where do you get the most for gun sales/trades?

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idek

New member
I have a couple guns that really have no purpose anymore, because I have others that do everything they do, but better.

So I'm going to be looking to sell or trade them. Person to person sales aside, where have all of you gotten the most value when selling/trading? LGS's? Pawn shops? Retail chains? (I have a Cabela's and Scheels nearby)
 
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BigD_in_FL

Moderator
NO store will ever give you what you can get from a FTF sale - they have overhead and profit to factor in. Could always use GunBroker or one of the other sites or even here
 
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UncleEd

New member
LGSs because they know me and they know I'll be back; sometimes trade (usually you'll get more for the gun you're trading in because the dealer knows he's making money on the new gun as well) and sometimes outright sale.

Chain stores have set policies, usually only buying back something at 50% of what it cost them in the first place, which translates often to only 30% of what you originally paid.

Oh, and be careful selling to your friends and even mild acquaintances because sure as the sun rises each morning, something may well break on the gun you sold them and it's now your problem. It can be even a year after the sale.:eek:
 
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Brian Pfleuger

Moderator Emeritus
where have all of you gotten the most value when selling/trading? LGS's? Pawn shops? Retail chains?
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Pawn shops are going to be about the worst, probably followed by gun shops large or small. They have to make a profit and they're probably not going to offer you more than 50-60% of the retail value.

Possibly a consignment, I don't know the typical percentages but I'd guess 20-30% or so, better than the 50% of an outright sale to them.
 
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FrankenMauser

New member
Retail chains? (I have a Cabela's and Scheels nearby)
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I haven't tried Scheels, but don't waste your time with Cabela's. Unless you know someone in the store, that will make sure you get a better deal, they'll only offer you 20-30%, 40% at best. On firearms that are likely to sit around a while, they may offer as little as 10% of the actual value.

In the worst case I've ever seen (Lehi, Utah), I watched an elderly gentleman take in over $40,000 worth of pristine rare, antique, and collectors'-wet-dream Winchesters. Because he desperately needed the money, and they knew it... he walked out the door with a $3,800 check. :(
 
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Glenn E. Meyer

New member
I found that wandering around a big gun show worked the best. However, I don't sell to private parties I don't personally know quite well. At the show, I usually try to get credit on a trade. That's worked best.

One strategy - if you tell a dealer you love the gun and don't want to part with it because you are desparate - you lowered what you get. You expect sympathy but the dealer says - HAHAHA!

Seen that in pawn shops too - you cannot warm the cold heart with tears.
 
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