Liquidating collection

Is there a local gunshop you trust that may sell them on consignment for you?

Dont forget that you have a direct line to a high quality clientel right here on THR too!

First stop would be consignment at a LGS. The ones I used to use charged $25 or 10% whichever was more. The way they did it was nice, you gave them your bottom dollar take-home price and they marked it up about 20% and negotiated on your behalf. A copy of the receipt with the buyers info marked out was put with your check when you picked it up, and they would be very up front about what they got out of it. Sometimes they would cut commission to make a gun move, and sometimes they would step in the office to call the consignor and say “I know you wanted $500, but I have a cash offer of $500 and it’s your call, we can split it out and you get $475. (That exact scenario happened) where neither got exactly what they wanted but it was plenty close enough. Find somebody like that, and if it doesn’t sell in a month or so then try something else. Just be cognizant that some states make you pay background and whatnot for you to legally get your guns back. That always chapped me.

Consign them to an auction house. Rock Island Auctions or Morphy are two large concerns that do a good job and buyers can bid online via several ways.

The virus won’t last forever though it feels like it.

I agree with consignment if you want the least hassle. If you don’t mind shipping and/or you have an FFL you trust you can probably move a lot or all of them here. True enthusiasts generally will pay what a gun is worth and sometimes more.

price them fairly and you might move them all pretty quick that way.

Auction is an option also. But beware of their cut which will be significant, and IME people often expect deals on common firearms at auctions. If you set the prices too high you might not move them.

Post pictures of one or two guns here ... and see what happens

Got to go with everyone here who has suggested consignment as being a relatively hassle free way to go with selling your collection. Some gun shops might charge you 10% of the sold price if it sells in house or else give you a choice for listing it online for a slightly higher fee.

I would bet there are auction houses near you in Colorado that will be happy to help you. Nice thing about auctions is many are on line. Also, the auctioneer is in your corner, the more it sells for, the more he makes.

Kevin

There are 2 places, both in the Denver area I can suggest trying. Green Mountain in Lakewood, and Centennial Gun Club in Centennial. I have never been on the sell end, but I have bought pre-owned from both. The gunsmith at Centennial, Bart Miller handles consignments, and he is really fine smith who knows his stuff, both as a smith and as someone who handles fine guns and collectibles.
Best of luck.

Yeah, I'd say consignment, or wait until next year.

I've been doing the same but piece-mail through Gunbroker. My LGS / range does free transfers with membership so cost is minimal. Plus Gunbroker fees are reasonable.

I'm not a fan of consignment. Mainly because I've consigned a few guns with 3 different shops and never sold a one. I was asking what the owners suggested, but to no avail. Plus the local shops wanted 25%-30%. The last one I tried wanted 20%, but valued the guns quite low to get quick sales. I declined. I've sold several over the years with ads in local publications and have recently been selling on MidWestGunTraders.com. The latter will get a lot of views and requests. So you have to be willing to stay on top of it. A buddy and I have recently sold several guns this way. Prior to the virus, I would have suggested a public auction. A good auction will attract lots of buyers. I've been to several and good guns, of the type you are describing, generally bring market value or higher. Of course, the auction company takes a cut. The virus changes everything. If you can be patient, I think your best bet is to try selling a few on your own and wait for the insanity to subside. Here is what will work, in my judgment. People are looking for an item they have always wanted or bargains. If you charge say 10% below market value for really nice guns, they will sell. You'll get a fair number of tire-kickers, but if you can tolerate them and spend 10% for a successful sale, you'll be money ahead. Good luck with your challenge. I hope it goes well for you and let us know how it goes.

Hi, I'm new to the forum but I've bought and sold a lot of guns so I figured I'd chime in.

I think the question of how to sell has to do with how much effort you're willing to put in and how much of a loss you're willing to take. If you want it to be as simple as possible, other posters have mentioned consignment as the most hassle free method. Depending on the firearms in question a gun store might be willing to purchase them from you. These are the easiest methods, and also where you lose the most money.

Personally I don't recommend consignment. Anytime you introduce a middleman you are losing money. In my area gunstores and pawnshops have quoted me consignment fees of 15-25% of the proceeds from a sale. So if I have a gun that cost me $1000 they will recommend I price it at 899 so it will sell, and they'll pocket their consignment fee. I'll walk away with $764. This is assuming that it WILL sell for that price though. I know when I'm looking at used guns if it's only 10% off MSRP I'll pass it over unless it's rare/collectible. If I'm buying it through an FFL I know I'll have sales tax & a 4473.. at which point I'm more likely to just order a brand new gun from Budsgunshop.

As for selling, I don't recommend selling to gunstores as they'll routinely lowball with offers of 40-50% of the value of a firearm. They're especially bad about this with pistols in my area - I think largely because NC requires a state issued pistol purchase permit or a CHP in order to sell between private parties so they know they're more likely to get away with it.

Based on what you've described as your objective (Fair price for you and the buyer) I think selling on an auction site like gunbroker or similar will get you the best value. Gunbroker's fees aren't outrageous, and depending on how motivated you are for it to sell you can price it accordingly.

If selling locally, armslist is always an option, but most private buyers (like me) are going to expect it to sell for at least 10% off. I don't haggle, but if I'm buying a used gun from someone I don't know I need an incentive to purchase a used gun instead of just buying new.

Just my 2 cents based on my experience buying and selling in the Southeast. Good luck!

If you want to get rid of them en masse, ten I would look to Rock Island Auctions or James Julia; yes there will be a fee they extract, but if you have more higher end than lower end, they will get top dollar

Gunbroker would be the best place to get the most money, but as you said, it's a PITA if you don't want to do it.

IF you do list on GB, do NOT post crappy photos unless you want to sell for substantially lower than the gun will bring with good photos. I've sold several guns on GB and also bought even more. GOOD photos is a key to selling high. POOR photos is a key to buying low.

I've bought and sold many guns through several means and I also agree that Consignment is a losing proposition. WestKentucky is lucky with the prices his gun shop charges as around my area 20-35% commission is the norm. I get you don't want the hassle, but if you want a bigger cut of the sale you'd need to do some of the legwork yourself. Sell one or two at a time here or on Gunbroker until you have your collection down to where you want it.

Here's where the rub comes up. You need to be realistic on your prices. You're not going to get an "as new" price for something that is relatively common or easy to get. I'm sure you have some awesome, rare items, that will demand a premium. Premium items though with a high price tag will take longer to sell. If you're realistic in your price and have a little patience you can work through your collection relatively easy.

Or, you could do the shotgun approach here on The High Road and list 10 guns for sale at a time. You'll get all kinds of interest that way.

Those are some nice guns you have. Another vote to post them here as well as selling them on consignment if you have a good LGS in your area.

O C- Since you are here in Colorado, I strongly suggest contacting Ross at Gunsport Colorado in Boulder. They charge 20% for consignment, but are absolute professionals with a quality clientele for buying quality firearms. I have moved many unwanted members of my collection with them, including both local and GunBroker sales. Please PM if you want more information.

I'm downsizing in retirement. Have sold a couple at the LGS on consignment. That was easy; all I had to do was let them keep 20% of the sale; although one took over a year to sell but I was in no hurry. Sold another at a local auction house that does two or three gun & sportsman & militaria auctions a year. Their consignment fee was also 20% but I'm happy and I didn't have screw around selling them myself. Split up the proceeds so my son gets to put something in his IRA and my step grand daughters get something into the custodial accounts I have for them. Both places that did the sales for me were well aware of the value of the items and I pretty much knew what to expect, including consignment fee so there were no surprises.

Rockrivr1 said:

...Here's where the rub comes up. You need to be realistic on your prices. You're not going to get an "as new" price for something that is relatively common or easy to get. I'm sure you have some awesome, rare items, that will demand a premium. Premium items though with a high price tag will take longer to sell. If you're realistic in your price and have a little patience you can work through your collection relatively easy...

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A key point, and you may not get much for any accessories that are included.

Consignment is a good option, but I would also recommend forums like THR and others. On average, you’ll be dealing with more knowledgeable people (when compared to something like Armslist) and if the prospective buyer has been here a while, you can check their post history if you want some background.

If you want top dollar, look at some of the make-specific forums. For example, if you have a P7, take a look at what they go for over at HK Pro. Then look at how long it took to go from first post to sold. I occasionally venture over there and it’s astounding - people ask for (what I think) are fairly high prices, and they sell in less than a week.

Gunbroker is another option. In addition to good photos and description, also consider when the auction ends. I once got a great deal because I was the only bidder on an auction that ended mid-day on a Tuesday. If you can, target a Friday or Saturday after payday.

I think Bud’s Gun Shop will handle consignments!

Local shop is putting my Father's estate on Gunbroker for a 10% commission. We're getting excellent prices and I'm happy to let him handle the work for his 10%. I think that is hard to find these days but worth looking around.

We thought about shows (before covid) but $100+ for tables, time, misc expenses, etc with no guarantee of sales made that less appealing.

Auctions take a higher % typically and I don't see them getting the Gunbroker prices (usually).

All good advise, but I second posting here as well. Good luck.

O C said:

As time marches on, I find myself with more guns than I can keep up with. I sold the Colt "Snake Collection" , which left me with 35-40 handguns and I lost count of long guns.
I had planned on renting a table at the gun show, but the virus took that away. Now, what to do? Have an "Estate Sale"? Or try and sell on line (pain in the keester) . Or is there other options I haven't thought of?
THere aren't any "cheap" guns in the bunch. Several HiPowers, Colt revolvers, S&W revolvers, Berettas, Misc H&K, Sig, Dan Wesson..you get the drift. They won't go at "give away" prices, but fair to me and buyer. Any suggestions ?

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Old Steel Firearms in Littleton
Gunsport Colorado in Boulder.
Although OldSteel has a lot of vintage stuff, they have a lot of more modern stuff. My son bought a really nice Ruger GP100 there. They are almost 100% consignment or buy outright.