Need pricing opinions on selling my collection

[4200chevy]

Hey everyone, I'm a novice collector of smith autoloaders. The time has come to sell them onto the next guy. I need help, I've heard people saying recently that right now the collectors market is down. I have them posted on this forum and locally on the "list". I'm looking for info on different avenues for selling them. I was thinking about putting them on the big auction site but I'm not sure about what to start the auction at. I am a novice collector so any help is appreciated

First is a first run 39-2 with original box.i was told from other forum members that it was made in 1972? This gun looks mint. What should I expect to get for it?

Next is a 4506 mint condition looks to be almost new in box with docs. Was told by other forum members that it's a early production. What should I expect to see. These guns seem to be all over the map in terms of pricing.

Next is a 439 nickel on walnut.i believe this pistol has never been fired. There isnt a single blemish on it. I was told by other forum members that production was 1982-83. Has original box and docs. I've looked all over the place for values so I could get a baseline price but I couldn't find much for comparison.

Next is a 457 zandersports edition. 1 year only manufacture. I believe it was 1997. Have box and 2 mags. my scsw says its value is double from a typical 457 though forum members told me that this is unlikely.

Next is a 4513 performance center 45 recon. Has original aluminum case, 2 mags and even has the matching knife with corresponding serial number.it is in awesome shape. I have no clue what to price it at.

Lastly I have a performance center .40 recon gun is in original aluminum case with 2 pc mags. I have no idea what to price it at

Any help is appreciated everyone. I know that 1st 2nd and 3rd smith autoloaders is a niche market. But I want to get the most money that I can get out of them. Any tips and tricks you guys can give me is very much aporeciated.

 

[SVT28]

Well since you already listed them here and locally, then my guess of value will be either at your selling price, or lower if you're willing to negotiate because they are overpriced. These questions usually get a gamut of answers, especially from folks on here still stuck in the 90s early 2000s for pricing these types of guns out.

You can always check Gunbroker sold auctions with bids for a pistol to see a general value. There are caveats to this but its a good start. Looking at your listing, none of the prices are ridiculous.

SVT28

 

[4200chevy]

Yessir thank you. I have searched gunbroker I just have trouble in my pricing. I saw several 4506 no dash models like mine going from 700-1100.00. The 1100.00 dollar gun was nothing special about

 

[SVT28]

Anytime. I think it is important to note that the fluctuation in GB prices for a 4506 in good condition with box etc, depend on a lot of factors new collectors don't always catch up front.

For instance, some collectors want a 4506 with no MIM parts. Some don't care for the hooked trigger guard. Dog ear sights vs Novaks vs Trijicons. Condition? Box? Serial prefix possibly a birth year gun?

Or maybe the $1100 gun just had two or more guys or gals that really wanted it. Sometimes we can tell why a pistol "goes off" on GB, other times it's something only the buyer will ever know.

SVT28

 

[Dave Lively]

Were you looking at completed listings or sold listings? Some people on GunBroker have unrealistic expectations of what their guns are worth and when the auction ends it shows up as a completed listing.

In general people will pay more for a gun if it comes from a seller with a lot of positive feedback. Being able to pay with a credit card instead of seller that wants money orders helps too. As does lots of good pictures.

Once I decided to sell the guns I had not shot in a long time I sold several on GB. I don't have a way to process credit cards and only had a couple of positive feedback from purchases I had made. I did have lots of pictures in the listings though. Instead of worrying about the price I started the auctions at $.01 with no reserve and let the market decide what they were worth. The prices my guns sold for were on the low end of what similar guns were selling for. Unless you have a lot of feedback expect your to be on the low end of the price range too.

ETA: I agree with SVT28 about how prices fluctuate for small or no reason. Feedback and CC make a difference but so do lots of other things. Which is one reason I decided to just start the auctions at a penny, let the price be what it was going to be and just sell the guns instead of dragging the process along.

 

[vigil617]

Since you asked, 4200chevy, and in the spirit of helpfulness and not of any criticism, my opinion as far as your listings here on the Forum is concerned, I doubt that you will be able to get what you are asking for these.

In my experience, your pool of buyers here is smaller and much more knowledgeable about these guns than you will find on the large auction site(s). Many of the people here follow those sites closely and know almost up to the minute what particular models are selling for and what fair prices for them are.

Unfortunately, we can't have our cake and eat it too when it comes to wanting to get best value for our offerings. To sell S&W's on here, you are going to have to price them at an attractive selling point for this slice of the market, and that's going to mean for less than you can possibly get on an auction site, with discounts for the fees involved there and for "real" prices that won't be the result of bidding wars or more uninformed buyers.

I think it's great to sell guns to people here, and the huge percentage of favorable feedback over negative here is an illustration that you are much more likely to have a good sales experience here than elsewhere. On the other hand, satisfied buyers here are going to feel they got a fair price and excellent service, and that's probably going to mean you won't get a "full" auction-site price for your guns.

I'm sure you don't want to lose money on your guns, but if you used your purchase prices as a basis for your asking, I'm afraid you are likely to be disappointed. Hope I'm wrong, and I do wish you the best of luck on selling some very nice examples of the autoloaders we're big fans of here in the Semi-Autos section.

 

[raykdman]

I looked at your listings and compared the prices to SCSW prices which are already a year old and prices I have paid in the past. Your prices are on the higher side. Being in equipment sales for over 40 years, it depends on how quickly that you want to move your collection. Sometimes I want to move an item quickly then I only add a smaller margin instead of waiting for a premium price. The online auctions can generate some prices higher than average but I see a lot of relistings.

 

[GaryS]

Others will be able to help you with the rest of your collection, so I'll limit my comments to these two firearms.

With a Zander, condition is everything. If it's ANIB or otherwise in excellent condition, they are worth a premium over the "regular" 457 guns. The only few I've seen were overpriced (IMO) because they showed evidence of carry wear and came with nothing but one magazine.

The factor is that you have to find a buyer who really wants it. The 457 is a great carry/shooting gun. I have two, one black and one stainless. As collectors pieces, I think they have limited appeal. That's just me.

Next is a 457 zandersports edition. 1 year only manufacture. I believe it was 1997. Have box and 2 mags. my scsw says its value is double from a typical 457 though forum members told me that this is unlikely.

Others may have differing opinions, but I'd start at around $1,100.00 for that gun.

You might be able to get a better idea by looking at recent closed auctions for that or similar pieces on Gunbroker.com. Which seems to be off line right at the moment.

Next is a 4513 performance center 45 recon. Has original aluminum case, 2 mags and even has the matching knife with corresponding serial number.it is in awesome shape. I have no clue what to price it at.

 

[Buick]

In my experience any quality handgun you can conceal on your person is a very hot commodity right now. I consigned several pistols at a local shop 2 weeks ago. Terms were 15% of selling price an i set the minimum i would take. Ive sold 4. One was a 3" model 66 with carry wear for 1k.

 

[toddcfii]

Ok my two cents. I think both your Recons are about $200 to $300 too high. I think no Recon model will sell at $1600 at least right now. For comparison I sold a more used Recon 9 for right at $1000 about 6 months ago. Yours are nicer but the 40 is much less desirable. The 45 is nice but $1600 is a lot. I do agree with previous poster on concealable guns flying out the door. I work at a gun store so... But new buyers are the norm for these guns and they want to get in a gun cheap.

 

[Sevens]

I often see threads where someone asks "what should I price this at" and a half dozen people say "check Gunbroker!"

I think a deeper dive is in order if you really want Gunbroker's help in pricing guns. First off, look at Dave Lively's post #5 because he gets it. If you have low feedback and very little history on Gunbroker, anything but a $1 or less opening big and absolutely NO RESERVE WHATSOEVER is just a waste of your time.

This takes some balls, to put it honestly. If you price it with some kind of low thresh hold opening bid, it probably isn't going to sell. Even if it sells, you've already killed off all the interest. If you want the interest, you must start it at basically nothing. Guys that bid when it's under a hundred will decide over the next week if they really want it and will pay market for it.

Now let's talk about the OTHER prices you will see on Gunbroker. These are widely known consignment sellers. Every single one of these outfits starts their auctions so that they end on Sunday night between 8-9pm. They list 'em all at $0.01 start and no reserve and for the most part, the final bids are eye poppers.

These guys' final auction numbers are what determine "HIGH MARKET" when we talk about what high market is.

And these guys that always ALWAYS get the high bids? They will sell your gun for you too! Just contact them. And you will get 85% of whatever it sells at, give or take. And before you think "ugh that sucks", consider that you won't have to take 38 pictures in fantastic light with a great backdrop that makes your gun look awesome and wait for some random buyer's payment (or excuses) and you don't have to ship to them and you don't have to deal with them if they have a complaint and you don't have to track down their FFL and you don't have to deal with them at all and you don't have to pay Gunbroker a dime. The consignment seller handles all of that and they do it for a living, so they are good at it.

Unless you have something totally mindblowing -AND- the wind blows just right and you get lucky, you have no chance of selling at a price that they sold the same gun at a week or a month ago. Statistically speaking.. for your sale, the top consigment dealers on Gunbroker's "sold" price is almost irrelevant when you are trying to sell your gun.

People will argue otherwise, and there is a lot of used car salesman shenanigans in the pre-owned gun swapping game, but it doesn't change demonstrated facts.

I'll go look at your listing now.

 

[Sevens]

I'm back, with some comments, I hope my comments are helpful.

First off, you listed them with prices, so your first step is already done -- sit on these for a week or two and bump your thread every other day. Don't do anything else, maybe someone will like what they see.

Next up... your prices. Some are lofty. And you need MORE pictures. And with the ones that have original boxes and end labels, you need pictures of the end labels.

The 39-2 is a much loved pistol and yours looks awesome, but these don't sell at $800. S&W made and sold 347,000 of these and that is why the price doesn't go high. As I said above... a great consignment seller might pull that number but it would be abnormal that random guy could.

The Recon 45 with original box and knife and all original stuff? Honestly, you should truly ship that off to Sarah15 and it will go high. That's rare and if you have all the original stuff, let a pro move that.

The Recon 40 is a damn tough call... as was said above, the .40 is hated by the current gun market. It isn't fair, but life isn't fair. This pistol is difficult to price.

The 4506 and the 439 are high grade and with boxes and the boxes look high grade too! That means you need to -wow- the audience with pictures and more pictures. Those models are not market hum-dingers but the condition of these examples are the draw. Again... consignment seller on Gunbroker will get the top dollar for them. Also only seems fair to say that both of them are less desirable, generally speaking, because of the adjustable sights that only 10% of the S&W guys really like. (I made up that 10%... it might be less )

The Zander 457 is way out of my area of expertise. I know that some around these pages just love the 457, I am not one of them. The 457 was created and marketed as a budget model, this variant happens to be harder to find and more attractive. Your price may not be out of line but I can't help much.

If you really wanted to roll them dice and let fate handle it and SKIP all of the work associated with this project... ship every one of them off to Sarah15. That might save you more hassle than you may have envisioned.

 

[TercGen]

Lots of good points made here already, and while it certainly helps to have some feedback and experience on Gunbroker, don't let it stop you if you don't have any. I personally started out selling on Gunbroker and made a nice profit on my first sale.

Yes, you will have some doubters out there, with 0 feedback selling some nice pistols; but, you could ship through an FFL, and have that FFL confirm to anyone interested that you do in fact have these guns and he/she has seen them and will ship them out if won. I have bought from new sellers on Gunbroker and used this method as a buyer to feel better about not getting ripped off.

I'd say that you do have some nice pistols, but IMO are probably asking too much for them. You could always try lowering your prices here, or go give Gunbroker a shot.

 

[Redcoat3340]

Two other ways to go:
1. Not sure what you mean by "the list" but I've had good success selling or trading on my local "Arms List." Here in WA state you have to go through an FFL even for private sales (unless a C&R) and for private sales there's no tax just whatever the FFL charges, usually $25.00. For the buyer there's no shipping, so I price around what the total package is via Gunbroken, using an average of the last 12 completed, actual sales not just ended listings, throwing out the highest and lowest and averaging the remaining 10 plus $30 for shipping and 10% WA tax. We also have a very active local gun forum here with an excellent classifieds section. That has proven very successful as well. You might also consider listing on one or two other forums such as the SigTalk or the Walther forum.

2. Take them to a local gun or pawn shop. You won't get near what you might selling privately, but you will save time and all the BS selling online. You have to put a value on your effort. I typically use this avenue for trade only, and usually for a gun I bought years ago and want to trade for something better. I might leave some money on the table, so to speak, but again my time is worth something and I'm willing to pay for ease and convenience, plus I find my regular LGS knows I'm a good customer and we can deal

Good luck...and if I hadn't just traded for a Beretta PX4 in .40 for carry, that .40 Recon would be something I'd want to discuss.

 

[BigBoy99]

Don't get discourage as you will get the weirdos making all kinds of offers. I recently had a gun for sale for $1950 and this one fellow said he would give be $1200 for it and went on explain how he was offering "top dollar" for it . I figured he was a wholesaler looking for "stock" and wanted to "flip it" for a profit. The gun did sell for $1900 shipped.

 

[4200chevy]

Out of all the posts I've put on here this I have learned more from this thread than all others. Thank you all for taking the time to break it down for me. At the prices I've listed I wouldnt lose money on any of these pieces. And in my experience with selling other items most people immediatly want to throw out a bull**** lowball offer. So my prices were just starting points. But it turns out I am very attached to every one of these pistols!!.. thank everyone who commented to bring me back to earth on pricing. I will give it some thought and put new prices on them..

 

[jfd]

Sarah15 (on GB) as indicated in post above will take all of the pain and hassle out of the process. His pics and listings are very professional. He has sold several of my guns in the past, most at an OK price and some at a great price. He will email you a shipping label after you tell him total weight of everything you are sending to him. All of his auctions start on Sunday and run fourteen days. He has a large following. High quality concealed carry guns (and ammo!) seem to be in short supply right now. Good luck.

 

[Dave.357]

In Forum wanted to buy , there is
Someone looking for 39 in Nickel.
You might give him a chance.

 

[Bullet Bob]

I'll echo what someone already wrote; if I'm buying a gun over the internet, I want to see more than one small photo of only one side of the firearm. When selling multiples, it's good to organize things. Either put a description with above each individual gun, or at least put a large handwritten number in the picture that corresponds with the listing, so I'll know what I'm looking at.

Good luck.