is not nearly as popular.
GunBroker is certainly the biggest, but I've found some good deals on gunauction.com which is not nearly as popular.
My bet is that the internet gun auction sites, collectively, command over 50% of used gun sales by now. Especially for older, collectibles. Why? The market is much wider and deeper for the seller. If you have a nice pre-29 .44 Magnum, do you walk down to the local store and ask them to buy from you? Of course not! They won't pay you what it's worth. If you have a rich buddy, maybe you'll come close but again my bet its that you'll do better on the web.
My favorite LGS before moving away from Virginia told me that they put everything nice on GunBroker first. You want a "deal" on a barely used Kimber 1911, go to your local store or a gun show. You'll find plenty.
You want that 3" Model 66 your Daddy gave to cousin Jeb instead of you? Keep scouring GunBroker, post here and elsewhere in "Want to Buy" sections, and be patient.
Tips for GunBroker:
(1) go to Advanced Search, Completed Items. Type in words and "include description". Sort by "highest # of bids first". That way all of the **** auctions with 1 or no bids fall to the bottom and you can see what specific guns actually traded for.
(2) research Seller! Anything funky in feedback => run away! It's a Catch 22, but buying from a new seller is riskier than someone with 1,000+ completed auctions.
(3) contact seller and ask questions. I typically ask about mechanical conditions and any cosmetic flaws that might not show up in photos. If they don't bother responding => run away! (This isn't perfect - I got hosed by a "nice old guy" who was really adept at photographing so that scratches and dents in stock didn't appear in photos. At least he gave me a partial refund.) Generally though, the seller who gets back to you with a reasonable and friendly response will be OK to deal with post-sale.
(4) Don't go chasing Reserve prices. I don't avoid Reserve auctions but I've done better when I let some other bidder determine where the Reserve was. Bidding against yourself to get up to a Reserve will leave a bad taste in your mouth.
(5) Don't bid until the last hour. Frankly, I usually don't bid until there are 16 minutes left. Why put out your maximum bid days before, giving competitors time to think it over and do more research?
(6) Just like Vegas, know when to walk away.
All that said, my latest purchase was from a gun shop. I paid more than GunBroker probably would have cost, but it was worth it to me. Why? On a fluke they had one of my short-list guns. Truly "like new" condition, with box and tools. Mechanicals tested out perfect with an ideal single-action trigger pull. And I knew all of this because the gun was in my hands. I couldn't help myself.
BongoBoy
Member
I just have to say I'm impressed with the responses. I really expected most folks to take some viewpoint that the auction site in question was unrealistic or in some way created inflated prices.
The auction experience definitely leads some buyers to do stupid things--I see it often on eBay. There, an item that can be purchased new anywhere for $35 auctions for $45. That may not be a very good reflection of value, but it also is probably not the norm.
The answer is very simple--you establish in your own head what you believe the value is, and you bid that amount as your maximum bid. Done. You are now going to pay what you believe the item is worth to you, if you should win.
So, it's been said several times already above: what people pay defines what an item is worth. What YOU pay defines what an item is worth to YOU.
Someone above mentioned that they treat GunBroker.com as a store, not an auction. It is definitely both. For example, "Buy it Now" is $1,900. "Bid starts at $1,850". This means the item is being sold at $1,900, basically. It's not an auction. These are easily differentiated from auctions, where seller offers an item with room to actually bid competitively below buy it now, or with no buy it now.
To me, the key to online 'auction' buying is really that simple: in dollars, how much do I want this particular item? How much am I going to pay and still feel good about taking possession? If everyone else is way over that amount, then I have to accept that I'm not a player there, and I can't own that item. It's got nothing to do with 'real value' or 'overpriced' or anything else. It's a matter that other folks want it more and/or have more tolerance for pain than I do. They win.
The auction experience definitely leads some buyers to do stupid things--I see it often on eBay. There, an item that can be purchased new anywhere for $35 auctions for $45. That may not be a very good reflection of value, but it also is probably not the norm.
The answer is very simple--you establish in your own head what you believe the value is, and you bid that amount as your maximum bid. Done. You are now going to pay what you believe the item is worth to you, if you should win.
So, it's been said several times already above: what people pay defines what an item is worth. What YOU pay defines what an item is worth to YOU.
Someone above mentioned that they treat GunBroker.com as a store, not an auction. It is definitely both. For example, "Buy it Now" is $1,900. "Bid starts at $1,850". This means the item is being sold at $1,900, basically. It's not an auction. These are easily differentiated from auctions, where seller offers an item with room to actually bid competitively below buy it now, or with no buy it now.
To me, the key to online 'auction' buying is really that simple: in dollars, how much do I want this particular item? How much am I going to pay and still feel good about taking possession? If everyone else is way over that amount, then I have to accept that I'm not a player there, and I can't own that item. It's got nothing to do with 'real value' or 'overpriced' or anything else. It's a matter that other folks want it more and/or have more tolerance for pain than I do. They win.
Last edited:
Great posts. I've also heard it said that when the economy is poor, people are less inclined to buy big-ticket items like houses, new cars, boats, etc. While they don't have tens of thousands of dollars to spend, they DO have hundreds in ready cash, and guns are a desirable substitute. Hence the increased demand for guns and the willingness of these new buyers to spend more.
Here are some great tutorials on auction psychology. The main point is to know yourself and what will satisfy you and what won't. That's the true test of what it's "worth". If you are kicking yourself with regret, then you should have bid more (or less!)
How to Win at eBay: What's it Worth – to You?
How to Win at eBay
Here are some great tutorials on auction psychology. The main point is to know yourself and what will satisfy you and what won't. That's the true test of what it's "worth". If you are kicking yourself with regret, then you should have bid more (or less!)
How to Win at eBay: What's it Worth – to You?
How to Win at eBay
I have had far fewer problems on Gunbroker (zero) vs some of the the people of this sight. I think I prefer selling there.
At least on on Gunbroker no one has yet to say "well I like gun enough to keep it, but only if you take another couple hundred bucks off the price....." Gunbroker does not not have the new rule of the day flash report and does not appear to have double stnadards
At least on on Gunbroker no one has yet to say "well I like gun enough to keep it, but only if you take another couple hundred bucks off the price....." Gunbroker does not not have the new rule of the day flash report and does not appear to have double stnadards
I just don't like the idea of buying a used firearm that I haven't held in my hands and evaluated.
Interesting points about the economy and psychology involved. There definitely can be an element of gambling in participating on auction sites. The key is to AVOID any personal gambling urges. If you can't then don't go there.
I have to respectfully disagree with the advice given in the first link. Setting your first maximum price at just below "idiot" is exactly what generates threads like this. When my grandmother bid at antique auctions, she certainly never started at her maximum price. You bid what you would like to pay for the item, then see what other bidders do. I don't want to buy a gun for the absolute maximum I'm willing to pay. I want to feel like I got a decent deal.
And be careful if the price is being driven up by a bidder with no buys or maybe 2-3. There are sellers who use schill bidders. I've seen an item reappear for sale after the price was driven up to stupid levels and an alleged "sale" happened. Plus new bidders can be just stupid.
Finally, I've gotten a couple of good deals when a seller has listed an item too high or with too high a reserve for multiple rounds. They drop the price because they really do want to sell, but buyers have seen it go unsold too many times and don't bid. The danger here is that there may be a reason it didn't sell which you aren't aware of.
Similar threads
- Locked
