Guns lose value

[greeenteeee]

down here in Tucson used glocks sell for the LOWEST I've ever seen at $400... the average for a gen 4 is $450... I have a friend who runs the gun counter at 3 pawn shops as a manager and he sells g19s and G17s all day long in under a week at that $450 price range for Gen 4s and $425 for gen 3s

I've bought low at $400 on backpage and flipped for close to $500 and they'll go within 24 hours of posting on backpage... and I've only found those $400 glocks (that aren't beat to **** or 20 years old) THREE times in all my years of looking (and I LIVE on backpage... I have a auto refreshing browser tab opened all day)

Where I'm at, I can attest to that. It's $500 for Glock 19s all day, if lower, it's a scam, if it's legit, it's gone within HOURS. Even for a G43, under $500 would be sold ASAP.

Any Glock fans here? I never looked into the M&Ps until after I got a Shield, picked a Sig two times over the Glock 19 I wanted (even when I was first looking at pistols and knowing very little).

I picked up what's toted as its only rival, the Sig P320 and still look at the G19 as it looks slimmer overall. The ergos never worked for me fresh out of a box though.

 

[alwaysoutdoors]

I paid dearly for a Springfield XDS and Taurus plastic 380 when they first came out. I wasn't worried about the price because it was what I wanted.
The Taurus has taken a dump in price due to Taurus really lowering the new prices, but I found it a new home when the micro 9mm's finally went into production from several manufacturers.

 

[BigBill]

Deal or no deal, steal or no steal? What's the point. We save a little on one gun and spend more on the next one. It all comes out in the wash. I'm frugal but I want the most bang for my buck too yet I want what I want. If that means paying a little more or less it's ok either way. Then I read did I get a deal? My brand new s&w n frames from my LGS with the IL were $699. These are $1,100/$1,200 list. I think my dealer still made a $100 or more on each revolver.
Then I seen in the used case a nib unshot s&w m29-10 6 1/2" blue with presentation case and the blue plastic case for $699 too. It's in excellent++ condition. Then I spotted a older new s&w m24 in nickel with 6 1/2" barrel in 44 special. It's marked $750.

The prices can be all over the lot. Do you pass it up only to pay more down the road?

I passed on the new RedHawks in 357 & 41 magnums. They were $500 each. Now there used for $900/$1000? Pay me now or pay me later. Deal or steal?

When I was logging I bought equipment at wholesale prices. I found most items were a 100% markup. If it lists for $100 it cost me $50. The clearances on chainsaw bars were $7 for a $50 new bar. The deals turned into steals.

I think there is that much of a markup throughout the industry. And yes list prices do vary. But we're we lose we make up somewhere else.

 

[BigBill]

Look at the guys who paid $1,200 for the very first Chinese norinco sks's.
Then they didn't sell. The priced was dropped to just $59 then they started selling.

History repeats itself the first Yugoslav sks's were $2,000 very few bought them for bragging rights. Then the price was dropped to $125?

How would you feel if you paid the higher cost and it's worth way less?

The buzz word was oh look what we have the best quality sks we ever seen so far. We don't know how many will be imported here,
Just some education. The newly available Albanian sks caused a ruckus too price wise.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Others have mentioned this, but I'll repeat it: almost nobody makes money from buying and later selling a gun they bought new. That takes an almost magical ability to read the future -- or a lot of luck. The folks who do make money off their gun purchases are:

1) Collectors who buy for the long-term, typically don't fire what they collect, and leave the guns in almost pristine/unfired condition.

2) Dealers who buy guns that they value and know a lot about, or buy cheaply because the seller doesn't understand what they're selling. They might also be lucky, too.

3) Dealers who buy a lot and sell a lot, and make their profits off of sales volume. Some car dealers do this.​

Sadly, I've never found myself in any of those categories, and I suspect that most of those reading this haven't either. But there's another factor to be concerned about -- the thing I don't think I saw mentioned in this lengthy discussion -- inflation -- which is subtly destructive of value!.

An example:

A S&W Model 67 Combat Masterpiece sold new in 1988 for about $700 ( about $50 less than the MSRP). To JUST BREAK EVEN in terms of buying power from the sale of that Model 67 today, the seller would have to get at least $1470. A 1988 dollar bought a lot more than a 2017 dollar can buy.
​

Most guns don't -- can't -- go up in value like the calculations above -- which means that most guns don't really break even for the seller, even though the DOLLARS seem greater.

Another thing to consider is that many guns sell for about the same $ amount they sold for 10-15 years -- or less. And if you look at the reduced buying power of today's dollars, many new guns are really less expensive than they were some years ago! An example:

A SIG P228, which sold new in 1992 for around $750 (less than the MSRP of $840), would have to sell for $1350, today, to hold value. You can buy a new M11A1 or P229 for about $1000 or less, and used P228s for quite a bit less -- often in the $600-$800 range.
​

If you think I'm distorting values or exaggerating the effect of inflation on the dollr's buying power, use the following CPI calculator to see for yourself. It shows the actual change in buying power based on government statistics of changes in the Consumer Price Index:

CPI Inflation Calculator

For most of us, guns are not an investment. They are an expense. Think about them as you would a boat you use for water-skiing or fishing, or an expensive set of golf clubs: something you use that makes you happy. Guns CAN be sold quickly if you need cash, and that's a plus, but keep in mind that just because you get more $s than you paid for a gun some years back doesn't mean you made a profit.
.

 

[mauser9]

Sounds like Colts were a great investment if purchased way back. Resale value reflects that today but still a pricey gun way back for many.

 

[Jim1392]

I bought my Shield 9 in 2015 for $339.00. Since I bought it to carry I could care less what they are selling them for now. I've never considered it to be an investment gun. If I bought something for an investment it would go into the safe not on my hip. As far as I'm concerned I've gotten two years of use out of it and that's what I paid for.

 

[S&WsRsweet]

Guns are like gold and silver as investments buy hn if price goes down buy more and just be cool ,eventually we will get that liberal president and then people who bout those cheap sei autos will look like financial wizards

 

[Will41]

I don't care if I paid $500 for my shield and it's worth only $50 now. If someday it saves a life, that's what is important to me. I bought mine for enjoyment and self defense and couldn't care less what it's worth or how little it cost to manufacture. As long as I can rely on it, the financial aspects aren't important to me.

I know it is crazy how much they came done in price. But, I don't plan on selling anyway. I have already carried mine for several years.

 

[mnarcher]

I got mine with factory night sights for $400 even out the door, then I get a $75 rebate. $325 for a Shield with night sights... There was no passing that up.


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[PPS1980]

I still don't buy that new narrative that today's gun buyers are a vastly different breed of simple commodity self-defense appliance buyers, but maybe that's just my advanced age and "behind enemy lines" location talking.

I will, however, add this to the discussion: .40 pistol sales must be in a death spiral of sorts because I'm seeing giveaway prices on all sorts of .40 pistols, modern plastic fantastics and high-quality all-metal pistols (new and used) as well. Just this past week I was stunned on what I could buy for cheap if only I was willing to add more .40's to the arsenal.

But for the same reason they are selling for cheap, I am staying away from them for now. I really like my full-size .40's and I shoot them well... but if the market for them is crashing, I'm not inclined to buy any more.

I agree with your observations and have seen the same locally on 40's. Never having had a pistol in 40 before I took advantage of this change and got an M&P 40 and also purchased the S&W 357Sig barrel for it for a song. Now I have two new calibers to play with at the range, and who knows I may even like one of them enough to reconsider my EDC.

As for the Shield prices dropping - election, excess inventory, and the likelihood of a v2.0 Shield all are likely factors from what I can tell. While the Shield has been very popular, it is getting "old" for a polymer gun and the M&P 2.0 shows that S&W is willing to update a proven design. We shall see what the next few months bring for the Shield though.

 

[Absalom]

Current production guns are no different than any other current production item. If you were looking to buy a shield as an investment you made a very poor choice. You can't walk into a store and buy a $10 steak and hope to sell it for $12 the next day. Now it's a used steak and people always want fresh. Plus now that same steak is on sale for $8 fresh.
.....

This is the key right here. With the current plastic guns, as a gun hobbyist one has a tendency to forget that probably the majority of buyers get one of these guns because they feel they need a gun, not because they are looking for an investment.

When you go and buy a lawn mower or a new toaster because you need one, do you agonize about the resale value and how it is going to hold its value over time, and whether you should maybe hold off a few months because the market is shifting, or do you just find one at a good price, buy it and start mowing or toasting, knowing that you'll probably keep going until it breaks?
That's the majority of modern gun buyers.

 

[gojones]

Just bought the Shield and awaiting the rebate. I really have never looked at guns as an investment. Always shopped around before buying and never sell. Just enjoy having and shooting them. Have guns from my great grandpa on down to my dad. Will pass them on to my sons, who think of them as theirs anyway. Waiting for the price of the Sig P320 to eventually come down and will get one of them also. Just can't be in a hurry to buy and eventually a good deal will happen. Take advantage of the current environment because it will return to gun control times again and prices will rise again. Just consider it another economic circle.

 

[Mike0251]

None of my guns have ever lost value. Sold 4 in the past 14 months with a very healthy return on my investment. I also own no plastic guns nor will I.

 

[rockquarry]

We're in an entirely different "right now" era, with many gun owners quite different from those of the past. Polymer, plastic, or whatever non-metallic materials this new crop of guns are made of does little to enhance resale value or lasting desirability.

The intrinsic characteristics of a gun are simply not there. Perhaps the Bic-Pins of the gun world, the newer entries may be very reliable and accurate, but not something I would ever purchase or pass down as a valued possession.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

We're in an entirely different "right now" era, with many gun owners quite different from those of the past. Polymer, plastic, or whatever non-metallic materials this new crop of guns are made of does little to enhance resale value or lasting desirability.

In your statement above you're talking about YOUR values and YOUR perspective, not some universal set of values that we all share with you.

For example, I'm not sure that everybody buys guns intent upon passing them on as a family legacy. I've never done that. I'm not sure that the guns I may pass to my son or grandson won't be sold to pay for things that are more important to them than the guns were to me. A small stock portfolio might be more valuable to them.

The intrinsic characteristics of a gun are simply not there. Perhaps the Bic-Pins of the gun world, the newer entries may be very reliable and accurate, but not something I would ever purchase or pass down as a valued possession.

The intrinsic characteristics of a gun are always there, but how those characteristics are valued by one shooter or buyer may be different than by another shooter or buyer.

I've got a number of good quality metal-framed guns, I also have a number of equally good quality polymer-framed guns. And the ones I've kept all shoot very well (or they get sold or traded). I didn't buy any of them as long-term investments. I keep them because I like and enjoy them.

I think that most new guns, while not always as handsome as some of the older guns, are generally better weapons:

• they are every bit as reliable,
• generally as accurate,
• easier to service,
• hold more rounds,
• can often handle more powerful rounds than their older ancestors, and
• weigh less.

If you check the values of MOST metal-framed guns, you'll see many of them haven't held up any better than polymer-framed guns over the past couple of decades. And if you read my earlier comments about the value of the dollar and inflation you'll see that while some prices have gone up, what a dollar can buy today has really gone down. Value? Hard to define, but don't ignore inflation when talking about dollar values.

Value (selling price) is generally based on demand (which can be related to rareness), but as more than one person has said over the years, "there's no accounting for taste."

 

[Arik]

We're in an entirely different "right now" era, with many gun owners quite different from those of the past. Polymer, plastic, or whatever non-metallic materials this new crop of guns are made of does little to enhance resale value or lasting desirability.

The intrinsic characteristics of a gun are simply not there. Perhaps the Bic-Pins of the gun world, the newer entries may be very reliable and accurate, but not something I would ever purchase or pass down as a valued possession.

Guns were passed down as a cost savings measure. Just like spoons and pots and pans along with other household items. Today most people make enough money to afford a decent quality handgun.

If my future kids ever want my guns or any of my stuff...great! But I'm not buying specifically to pass down.

Guns are like those pots and pans and silverware. They are a tool that serves a purpose. Anything more and it's anthropomorphism.

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[Brasky]

I laugh at the people who say polymer guns have no collectibility.

Compare the price of a used Gen 1 Glock 17 (a popular model in its day) and a 686 no dash in similar used condition. Even with the original target grips, the gen 1 Glock will sell all day for more money on auction sites. Now I understand certain Smiths will sell higher than the Glock, but comparing two common models, the Glock is valued higher despite it having a lower starting price.

If I bought a new Gen 4 Glock 17 today and a 686-6 and sold them in a couple years, the Glock would have held its value better than the Smith

 

[rockquarry]

Arik-
Perhaps you're of the generation to which I refer and that reference is not made with a negative connotation. Guns were not purchased as heirlooms or to be passed down as a cost saving measure (at least I never heard of such a thing), though they have often been passed down simply because that's what people do with stuff.

Your understanding of what I posted is obviously not there and that may be my fault for not presenting my post clearly. The modern guns so described are more like modern camera equipment or cell phones, perhaps good quality, but nothing special and will soon be superseded by something that may or may not be slightly improved.

While we may disagree, I do respect your right to express your opinion.

 

[bigfutz]

According to the background check numbers, gun sales aren't down nearly as much as the press would have you believe...

Maybe because of the $75 rebate?