Gunbroker, here, consignment or what?

[tulsamal]

I just turned 62. The wife will retire next spring. We are looking at spending several years in Ecuador or Mexico. I will leave some guns here in the US since... at this point... I'm not planning to renounce my citizenship. But... like I suspect a lot of us... I have a lot of guns I never shoot or even think about. Sometimes I buy a gun, bring it home, take it all apart to see how it works, clean it, lube it, put it together again... take it out to my range and fire one or two mags or one or two cylinders... then put it in the safe and mostly forget about it. Not because it was bad... but my curiosity was mainly satisfied about that design. Some never get shot at all.

Anyway, I always told the wife that I was going to sell a lot of my guns someday... that in many ways I bought what was a good deal at the time... but a design that I thought would be worth more in the future. Or older vintage guns that were in great shape that I thought were good investments. Now it is time to sell some. I would like to sell at least 20. If I actually start having fun with it and "raking in the dough" I might even sell 40 or 50. That would still leave me with a lot.

I always thought I would sell some of the Rugers here. But if they were something that might get "bid up"... then I would put them on gunbroker. And I assumed a lot of my guns would go out through gunbroker. But now I'm hearing that things aren't what they used to be. That GB has become like eBay... they put so many fees and conditions on everything that you can't make much money.

Anyway, a lot of us here are old farts, I can't be the only one thinking about selling a few dozen for travel money. If you WERE going to sell a big lot of guns... and an auction sounds like so much trouble, I can't really imagine doing that... what would be your preferred method?

Open to ideas. I do want to get the most money possible... these were investments. You don't sell your Apple stock at a lower price to your friends... you bought it for the investment and to make some money down the road! (And I'm not one of those guys with a whole room full of super rare guns, 1890's Winchesters and Colts, etc. My guns are mostly "really good guns" since I don't buy crap... but only a few cost me over $1000.)

Gregg

 

[hittman]

For me it's about convenience.
I try very hard to be realistic in knowing what my gun is worth. I ask myself "what would I pay for it today?" I check completed auctions on GunBroker and look here and on a couple other forums.

Luckily, there's a mom and pop local shop I trust. They charge me 15% consignment and have never once failed to get "my price" for a gun. I do consult with them about values too and add that to whatever I may know ( or believe ) at the time.

Best of luck to you in your travels.

 

[golferboy426]

GB fees are about 6% for 4-500 dollar guns and it goes down the pricier the gun gets

 

[tulsamal]

>Luckily, there's a mom and pop local shop I trust. They charge me 15% consignment and have never once failed to get "my price" for a gun.

That would be a great option. I really don't have any gunshops that I frequent. Not even in Tulsa. I traded one Ruger revolver to a fellow Okie here on this forum and he told me about a shop where he thought I should take some guns. Of course I've forgotten what he said... I just sent him a message today asking him to remind me.

re: gunbroker ... I know I've seen people say, "They raised their fees again, that's the last gun I sell there." Didn't they just recently change some rules and fee schedules? Surely I didn't dream it... I'm old but I don't usually dream about selling guns!

I've bought so many guns here on this forum I would really like to sell some here and I probably will. But since there is no auction.. you have to make a guess on price. We've all seen it, a gun gets posted and goes up and down for a few weeks. That price was too high. At least you could adjust that... we've all seen the guns that sell in 12 minutes as well... and thought, "Wow, he really should have asked more!" Some of the more seasoned members seem to have come to the right conclusion... post the gun for sale but with a fairly high price. Then lower it say $50 a week until it sells. I'm not in a hurry so I might try that with a couple.

 

[contender]

Some of the biggest things I see people do is (a) fail to educate themselves as to the real value of a gun, and (b) improperly grade the condition.
Follow that with trying to sell anything in the wrong marketplace.

Study real gun grading,, and follow that with an in-depth search of that gun, with all the potential variations that can affect value. Then,, I'd think about how fast I want to sell something.
Example; You have a gun, and you paid $500.00 for it. A brief look at it,, and you think it's in 98% condition. Then you read about a gun very similar to yours, and mistake it for the rarer variation. You see one sell for $2000.00.
So you frequent a bicycle riders forum, and you list your gun in their classifieds for $1800.00.
It doesn't sell.

But, if you buy a gun for $500.00, and you study all the current information on it,, as well as careful study of true NRA grading standards. You realize the gun is in 95% condition, and similar examples of that exact gun has been selling for an AVERAGE of $1000.00. You list a Ruger here on the Ruger Forum, hoping to sell quickly, and you list it for $900.00 to start. If no sellers withing a few days,, you can drop the price to $850.00. You will have exposed the gun to a group of people who know & possibly desire the gun, and often, a buyer will come forth, and say; "I'll give you $850.00 shipped for it."

You find a dealer who'll use USPS shipping, and charge a very nominal fee to transfer it,, and you wind up pocketing around $800.00.


My point? Gunbroker can be very "iffy" and harder to deal with. An auction house,, without a serious knowledge of EXACTLY what you have may not properly advertise something,, and accept a bid of $400.00 for a gun, and then charge you 20% selling fees.
Most of those places,, unless they are well known,, and do a LOT of SERIOUS advertising,, fail to get good prices for guns.

I'd opt to do the legwork myself,, and sell in a place that knows what they are. Yes,, it can involve work. But work will get you more money,,, so you are earning your wages. Plus,, YOU and ONLY you control the final sale price.

 

[hittman]

Don't overthink it.
Don't get greedy.
Your time and possible aggravation is worth something even if you're retired.
Search for the simplest outlet to sell.
What's best for you is likely different from mine.

 

[tulsamal]

I don't really think it is being "greedy" to want to get the best price for a long term investment. But I get your point.

Like most of us, I have family heirloom guns and I won't sell those. And most of us have an emotional attachment to the first few guns we bought for ourselves. When I turned 21, I had a couple guns, a shotgun from my 16th birthday and a .303 Jungle Carbine from a friend whose father had died and she passed it on to me. But on my 21st birthday I bought a Ruger Security Six, SS, 6". Few months later, a Ruger MK II 10" target .22. So I got into Rugers from the beginning. I have two grown children with spouses. I will leave some guns to them. And I have a few "bucket list" guns that I prize too much to sell… at least at this point. But even putting all those guns to the side, there are a lot of them I could live without.

When I was younger, I couldn't imagine ever selling any guns. You get older… your priorities shift and you are ready to see extra guns as assets to be sold. They aren't going to dig an extra big hole for my coffin and pour all my guns in there… and it would be totally unfair to leave it to my wife if I suddenly died.

Editorial comment… Cuenca is the most wonderful city in the world… the perfect place to live. I would rather live in Cuenca and own zero guns than just live my last twenty years the exact same as the last twenty. I'm ready for a life change… and the more money I get selling guns… the easier that life will be!

An old Army buddy wants to go to the Tulsa gun show this weekend. So just for fun I'll take the unfired FN SCAR 17 and one of the HK P7's and see if one of the cash rich dealers wants to buy them! I should take a CETME and an FN FAL as well but I can't carry all those around!

Good way to start.

 

[blume357]

I'd see if I could find a local 'mom & pop' store .... feel them out and if they look and sound right.... put a few guns on consignment with them... Also, one option is to buy a table at the next gun show... but you will need a friend with you for sure. Sounds to me like you really need to start liquidating or this is going to be a real hassle when you and the wife are ready to get out of town.


I'm kind of in the same boat with needing to start thinking about these things... no children to pass my 'collection' on to and most of my friends are not gun people... I'm 66 and because of some recent events I could be 'moving on' in the next few years... Looks like Contender might get a call from my wife one day to come down to S.C. and help out with this....

 

[Kevin]

I've come to the realization that some used guns just aren't going to sell for as much as they should.

What types of guns are you talking about? Polymer semi autos? Or blued steel and walnut? I'm sure you've found out that this forum mostly likes the steel and walnut.

I had a brand new in the box gun, I tried to sell it here, no luck, took it to a LGS who charges the 15%. Their shelves were completely full. After talking with them I decided not to leave it.

Ended up donating it to my gun club to auction off at the annual BBQ. I think I can get a tax write off for a donation to a non profit.

If I had sold the gun, it would have brought in approximately half of what I paid.

Anyway, good luck. Listing a gun here at a decent price will certainly make life easier. Sometimes that's worth it in the end. Gunbroker could end up being very frustrating.


Edited to add: I guess what I'm trying to say is, and everyone is in a different position, but I personally feel that Apple stock is better for retirement than guns and ammo.

 

[contender]

To add to my other post a little.
A very detailed inventory spreadsheet that includes all the minor differences (or the lack of) along with the initial purchase price can help.
Gun shows are also good places to sell them as long as you price them to sell. The biggest thing I see are prices that are unrealistic due to the lack of correct knowledge.
Blume, I have helped several people who wanted to dispense with a collection of guns and would be honored to help your wife. But it dern well better be a LONG time away.

 

[the_leper_colony]

...Your time and possible aggravation is worth something even if you're retired...

That is VERY important - GunBroker has changed over the years, and that is likely true for other auction sites as well. Used to be that the site administrator would quickly ban deadbeats/rule-breakers from the site, but that is no longer true. I saw one user on GunBroker a while back, who had a couple dozen "non-paying bidder" feedback comments, and they were still allowed to bid on auctions!

It's fun to think about getting that high bid for your item - but what happens if the high bidder never pays? GunBroker automatically charges commision/fees/tax to the seller's credit card, and that often happens before the buyer pays. If the buyer never pays, the seller has to go through a specific process to get their money back from GunBroker, and it isn't quick, or even easy to understand. Having had to do it repeatedly, I can tell you that it gets old quickly.

For me, selling anything here is a relief compared to GunBroker. Folks here are mostly straight shooters & pay quickly, but the worst thing that happens might be that you have to relist the item for sale. No formal email notices via GunBroker, no required waiting periods or other hoops to jump through, just to get your own money back if somebody doesn't come through.

On the plus side, GunBroker does offer some protection for buyers - but for sellers, it can be an enormous pain in the butt.

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.

 

[Hvymax]

You have 2 options. Priced to sell where anyone with a remote interest will snatch it up immediately. OR trying to make the most money where it could take years to sell. The auction is the easiest because it's gone to the highest bidder which will be the actual value of your gun no matter what YOU think it's worth or how much YOU spent on it.

 

[jmol50]

The auction is the easiest because it's gone to the highest bidder which will be the actual value of your gun no matter what YOU think it's worth or how much YOU spent on it.

I agree, but only if you provide a lot of good photos. 10+ photos. You aren't getting market value if you provide just one or two fuzzy photos.

 

[peachhead]

An old Army buddy wants to go to the Tulsa gun show this weekend. So just for fun I'll take the unfired FN SCAR 17 and one of the HK P7's and see if one of the cash rich dealers wants to buy them! I should take a CETME and an FN FAL as well but I can't carry all those around!

If you go to a dealer, don't be surprised if you don't get what you think you need to. Remember the objective of a dealer is to resell. I'm saying that from the standpoint of being a dealer.

 

[JBP]

You will find a lot more buyers on GB than selling in a gun store. If you are thinking of going through the consignment route than GB fees will be no worse and probably cheaper. The only hangup nowadays that I have selling with GB is the shipping. You need a commercial account before FedEx or UPS will ship and at least by me USPS is the same. The indoor range I shoot at charges a bomb to ship and I haven't been able to find a FFL that will do it so I have ended up eating some of the shipping charges.

 

[Johnnu2]

I don't envy your position at this point. I think hittman 'hit' it on the head:
"Don't overthink it.
Don't get greedy. (my edit: this means don't let 'what you think it's worth' get in the way of what it's going to sell for.
Your time and possible aggravation is worth something even if you're retired.
Search for the simplest outlet to sell."
I'll add: be prepared for disappointment; but be happy when you're done with it all; then totally FORGET it FOREVER.
Here's an example: A lady (non-gun person) wanted to sell a Browning .22 Auto; it was truly, "like new" in fitted case (she had the locks broken when she found the gun/case in her father's stash). It was one of the engraved "exhibition" level guns but now, I don't remember which level. The engraver had, indeed, "signed" with his initials in the correct place. At the time (maybe 8 years ago), I thought the value was in the vicinity of $1600 (even with the case with broken locks)... The gun was pristine and the wood was exceptional. Being a "rich lady" she wanted to get THE MOST MONEY for it, so I told her to shop around and, when she was unable to get the "value", I would take her to an LGS who would give her about 50% of what I thought it was valued at. She literally spent a couple of years trying the MANY gun shops in our area; every one of them offered her about $600. She finally came with me to my LGS and, completely "unannounced" he offered her $900 cash. She JUMPED on it and thanked me profusely for helping her sell her $1600 gun for $900.
IMHO as always........
J.

 

[the_leper_colony]

I agree, but only if you provide a lot of good photos. 10+ photos. You aren't getting market value if you provide just one or two fuzzy photos.

Excellent point - to get a decent high bid, you need a lot of clear, detailed photos!

You also need to have a title/description that the auction site search engine can find, and you need to list the auction in the auction site 'category' where most folks search for that item (sometimes a tougher choice than you might think). You need to select the right kind of auction - many users won't even search for, or bid on, an auction that has a reserve price. You need to have as many forms of payment available as you feel comfortable offering, and never list PayPal as the only form of payment you accept (a lot of gun owners absolutely detest PayPal). You need to decide if you want to list a "Buy Now" price, or accept offers, or not (can be positive or negative). And you need to pick an appropriate duration for the auction, and have it end on a good day & time (never EVER end an auction in the middle of the night, or on a holiday or Friday evening).

I've gotten some great deals on GunBroker over the years, and most of them were because the seller ignored one or more of the above 'rules'!

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.

 

[jmol50]

 

[bigbillyboy]

You have 2 options. Priced to sell where anyone with a remote interest will snatch it up immediately. OR trying to make the most money where it could take years to sell. The auction is the easiest because it's gone to the highest bidder which will be the actual value of your gun no matter what YOU think it's worth or how much YOU spent on it.

I agree, auction is the way to go . I attend gun auctions almost to an addiction . Got some super buys and have seen guns sell for way more than they are worth . Good advertising, right venue , a GOOD auctioneer and the right time of year are all key . Some prep work and you are rid of the guns and get your money in short order . And I think it all averages out .

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

I sell on both this forum and on GunBroker. I agree about taking lots of good quality photos showing everything a buyer may be interested in seeing (and don't forget to show the box, papers/accessories, and importantly the box label). I like to list guns on GunBroker for a penny minimum and no reserve since low minimums get the buyers interested and juiced up early and some folks won't even look at ads that have reserves (you can filter out reserve auctions in search criteria). I will pay the $2.95 listing fee to have the gun featured in the category, that way it comes up near the top of searches. Be aware that GB has recently (last year or two) started collecting sales tax from buyers in many/most states and they collect that from the seller, so the seller has to remember bill the buyer for it so it all works out.

I like selling here more, but sometimes finding buyers here is hard since it is a relatively small audience compared to GB. So I will eventually move things that don't sell here over to GB where I am guaranteed a sale.