How to go about selling a rifle.

[ZGunner]

I'm sure this is the wrong section but I didn't want to post in the selling forum because I'm not selling here.

How do I sell a rifle? Do I go to a pawn shop and let them lowball me or what? What are my options? It's a rifle with about 20 rounds through it, brand new otherwise. Just need to get the best price possible for it.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Here I would just put it in the newspaper. Not sure what the applicable rules are where you live. I can't imagine Georgia being too strict. It's simple really. No paperwork necessary. Just a handshake and an exchange of gun for cash is what we do here.

You could go the newspaper route.
Your local shop may sell it on consignment, which would put more in your pocket than pawning it would.
If you're a member of a range, maybe they have a board you could print up a flyer and tack it to.
Word of mouth has sold more than a few for me.
I've seen friends post on Facebook, "I've got xoxo for sale. Hit me up if you're interested." And it worked for them.
You could go to a gunshow and try and sell to an individual.

 

[W.E.G.]

Depends on what it would be worth at "glassy-eyed retail."

If its only a $300 rifle, you need to think of it more along the terms of "finding a good home for it," as opposed to "turning it for a profit."

If done to my standards, its 10x as much work to "get rid of" a gun as it is to buy it in the first place. Makes me think twice when I'm considering that impulse buy anymore. There DOES come a time in a collector's life where he KNOWS he has too many guns. Big PITA to thin the heard properly.

I usually sell on the internet. Usually Gunbroker. Sometimes Virgina Gun Trader if the thing is just so low-value that I'm pretty much giving it away, and I make the buyer come pick it up at my house.

Selling a long gun at auction on the internet isn't hard:

• set a reasonable minimum price
• have a proper box
• take good pictures
• write a thorough and coherent description
• do not omit the obvious
• do not fail to state all terms of the sale
• pack the thing properly
• monitor your shipment

Selling handguns is more difficult, as you cannot use USPS unless you go though an FFL, and UPS/FEDEX overcharge for shipping if you tell them what is actually in the box.

 

[Sam1911]

Just need to get the best price possible for it.

Probably Gunbroker or Auction Arms, then.

 

[Sniper66]

If there is a local advertiser like here it's called "The Trading Post", run an ad in it. I have sold several guns locally like that. The ads here cost only $3...just went up from $2. My local newspaper is a left wing rag that charges a lot for the ad and insists on including a bunch of PC disclaimers. I have never sold on GunBrokers but that might be the way to go if you can't sell locally. I also sold a shotgun through my gunsmith; he allows his better customers to leave a gun with him and post a sign; he charges only the transfer fee if it sells. Some of my local gun shops take consignments, but they usually take 20-30%.

 

[Furncliff]

Armslist is sort of a Craigs list for firearms. Follow the link, select your state, and see if this might work for you.

http://www.armslist.com/

 

[oneounceload]

Just need to get the best price possible for it.
Probably Gunbroker or Auction Arms, then.

Unless it is something highly valued, I'll disagree - by the time you pay % of sale, shipping costs which can turn folks off on a low-value gun, etc., he would be better advertising in every local free venue out there - gun club bulletin boards, local paper (S. GA should be OK with that), the Big Nickel or whatever those local "for sale" papers are where he lives, as well as various forums like these where there is no cost

 

[Sam1911]

he would be better advertising in every local free venue out there

He may well be. The flip side is that he said he wanted the top dollar he can get for this gun. While it all depends on what the gun is, I tend to think of the folks flipping through the free local classifieds or the gun club bulletin board as looking for screaming deals, and that the wider reach of the auction sites may let him get his ad in front of that one guy who wants exactly what he has and is willing to pay for it.

But, you're absolutely right, not having to pay transfer fees and shipping would save a fair bit of cash, and if the gun isn't worth all that much to begin with, the savings might be 30% of the transaction!

 

[heron]

I'm using an online auction site: Gunrunnerauctions.com.

 

[ZGunner]

Thanks for the responses and ideas. It's a Savage PC in .308 with a Nikon Monarch 4-16x52sf. Still have the original boxes for the rifle and scope. I know I won't be fetchin top dollar for it, but I also don't wanna trade it away for a bucket of peanuts.

I'll try advertising in any free way I can (social media, word of mouth, etc.).

 

[Coltdriver]

I can tell you from experience that you will do better to take the scope off and sell the scope and rifle separately.

Otherwise you will give one or the other away. You have a decent scope there and should be able to get a reasonable sum for it.

Sell the rifle with the rings and bases. Sell the scope by itself.

 

[ZGunner]

Well in that case I'll just sell the rifle and rings and keep the scope. I love the scope.

I figured I'd be able to sell the complete set a little easier. But I have no idea what I'm doing here. I've never even considered selling a firearm before, goes against everything my dad ever tought me.

 

[Twiki357]

I don't know how it is in your area, but I've had good luck with backpage.com in the sports equipment section. Here in Arizona, there are loads of gun listings, especially for Phoenix.