Hard to sell a gun where I put in a lot more than what I would pay now.

[deadin]

If it's a gun that I wanted at the time and am now tired of it, I look at the loss as "rent".
If it's a gun that I paid too much for in the first place and have to take a bath when I get rid of it, I look at it as "paying for an education".

 

[Farmer17]

I buy and sell lots of guns and I'm not a dealer, I just enjoy owning and shooting different guns, and I always make money when I sell. Almost always, there was a M-15 Smith that I bought off the internet for $240 that when received, looked like it had been dragged behind a truck and then painted with a do-it-yourself Parkerizing kit. I think I lost 40 bucks when I traded it but probably could have broke even if I would have tried harder. The key is to not spend money on modifications, if I don't like a gun the the way it is, I sell it. If you shop hard and look for a good deal, then take care of the gun after you buy it, you can almost always sell it for a profit on Armslist or Facebook.

 

[Mcwsky09]

I buy and sell lots of guns and I'm not a dealer, I just enjoy owning and shooting different guns, and I always make money when I sell. Almost always, there was a M-15 Smith that I bought off the internet for $240 that when received, looked like it had been dragged behind a truck and then painted with a do-it-yourself Parkerizing kit. I think I lost 40 bucks when I traded it but probably could have broke even if I would have tried harder. The key is to not spend money on modifications, if I don't like a gun the the way it is, I sell it. If you shop hard and look for a good deal, then take care of the gun after you buy it, you can almost always sell it for a profit on Armslist or Facebook.

That's pretty much the lesson you could learn by watching Pawn Stars or American Pickers - the only way to be (relatively) sure of making money when it comes time to sell is to get a real good price when you buy.

Buying pretty much anything at full retail is a sure way to lose money when you sell it. Buying things that don't get worn out or used up on sale is a good way to get close to break even when it comes time to sell. Buying things at closeout/firesale or with special discounts or rebates is likely a good way to have a good odds of making at least some money.

The old buy low - sell high comes to mind - of course if you are buying high you've already blown the equation before you've even done the math.

 

[williamlayton]

Hard not to like some mods -- even if you loose money.
Here is one I had circumcised and it looks very good with the new Jewish look.
And another that you can't even see the mods.
Another that the mods are a better finish.
Blessings

 

[TTSH]

I bet those same friends never lose any money in Vegas either.

Guns are almost always a losing investment. It's rare that a gun appreciates. There are only two ways to make money on guns; be a dealer or find those rare "garage" finds where the owner doesn't know what they have. I couldn't bring myself to take advantage of an ignorant owner so, I won't be making any money that way.

I've lost money on guns. I've made money on guns. I've broke even on some guns. That's the life of a gun enthusiast.

I think that sums it up nicely.

While I try to convince myself (and my wife!) that there is some "investment" component to my gun buying, the fact is that I am mostly buying an item that I will enjoy owning and using. I do not buy with the expectation that I will make a profit in constant dollars. Rather, I am happy just to keep up with inflation, more or less. In other words, if I buy right (a critical prerequisite!), I would hope not to lose any money except for actual depreciation (from use) and various procurement costs such as shipping, transfer fees, sales tax, etc.

Put another way, I look at the money I put into guns as a relatively safe store of value, not as an expected source of income.

Truth is that many of my guns have appreciated in value more than inflation and some others have crashed and burned on me... but the majority are about even with inflation best as I can tell and that is fine with me.

 

[steelslaver]

If I end up with something I like I don't care. I am lucky to have a small machine shop and do my own mods. But, parts can get expensive. But, I get enjoyment from it. Much better than spending money on 6 packs that become recyclable aluminum cans.
I just got back from 2 weeks of elk camp. Spend enough to buy a lot of T bones. Only got one nice Mule deer buck. Will be going out for more hunting and spend more $ for a maybe elk. LOL. Be Happy

 

[dant]

Not a problem, all too often this happens, and what makes things "interesting," fun" thrill of the hunt" and on and on.........
nothing wrong with fixer uppers and "project guns" a learning process, or curve. YOU spend what you can afford...if it was not for gun smiths, custom gun guys, the gimmick, makers and sellers, the gun industry would be pretty flat...same with cars not everyone wants white wall tires and stereos.
You plan on "customizing" you cannot plan on getting all your money back out of YOUR "custom" one reaches the point of "diminishing returns".
who'd a thunk some of these guns like Colt Pythons and Winchester lever guns of long ago, would get as valuable as they are today??? wow...should have bought every Python we sold in the shops back in the early 70's for around $289 to $329...tough sell, then..........
you buy ,do , what YOU can afford to do at any given time.....

 

[Brian41]

In the early 70s I bought a well used model 19 for $165.00. I spent another hundred having it reblued and action work done on it or maybe a little less. Nice gun but for years would never get my money back out of it. Bet though I'd get $265.00 or better out of it today. I did have my money's worth out of that gun shooting it over the years and that's why I had the work done to it all those years ago.
I don't put that percentage of purchase price into guns today but don't mind investing some money to make it a better gun for me. Since I don't sell too often I'm not so worried about getting my money back out of them either.
I have though bought guns that had work done to them or nice things such as scopes added. I don't usually pay more for that work or accessories but have come out ahead in such deals too.

 

[James&theGiant1911]

A few years back I had 2 Browning Hi Power Practicals sent to Novaks for some work. One an adjustable site model model the other fixed. Well the other one had a replaced barrel on it not making as desirable as my other adjustable site model so instead of having 2 models of the same gun I decided to sell the fixed site HP. I sold it for what I had in it but I regretted it and tried to buy it back but the guy would not sell it and he ended up having probably around another 2 grand stuck into it. I miss the gun, the moral of the story, do not sell something unless you plan on never seeing it again.

 

[venomballistics]

Here is one such gun...started life as a .40 S&W Bright Stainless Commemorative, but was "blemished" and so cost me $250. I sent it to Alan Harton, along with $400, and it came back as a 10mm with J-Frame sights and a nice bead blasted finish. I went into this knowing full-well I might not be able to recoup the cost, but my son will one day have a one-of-a-kind, yet very practical, revolver.

Nice ... and comes in at $650.
While it may be true you cannot recoup the costs, theres another way of looking at this.
just checking the price of American Eagle 10MM ammo at Midway ... 1000 rounds is priced to backorder at $670... Which is higher than your total investment in the gun by $20.

1k rounds is enough to break in the action and season the barrel.
10K rounds might be all you eat with it in the course of it's career with you, though I could be wrong, and probably am.
but kept as a base figure its $6700 in ammo.
your $650 total is really quite insignificant in the scope of operating expense.

Precious few guns will ever achieve historical value like Elmer Keith's 44 magnum, or Pattons sidearm.
In fact Macnameras squirt gun has more historic value than anything we own. (you think they'd have given him a real firearm?)

Mod away folks.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

When you spend money in a gun, it needs to for something you want.
Money spent on a gun usually does not improve its market value or desirability.

 

[venomballistics]

When you spend money in a gun, it needs to for something you want.
Money spent on a gun usually does not improve its market value or desirability.

true, and the ruger above, and its cautionary chapter stamped into the pipe don't help desirability.
If the mod make the difference for you, do it. You'll enjoy the $6k-8k worth of ammo all the more

 

[DR505]

true, and the ruger above, and its cautionary chapter stamped into the pipe don't help desirability.
If the mod make the difference for you, do it. You'll enjoy the $6k-8k worth of ammo all the more

The mod I showed made a bunch of difference to me. Firing .40 S&W in that big revolver was like shooting .22 LR. A hot 10mm really makes it come alive. And I have a case of 10mm just waiting to be shot up. Now I have a gun that suits my needs. And $650 didn't really break the bank...Ruger billboard warning aside.

 

[bushmaster1313]

I was thinking more about the psychology of why it's so hard to sell a gun where you will not come even close to breaking even.

 

[alwslate]

Folks the OP is wanting someone to pry it out of him as to what his
gun is. I'll bite. What kind of gun are you talking about here???
Could effect responses!

 

[TTSH]

I was thinking more about the psychology of why it's so hard to sell a gun where you will not come even close to breaking even.

Lots about the psychology of it all here: Sunk costs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But the member above me is right. Is there something else unique about this particular gun that needs to be said to help solve the mystery?

 

[williamlayton]

Seems fairly clear to me.
I could say why I don't want another wife and some would take it another way than I ment---which is pretty darn clear.
Blessings

 

[M29since14]

I am not much into psychology. You either want to be rid of the gun or you don't. If you do, take a guess at the best way to get the best dollar on your sale and get to it. If you don't then I would tell myself to quit agonizing and either use it, return it to its original configuration if you can, store it, or give it away. I hate wasting my time thinking about stuff like that so I always recommend to others to give it the Red Ball Express treatment - "Forget it and drive on." Good luck with this.

 

[TTSH]

I am not much into psychology. You either want to be rid of the gun or you don't. If you do, take a guess at the best way to get the best dollar on your sale and get to it. If you don't then I would tell myself to quit agonizing and either use it, return it to its original configuration if you can, store it, or give it away.

As one prone to agonizing over such decisions myself, it's probably easier to sympathize with the OP's dilemma (even though we may still be missing some very critical facts here). Since I joined this forum, I've taken note of the number of members who claim to think of their guns primarily (or solely) as simple "tools", no more, no less. Kinda like a hammer or a screwdriver or a toaster, only a bit more expensive and noisy. Yes, they are tools for sure, but I don't think we would all be here participating in this forum if they were really no more than simple household tools or appliances.

The truth is that there is a financial/investment component, a pride component, a personal enjoyment component and much more. It's about a hobby, not just a tool. The decision to sell something that you've put a lot of yourself into (and/or money into) is sometimes less easy for the "non-tool/appliance" folks among us.

Perhaps like a stock or other investment gone bad, maybe the OP cannot accept the decision to sell as being prudent? To do so is to solidify and make permanent your loss and have to admit your mistake.

On the other hand, further losses are unlikely... so keeping the bad investment could be a constant reminder to one's self to not make the same mistake again. And, after all, it's not really an awful lot of money in this case. Chump change, really.

I think we need to know more about the gun itself. Something tells me there is more to this story than just finances and safe space.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

But hey! Project guns provide so much entertainment, from the research, the planning, and to getting it done. The learning, the suspense and then the gratification.

Right. And you can't expect someone to pay the same for a gun that you've already taken the fun out of.