Selling to gun stores versus via online auctions

Sig_Dude · September 6, 2015, 09:34 PM

What has your experience been when it comes to selling guns to a gun store versus selling via an online auction site?

I have a few that I want to unload and am not sure what route I'm going to go just yet.

On one hand, a gun store is easy, you just walk in there with it and 9 times out of 10 walk out with (some) money. But typically you take a big loss at a gun store...I have found that even if the gun is in *perfect* shape and hardly used or even never fired, they give you about 50% of what you paid for it.

Online auctions typically net more money, but then you have to deal with photographing, writing it up, managing the auction, packing it up (I hate that part) and shipping via all the special rules. Plus, there are more fees associated with the online method.

What do you guys typically do?

By the way, I am talking about pretty common stuff, nothing exotic or rare.

Thanks for any input.

Water-Man · September 6, 2015, 11:44 PM

It varies from one store to another. Most of them are on the high side.

The one I do business with has a very reasonable consignment program. If the gun sells for under $600.00, their fee is only $25.00.

If over $600.00, the fee is $40.00.

You'll normally get more money selling a gun over an online auction than selling it to a retail gun store.

djont57 · September 7, 2015, 07:25 AM

I sold a revolver on armslist; went good, sold fast & I got what I was asking. (should have asked more.

)

Wishoot · September 7, 2015, 08:47 AM

Neither.

I'll either list them on the Buy/Sell/Trade subforums here (in addition to other gun related forums), or on Armslist. I've had very good success with both methods, but greatly prefer selling through a forum.

g.willikers · September 7, 2015, 08:54 AM

Putting it up for sale on consignment at a local store that gets a lot of customer traffic would be my choice.
Usually the least hassle for the best price, as long as the store is run well - good customer base, does proper paperwork, doesn't let consignment guns gather dust, 'etc.

natman · September 7, 2015, 10:34 AM

Selling your guns to a gun dealer is like selling your car to a car dealer - something you should only do if you need cash right now or you just want to get rid of them regardless of price.

Sure it's easy, but you won't get nearly as much as you would at an auction. The difference will be more than enough to cover the extra work and fees. Get a quote from a dealer and start your auctions at the price he quotes and they're likely to move fast and for more money.

So unless you need money immediately or your time is extraordinarily valuable, don't sell your guns to a dealer.

**Aguila Blanca** · September 7, 2015, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sig Dude

On one hand, a gun store is easy, you just walk in there with it and 9 times out of 10 walk out with (some) money. But typically you take a big loss at a gun store...I have found that even if the gun is in *perfect* shape and hardly used or even never fired, they give you about 50% of what you paid for it.

Online auctions typically net more money, but then you have to deal with photographing, writing it up, managing the auction, packing it up (I hate that part) and shipping via all the special rules. Plus, there are more fees associated with the online method.

What do you guys typically do?

A gun shop pays you less than what a gun is worth because a gun shop is in business with the expectation of making a profit. That's what businesses do. They can't expect to sell your gun for more than it's worth, so they have to pay you less than what it's worth if they hope to make a profit. That's simple Business 101.

You seem to have overlooked a third option: consignment. On the few occasions when I have sold a firearm, I have put it on consignment at a shop I trust. I've used two -- one sells only locally, through his display case. The other puts guns on one of the Internet auction sites. I tell them how much I would like to net from the deal, they mark that up by their percentage (15% IIRC) and put it out for sale at that price. If my asking price plus their commission results in an impossibly high price, they'll tell me. At that point, I can either lower my expectations, or take my gun to another shop and see if they'll put it on consignment for the price I hope to get.

Selling on consignment means, of course, that there's no control over how long a gun might sit around before selling. There was one that sat on consignment for almost a year before the gun shop and I agreed it just wasn't likely to sell at any price and I took it back. If a gun is on consignment, it's like a house listing. A buyer is free to offer less than the asking price, and the gun shop is morally obligated to pass the offer along to you, at which point you can decide whether or not to accept.

The last one I sold on consignment sat for a few months, I looked at what other, similar guns were going for, and agreed to lower the price by $50. It sold soon after the price cut.

natman · September 7, 2015, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Selling on consignment means, of course, that there's no control over how long a gun might sit around before selling. There was one that sat on consignment for almost a year before the gun shop and I agreed it just wasn't likely to sell at any price and I took it back. If a gun is on consignment, it's like a house listing. A buyer is free to offer less than the asking price, and the gun shop is morally obligated to pass the offer along to you, at which point you can decide whether or not to accept.

Selling on consignment can be a good option if it meets your needs. You should get a better price than an outrigt sale because the dealer doesn't have to tie up his money in the gun. You do have to be patient because it can take a while for the gun to sell. Be aware that if you put a gun up for consignment and decide to take it back, you will have to fill out a 4473 and background check in order to get it returned.

carguychris · September 8, 2015, 11:08 AM

If you sell online, shipment will likely come into play.

I suggest reading the "How to ship firearms" sticky at the top of the General Discussion forum if you're not familiar with the legal and cost issues that come into play when shipping a firearm.

Specifically:

Only a FFL may lawfully mail a handgun or stripped long-gun receiver; a non-licensee has to use UPS or FedEx, but this is quite expensive because you generally must use one of their Next Day Air services, and their drop-off requirements may pose a considerable hassle if you live far from a major metropolitan area.
Many FFL's refuse to accept shipments from non-licensed persons because they don't want to be stuck in limbo if the firearm turns out to be illegally modified and/or the sender can't be clearly identified for federal record-keeping purposes. Many online-auction sellers post disclaimers to address this (i.e. "Buyer must verify that receiving FFL will accept shipments from a non-FFL"); however, this will dissuade certain buyers whose preferred local FFL follows this policy.
For these reasons, particularly if selling a handgun, I strongly suggest checking how much a local FFL will charge to ship the firearm for you; you'll likely have to pay an additional transfer fee, but the FFL can ship the handgun using a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Box, and the cost savings over UPS/FedEx Next Day Air will often more than offset the transfer.

Sig_Dude · September 8, 2015, 08:46 PM

I sold several rifles (and some rifle lowers) online. I shipped from the UPS hub to an FFL and properly declared it a rifle and provided the FFL's paperwork to UPS.

I also sold a pistol this way. Everything the same except it had to ship next day air. The only thing I did differently is I called the FFL's shop to make sure it was legit.

Let me ask this though, let's say someone somehow dupes you into thinking they're an FFL and even sends you bogus paperwork (or someone else' legit paperwork). Both you and UPS have no idea and ship it out.

Who is liable in that case?

No, I have absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe this happened, in fact I'm quite sure it didn't. But, if I am going to get into selling online, I want to be properly educated.

Thanks.

FITASC · September 8, 2015, 08:53 PM

You can check online about the FFL which would be the address you'd be shipping it to.

Sig_Dude · September 8, 2015, 09:03 PM

Quote:

You can check online about the FFL which would be the address you'd be shipping it to.

Yea. I guess at the end of the day, no matter what someone may try, if you ship to an FFL that is registered with the ATF, anything that happens after that is not your problem.

ETA: https://www.atfonline.gov/fflezcheck/

Onward Allusion · September 8, 2015, 10:13 PM

Gun store will give you a quarter of what you could get by selling it yourself online. If you don't want the hassle of selling 'em yourself, sell under consignment at a store.

Gunplummer · September 9, 2015, 08:44 AM

If you have enough guns to keep the Auctioneers percentage down, a local auction has always worked out well for me. If you live in the backwoods, maybe not. The Auctioneer's take is almost always below what a Dealer will figure in. I have never gone wrong at a live auction with guns or bows. Even junkers usually move pretty well.

g.willikers · September 9, 2015, 11:13 AM

Yes indeedy, local auctions are usually a great place to sell stuff, guns included.
The idea that just one more bid will win prevails.
No? Ok just one more then.

September 6, 2015, 09:34 PM	#1
Sig_Dude Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2010 Location: Southeast PA Posts: 115	Selling to gun stores versus via online auctions What has your experience been when it comes to selling guns to a gun store versus selling via an online auction site? I have a few that I want to unload and am not sure what route I'm going to go just yet. On one hand, a gun store is easy, you just walk in there with it and 9 times out of 10 walk out with (some) money. But typically you take a big loss at a gun store...I have found that even if the gun is in perfect shape and hardly used or even never fired, they give you about 50% of what you paid for it. Online auctions typically net more money, but then you have to deal with photographing, writing it up, managing the auction, packing it up (I hate that part) and shipping via all the special rules. Plus, there are more fees associated with the online method. What do you guys typically do? By the way, I am talking about pretty common stuff, nothing exotic or rare. Thanks for any input.

September 7, 2015, 08:54 AM	#5
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Putting it up for sale on consignment at a local store that gets a lot of customer traffic would be my choice. Usually the least hassle for the best price, as long as the store is run well - good customer base, does proper paperwork, doesn't let consignment guns gather dust, 'etc. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

September 8, 2015, 11:08 AM	#9
carguychris Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2007 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 7,523	Another issue... If you sell online, shipment will likely come into play. I suggest reading the "How to ship firearms" sticky at the top of the General Discussion forum if you're not familiar with the legal and cost issues that come into play when shipping a firearm. Specifically: Only a FFL may lawfully mail a handgun or stripped long-gun receiver; a non-licensee has to use UPS or FedEx, but this is quite expensive because you generally must use one of their Next Day Air services, and their drop-off requirements may pose a considerable hassle if you live far from a major metropolitan area. Many FFL's refuse to accept shipments from non-licensed persons because they don't want to be stuck in limbo if the firearm turns out to be illegally modified and/or the sender can't be clearly identified for federal record-keeping purposes. Many online-auction sellers post disclaimers to address this (i.e. "Buyer must verify that receiving FFL will accept shipments from a non-FFL"); however, this will dissuade certain buyers whose preferred local FFL follows this policy. For these reasons, particularly if selling a handgun, I strongly suggest checking how much a local FFL will charge to ship the firearm for you; you'll likely have to pay an additional transfer fee, but the FFL can ship the handgun using a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Box, and the cost savings over UPS/FedEx Next Day Air will often more than offset the transfer. __________________ "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules... MARK IT ZERO!!" - Walter Sobchak

September 8, 2015, 08:53 PM	#11
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	You can check online about the FFL which would be the address you'd be shipping it to. __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

September 8, 2015, 10:13 PM	#13
Onward Allusion Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2009 Location: Back in a Non-Free State Posts: 3,133	Gun store will give you a quarter of what you could get by selling it yourself online. If you don't want the hassle of selling 'em yourself, sell under consignment at a store. __________________ Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying

September 6, 2015, 11:44 PM	#2
Water-Man Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 2,126	It varies from one store to another. Most of them are on the high side. The one I do business with has a very reasonable consignment program. If the gun sells for under $600.00, their fee is only $25.00. If over $600.00, the fee is $40.00. You'll normally get more money selling a gun over an online auction than selling it to a retail gun store.

September 7, 2015, 07:25 AM	#3
djont57 Member Join Date: March 13, 2015 Posts: 34	I sold a revolver on armslist; went good, sold fast & I got what I was asking. (should have asked more. )

September 7, 2015, 08:47 AM	#4
Wishoot Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2009 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,093	Neither. I'll either list them on the Buy/Sell/Trade subforums here (in addition to other gun related forums), or on Armslist. I've had very good success with both methods, but greatly prefer selling through a forum.

September 7, 2015, 10:34 AM	#6
natman Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2008 Posts: 2,607	Selling your guns to a gun dealer is like selling your car to a car dealer - something you should only do if you need cash right now or you just want to get rid of them regardless of price. Sure it's easy, but you won't get nearly as much as you would at an auction. The difference will be more than enough to cover the extra work and fees. Get a quote from a dealer and start your auctions at the price he quotes and they're likely to move fast and for more money. So unless you need money immediately or your time is extraordinarily valuable, don't sell your guns to a dealer.

September 8, 2015, 08:46 PM	#10
Sig_Dude Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2010 Location: Southeast PA Posts: 115	I sold several rifles (and some rifle lowers) online. I shipped from the UPS hub to an FFL and properly declared it a rifle and provided the FFL's paperwork to UPS. I also sold a pistol this way. Everything the same except it had to ship next day air. The only thing I did differently is I called the FFL's shop to make sure it was legit. Let me ask this though, let's say someone somehow dupes you into thinking they're an FFL and even sends you bogus paperwork (or someone else' legit paperwork). Both you and UPS have no idea and ship it out. Who is liable in that case? No, I have absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe this happened, in fact I'm quite sure it didn't. But, if I am going to get into selling online, I want to be properly educated. Thanks.

September 9, 2015, 08:44 AM	#14
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	If you have enough guns to keep the Auctioneers percentage down, a local auction has always worked out well for me. If you live in the backwoods, maybe not. The Auctioneer's take is almost always below what a Dealer will figure in. I have never gone wrong at a live auction with guns or bows. Even junkers usually move pretty well.

September 9, 2015, 11:13 AM	#15
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Yes indeedy, local auctions are usually a great place to sell stuff, guns included. The idea that just one more bid will win prevails. No? Ok just one more then. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”