Is it worth it to trade at a gun shop, or private sale?

[JHK94]

I want to sell a handgun, and I was just curious what was better: seek out a private sale, or try to get a trade at a gun shop. I realize I can probably get more from the private sale, but the annoyance/advertising/meeting up etc. is going to be a hassle.

My main question is: how is people's experience trading/selling guns at shops? Is the price difference from a private sale that big? If I am willing to trade for a gun they have (+/- cash), is that better?

Sorry for the noob question, this is the first time I've had enough guns to actually sell any!

 

[raskolnikov_22]

Sell it on Gunbroker so you'll have a nationwide market. Find an FFL near you via Gunbroker search, and pay him to ship it USPS.

A gunstore's objective will be to make money by paying you the least amount possible then selling it for a higher price to the customer. Cut out the middleman.

 

[Firewall]

After way too much experience with it, I would definitely say to do a private sale. I personally list mine on the auction websites and ship them through a dealer. Although I've met in person a few times to complete the transaction I'm always a little wary to do so (but that's just a personal decision)

As far as price difference, it seems to depend a lot on the gun. When you trade in you compete with the wholesale price of the gun not the value it sold for originally (after all why would the dealer pay more for your used gun if he can buy a new one cheaper?). My experience has been private sales bring more money, but especially so for polymer framed guns which I guess just have a higher markup than others and therefore lower trade in value.

You could always go talk to a shop about a trade and tell them you want to think it over, and compare their value given to it vs. completed auctions and decide if its worth your hassle.

Personally I save trading for when the gun I think the gun I desire won't be around long enough to complete a sale.

Edited to add: If you go the auction route, keep trying until you have good pictures. This will literally pay off for you.

 

[Jon_Snow]

A gun shop is likely to give you only 50-60% what you could get for it from a private sale, either as cash or in trade-in value. I've been pairing down my collection recently and, after doing the trade-in thing once, decided to just sell everything else myself. The only way I'd go with the gun shop is if you need the cash now. As far as advertising goes, using a site like gunbroker is a good way to do it. I'd never sold anything online before and I had my three auctions up in about 30 minutes. Two of them sold on the first go-around, one for significantly higher than the starting bid.

 

[JHK94]

Great, thanks for the info! How much does it usually run to have a dealer send the gun for you? Around FFL transfer fee? I guess the buyer usually pays shipping, so the dealer just needs to be paid for my end of the FFL?

 

[raskolnikov_22]

$10-$25 fee plus the actual shipping expense (get insurance and signature confirmation). Shop around.

Make sure you take lots of clear pictures and be candid about any flaws so people will feel confident in what they're buying (speaking as a seller and a buyer here).

 

[zbock]

check to see if there is a gun owners forum for people in your state, soemthing like this:

migunowners.com

they should have a classified section and it will be really easy to sell yourgun through an ad there. I've sold one myself this way.

Thanks!

 

[jad0110]

You'll usually do better selling yourself, but it depends. Find a gunshop that charges ridiculous prices for their used guns and you might just do alright.

I sold an XD to a Pawn Shop with high prices for $375 a few years ago. I only paid $439 for the gun NIB a year earlier.

 

[JHK94]

Cool! I've used the backpage.com site to buy guns before, but never to sell. I just wanted to avoid having to set up appointments, etc. on there.

 

[bearmgc]

Sooo, what are you sellin?

 

[JHK94]

I'm thinking of selling my Kahr K9

 

[Coltman 77]

I'm gonna buck the trend here and say try to trade with the gunshop.

With some basic negotiation skills I believe they will work with you. After all, their job is to sell firearms: that's what their salesmen earn commission on.

I realize that we all have to watch every dollar these days, but there is something to be said for the ease of doing business with an estalished local dealer who stands behind their product.

And that's to say nothing of the value of actually seeing, handling and evaluating a firearm up-close -- as a local dealer offers.

Now, yes: you probably will pay a bit more with the local guy; nonetheless, IMHO that doesn't justify all the bullsh*t you have to go through to sell on the Internet.

Read the horror stories on various forums; there are many of them. On the other hand, you'll hear about greatdeals and wonderful Internet sellers, etc, etc. And I'm sure it works out for many folks.

But ...

I'd rather pay a little more money to walk into an established gunstore with a trade-in pistol and walk out with a NIB pistol than take my chances with some stranger's pictures of a handgun on the internet. Call me careful.

Shipping fees, FFL fees, waiting for the cashier's check to clear before the piece you've only seen pictures of ships ... well. Call me paranoid, but that makes me nervous.

(I think it's little different than buying a car, sight unseen, with only pictures you've seen on the Internet.)

When buying a quality sidearm, another $50.00 or so doesn't bother me.

I like face-to-face transactions with people I know. Period. That way, if a problem occurs, I know where to go and I'll get back in their faces asap if necessary.

And they will take care of me, like they have for many years.

Just my 2 cents worth...

Good luck, hope things work out for you!

 

[wnycollector]

I have (bought and) sold via gunbroker, auctionarms and the "buy, sell and trade" section of several forums. Every transaction has been handled in a professional manner and I was happy with the outcome. Yes its a bit of a hassle dealing with money orders, ffls and shipping...but it has always been worth the $$$ for me

 

[jad0110]

One thing you could try is ask what the dealer would sell a used Kahr K9 for in X% condition (knowing in your mind what a fair price should be). Then, say you'd like Y% of that (say, 80%) for your Kahr. Given that he has to cover his costs (not sure what that entails), that would leave him a decent 10% or so margin.

Do it politely and with your best poker face, of course.

Again, I'm just guessing with the 80% as I don't own a gunshop. Maybe others could tweak my percentages a bit.

 

[AK103K]

Another alternative is selling on consignment. I've sold a lot of guns this way and usually make out well. The dealer also has the incentive to get as much for it as he can, as his fee is usually based on what the gun sells for.

It takes a lot of the hassle out of it, and if your working with a dealer you have a history with, he may cut you a brake on the fee. Most places I've dealt with usually want 15%, the boy I usually use, and also buy from, charges me 10%.

 

[novalty]

I would have to agree with the private sale or GunBroker. I sold a S&W 459 with original box tools and spare mags last year, and when I called the local gun shop they offered me $180 for a nearly new gun. Which was 60% of retail at $350, but they did say they would give me more on trade. Since the S&W closest to what I wanted was a well used 4006 with 1 mag and Hogue grips for $475 I sold it privately. Got $375 to local shooter, and picked up a NIB 5906 from CDNN for $400 plus FFL fee.

 

[JHK94]

I went to my local gun shop yesterday, and they told me I would be better off with a private sale (talk about an honest shop!). They said they wouldn't be able to give me more than ~300 (they have a new K40 retailing for ~700), though, and that I would get more money on a private sale. So I guess that's what I'll probably end up trying to do.

 

[Shear_stress]

It can be worth it to sell or consign a gun to a gun store, but only if you are looking for quick cash or trade leverage. Stores have a lot of overhead and will generally not offer you anything near what you could get on the open market.

I mostly use the internet for selling my guns, but just for kicks tried a local gun store recently. They offered me 50% of fair market value for two guns I brought in and refused to buy another three ("those will never sell"). I thanked the owner for his time, put the guns on a local classifieds website and sold all of them in a day.

 

[mrtoren]

See what budsgunshop.com will give you for it. They purchase a lot of indivdual, used handguns and long guns. They quoted me at $325 for an originally priced $450 off brand, compact 1911. I went into my local gun shop to see if I could get a similar quote from them and they sent me packing. They wouldn't even come close to what Bud's was offering.

I ended up selling it to Bud's and everything was smooth, fast, and easy. I mailed the weapon myself via overnight UPS and received my check within a week and a half. You can also do trades with them. I highly recommend them if you don't want to deal with the hassle of a private sale.

 

[rondog]

Selling to a local gun shop? Bring some KY Jelly with you.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

If you want any kind of decent money for a gun you no longer want or need to sell, don't sell or trade it to a gun shop. (Although I have done it.) They will only give you wholesale price, after all. I've had very good luck selling on GunBroker.