Gun shop haggling

[jeff-10]

Ok, I am venturing into unfamiliar ground. I am going to trade a CZ-75 Compact in at a gun shop. Its basically in excellent condition, has the original case, manual, accessories and an extra magazine. It also has wood grips from CZ that go for $80. Would a gun shop take all that into account when valuing the pistol? I self stuff online so I am not above selling everything individually online and just trading in the gun. I am considering putting the factory grips back on and selling the wood grips online.

I fully understand you trade in a gun at a gun shop for a considerable discount but my question is would I get the same amount for just the gun without including everything else? I know these are a lot of hypothetical questions however I want to go into the gun shop in the best possible position.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Expect them to give you 50-70% of what they think they can sell it for. If they believe the package will go for $400, they'll probably offer you something like $225. If they think the wood grips will increase it's sale to $440, they'll probably give you ~$250.

 

[hogshead]

If you are comfortable selling stuff you would be way ahead to sell your stuff and buy outright. Cash speaks way louder than trades.

 

[buck460XVR]

I'd ask the gun shop and go from there. Boxes and original papers generally increase value....aftermarket grips and an extra mag not so much.

 

[Reloadron]

Your best bet is to sell it on your own. When we had the gun shop I was generous but not that generous.

I would generally look to be able to make 25% on a gun. So it works this way. You have a gun worth $400. On a good day about $300 will be my best and final offer on the gun. I was always up front with people and more often than not would tell them to sell it outright privately.

I had display cases full of guns, the last thing I wanted was another gun and there is no way a gun shop will pay what the gun is worth. Taking guns in trade was fine but... When I took a gun I was gambling I could sell it (turn it around). A gun collection didn't pay rent and utilities.

Any gun on any given day is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. You mention $80 grips. Many times a gun came in with a scope. People would tell me the scope is worth or the soft case is worth... Bottom line is I'll give you the scope back, remove it as I don't want it and I have dozens of soft cases I give away.

My advice is sell the gun privately or accept what the dealer offers. The choice is yours.

Just My Take
Ron

 

[btg3]

I self stuff online so I am not above selling everything individually online and just trading in the gun.

IMO, you will fair better monetarily selling/trading the gun in it's stock configuration. And rather than pay a dealer to move your gun, why not post here or at an online auction? I've had good success selling here at THR and at Gunbroker. I would think your CZ-75 compact would sell quickly. Of course an in-state FTF deal would be preferred to avoid shipping and FFL costs. Just do your homework to comply with regulations.

Of course, the gun shop transaction is convenient and that may be more important than the money. It's up to you.

 

[Bubba613]

It's a time vs money calculation. How much is it worth to you to take pics, write the listing, answer emails, field low ball offers, pack the item, ship the item, etc etc? I can't answer that as it's an individual thing. The shop is no hassle cash now.
Generally I'll look at wholesale cost and figure some discount to that, like 10% for a like new item. Or I'll look on Gunbroker and see what people have actually paid (not what some guy is asking) for a similar gun, and then make some discount to that.

 

[Sniper66]

I have sold several guns locally by buying a $2--$3 ad in the local free flyer. I have had no trouble selling guns for a reasonable price. That said, I have one rifle, a very nice Ruger 77/17 with a new scope that I can't get an offer on; not everyone wants a 17HMR. Gun shops, as do all private businesses, have to gamble on what they can sell so don't expect to get all your money out of a gun. Be reasonable and if you do a lot of business with a gun shop it is likely they will be reasonable with you. If it doesn't seem reasonable to you, make a counter offer or say Thank You and go somewhere else.

 

[Fremmer]

You may not get much consideration for the custom stuff because it won't add much to the sales price of the used gun when the next guy buys it. Because custom mods were added by you to please your taste, not the next buyer's tastes. He won't want to pay more for your fancy grip choice. That doesn't mean they aren't nice grips, just that there won't be much return on them.

That's a broad generalization regarding gun mods, but I find it to be usually applicable.

 

[gym]

Usually as a rule of thumb, like houses, what you sink in, is your taste, and you may either get more or less than normal depending on what you did and if it is something the buyer liked or didn't. Sometimes what we like others consider ruining a classic firearm. I would stay away from anything that cannot be reversed. Even finishes can cost you money, some guys prefer the original patina, and consider that nitron or bead blasted new finish, ruining the gun. It just all depends.

 

[Baba Louie]

If you know the shop owner well, and if he is not busy and you've spent a lot of money there in the past and he knows you'll do more of the same, you can always try to haggle a bit. It might or might not be a worthwhile endeavor. Can be entertaining to all if... and I repeat, if, you're a known face in the crowd and he is NOT busy. (They're all busy nowadays it seems)

But remember, he is in business to cover his expense and make enough money to keep the doors open. So go in with your eyes open in that regard.

When they know you well enought to call you and say "Hey Baba Louie, we just got _______ in and I know you want/need it", well, then you've spent way too much time and money there, but he might be willing to do a little tradin'.

Just my take on it. Back page to sell locally is usually a better way to go. Or consignment, which has it's own risks and issues.

 

[Dreamliner787]

I always hear the same story. On a trade they would justify their low ball offer on the trade by saying that they could buy it for lower, but on the sale side their comments is that they're just selling it slightly above their costs. My question is what do LGS really make? Example: if they can take a trade for on a 90% condition Glock for $300 and reselll it for $350 that's a $50 profit which I would think is pretty decent profit margin plus what the sell price is for the new gun that you're buying; but unfortunately they'll only offer something like $200 for the Glock. Don't trade to LGS, it's only a rip off unless you have a really good relationship with them. IMO.

 

[Bubba613]

I've never offered $200 for a Glock. I'm usually between 350 and 400 depending.
Fifty dollar profit on a $350 sale is a 14% margin, which sucks, even in the gun business.

 

[Reloadron]

I always hear the same story. On a trade they would justify their low ball offer on the trade by saying that they could buy it for lower, but on the sale side their comments is that they're just selling it slightly above their costs. My question is what do LGS really make? Example: if they can take a trade for on a 90% condition Glock for $300 and reselll it for $350 that's a $50 profit which I would think is pretty decent profit margin plus what the sell price is for the new gun that you're buying; but unfortunately they'll only offer something like $200 for the Glock. Don't trade to LGS, it's only a rip off unless you have a really good relationship with them. IMO.

Do you have a clue what is involved in running a brick and mortar business, let alone a gun shop? Let's see we start with rent on the building, followed by utilities and then we have the cost of advertising. A three line Yellow Pages listing runs about $350 a month. Then of course the phone line(s) are business lines. Oh wait, try calling for insurance and don't forget what insurance cost. Gun shop commercial insurance isn't cheap. You think a $50 profit is a good return on a $300 investment? You have much to learn. When a shop (dealer) takes in a gun he is stuck with that gun until it sells. Guns sitting in a display case do not pay the monthly bills. Try owning and running a real successful business for several years and get back to me on that $50 profit thinking for a $300 investment.

A good and reputable dealer will lay things out to the customer as I mentioned earlier. In defense of retail gun shops it is not an easy all fun big money business.

<EDIT> Beat by Bubba! </EDIT>

Ron

 

[fallout mike]

I would never trade in a gun. When you do this you are not haggling. You are being molested. Haggling is when you are paying cash. Trade ins you are at their mercy. You can sell it yourself at market value. In a trade they are getting it at a price where they will sell it for the same price you could but they will make 20%-50% more than you bc of the amount you give it to them for. And this is not them doing anything wrong. They have to make money to stay in business.

 

[beatledog7]

You posted this question on a forum site on which people buy and sell firearms. That fact should go a long way toward solving your problem.

 

[mgmorden]

Sell the grips separately if you can and then sell the original gun yourself.

1. You always get more for a gun in a private sale.
2. Upgrades addons generally do nothing (nada. zilch, zip.) to make the resale value of a gun go up. If anything they sometimes hurt it. If you have the original parts though the gun with those is worth just as much, and the upgrade parts *on their own* still have some resale value, so parting them out is always the way to go.

 

[Bubba613]

Upgrades addons generally do nothing (nada. zilch, zip.) to make the resale value of a gun go up. If anything they sometimes hurt it. If you have the original parts though the gun with those is worth just as much, and the upgrade parts *on their own* still have some resale value, so parting them out is always the way to go.

Ditto. I can't count the number of tacked out SKSs and Ruger 10/22s I've seen. I tell people, the more you do to the gun, the less valuable it becomes.

 

[exiledtoIA]

Anything custom you do to the gun will probably have an adverse affect on the price the gun shop offers you. You might think it's an improvement but when the shop tries to sell it to me, I'm looking at it and thinking how much I'm going to have to spend to get it the way I want it. Odds are we don't think the same things are an improvement so i have to pull off/out your custom stuff to put mine on.

 

[Lex Luthier]

My experience is that they will say that your possession of the original paperwork, case, factory trigger lock, etc. is irrelevant and adds little to the value. Conversely, when I am looking at a new sidearm, of course they offer all of the above as an incentive to purchase.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

In a private sale, the buyer is typically a person looking for a gun to own.

In a sale to a dealer, the dealer is looking for a gun he can turn around and sell again.

Here is an example of what this means practically:

If the fair market value for the gun you own is $500, then you can typically sell your gun for something close to that in a private sale. The buyer is looking for a gun like yours and if you can offer him a price close to, but below, fair market value, you will be able to sell it to him. If you can offer him the gun at $50 to $75 less than fair market, he'll be happy with that.

Conversely, if the fair market value for the gun you own is $500 and you are trying to sell it to a dealer, his offer on your gun won't be nearly as close to $500 because this is pretty much all he can turn around and sell the gun for. His highest offer might be $330 to $350 dollars because of simple economics.

If time is not pressing, consider advertising it around for something under the fair market value and see if you can sell it in a private sale for something more than a dealer would offer. (You can take it to a couple dealers and see what they would offer in order to help you establish a private sales price.)

Good luck!

 

[MachIVshooter]

always hear the same story. On a trade they would justify their low ball offer on the trade by saying that they could buy it for lower, but on the sale side their comments is that they're just selling it slightly above their costs. My question is what do LGS really make? Example: if they can take a trade for on a 90% condition Glock for $300 and reselll it for $350 that's a $50 profit which I would think is pretty decent profit margin plus what the sell price is for the new gun that you're buying; but unfortunately they'll only offer something like $200 for the Glock. Don't trade to LGS, it's only a rip off unless you have a really good relationship with them. IMO.

Gun shops survive on used guns and other merchandise. New gun mark-up is typically only 15-20%. Try keeping a shop open selling 3 or 4 new guns per day (which would be a very good average for a small shop) for a gross of maybe $2k, which will mean a net around $350. Do it every business day, you'll have a GP of about $7,500. Now pay your one employee. There goes at least $2,500. Now pay $1,500 in rent. Then phone, internet, electric, gas, and insurance-probably $500 there. Now the shop owner's gross is down to $3,000, which is going to be more like $2,400 after taxes. Try surviving on a $2,400/month net income. It can be done, but it leaves very little for anything but necessities.

I run a small business. My labor rate is $60/flat rate hour. Saying you make $60 per hour sounds like you're doing pretty good, but once you factor in how many hours you actually bill and all of the other expenses, believe me, it's nowhere near the $125k a person truly getting paid $60/hour would be making before taxes.

Small business profit margins are usually little more than it takes to keep the doors open.

 

[drsfmd]

New gun mark-up is typically only 15-20%.

New gun markup is nowhere NEAR that much. It's 8-12% on most items.

Used guns, it's generally a 25% or so markup.

 

[Upstater]

@machIVshooter- AMEN, brother!!

 

[MachIVshooter]

New gun markup is nowhere NEAR that much. It's 8-12% on most items

Dude, I'm shopping at your store!

All the LGS's around here are in that range, with some exceptions on specific guns being notably higher or lower. A gun they buy wholesale for, say, $432, like a G19, they'll mark up 15% ($497) then round up to the next $9.95 ($499.95).