How do stores price used firearms?

Bargin price?

When used rifles are out for display, where the public can handle them, price tags have been switched.

First guy switches the price tags. The 2nd guy comes in a short time later, buys it. The department store counter person didnt know a BB gun from a 458. Out the door with the "stolen" rifle. True story. I dont think its possible today , but before 1968, it was.

Stolen handgun- 5 guys all want to look at different models. Only 1 counter person. Guys leave, 1 gun missing. It walked out the door.
Work with only 1 customer at a time. 1 gun out of the display case at a time.

Another- public auction, 3 handgun out, one goes missing.

Sorry, off topic.

ohihunter2014 said:

This is like a weird tapered barrel imo but yes, its a heavy barrel but not the baseball bat type heavy barrel. It looks exactly like the model 111 long range hunter i posted for buck.

I don't think they know their butt from a whole in the ground cause they have a Remington rolling block there that says on the tag caliber unknown. How do you buy a used gun and not know the caliber? lol.

I wish i was smart enough to buy that older rem 700 wood stock and scoped for like $375-400 but it was in a deer caliber like 30-06 or something similar and i cant use bottle neck to hunt deer.

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Unfortunately on old rifles like a Rolling Block, a lot of folks did stuff and did not document it such as rechambering for wildcats, setting back a barrel to requalify it, or to "fix" something like hogging out a rusted chamber--furthermore, some of these rifles are in old blackpowder cartridges where chamber and headspace gages do not commonly exist and they may have subtle differences between a family of cartridges.

I suspect that none of the guys at Cabela's ever do chamber castings with something like Cerrosafe for some reason such as liability if they were wrong--better to put it out as a gunsmith should check it before firing.

ohihunter2014 said:

My buddy has a few of them but we were both shocked cabelas would even buy one not knowing the caliber. He said it was in good shape and for the price he would like it and guessed it to be 45-70. He says how do you even price this not knowing the caliber. Someone sticks a 45-70 case in there and its not they are in a world of hurt. They have had a few in there and they seem to move them pretty fast or just transfer from store to store.

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There are enough models of Remington Rolling Blocks around that it has dedicated collectors for just that type. I do not know enough to be able to distinguish between them that much nor do I collect them right now as most of my collection is twentieth century with a few exceptions.

Moparnut said:

I think some do research via GB, armslist and other various sites. Some go by the blue books and some just guess. I, like you, have seen the prices on older Marlin model 30's (30as,30aw, etc) for as much, if not more than new Marlins. They typically are noted as JM stamped or pre Remlin. Personally that just seems nuts to me, but it's not my business. As opposed to the Marlins, the Savages just don't hold up their value, even though general consensus is they are great rifles.

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The reason gun shops that know what they are doing will pay more for older Marlins and then sell them for more than new Marlins is simple. The older guns are better made and better fitted than anything that has come out in the last several years and knowledgeable Marlin owners know it. I own a number of Marlins and the newest ones I own were made in the 1980s. If I want a new to me Marlin it will be an older one and the price I pay may well be more than a new one.

Some Marlins, like the iconic 39A aren't even made as a regular item and the few that come out of their "custom" shop are garbage. Serious 39A buyers want their guns from the 1960s or older because of changes over the years in the quality of the wood and the hand fittings. The cross bolt safety introduced in 1983 is also a deal killer for many buyers.

How do stores price used firearms?
Outside of the newer stuff, by guess and by golly.
I've bought two pristine SMLE No. 4 Mk. 1/2 (F)s at $99.00 from different stores because the owners were certain that they were Bubba jobs.
One was still in cosmoline, with armory tags.
-If it's outside of their knowledge base then they go by whatever pops into their head.

If it's Cabela's they look at the Blue Book price and then slap on 30%. If you trade in a gun to them they reduce the value by 40%. It you stare at them like their an idiot for a few seconds before responding, you may be able to squeak out a few more bucks.

ohihunter2014 said:

I am very curious on this one. I went to cabelas tonight just for something to do and see what the bargain cave had and made my way into the gun library. My store puts all used firearms in the library instead of the used racks and there sat a mint Savage model 111 in 6.5x284 Norma. This thing was mint, muzzle break, adjustable cheek rest, etc. $399! I seen a mint Remington 700 wood stock with scope for the same price a few months ago but then you see beat up old Marlin model 30's that look like they went through a wood chipper for $500+.

Anyways, how do stores figure out how much a firearm is worth when they buy it or sell it?

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I would guess that every gun shop and every pawn shop is different and it is based on their personal knowledge and experience. Some have more and some have less of both. I would also guess that it depends on the gun itself. If I'm trying to sell a Ruger 10 -22 there is a wide level of knowledge about value, but if I want to sell a Ruger .44 magnum carbine, there will be less. A dealer could easily guess what makes sense to pay for the first one, but may be a little more hesitant about the second one. The .22 would normally sell quickly, if priced low enough, the .44 much slower if priced at real market value. Frankly, the second one is only going to sell if the store is lucky enough to have someone wanting that gun stumbles in unless they put it on the internet, and even then it might not bring the price it should.

There are many good answers on here about how people price. I was amazed to learn that the big box stores didn't have a central buyer and that they didn't move guns to locations where they were more likely to sell.

One thing about stores like Cabelas: If you are trading for one of their guns, you can save a lot on sales tax. They lower the price of the new gun in the amount of your trade in, which reduces sales tax. I'm still usually better off selling my guns on Gunbroker, but a trade in can be handy and you don't get skinned as badly.

How do stores price used firearms? What ever we are willing to pay!!

They pay 50% of market and sell for 75%. At least MOST dealers do.

Most stores take MSRP and add 20% for going through the trouble of selling you a gun. Joe

Pretty much every chain store that deals in used guns used some fairly sophisticated "yield management" software to price what they pay the seller and what they ask for from a prospective buyer. There is no romanticism involved. At the end of the day, any money paid out to acquire a used gun is shareholder money and they are expecting a return on it. As a result, they will make offers low and sales prices high to generate the return. And their yield management system will be keeping an eye on how long it has been since the gun was brought into inventory; adjusting the price (sometimes up, sometimes down) based on the sales of comparable inventory at this and other stores.

From what I have seen they rub two chicken bones together and a price appears, on the high side.

About $100 is sometimes offered at Guns And Ammo in Memphis TN, no matter which type of handgun or condition.

Staff at a different local gun shop told me this a few days ago.
This is one reason I'm creating a written list for my wife, stating the approx. current used retail values for mine, in case my ("Widowmaker") artery stent ever becomes blocked while I'm jogging on an isolated trail and
"don't make it home again".

Often way to high and occasionally way to low. The latter are usually gone by the time I mull it over and return with cash.

Mike

I run the gun counter at a sporting goods store. On used guns, whether trade in or straight up sale, I pay 60-70% value, based on a combination of blue book and gunbroker sold listings. As for sale price, I price a used gun around 10% under current market value for a quick sale, full market value for a popular or easy selling gun. My margins arent huge, but I move merch.