I can fully undedrstand this as long as you are a licensed dealer (ie. FFL01, etc) What really frosts me are the "wanna-be's" that have the same attitude.
I can relate to that. But If I'm selling a gun even as a private individual and you want to trade for it... and I really don't want what you're trading I have two choices.
I can refuse the trade as I don't really want that particular item OR I can decide that maybe I can make a little money off of it and put it towards what I'm really looking for.
So then you have a choice. Pay cash and forget the trade or take a bit less for your trade to get what you want.
I never feel offended either way.
A gun's value (or anything else for that matter) is only what it's worth to a potential buyer at that time. I have traded into items that I didn't want because I thought I could move it at a small profit. If not, then there's no point in my having made the trade in the first place.
Now if I want what you're trading it's a entirely different story.
As a quick example I had a weatherby 7-08 that I had at a recent show. a guy comes by with a Marlin 30-30 wanting to trade. I already own several 30-30s and don't want another one. I'm perfectly happy taking the weatherby home with me at the end of the show. But the guy doesn't have enough cash.
I offer the weatherby to him for 225 bucks and his marlin.... he gets upset saying the "blue book" shows his marlin is worth at least 225 and I'm only asking 400 for the weatherby.... So I explain to him I don't really want the marlin.... I'll only make the trade if I can come out a bit ahead cause now I've got to sell the Marlin that I don't want...
He walked off and then came back a few hours later and made the trade. he's happy, I'm not really so happy cause now I have to sell the Marlin to get up the cash for buy what I really wanted.
So who's the loser? He got what he wanted, I didn't, but I may have a latent 50 bucks for not getting what I was looking for. When and IF I get the money out of the Marlin that I expect to get...