Used market flooded with great deals?

[WVsig]

I have been relatively inactive in the buying scene over the last year or so. Around 2012 I really slowed down my purchasing. Too much panic buying and pricing. Too many new designs which fell flat. Used prices as high as NIB.

Fast forward to 11/2014 and everywhere I look are great deals. S&W revolvers, BHPs, Walther PPQs, CZs, Glocks,Beretta's etc...

On top of that everyone and their brother is offering a cash back rebate on at least part of their line up. Colt, HK S&W all come to mind without looking. So there are great deals on NIB as well. HK P30s for $600 after rebate, Colt 1991s for $679 after rebate. I know that they think that the 2015 year is going to be lean for guns but is it really that bad?

These quality guns on the used shelves or in classifieds online and even the auction sites. Has anyone else noticed this? Is it just the holiday season and people need $$$ for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah? Did people simply over buy over the last couple of years while I sat on the side lines and now need to thin the herd?

Seems like a huge buyers market right now. Thoughts?

 

[T. O'Heir]

Kind of depends on what you consider a great deal.
Up here, we're still bleeding jobs to the U.S. and Mexico. While our taxes increase to pay huge civil servant pay checks that continue to go up. And our prices are higher to start with due to excessive government interference.

 

[carguychris]

Did people simply over buy over the last couple of years while I sat on the side lines and now need to thin the herd?

IMHO yes.

That said, my observation in my local area is that handguns with an established collector pedigree- Colt "Snakes", S&W P&R Magnums, Lugers, military 1911's, T-series BHP's, etc.- are still in high demand, and prices are still climbing. I attribute this to a relatively large pool of well-to-do buyers who have plenty of cash and want to purchase something tangible that won't lose value. However, the lower-end, modern, and/or not-so-collectible stuff is gathering dust on the LGS shelves.

 

[WVsig]

Kind of depends on what you consider a great deal.
Up here, we're still bleeding jobs to the U.S. and Mexico. While our taxes increase to pay huge civil servant pay checks that continue to go up. And our prices are higher to start with due to excessive government interference.

Well I have picked up a never been fired PPQ M1 with 2 extra mags for $450. Picked up a LNIB CZ75 B for $460 with ammo. The Surplus Beretta 92s for $300 t0 $320 NIB....

Seen LNIB Glock 19s Gen 3 and Gen 4 for $400. Did not go for those because I have one no need for more of those.

I passed on a W. German P226 with carbon steel slide w/6 mag, some 10 rounders for $529.

Passed on a LNIB Sig P227 SAS for $650.

These prices were out the door at stores or private sales.

 

[WVsig]

That said, my observation in my local area is that handguns with an established collector pedigree- Colt "Snakes", S&W P&R Magnums, Lugers, military 1911's, T-series BHP's, etc.- are still in high demand, and prices are still climbing. I attribute this to a relatively large pool of well-to-do buyers who have plenty of cash and want to purchase something tangible that won't lose value. However, the lower-end, modern, and/or not-so-collectible stuff is gathering dust on the LGS shelves.

Yeah stuff like the Colts and S&W Mags are still moving up in price but I am seeing stuff you don't normally see. I have scored some nice S&W magnums at decent prices and each of them is in VG to excellent condition. Stuff that I have not seen on the market very often like a 13-3 3" S&W. I agree that people who have cash are keeping the collectible market high especially the stuff that is no longer made.

I wish T series BHPs weren't in such demand. I would love to get a few of those into the safe.

 

[riflemen]

I was at a local shop the other day and the owners were having a conversation about a local politician who got in, saying stuff like, 'oh, we better buy now before we can't", I was thinking to myself, these shop owners are just as bad as the guys making the bs laws, taking advantage of what ever situation they can and fueling the BS... But whatever its their business..

When ever we have "scare sales", the used market gets flooded shortly after. I sold a bunch of older stuff that doesn't get used much at the peak, now I have been buying here and there when I see decent deals, but most of the panic buyers bought junk- glocks, cheap 1911's, taurus, ak's, cheap ar's, ect... Not many of the panic buyers were grabbing $7000 o/u's, $4500 1911's, ect... Although I did just score a never fired german sig p210 for $900 that a gentleman bought and then figured out he would never shoot it..

Most people figure out having a firearm is a liability, they then need a safe, and now a place to put the safe, its just not for everyone, I on the other hand don't mind having a vault and 4 safes, lol...

 

[WVsig]

Although I did just score a never fired german sig p210 for $900 that a gentleman bought and then figured out he would never shoot it..

That is a huge deal!!! Depending on vintage that is a $2000 to $3000 gun!

I just saw a LNIB BHP MKIII go for $540 with free shipping on GB.

 

[riflemen]

I was happy with the deal, its easily worth $2000. The friend of mine who did the transfer told me he would give me $1000, lol... I have the opportunity to buy 4 S&W performance center revolvers for $3000, I am going to look at them tomorrow, 625 talo, 44 mag snub with the smooth cylinder, 44 vcomp, and the 357 vcomp {I have a 357 vcomp 2 tone already, not sure if his is a 2 tone}. They are all unfired except the 625...

 

[WVsig]

I was happy with the deal, its easily worth $2000. The friend of mine who did the transfer told me he would give me $1000, lol... I have the opportunity to buy 4 S&W performance center revolvers for $3000, I am going to look at them tomorrow, 625 talo, 44 mag snub with the smooth cylinder, 44 vcomp, and the 357 vcomp {I have a 357 vcomp 2 tone already, not sure if his is a 2 tone}. They are all unfired except the 625...

That is what I am talking about!

 

[TunnelRat]

Yes and it's driving me crazy on two fronts.

1.) Too many tempting deals right before the holiday season, which tends to also be when all my insurances and car maintenance come up
2.) I've been trying to sell on consignment and nobody is buying. I'm tempted to give up and just keep some of the items because it would kill me to drop the prices to what I know I need to in order for them to sell.

 

[WVsig]

Yes and it's driving me crazy on two fronts.

1.) Too many tempting deals right before the holiday season, which tends to also be when all my insurances and car maintenance come up
2.) I've been trying to sell on consignment and nobody is buying. I'm tempted to give up and just keep some of the items because it would kill me to drop the prices to what I know I need to in order for them to sell.

What you selling....

 

[Viper99]

There are some deals there to be had around my parts but for the desirable must have, they are still expensive. S&W revolvers are still in the 500's for the model 10, 12 and in the 700 range and up for 19, 27, 28, 29.

 

[WVsig]

There are some deals there to be had around my parts but for the desirable must have, they are still expensive. S&W revolvers are still in the 500's for the model 10, 12 and in the 700 range and up for 19, 27, 28, 29.

Sometimes it is regional. Here in KY it is a little better than that on the S&Ws but I agree there is a lot of common tactical plastic and more common guns being sold off.

I need the market to cool down so I can rebuild the gun funds!

 

[Viper99]

I did find what I thought was a good deal out of another FFL I go to.
H&K P2000sk with box, papers 2 mags for $549.00. The problem? it was a .40 which I have no desire for.

 

[DannyB1954]

On the new market, I think the law of supply and demand prevails. Many manufacturers geared up to fill the demand, and now that the panic rush is over, they have over produced.
On the used market, a lot of people who were not really interested in guns bought them. Now that the panic has passed, they have gone back to being disinterested in owning them.

 

[WVsig]

On the used market, a lot of people who were not really interested in guns bought them. Now that the panic has passed, they have gone back to being disinterested in owning them.

Yeah I think that is the case to some extent. I am just also seeing a lot of what I would consider gems at reasonable prices. Not steals like a $900 P210 but solid deals on pretty rare guns.

Could be that the economy is still hitting people hard and they are selling off older stuff.

I agree 100% that the manufactures over produced and are projecting a slow 2015 so they are trying to move the metal.

 

[USMCGrunt]

Yeah, it's a buyers market right now. We are dealing with a post 2013 panic that saw the market flooded with firearms for what could have been a pending ban on many designs. People wanted what they believed they would soon be denied and bought like crazy. Well, the ban never materialized (thank God) but you now have manufacturers that are geared up for mass production trying to sell to a public that isn't in such a frenzy any longer. Matter of fact, in many places, they are still dealing with the Obamanation economy and sacrifices need to be made leading them to sell off what they bought in the panic but now at a loss in a saturated market. Finally, we now have a friendly congress and senate which makes the possibility of any further gun control laws being passed pretty unlikely so there is no sense of urgency fueling the fires of a panic like we seen in 2013.
Granted, there are stores and people that bought at the higher prices and are now stuck with them. They can either sell them at a loss or maybe break even if we are talking about current production guns, or sit on the shelves or in the safe going unsold. At one store I haunt all the time, they've had a Bushmaster ACR priced pretty steep that has been there now for over a year. Might not be an interest in an ACR but for me, it's an easy one to spot amongst all the ARs they have on the shelves as well. If they held back enough money during the panic when everybody was buying, they can probably weather the financial downturn and leave it sit on the shelf unsold but if they need money bad enough, they will have to sell it for a loss.
This is all nothing more than an economic reality. If you are looking to sell, you missed the boat by just shy of a couple years. If you are looking at buying, I would say that this is the time to go at it. Short of some sort of national tragedy that is bad enough to sway a pro-gun legislature, I would say we have at least a couple of years before the next elections and the possibility of another demoncrap taking control of the white house and congress. If that happens, prices may rise and even may rise prior to the elections depending on well sellers can sell the "Demoncraps are going to win and ban this and that and this so buy now" line of thinking. It's all about timing in a world of politics and economic realities.

 

[LockedBreech]

We are absolutely sliding further and further into a buyers' market. I saw a sale with brand new Colt 1991s for $599 after rebate, M&P police trades in great condition are regularly available for $300-350, the Walter PPX is brand new $340, Colt LE6920s for under $1,000 are commonplace, Beretta is having huge rebates of $100+ on both the PX4 and 92 lineups...

And in the last month I bought a stainless Sig SP2022 with night sights and two magazines for $399 new in box, and a new in box Beretta 92S for $336 shipped. Oh, and the newest one, the Smith 642, no-lock model, for $370, new in box, shipped.

I have my bank account braced for this holiday. There are gonna be good deals out there, even more than now.

Good time to be on the hunt.

 

[Jim Watson]

I agree that it is a post-Panic sell-off and glut.
People who overbought are unloading, scalpers are crying, and manufacturers are stopping overtime and cutting prices. Some of the small outfits, especially the Lego-gun AR places are probably sunk.

A friend of a friend paid twice retail for three AR somethings. If he caught the peak, he could have sold them for three times retail for a 50% profit or kept one free. If he didn't, they are now worth below retail and he is just another failed scalper.

My problem is, I don't want anything for my own use.
Should I speculate?
More likely recall Mark Twain's definition: A bargain is something you don't need at a price you can't resist.
And fire up the sales resistance.

 

[Hal]

Seems like a huge buyers market right now. Thoughts?

I'd expand that to say it's a huge consumer's market right now.
As much as I'd love to take advantage of the deals with guns, most of my dollars are tied up with the good money deals floating around right now.
I've made close to $500.00 (so far) for doing, pretty much nothing - other than opening new bank accounts & changing the direct deposit of my SS "check".

I had my arm twisted (so to speak) to trade off my 2010 Sienna van a month ago on a 2014 Sienna. Toyota Finance was (or still may be) running a special finance rate on used Toyota vans of something like 3.9% for anyone - regardless of credit. That allowed the dealer to offer me close to $5,000.00 more for my trade than they would of w/out the Toyota Finance special rate.
My 2010 was in excellent shape, but, it had nearly 90k miles.
People with good enough credit to pay top dollar for that kind of trade want a lot lower miles. People that don't care about the miles, don't have the credit.

Also - not a day goes by that my wife and I aren't inundated with CC offers.
These aren't the typical come on offers of the past.
I just seconds ago for example got a CC offer that pays me 50k bonus points, worth $100, to open a new CC account and charge $500 to it over the next 90 days.
That's too tempting to pass up - despite having two other such offers I'm working on now to spend the required money in the allotted time.
Hmmm - an extra $100 off on a new carry gun is mighty tempting - especially with the deals on the guns right now....
(& please - before the nay sayers start - we pay off our CC balance in full each month and never pay a late fee or any carrying fee nor do we ever pay an annual fee - so these cash back incentives are 100% legit)

I'm sure there's a lot of post panic sell off, but, I also believe there are other far deeper reasons for all the discounted pricing going on right now since it's a lot more far reaching than just guns.