Buy used, sell used, how much is lost?

Basic law of economics, "buy low, sell high".

Find your best deal purchasing, probably privately, enjoy it, then try and sell for a little more privately also.

I've managed to do that with classic cars. Worked my way up from an MGA to a '67 Corvette over a number of deals.

Then either find another shop for the transfer (I charge $20), or have them order the gun you want and sell to you direct.

Vote with your feet.

Comrade Mike said:

I'm not at issue with shops making a profit. I take issue with some of my local shops who will charge you a hundred dollars for a transfer for finding a gun you want on your own.

Click to expand...

Technically, as an unlicensed consumer, you are not meant to profit in the trading of firearms. Realistically, you can probably privately sell (if lawful in your AO) for close to what you paid and give the buyer a good deal at the same time. Most shops will give you a better deal on trades because they make money from both ends. Don't be afraid to dicker on the price with used firearms.

Currently, it's a buyer's market and you may not even come close to getting what you're asking. Know what you're bottom dollar is and don't be afraid to decline offers.

If you buy smart you should never loose any $$$ on a used gun IMHO. I have never lost money on a gun even after accounting for transfer fees etc...

The key is never sell to a store. Always sell on boards like this or FTF within your own state.

A good transfer dealers who will transfer and ship a gun USPS for you is a huge asset! Being able to ship a gun to a FFL out of state via USPS priority mail is a huge savings for buyers which transfers into more $$$ to you the seller.

I have a friend who owns a shop

He does not need the money generated by the shop. His father started the shop but passed away 5 years ago. The guy who owns this shop runs it more like a hobby than a business with most of his customers being friends. In my opinion he pays too much for his trade in and therefore has to charge too much for his used guns in order to make any profit. I look at it like this, If I am buying a like new used gun I want to save about 20% of the cost of a new gun. So, if the new gun that I am interested in costs $500 I should be able to buy a used one for $400 but I might pay $425. Once you get to the $450 dollar mark I would just rather buy a new gun, with all the goodies in the box, knowing that no one has messed with it. Assuming that the dealer needs to make a decent profit on that same gun he needs to buy it for between $300 and $325 dollars. So, if he buys it at $300 and sells it for $400 he makes a 33% mark-up and if he buys it for $325 his mark-up is about 24%. Most retailers, as I understand it, mark their products up 40%. Notice that I called the difference in cost to buy and price that the item is sold for Mark-up and not profit. Profit is the money left over after you pay all the costs associated with running the business.
So lets go back to your example, If the rifle that you buy cost $400 dollars originally and you get it for $300 then you have initially saved $100 or 25%. If you then turn around and sell it back to him in the same condition in which you bought it, and he gives you $200. Remember a used gun is a used gun is a used gun. The only thing that matters after it has been sold the first time is condition. So, if you had bought it new for $400 and he bought it back from you thinking that he could get $300 for it, how much is he going to pay you? He is probably going to give you $200, the exact same amount he would give you for the used one that you bought for $100 less, assuming that they are in the same condition of course. If you were to sell it on a website such as this or the others allready mentioned you might be able to recoup all of your money. You will rarely do that with a new gun unless you get really luck and find an unobtanium at a reasonable price like an AR-15 2 years ago.

Cee Zee said:

Profit isn't a dirty word but that doesn't mean I want someone to make it off of me.

Click to expand...

This is an odd statement.

Do you buy your food at the grocery store? Because they are looking to profit off you. Ditto basically every other business you ever use, for anything.

Without profit there ARE no businesses, only government run things - and we all know how well those work!

Yeah, look at the military. Completely government run.

Nico Testosteros said:

Yeah, look at the military. Completely government run.

Click to expand...

And drowning in debt, budgets slashed, research and development unfunded, overpriced no bid contracts awarded, entire contracts gutted, wasteful spending and the rank and file don't even get three hot meals at the D-Fac in Afghanistan... Yup, S.N.A.F.U.

It realy is not possible to give an anwer that is anything more than a guess.

When I was in business, I paid a slight premium for guns that were purchased from me to begin with (about 5% but up to 10% depending on the circumstances)
Buying off the street I generaly paid 60 to 65% of what I figured I could resell it for. Again depending on circomstaces it could be a little higher or a little lower.

The shop I worked at before it went down the tube paid as little as possible - period. If he could haggle a person out of a $300 gun for $25 he considered it a success. I considered it a disasterous policy for staying in business.

He lasted about 5 years and had no business sense at all. Folks don't like getting completely screwed and the word spreads. He ran the rest of his business just as poorly and would not listen to anyone regarding making changes.