Never sold a gun...

[bluetopper]

People who publish blue books of gun values make their living selling books..........not selling guns.

 

[I6turbo]

I'm leaning towards giving Gun Broker a try.
I've only recently bought a pistol there but have never sold anything.
List it as an auction with a reserve & see if it sells.
The fees seem reasonable. Any 'gotchas' I need to watch for in general?

As a GB user (buying and selling) for about 10 years, I'd recommend DO NOT put a reserve on it. That's a sure-fire way to have about 80% of potential buyers just ignore the auction.

And above all, post PLENTY of GOOD, CLEAR photos (at least 10 - 12, more is better) so that the buyer can be confident that they know what they're getting. If you can't post good photos, expect low bids.

The way to get the most money for something on GB is to list it at $.01 start, run the auction for about 2 weeks, and IME, end it on a Sunday night at about 10:30 PM Eastern time. If you don't have the guts to start it at a penny, then start it at a price that would be an excellent deal for a buyer of that gun. You have to somehow get people to start watching the auction, then over the course of the auction a couple of them will likely start wanting it and find themselves bidding it up right at the end.

But starting it at a penny will get the most potential buyers engaged, and will result in the gun bringing the most it's likely to bring. It might not be as much as you want for it, but it'll likely be the most it's "worth." I've sold quite a few guns like this and they always brought at the very top of the range for whatever the gun is, and I've watched hundreds of other auctions and seen the same thing. There are several GB sellers such as Lock Stock & Barrel and others who follow the "penny start and plenty of GOOD photos," and if you'll check you'll see that their auctions almost always do very well.

GB fees for a seller are reasonable. Fees for buyers have gotten pretty rough over the past couple years.

 

[Guy48065]

I trust what you say is true and it parallels my 20+ years of part-time selling on ebay. The issue for me is taking that risk on something that just might be undesirable. I've seen plenty of good items go for pennies on eBay because the seller underestimated the market.
I would be crushed selling an unfired gun for $50 at auction. I don't have money to squander and the whole point is to sell this for $$ to use on something more useful to me.

And of course procrastination plays a big part in why I haven't sold this unneeded gun before now.

 

[RA40]

Agree that that $.01 start does entice people to bid. Years back I bought some great stuff off eBay because the market or listing was not placed for viewership. Feel bad for the seller by taking the loss on the item.

GB isn't like that but it still is a potential concern. I'd sell it locally.