True enough. At age 58 and a lifetime in guns, I'm not really interested in totally generic guns anymore. Not even truly useful ones. I don't need XX carry guns or XX deer hunting guns or even XX .22 range guns. When I go into a gun store or gun show, 95% of them the guns don't even attract my eyes for a second... on the other hand, I'm not some kind of high end Winchester or Colt collector either. I like to put my money into actual shooting guns... but only the really nice ones. Ones that I enjoy shooting and owning... but which seem likely to be excellent long term investments.

So after years of swearing I would never sell any of my guns, I do sell one or two every now and then. I recently sold one gun for _a lot_ and then turned around and bought five different scoped Contender pistol barrels and an Encore scoped rifle barrel. All that fun for one handgun I hadn't shot in years and didn't have any emotional attachment to.

quote:

Originally posted by Archer1440:
Consider me a contrarian. I think selling good guns is a mistake. The uncertainty of times ahead, including the election, underscores the point that a good gun will last as long as you take care of it, but the money you make from its sale will be gone quickly.

It depends on how many you have. I have over 20 guns. A friend of mine was asking me if I'd sell any and I told him I'd think about it. The more you have, the more you have to keep clean.........but then I have one example I keep thinking about. I have a CZ75B SA that I've put a lot of rounds through, I just bought a CZ customs matte stainless and had them do up the entire gun and convert it to SA only, so am I going to want to shoot the stock one anymore? Should I sell it/keep it/sell it/keep it. Most of my guns have appreciated in value.

I used to believe in keeping everything I purchased, even if shot just once a year, but with the ebb and flow of what guns sell for it got easier as time went on to let go of some to fund other shooting endeavors. Putting the money made from selling into other guns that will likely at least stay flat in value is like reinvesting dividends from investments.

That's the way I look at it as well ... I am mostly into shotgun sports (Sporting Clays and five-stand) and moved through various brands to finally end up with 3 Berettas and 1 Ceasar Guerini, plus a CZ Sharptail SxS for my go tos. That made me sell the Brownings and others and I have lost very, very little money in these transitions.

quote:

Originally posted by Creeping_Death:
I used to believe in keeping everything I purchased, even if shot just once a year, but with the ebb and flow of what guns sell for it got easier as time went on to let go of some to fund other shooting endeavors. Putting the money made from selling into other guns that will likely at least stay flat in value is like reinvesting dividends from investments.

I went through my collection last year and trimmed out a bunch of old S&W revolvers and a few guns that I had no use for, duplicates, or things my kids had no interest in getting. Other than one HK, I did well on every single gun sold. Fast forward to the current crisis and I still have a few firearms that I probably won’t ever use and my dealer needs inventory. My dealer always treats me well and undercharges me for transfers and guns that I order through him. Our typical conversation goes something like this, “what are you looking to get out of it?”. I’ll usually say something like money toward or something below the market value less consignment and let them keep whatever they make above the price. I’m in no hurry. They have a gun of mine now worth about $500-$550 and I want on optic that retails around $400.

My dealer charges 15% + any fees from the auction sites.

Sometimes dealers can get more then an individual on those sites - but it all depends on what you are selling. Lots of times if you have a "common item" that often see lots of LEO trade ins (Glock, Sig, etc), you may not see as much for the item. If you have an oddball item you can be surprised on what you will receive.

Classifieds can also work, but you should have a local FFL lined up for sending the package, as some dealers will not accept from an individual.

While I don't how many FFLs will be willing to lower their consignment fee, I think 15 percent in the current environment is outrageous. They will probably sell your gun within an hour. And they have to contribute zero money to acquire that inventory. 10 percent seems fairer.

Today, visited a LGS in an old part of town. When I asked if the shop took consignments, they said no but if they liked the gun they would buy it. Then they said that they pay Blue Book prices to assure me that “I would not be low balled”. I smiled and said I would have to go home and have a “Highball” and think about it.

quote:

Originally posted by Mountain Walker:
Today, visited a LGS in an old part of town. When I asked if the shop took consignments, they said no but if they liked the gun they would buy it. Then they said that they pay Blue Book prices to assure me that “I would not be low balled”. I smiled and said I would have to go home and have a “Highball” and think about it. Never heard of a “Bluebook of Firearms”

There are a few. Closest to that name is "Blue Book of Gun Values". Those types of books can make a nice reference for model info (serial ranges, production numbers, dates of manufacture, etc.). However, even though most of them release a new volume every year pricing is very hit or miss for accuracy but sometimes better than nothing. It's basically retail pricing, so any shop paying that and planning to resell will generally be losing money.

quote:

Originally posted by Fundman:
While I don't how many FFLs will be willing to lower their consignment fee, I think 15 percent in the current environment is outrageous. They will probably sell your gun within an hour. And they have to contribute zero money to acquire that inventory. 10 percent seems fairer.

Run a gun shop for a while and see if you still have the same opinion

Profit margin on a new gun is 10 percent max. And that requires you to buy the guns and possibly even pay interest. Consignments are no cost. They just put it on the shelf. A store that only sold consignment guns for 15 percent fee would be more profitable than selling new guns.

quote:

Originally posted by Fundman:
Profit margin on a new gun is 10 percent max. And that requires you to buy the guns and possibly even pay interest. Consignments are no cost. They just put it on the shelf. A store that only sold consignment guns for 15 percent fee would be more profitable than selling new guns.

Uh...I'm really trying to say this in a friendly way. Please don't take it as anything else = I don't think you know much about the retail gun business. There is a pretty common industry standard for margin on new guns for brick and mortar store, it's not 10%. It's more like 18%. And only somebody that hasn't payed a utility bill or insurance for a business, payed employees, or dealt with a difficult customer that took up two hours of an employees time over 10$ on a consignment gun would say something like "Consignments are no cost".

PS - Any dealer paying some sort of interest on new guns is in big trouble.

Discussed this very issue with a friend a few days ago. He wants to move a few as he was off work for several weeks. He went to a local shop and they raised their commission fee from 20% to 30%. Luckily he walked.

With no local gun shows short of a want ad tough time to sell too.

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Originally posted by OKCGene:
FWIW, be darn sure you check out and vet the place to do the consignment with.

There have been more than a few horror stories about a shop either going out of business, or just flat out refusing to communicate with the gun owner, and you lose your firearm and you lose any money you should have received.

I edited some of Gene's post for brevity but agree 100% with his assertion.

There was a local mom & pop store here that I did several transfers with & seemed good to go. I put a couple of mine on consignment, and was waiting on two inbound. No comms for several days, went to the store to ask in person......shelves were bare - 'they were re-modeling' & found my inbounds in the back "Not sure how we missed calling you to pick up"

I had a bad feeling when I left with the transfers & went back to pick up the consignment guns. While I was there, the property owner came in to pick up rent check as shop was late on payment.....the shop closed their doors a couple days later. I would've likely lost my pistols & maybe even the two I had shipped in.

My nearby lgs charges 15%. They have no inventory. However they would not take a P229 357/40 in without lowering the price well below the same model in 9mm. A high end ar15 was saleable used for the same price as new.

quote:

Originally posted by CAR:

Not to mention the fact that you do not have to deal with inane questions from tire kickers and lowball buyers. Sorry, I had an 96% + Colt .45 Government Model for sale at a very fair price a few months ago on Armslist. What a painful experience that was. I will use a dealer next time instead of selling it myself just so I don't have to deal with the public.

I’ve sold many guns on Gunbroker and that’s the main reason I stopped. The last handgun I listed there I had five ridiculous lowball offers, three people asking questions already answered in the item description, and one guy that might've been trying to get me involved in an illegal transaction, all within the first 72 hours. I would rather let a dealer handle the problems for what I believe to be a very reasonable (10%) fee.

Am I the only one who uses Armslist? I am in Phoenix, I put a gun I want to sell on Armslist and it is gone in a week tops most times in a single weekend. Full price cash in hand. Meet up a Cabelas or Sportsman’s, flash drivers license done and legal.

Sold my mak 90, with 1 ten rounder, 2 30's and 510 rounds of old herters ammo from about 2009ish. I tried to love the thing. I always like the look. The stock was just crap. I just hurt trying to use the thumbhole. when ever i shot 7.62x39, i would grab my sig 556R.
so, now was a good time to be rid of it. It was in the store less than an hour when a guy put cash down on it for his father to come in and buy. So, somewhere out there is a sheriff deputy rockin a mak 90.

My usual policy is don't sell any guns, however having amassed some duplicity in a lot of Sigs, I decided now was the time, so based on the mention here of Eastwood I sent them 3 W. German Sigs, and I could not have sold them for the "inflated for here, but not that brokerage" high dollars he commands. Plus to be honest our son is going in for Bone Marrow Transplant on June 20, so the last thing I have right now is time to deal with anything except ship them and wait for my check (that goes into 2 already ordered new guns lol).

Around the Pittsburgh area some consignment shops (furniture, jewelry, etc) of any kind ask exorbitant commissions as high as 30%+. I found the same in the firearm world except for at least one exception (there may be more but I haven't found them as yet).
There's a shop in Dravosburg PA called "Guns Priced Right" that two or so months ago (I'm assuming it hasn't changed) charges 10% consignment commission. Most of the other stores are twice as high or more. And the staff actively communicates the consignment list. Nice place. Everything I had sold within two weeks.
As others have mentioned, don't EVER sell anything unless you know what it is worth, because the few large retailer gun stores that take used guns offer about a third of actual value.
Don't play their game-

The shop near my work has always has awful prices even on used guns. But idiots bough almost all their overpriced wares and now almost all they have is used consignment stuff. Seems like a lot of shops are begging for it.