Gun Shows, looking for tips on buying, trading and selling.

[Mudcat Stew]

I don't have an FFL, just a Mississippi resident. We have a gun show in Tupelo this weekend.

My budget for acquisition is $300.00. I also have an SKS I could trade or sell, it's a Norinco arsenal 26 that I have $200 in, I don't know what a good asking price would be. Any thoughts?

Also I have a 50rd box of Winclean .45 ammo and since I don't have a .45, it's useless to me so I might trade it for ammo. But I don't know if I can bring ammo in to a show or trade it?

I like military surplus weapons. Have thought about picking up a 98k or a an Enfield... Maybe a Nagant revolver.. who knows.

I would love a PSL or something like that, but I don't know if what I am bringing in will give me the leverage to pick one up.

I have been in sales as a career for quite some time and if I knew a good asking price for the SKS, I imagine I could present it well enough.

However, I dunno that I am the best buyer. If you have any negotiating tips from a buyers standpoint, it would be helpful.

If you have some recent experience with gunshows.. good deals you have seen and that sort of thing on mil surplus type weapons please let me know what you have found.

Regards,

Mudcat

 

[hAkron]

A few things - Bring cash. Some guys only take cash and your best deal is going to come from using cash. If you see something you like, ask the seller about it. See what he/she knows about it. Without sounding like a know it all, letting them know you know what YOU are talking about and that you are interested in it they are more inclined to accept a fair offer. Sometimes these guys will have guns at their table just to draw people in to look at the rest of their over priced crap and may not be looking to deal on their lure guns. I get the feeling a lot of these guys get tables at a gun show just to socialize with each other and don't really care if they sell anything or not, or even that they just all buy from each other passing the same guns around adding $10 - $20 on to them each time the gun changes hands. That being said, once you have established an interest in a piece and the seller knows you are genuinely interested, make a reasonable offer. You may expect because you are at a gun show that people are going to be making amazing deals! Think again. If you make a reasonable offer and you get a counter offer, then you've got him on the hook. Make sure if you have cash you let him know that's how you intend on paying and you should be able to get 3 - 6% knocked off (that's what he would have to pay for a credit card transfer). Make sure you are talking 'out the door' price which would include any taxes or other fees.
The other thing to remember is to be respectful with the guns, don't grab them and start working the action or any of the other parts. It is accepted at most gun shows that you should have permission from the seller before you handle any of their guns. If you want to go beyond simple handling, that requires you ask - "Can I check the action?" "Would it be ok if I dry fire this weapon to check the trigger?". If you are serious about buying the weapon and you want to see inside or something I wouldn't just field strip the gun. I would explain to the seller why I wanted to see inside and ask him to field strip it for me.

Another tip is that there are 2 types of sellers. There are FFLs and private sellers. FFLs have received their guns, and entered them into their FFL book and can't sell them without going through the normal paper work to get them off of their books (4473 form). These guys are the most common and likely the most professional (but don't count on it). The private sellers might be slightly higher because they are selling their guns 'off the books' which some people prefer from these guys either because they don't want the paper trail because they don't want the ATF to know what they have bought, even if they are legal to buy, or because they are perfectly legal, but the ATF's automated system delays them and they don't want the hassle. Other than that, use your regular negotiation skills.

 

[JohnKSa]

Since you're already going, you can probably get a better feel for prices in your area from what's at the show than you could from asking online.

Go in and walk the show getting prices on guns like the one you want to sell and also to get a feel for prices on what you want to buy. Look at all of the guns that apply, don't assume that looking at one or two will give you a feel for the show. I've seen two essentially identical guns selling for a price difference of $100 at tables only a few yards away from each other.

Once you know what you want and what you've got then you can get your hand stamped so you can re-enter the show. Go get your gun out of the trunk, bring it back in and sell/trade it and get what you want.

 

[Mudcat Stew]

Good advice, on both counts. Thanks so much.

Thanks for the insightful posts

If you have gunshow experience please toss in your two bits.
.

 

[mortablunt]

As a seller, definitely polish up whatever you have. Also post your price tags nice and out in the open in a big friendly font. Most people who stop at your stand are just going to pick up the guns and look. Definitely go around and make yourself visible.

 

[medalguy]

Do some research before you go if you can. Know what you want and what it's really worth. Check out Gunbroker or elsewhere to establish a value. THEN go to the show and look for whatever you want.

It's fine to walk the entire show and compare prices. However, I can tell you from many years' experience that if you see a really good deal, be prepared to buy it right then and there. I've seen good deals, walked around a few minutes, then decided I really wanted that gun and returned to the seller's table only to find it already sold. He who hesitates.....

Bring cash is the best rule ever. If you are prepared to pay say $300 for a gun, put $285 in one pocket and walk up to the table and negotiate for the gun. If the seller won't come down from $300, take your cash out and count it in front of him, revealing the $285. I bet he'll accept that.

As far as selling, make a sign and attach it to a wooden dowel, put that down the barrel of your rifle, and sling the rifle. Describe the gun and the ammo you have. Walk around the show and most likely a number of people will ask to see the gun. You have saved the cost of buying a table, and you'll probably be able to get retail for the gun.

 

[rcmodel]

Bring Cash & this is the best advice so far.

then decided I really wanted that gun and returned to the seller's table only to find it already sold. He who hesitates.....

Like medalguy, it has happened to me too many times to count.

If you find "the one", don't even lay it back down on the table until you have the dealers full attention and have negotiations already in progress.

I have laid a gun down to get my money out and had some guy looking over my shoulder snatch it up from right in front of me.

rc

 

[JohnKSa]

However, I can tell you from many years' experience that if you see a really good deal, be prepared to buy it right then and there.

This is a great strategy for someone with "many years' experience". A person without that experience may or may not realize a really good deal without walking the entire show.

But yes, you're right, of course. The really good deals won't last long--people will snap them up.

 

[medalguy]

You're right of course. That's why I said in my earlier post that a potential buyer should do his homework first if he knows what he's looking for, know the value of a particular gun, and have an idea of what he's willing to pay for a particular gun.

Now, if you're walking around and just happen on to a good deal on a gun you weren't in the market for, then yes a lot of experience is absolutely required. Not so much if you're in the market for something like a British SMLE rifle or an M1 carbine.

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

Ain't it the truth RC!

I have also been the guy behind you muttering for you to 'just lay the frickin' thing down' so I can pick it up and say 'SOLD'.
After all, possession is 9/10s of a sale.

Bet most of us have been there before.

That chance alone is what still makes shows fun.

Be prepared to make up your mind quickly, you have to learn a good deal when you see it.


JT

 

[Smokey Joe]

Advice...

Mudcat--Just echoing advice from above, but it's true, I know from experience. KNOW YOUR PRODUCT!! Let me make that perfectly clear: KNOW YOUR PRODUCT!!! The more you know about what you are trying to buy or sell, the better you can do. There is no such thing as having done too much homework.

Once when negotiating for a VW Beetle, I was accused of being a dealer just because I'd done my homework and knew that in that car, the parking brake cable is a bloody nuisance to replace.

You'll have to find out what SKS's are going for IN YOUR AREA--the demand, therefore the price, varies quite a bit from one locale to another.

And I agree, in the paying-for department, nothing speaks louder than cash.

 

[trex1310]

Stay away from the dealer that has on the same shirt that he had
on at the last show. Not just the same shirt, but the same shirt
that he hasn't taken off. You'll know him when you smell him.

 

[duck911]

What they said!

Some deals are obvious. I rarely find a screaming deal on guns but do frequently find good deals on components.

$2 for a bag of 300 40S&W brass. $20 for 500 virgin 300 SAUM brass. Hornady .357 XTP's for $14/100. Genuine Leather pistol case for my scoped Redhawk 44 magnum for $6.

That was just this weekend at Tanner in Denver. Didn't spend $50 and make out like a bandit!

I once found a MGM stainless 45/70 Encore barrel w/brake for $100. The barrel had light frame marks and hadn't been shot much, and I knew the brake alone was worth $200. I snatched that right up - and don't own an Encore. Sold it on-line for $375.

Then there is the ridiculousness of gunshows:

Almost 2 years ago now I offered a dealer at Tanner gun show a very fair $625 for a used varmint rifle. He had it overpriced for $750. The gun RETAILS NEW for $700. He turned me down. Lo-and-behold, I saw the same gun this weekend, sitting on the same dealers table, still with the same price.

Or, the fact that I went ready to buy a Ruger 10/22 this weekend, for when I take kids shooting. I was prepared to spend up to $200. Apparently $200 no longer buys a fella a reasonably good condition USED 10/22 these days. They were all $250 and up. I didn't even bother to make an offer. So I hit Sportsman's Warehouse on the way home and picked up a brand new one for $199.

They key is to know what stuff is going for and jump on a good deal when you see it! Perusing the classifieds here and on other sites can give you that background.

If nothing else, it's a great freak show and the jerky is good

--Duck911

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Fashion a sign with a brief description and asking price, fasten it to the barrel of the rifle, hold the rifle muzzle up and walk around the show with it. If it is something desirable, you will get offers on it within minutes. You can use your Word or other program and your printer for a more professional appearance, with the paper stapled to a piece of cardboard. Make two copies so you can put one on each side so it is visible from all angles. You will get more out of it this way than if you offered it as a trade-in. Sometimes dealers will want to "lowball" you. I don't have a problem with this as, after all, they can't stay in business by selling a gun for less than they paid for it; it is just part of the game.

Now, what to do with all your newfound cash! Don't be afraid to haggle with private sellers or ask for a cash discount from dealers. Waving a few C-notes in front of someone's face will get their attention. If the "right gun" calls to you, it is usually not a good idea to delay, or someone else will snap it up.

 

[fallout mike]

Listen to trex1310. Hes not kidding.