Thinning The Accumulation - How?

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wanderinwalker

wanderinwalker

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Let me start by saying this is not a "what would you do if you had these" question. This is a question of what have you done that worked well and why.

Quick back story: I've been preparing for my life to become a bit more mobile starting next spring. An ex-girlfriend and I discussed hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2020. Well, she's gone from my life but I can still take a long walk. Might even be more fun without her. Anyway...

The single most difficult thing to store or move is going to be my firearms accumulation. I hadn't quite realized how many I'd acquired until I started trying to list them all out. OK, good time to reduce the clutter in my life!

So far I've used a combination of consignment through the local gunshop, outright sale to the gunshop and I've moved a few privately. I'm trying to decide the best way to part with a couple that aren't necessarily collectibles or unique, but they are older models that some folks find desirable. None of the options I've used so far will quite get me what I know they're worth.

What would be a good option or 2 to try to sell some less-common yet still fairly average guns?

(And no, I don't want to keep all of them. I have enough to consider packing and moving already!)
 
Since retirement I've been thinning things out here and there, gun wise. Sold one on consignment at a LGS and have another down there on the rack right now. There's also a semi-local auction house that does several gun & militaria auctions a year. They have a nice Lee-Enfield No.1 MK 3 of mine down there right now and the auction's tomorrow. They obviously are FFL holders and they do the NICS check on purchasers. IIRC both the LGS & auction house charge a 20% commission on sales. This is my first experience with the auction house but they were recommended to me by somebody I trust. The LGS owner is someone I've known for over 20 years so I suppose you should deal with someone you can trust in matters like this.
 
I know a lot of shooters locally, so word of mouth is where I start; just let the guys know I'm going to be parting with something and ask if any of them are interested.

Then, if I know the market value and am satisfied with that, I generally list on local boards targeting a face-to-face sale. I always specify, "Must show ID and be prepared to complete a bill of sale." I find that's generally easiest for all involved. I may then move to the classifieds on other gun boards (including this one). My listings always include full description and good pictures. I generally price "plus shipping" or list a shipped price with a discount for a face-to-face sale. Either works.

If I am uncertain of a gun's potential value and/or have the luxury of time, I'll list it on Gunbroker with the minimum I would accept as the starting bid. One bid and I know it's sold; anything higher is gravy. Again, thorough description and good pictures are necessary. Set it to relist if it doesn't sell right away.

I have successfully sold guns all these ways. The LAST thing I would do would be sell to or through a dealer if I wanted to get the maximum return. They (rightfully) need to make a profit, so you pay something to the middleman; in essence, you'll get a wholesale rather than retail price. I would only do this if speed is more important than price.
 
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Sell them on here or similar sites.
Look at www,gunsinternational.com - a sell site, NOT an auction site
Local bulletin board at the your gun club
 
Meeks36 said:
Armslist, GunBroker ask a local range if you can put up a flyer.
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That's an excellent idea and one that I forgot about. My club has a large bulletin board with a lot of room for members to post things like that. There's always interesting stuff for sale. If you're not a member of a local club perhaps a member could put something up there for you.
 
I had a guy (a local FFL) put my guns on Gunbroker for me (I had 27 items). I find that GB gets really high prices - MOSTLY. I was getting rid of a lot of duplicates - mostly semi-autos. But 3 of the items were S&W revolvers - after the first two sold for very low prices, I pulled the 3rd one and kept it. Every other item WAY exceeded the prices I was expecting. Paid for the 10% consignment fee and a lot more.

The only recommendations I'd make is to see if the FFL had done it before - look at his past listings - verbiage and photography. I did NOT do this, and the FFL I used made all of these "clever" little statements in the listings that were just corny - and didn't use my good pictures I provided and used his own not-so-good ones.
 
Have you thought about getting an RV for your newly mobile life? I have a friend who is very pro 2nd amendment who is a full time Rv'er. Hike all day and keep your guns close.

Just a thought.
 
Almost forgot Google or duck duck go your state and firearm forums. Found one while living in VA. Now that I'm back in GA it's GON. Georgia outdoor news. Bought and sold a few on local forum's.
 
Have had the best yield by going the consignment route. I think it was 10% off of the selling price if it sold in the shop; 15% if they sold it through an online auction.
 
wanderinwalker said:
None of the options I've used so far will quite get me what I know they're worth.
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Honestly, anymore my gun trading/buying habits do not revolve much about a gun's "value". I don't have any desire to be robbed or swindled, but to me, since I have a decent job and can pay my bills, I simply figure out what I want more, and then trade guns to my local gun shop for about 60-65% of what they would cost new. They can then turn around and sell them for about 80 to 85% of new price, because I take good care of my guns and take them in clean. This helps support a wonderful LGS, keeps me in good standing as a well liked customer that they like to deal with, and I get the guns I want, and get rid of the ones I don't. To me it's win win.

I view guns I own as money already spent, not really any sort of investment or asset, and if they aren't really getting shot, or being used for a specific purpose, or bringing me some sort of happiness, then that money is sitting idle anyway. So I don't really care if I lose a little money? I'd rather trade a few guns toward a higher end model I really want, as I am not spending additional money, and ultimately I don't really feel I'm losing out. Over a lifetime I suppose it will add up to a few thousand dollars of lost value, but maybe I should be more concerned about the wasted gasoline I use and payed for in my truck to drive to the liquor store, when I could easily walk there. Maybe I drink less too, so I'm not pissing money away on a luxury when that cash should be going into my savings account.

If you are really not in the best financial spot, my way of thinking may not apply. But if guns you just enjoy having are part of your life at all, I suspect you've got your finances figured out.

So I guess my point is I'd figure out what I do want, and use guns you want to do away with as layaway payments for those. Just my stance. There's undoubtedly a lot of people who would see it as wasteful.
 
Selling guns is all business in terms of the decisions you make. If I could get 60-65% of retail, that would often be great. But my experience has been that it is more like 50% and less if the gun might sit a while in their inventory. Nobody takes a hit if a gun sits in consignment for a long period of time. Yes, the gun shop is paying for insurance and so forth, but they are doing that already. The thing I don't like about consignments through a FFL is that if I take the gun(s) back, I have to pay a transfer fee and background check again.
 
22-rimfire said:
If I could get 60-65% of retail, that would often be great.
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Yep, and I'm undoubtedly getting a good transaction because I'm a regular known customer that has spent many thousands of dollars in their shop. The OP may not have that option.

22-rimfire said:
Nobody takes a hit if a gun sits in consignment for a long period of time.
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If the OP has time, that may be the best option.

22-rimfire said:
The thing I don't like about consignments through a FFL is that if I take the gun(s) back, I have to pay a transfer fee and background check again.
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Really? The background check makes sense because it's a transfer, but a fee? That sucks.
 
Armored farmer said:
To your THR friends?
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I have had so many good, fair shake deals through various gun board for sale sections and craigslist, both buying and selling, face to face and shipped FFL deals, that I must be lying about it. I've bought and sold. Guns, ammo, mags, reloading components. Met some great guys and got some great guns along the way and never had any negative experiences at all.
 
fireside44 said:
I have had so many good, fair shake deals through various gun board for sale sections and craigslist, both buying and selling, face to face and shipped FFL deals, that I must be lying about it. I've bought and sold. Guns, ammo, mags, reloading components. Met some great guys and got some great guns along the way and never had any negative experiences at all.
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How did you manage to buy or sell guns thru Craigslist? My experience has been that gun stuff gets flagged almost immediately. I couldn’t even manage to post a WRB for casting lead without it getting flagged as “hazardous materials.”
 
Elkins45 said:
How did you manage to buy or sell guns thru Craigslist? My experience has been that gun stuff gets flagged almost immediately. I couldn’t even manage to post a WRB for casting lead without it getting flagged as “hazardous materials.”
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Never bought a gun through craigslist. But gun related stuff, ammo cans, gun cases, plate carriers, etc are all over. Once you do a deal with some of the gun guys they often mention other stuff for sale or you can ask them if they have what you might be interested in. One small deal can lead to another bigger deal. Older guys thinning the herd preparing to die know other guys thinning the herd preparing to die.
 
I would go either gun broker or put them on consignment at a local shop
I really don’t like Armslist unless you can get a drivers license number or a concealed carry permit number for whoever purchased the gun. If I ever do sell a gun on that which is rare I only sell guns that are not popular for criminals. An example would be a Ruger Security Six with a 6 inch barrel or a Thompson Contender. The main reason being I have a couple of sales I made a few years ago because I needed some extra cash
I was contacted by a guy who said he was a shooter and really wanted an AR15 pistol and a Glock 19 I sold him for a big loss for me in money
After he took them I literally saw them for sale again in an hour for double the price I sold them for
I saw his drivers license to confirm age and residency but didn’t keep any information that would identify him in case the guns ended up at a crime scene or confiscated a drug house.
God help you if that gun ever gets used in a mass shooting situation. Even though in my state it is illegal to sell to anyone who is a resident and provides identification. The attention you would get and the potential lawsuits from the victims families would be horrible
 
Winding down my Father's collection now. We have an FFL putting them on GB for us, he's taking 10% which I am more than fine with! Have sold some odd pieces and parts for MUCH more than we ever would have gotten at a show or dealer. He had a rifle he had been trying to sell at years at shows for $850, on GB it went for $1350. Plus, things are gone in a week or 2. Some have gone a little low but we're way ahead given what others have gone for, I think it is a real accurate assessment of the market also.
 
Gunbroker will get your sale out in front of as many people as possible in the most convenient way possible. ArmsList? If you are willing to put up with local sales and the hassle and potential risk....ok.
 
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