Not worth selling your firearms to dealers

[Gunsnwater]

Every profession is easy to those who know nothing about it.

Yes, every FFL should pay more than GB average retail when buying wholesale, then sell for that or less. How do they make a profit? VOLUME.

The change bank. SNL

[lraklrak]

I fully agree.
Something is only worth what someone will pay for it.
The value we put on anything is controlled by this.
I wish the food industry could be controlled like this.
They all keep their prices high enough so they all make a profit.
I guess all industries try this, but do to the internet and individual’s being able to sell their products can undercut them.

[Walleye Hunter]

I got jumped last time I said this, but F.it, here goes.

The vast majority of guns will not make you a profit. They lose money like a car. Only certain guns and certain times will generate a profit. This assumes that you are buying retail or at close to market value.

Even historical guns can lose value as the generation that valued them dies.

Anything is only worth what the buyers you can reach are willing to pay.

OP you are way off in your estimates of what any reseller can offer for your gun and still make a living. A living includes a time element. He has to have turn over. The longer his money is tyed up in inventory the more he needs to make on it. But it doesn't work that way. That inventory is going down in value.

Manufacturers keep making newer versions and older ones sell for much less. Then add in the police trade ins that are so cheap your head spins.

Hey I like FN. In reality FN does not sell as fast as others. The rifles are top notch, the pistols have their issues. Like take down levers beating the bottom of the slide edge because they didn't get the geometry correct. I'll show you mine if you like.

I feel you owe the lgs an apology. You should have just declined his offer. He was not insulting you or your gun. He was just telling you his reality.

I don't know what lgs or person you delt with. They might just be a dick, but not for this interaction.

Just my opinion

I can't see why you'd get jumped for that, it's right on the money. Some guns will be hard to sell, high quality, unique or rarer models will most always at least sell, even if you have to drop the price a little and some would have to be virtually (or literally) given away. Rare are the pieces that will sell for more than their original price. So far the only gun I've sold was a modified 1800's black powder rifle that I inherited and had no use for.

[Hodgie]

I can't see why you'd get jumped for that, it's right on the money. Some guns will be hard to sell, high quality, unique or rarer models will most always at least sell, even if you have to drop the price a little and some would have to be virtually (or literally) given away. Rare are the pieces that will sell for more than their original price. So far the only gun I've sold was a modified 1800's black powder rifle that I inherited and had no use for.

I think it's because so many people like to tell or maybe fool themselves into thinking that firearms are a sound long term investment for retirement vs a 401K.

I've made some serious cash off some firearms and I've lost money on others and that's when surplus was abundant and prices weren't in the crapper like they are now. Used modern firearms are a dime a dozen so unless you picked up a lot of rare stuff along the way on the cheap or have a heavy NFA collection which your also gongoing to be able to sell to a limited market it's not the sound investment some people like to tell themselves.

[WoollyPullover]

How much do you need the cash? Wait another year you’ll get more.

[ItchyTick]

You do realize guns can be sold on consignment at the shops?

People in the classifieds here tend to ask ridiculous $$ for their used guns.

[Remington788]

I fully agree.
Something is only worth what someone will pay for it.
The value we put on anything is controlled by this.
I wish the food industry could be controlled like this.
They all keep their prices high enough so they all make a profit.
I guess all industries try this, but do to the internet and individual’s being able to sell their products can undercut them.

WTF are you talking about?

[lraklrak]

There is no doubt about it guns do go up in value.
Maybe not as fast as some of us want them to, but they do.
It takes time.

[Manxdriver]

I took one of my pistols in to a gun shop that I also go shooting at to see what kind of price I could get for my pistol.
Just to let you it was a FN FNS9 that was new in the box.
Bought a few years ago and never shot it.
Just placed it in my safe.
Anyway took it in and one guy and he ask what I was looking to get for it.
I told him around $400.
So he and another person behind the counter checked it out and I thought is was a sell util he went to the back room and brought another guy out.
Kind of unfriendly too.
He ask what I was asking for it and I said around $400.
He shook his head no no no.
I can hardly give you half of that.
I have those here and they arn't selling.
So at that point I told him straight up that it is going on Gunbroker and I will get what I am asking for it.
I aslo told him yours won't sell here because you are asking to much.
He just looked at me like he wanted to give me another offer, but I left.
Enough said.
By the way this is in Montgomery county.

Clayton’s! Was fatass still sitting on his stool giving out the hard times?

[TooBigToFit]

There is no doubt about it guns do go up in value.
Maybe not as fast as some of us want them to, but they do.
It takes time.

They... really don't. Unless you have an harder to find gun like a P7 or something like that, your plain old utility gun is not going to gain value.