Trading in

[bonefamily]

We all know the old adage, "If I knew then what I know now..." Oh well, being a new shooter and buying several firearms I have come to find that this can be an expensive journey. I would like to trade in a couple of my pistols for one that to me would make more sense to what I am now liking. In short, I know I would like a medium sized 9mm for carry and defense and a .22lr for target practice - just the two.

I have the .22lr covered and I am keeping that, but I have a Kel Tec P-32 (ammunition to expensive for me) and a Kel Tec PF-9 (too much recoil for my liking) that I am considering to trade in for a slightly larger bodied 9mm. My question is what can I expect to get for trade in value for the P-32 and the PF-9? I know this will vary from gun shop to gun shop but if you all could give me a general idea I will know not to get suckered in to the first gun shop I go to. Thanks.

 

[Tortuga12]

if you were in my neck of the woods, I'd be happy to acquire that P32 from you! My guess is you'll get half of whatever the "book" value is for a particular gun, shop's gotta make a profit on every transaction.

 

[L_Killkenny]

Now a gun dealer could probably be a little more precise but mark up on new gun is generally in the 25-50% range. A gun that cost you $300 cost the dealer $200-$225. No gun dealer in his right mind will give you what he can buy a new gun for or anything even close. From my experience guns we get for $300 have about a $150 trade value.

Obviously I don't have any of the specifics needed to give a firm answer but general rules of capitalism do apply.

 

[bonefamily]

Thanks for the replies. I figured it would be about half of what the retail is on the said firearms. That makes for a hard hit as neither of the two have yet to see 100 rounds through them. But I guess we live and learn.

 

[Mausermolt]

300$ for the pair im guessing. but if you put it on a classified website or nickle adds you may be able to squeeze out another 50- 100 clams

 

[Dragline45]

Find a shop that does consignment. The shop I go to, items under $1000 they take %18 if sold on consignment. The state I live in is tough to find gun owners for private sales, and often when having to deal with FFL's and shipping to other states I would gladly give up the 18% to save myself the headaches.

 

[BigD_in_FL]

My question is what can I expect to get for trade in value for the P-32 and the PF-9? I know this will vary from gun shop to gun shop but if you all could give me a general idea I will know not to get suckered in to the first gun shop I go to

Just selling to them? About 25-50%
Trading them in on a new one? 35-65%
Selling them privately on your own? 75-95%

Lots of good medium sized 9mm. Personally, I would try to see if I could have my 22 and 9 be from the same maker and similar so as to make familiarization easier.

Another route is that many semis, like Glock and Kimber have after market 22 conversion kits so you still practice with the same trigger, etc.

 

[bonefamily]

Thanks everyone. I live in a small town area and we have three local gun shops - none which do consignment. I hate to list in classifieds (unless local) as there would be a FFL transfer fee on top of shipping, correct? With the above fees in mind, this could be about the same as half per firearm. I would be trading in for another so perhaps the gun shop could add a bit more for me. I plan to start going around tomorrow but wanted to get an idea of what to expect from you all before doing so.

The PF-9 is available in a .22lr conversion kit from Twisted Industries which I read is a good conversion, but that would not correct the main reason I am not liking the PF-9 with its heavier recoil.

My .22lr is the Beretta Bobcat. I bought it as a practice piece for the P-32 which was intended to be my carry gun - similar in size (plus it is just a fun gun to shoot). The PF-9 was intended to be my house gun, but I have since learned that the costs are adding up quickly - mainly the cost of .32 acp ammunition. This has lead me to go with a single 9mm and a single .22lr (also makes the wife happy). So, with that in regards, a 9mm in the size of my Bobcat would more of a handful than my PF-9

 

[BigJimP]

I think you have enough input on price...and hopefully your local dealer will help you out on a trade..../ especially if that was where you bought them.

A couple of tips ....make sure the gun is pristinely clean and properly lubed when you take it in, to trade it. I can't tell you how many dirty guns I see come into my buddy's shop - looking for trades / and it affects what he will pay for the gun.

Make sure its not loaded...no rounds in the mag either....its just smarter ( and you'd be shocked to know how many times they are loaded).
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Before you buy again, ideally you want to shoot a variety of 9mm's ..get a feel for the difference in the controls, grip angles, sights, how the triggers feel as they break, how far they travel ..how they reset, width, weight ....all of that stuff makes a huge difference.

There are so many 9mm's out there...poly frame, alloy frame , steel frames...it would be hard to suggest you look at anything ...but at least look at offerings from companies like Sig ....at least a 239 model (their single stack - relatively small gun) ....and some of their larger full size guns like a 226 ...and some kind of a 1911 in 9mm ( Springfield, Colt, Kimber, etc ) ...

and rent - or try and shoot as many as you can before you buy.

 

[TheNocturnus]

Stop right now! Do not trade, you will be very disappointed with what you will get. Go to Armslist.com and sell them to an individual. You can probably get between $200-250 each if you sell them to an individual. At a gun shop you would be doing good to get $125 per gun.

I speak from experience.

 

[chris in va]

Private sale...depends on your state of residence.

For example KY does not require an FFL transfer from one state resident to another. Your state may require that. We'll all be doing that soon though.

 

[bonefamily]

Thanks for the help and advice everyone. Surely I don't want to loose too much $$$ on this trade in. If it is indeed about $125 ~ $150 per gun then I think I will pass. They are just too new to let them go for that. If that is the case then I will try to help the PF-9 to shoot a bit nicer - maybe a grip extension and recoil grip cover, or the like - and, just always be looking for the best prices on .32 acp for the P-32.

I had my eye on both the Ruger P95 and the S&W Sigma 9mm. I guess if I could trade in even up then I would probably cut my losses and go for it, but I don't think I would even get that much for my Kel Tecs.

Thanks chris in va - I'm in Ohio so I'll need to look into private sale...

 

[orionengnr]

Post it in the classifieds on this forum--plenty of Ohio members here.

 

[bonefamily]

Any Ohio members - or does anyone know if Ohio requires a FFL transfer when selling private to another Ohio resident? I have a co-worker that is very interested... Thanks.