Best way to sell gun?

[mpan72]

Every Armslist ad I tried buying from turned out to be a weirdo, liar or shyster.
The occasional golf that thinks all guns need "registered" and that a C&R is not a "real" FFL...
Or my favorite, vet bring backs with no paperwork but carrying the papered price premium.
I don't even look at the ads there anymore.

The crazy thing is I have had two transaction on Armslist, one as a buyer and one as a seller. The gun I bought was also listed here. The gun I sold was to a user of this forum and he also say my add here but replied to the Armslist add.

[mpan72]

I have done several sales and one buy from Craigslist, you have to be quick there. I have a few Armslist transactions. I have at least 8 deals from this forum.

I have had nothing but good results on all my transactions going both ways. That might be because everyone was at a good price. I did have to travel a little bit for one deal but My brother and I got lunch and made an afternoon out of it. I have a few guns that will never be sold but always have several that will come and go as my needs/wants change. I actually enjoy the whole process of selling and buying at good prices.

[DougC]

Listing stuff here on the forum has worked great for me. I've sold a few guns and some accessories here and they've all been quick sales to good people.

[GunWhatGun]

Thanks to everyone for all the info. Definitely sounds like selling on your own may or may not go smoothly and involves a fair amount of work. I have to sit down and check into which guns I want to sell and how much is reasonable. Then I'll see what the LGS offers me as a start. Thanks everyone.

[markshere2]

This site is pa local only and gun friendly

http://classifieds.rennug.com/classifieds/index.cgi

I have bought a lot of guns off there.

It's free to post ads and gets a lot of traffic.

[39flathead]

This site is pa local only and gun friendly

http://classifieds.rennug.com/classifieds/index.cgi

I have bought a lot of guns off there.

It's free to post ads and gets a lot of traffic.

People in NY post there as well.
Just something to be aware of.
I replied to an ad and when it came time to meet the guy said Bradford.
I said that's quite a haul for me and it's the wrong way anyhow, he says no, he's in NY.
I told him thanks, not interested.

[KCJones]

Thanks to everyone for all the info. Definitely sounds like selling on your own may or may not go smoothly and involves a fair amount of work. I have to sit down and check into which guns I want to sell and how much is reasonable. Then I'll see what the LGS offers me as a start. Thanks everyone.

Wow... A sensible, logical and numbers-based approach based on your situation and needs. Kudos.

[Python73]

I like this thread so I figured I'd add 2 cents. Let's start with your LGS. Blanket statement: every LGS is interested in buying your gun(s). Blanket statement: no LGS will give you enough money for your gun to make you feel good about selling it. And I don't care if you have a great collectible or some ratty guns you found in a toybox. That gun store already has lots of guns. They get new guns for a good margin with very little work. They need to make a profit on everything they sell from their store for it to even be worth their time. That's how a store (of any variety) works. You sell to a gun store for two or three reasons in my mind: you are desperate for some cash, you are in a terrible rush to sell the item, the item is only marginally salable, or you have too many items (a whole collection or estate) to broker them one at a time. That was four, but I hope you take the point.

I have sold quite a few guns in my day. There are a few truths to keep in mind. PEOPLE LOVE DEALS. This is even more important than looking for a specific gun. Ask 100 people on this board if they would do more than glance at a glock 19 with a $475 sticker and maybe 1 or 2 would. Change that sticker to $375 and most people would even if they weren't in the market at the time. One of those prices is give or take what that gun sells for, and as stated above most of us will pass every time on a gun priced near new, because for that extra $xx we'd rather just have a new one. At a bargain price your gun will get scooped up by the first person to put hands on it. Those are the rare deals people comb gun shows for. Stand in line early for. Buy a table to get first crack. Your sweet spot is low enough that you aren't competing with new inventory and high enough that you aren't giving the gun away. Please realize that for some guns, there is NO RANGE that fits that goal.

I think a good example would be the ruger LCP 380. The gun only costs $200 or so. By the time you bought one and transferred the thing, plus/minus tax, there's no way to ever sell it and not lose money. Unless you stole it or 3D printed the thing somehow, a new one will always be more attractive than what you'd get offered for it. I know this btw because I have one that my wife and I both dislike. I'd sell it towards something better, but I'm not willing to throw away $50 or $60 just to not have it. I'm hoping they get banned or something. LCP GUN BAN!

I've had very good experiences selling on PAFOA. Never had a bad buyer or anyone jerk me around over price. And I've bought a few items from here also with the same experience. I've also sold guns at small local swap meets. Good luck with whatever method you decide on.

[scruff]

I've sold on Gunbroker and traded in guns to a LGS. I've been happy with GB. I put some effort into the pics and description, and that seems to help a lot. But I also like trading in. Sure, I could get more money, but there are benefits: (1) No muss, no fuss - no time wasted preparing an ad, answering emails, packaging the gun and taking it to my FFL. Skipping all of that time and aggravation is worth a little $$. (2) The trade-in value is taken off the top of the price of the new gun I'm buying, so I save some on sales tax. (3) I save on not having to pay an FFL and not paying the GB fee.

Something I've never totally understood:

1. When somebody is selling a gun with little or zero feedback on whatever forum, at a price to good to be true, few pictures, or with a description that seems to be "thin", an astute buyer will respectfully ask "Hey, nice gun. Would it be OK if I asked you to take one more picture of that beauty on today's newspaper where you live? I just want to confirm that you indeed have the gun and that you have a newspaper where you say you live."

What is this "newspaper" thing of which you speak? Seriously, I started getting my news online long before the daily Post Gazette went up to TWO FUCKING DOLLARS!

[IIIIIREPOIIIII]

Best way to sell a gun?

Depends on how many bodies are on said gun.