Is there a "blue book" for guns?

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MedGrl

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I am thinking about selling one of my guns (finances are tight) but I want to make sure I am getting a fair price. When I traded my car I looked up its value on kelly blue book to make sure I got a good trade in price. Is there something similar for guns?
 
Yes, coincidentally called the "Blue Book of Gun Values"

Amazon has them for about $33. Or you may check your local library first and save a few bucks. Your shooting buddies may also have a copy you can barrow
 
MedGrl:
If I may make a suggestion and that is go to web auction site like www.gunbroker.com and plug in yout particular model. Check the asking price versus the bid price and you will get an excellent ball park figure for your firearm's actual price. This works for me and should for you also. Good luck. :)
 
If I may make a suggestion and that is go to web auction site like www.gunbroker.com and plug in yout particular model. Check the asking price versus the bid price and you will get an excellent ball park figure for your firearm's actual price. This works for me and should for you also. Good luck.
Click to expand...
That is also a great suggestion
 
The broker sites will give you a lot better idea of the value.
Sometimes I don't have a clue how the Blue Book people come up with their values.

AFS
 
Blue Book values are generally obselete by the time they actually get the book published. They aren't "real time" values, so to speak.

And merely "consulting" gunbroker.com is insufficient. Many of those sellers list their guns at ridiculously high prices. The guns stay there indefinitely.

To get a real value, register to buy/sell. Then find your particular gun, ones that are actually receiving bids. Place them on your "watch" list. After they sell, you'll have your ballpark figures.
 
One thing I noticed looking through a book on collector's values: some guns have very low collector's value but are worth more as actual use guns. And some high dollar collector's items are not good choices for target, hunting or self-defense use. So a collector's book and a used gun values book could give different values for the same gun.
 
"...Blue Book values are generally obsolete by the time..." Yep. They're an average of prices from all over with no regard for local supply and demand.
Auction sites aren't exactly great either. Some people think everything they own is a collector's item. A lot of the sellers are dealer's too. They'll give you an idea of asking prics though. Your local gun shop will give you an idea of wholesale prices. Dealer's base what they offer for a used rifle on the wholesale price and how fast they think they can sell it. Plus local supply and demand. The worst time to sell a used hunting rifle is right now. Deer seasons are winding down, in most places, and there are all kinds of people looking to sell.
 
I've found that the Blue Book (and other, more specialized references) are best to identify what you have, and to get a relative idea of worth - for example, whether nickel plating makes the firearm less or more valuable. The auction services will give you a better idea of actual value.
 
Sometimes I use genitron.com but it's only for handguns (both pistols and revolvers). It usually gives the MSRP and a good-condition used price. They usually have a ton of other statistical info that's interesting. Not sure what they base their cost information on, but it's one more piece of datum to help consider a price tag.
 
Thanks for all of the great advice. It has given me a few good places to start my research and get a fair asking price. I knew I could count on my THR buddies for some good answers. :cool:
 
There is no online source for gun values like Kelly Blue Book in general.

I do like to have a Blue Book of Gun Values (by Fjestad) available to consult for general ballpark price information. It is the best book reference for this purpose and they are revised and published annually around April. I use mine all the time to give me an idea about value as in some cases, I have no idea other than a gut feel. The book also provides other information about grading guns, production years, and so forth.

If I am really interested, I'll check closed auctions at GunBroker. That is a national market price and my not transfer well for selling in your local market. You can sell on GunBroker as an individual however. But again, it is a place to refine your value approximation. Ultimately, the value of a gun is what a buyer is willing to pay you. Unless the gun is some collector piece, I seldom offer market value when buying. But I don't offer gunshop prices either which are frequently 50-60% of the local market price depending much on how many used guns they have in stock and how quickly they believe they could sell it for a profit.
 
Apex29 said:
Blue Book values are generally obselete by the time they actually get the book published. They aren't "real time" values, so to speak.


To get a real value, register to buy/sell. Then find your particular gun, ones that are actually receiving bids. Place them on your "watch" list. After they sell, you'll have your ballpark figures.
Click to expand...

I agree.
 
Gunbroker.com, unless its super rare. Look at bid vs asking and you can get a very good idea. Plus unlike a book which is out of date as soon as its published its real time.

As was said above place guns smiler to yours on your watch list, after a few sell you will have a good idea what the market value of yours is.
 
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