trade in value for a smith and wesson model 36

[mg357]

Dear Smith and wesson Forum i own a Smith and Wesson model 36 .38 caliber revolver that was made in 1972 and i am thinking about trading it in at my local gun shop for a Smith and Wesson model 686 .357 magnum revolver with a 4 inch barrel that the shop has for sell. how much of a trade in amount would i get for the model 36? any and all help in answering this would be greatly appreciated sincerely and respectfully mg357 a proud member of the Smith and Wesson Fourm. p.s. i have never fired the model 36 since i bought it in 2008 and its in very good shape.

 

[gaucho1]

The dealer will need to make money on your 36.
You will probably get more for it if you sell it yourself.
Put up a picture and ask how much is it worth here.
High condition guns are easy to sell.

 

[fyimo]

You will do better selling it here in the classified to a forum member then you will from a local dealer on trade. You would just have the hassle of shipping the revolver once it' sold. The local dealer will give probably about 1/2 of what's worth and still charge you top dollar for the 686. You can always go to the dealer and see what kind of deal he would be willing to do and then look at your options when you sell it yourself.

You can also go to the gunbroker website and if a member up there check the completed auction on Model 36's and just look at the ones that actually sold. That would give you a good idea of what it's worth.

 

[feralmerril]

I have owned and sold hundreds of guns. Selling or trading a gun to a dealer is the last thing to do. Now yes, haveing a dealer sell one for you on commision (usualy 10 to 15%) is a good idea.
There is no way you can come out as well tradeing with a dealer. Not his fault either. You can sell it for close to double what a dealer will allow you.

 

[loutent]

I bought a consignment 36 (no dash) about a month ago at a local shop and paid $400 OTD - thought it was a good deal as it was in great condition but no extras. That same dealer has a 20% consignment fee so the seller actually got $320 in his pocket - I think you would do better here on the forum classifieds.

Here's the one I bought:

 

[jpwhel]

Value is going to be dependent on the condition of the gun, box, papers, tools, etc. Very good shape is pretty subjective and has different meanings to different people. I agree with the other comments about the dealer, he has to make money to pay salaries and rent.
I have bought a few guns from forum members and would give the forum members a shot if I were selling one.
As for the Mod 36 I have seen some very nice ones listed in the forum classifieds anywhere in the range from $350 - 500.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Good advice here. It's a certain amount of work and nuisance to sell a gun. If the dealer does it, he gets paid for it. If you do it, you get paid for it. Your choice.

 

[ia1727]

Good advice here. It's a certain amount of work and nuisance to sell a gun. If the dealer does it, he gets paid for it. If you do it, you get paid for it. Your choice.

Very well stated--Amen.

Steve

 

[dant]

Thats exactly right, any 'stocking' dealer is in it to make money ( maybe even a living...) not talking about ANY "dealer" who just buys and sells guns for friends ,and others to see how many they can move ( which fits MANY of them...) we've been down BOTH roads so can testify to it, but bottom, line is you can do better on your own, once you've done YOUR homework, get a proper evaluation of YOUR guns actual "condition" as well as any and all 'packaging' will determine just what the market will bear......................both guns you speak about above are great ones in their own realm (niche) and worthy to "keep"..........good luck

 

[redsfan2]

I was kicking around the idea of trading my 36 which is a square butt for one with a round butt. round butts will ( in general) command a premium over the square butt. Both are 36 no dash ... and the round butt has a slightly better finish than mine. Mine is in excellent shape by the way with just a hint of wear to the blueing on the end of the barrell.
Particulars are .... 350. on the round butt. I paid 325. for mine .. & told him I wanted 275. His last offer to me was my gun and and a hundred bucks and I passed.
Like the guys told you above ... dealers are in business to make money. They won't try to recoup lost profit from one gun on the next ... too risky. They have to make a profit on both. As long as its not way out of line you can't complain.

 

[pawncop]

mg357,

As one that until several years ago, sold, traded, more handguns and rifles than I care to think about, I can say without hesitation, do not trade.

If you need to sell, sell to an individual, but if all possible, do not sell.

Collect your funds, and buy the 686 outright.

Trust me you will much better off.

 

[ibewbull]

I am presently researching a 36 #J187xxx Seems to be a 72-73 production.
$400 OTD asking price and just a bit of blue worn at the Muzzle and where a holster thumb snap rode opposite the cylinder catch. Nice and tight looks like it was fired less than 100 rounds if at all.
I think it needs a new home. We will see.

 

[Rufus]

A Model 36 is good shape should be easy to sell. As has been stated above, you can expect to get about 50% of the dealer's asking price once it goes under his counter. I bought a Model 36 for my daughter that was in very good shape two weeks ago and paid $450 for it. I bought it from a dealer in the Northeast. If that hold true to your case, you may be offered about $275 to $300 on a trade-in. I suspect almost anyone would gladly give at least $400 for a Model 36 that is in reasonably good shape.

I have certainly been guilty of trading guns in for another gun that "I just had to have." In every case, I lost a lot of money on the deal. Hopefully, I have learned that if I am patient, I will come out ahead. If I miss a deal at a LGS (which by the way just happened to me), I found that I can usually find the same gun somewhere else for about the same price (or maybe lower). About five weeks ago, I saw a Model 19 in a LGS that I loved. I considered trading in a certain gun to make the deal, but I gave it a second thought. I posted the gun that I was getting rid of on several sites, and had it sold within days. When I went back to the LGS I found that they had just sold the Model 19 that I wanted to buy. I started looking around, and found a Model 66 (which is the stainless version of the Model 19) for the exact same price for what I had sold my other gun for. I ended up with the gun I wanted, and had not spent a dime more for it. This taught me a valuable lesson about impulse buying.

Good luck in your quest!!!

 

[tgmr05]

Trading will get you 200-275 around here. You can figure 100-150 less than dealer cost on a new j-frame 38.

 

[pharmer]

Let's hope MG figured it out 3 years later. Necrothreadia strikes again. Joe

 

[M3Stuart]

+1 on all the other posts - perfectly consistent, good, advice.

A year or two ago, before the chaos, I sold a 36, RB, circa 1967, very nice condition, no box or papers, for $375. I had two dealer offers; both around $200. It took me roughly 10 minutes to take the pics and post them on a local, free, internet board. And it took about an hour to drive to meet the guy, do the deal, and drive home. All within a two day period.

In very good condition, I think you'd get double what the dealer would offer you and it would be gone the same day. Ditto on the consignment deal - with ZERO work - and minus the 15% or whatever they get.

 

[jsfricks]

Yep, an almost 3 year old thread brought back from the dead.

 

[mbliss57]

LOL I was reading all of them and agreeing with all the good advice.
Maybe someone needed to read this anyway.. at least that makes me feel better about a 3 year old thread being used to look current.

 

[hotrod150]

Good advice is timeless.

 

[echo1xg36c]

LOL wow did the same reading what everyone said thinking it was recent
But to everyone reading and on the wire about the same thing, dealer are def. the last option. Even $50 selling private party above the dealer trade in value is still better profit than giving it to them.