Experiance trying to sell a few, Not so good.

[spectra]

None of my experiences are from folks on this site. It's a combination of Armslist and a couple of Facebook pages dedicated to gun trading I have had quite a few deals with folks here and all have been great. I guess I should have said that to start with ;-)

See here is all good but go to Armslist and Facebook well..... I had a shotty for sale and all the Armslist guys were a piece of work trying to ding me down on it as the stock was cracked..... It is a common issue with a 50 yr old gun.....

But even on here have had issues. My best one is the people who do not answer your question as posted earlier. I really want to call them out in public but just bite my tongue and move on.....

 

[bellarum]

Almost everyone I've dealt with in the classifieds on this forum has been a positive experience. For the negative experiences I simply use the "ignore" button and move on with my life.

 

[clearconscience]

Yeah usually on craigslist, armslist you can't expect ignorant people and this site has been so popular a lot of people join to scam, or buy and sell for profit.
I always look at people's numbers on here not just there feedback but there post and thread count. Usually the bums have low counts.
Usually when you see a bottom barrel AR being sold for $1000 they have low post counts. Because they only come on the site to try and scam someone.

Really irritates me. I wish we could at least thread crap on peoples crappy ads.

 

[Just Jim]

One more thing I would like to bring up, some people price their stuff way to high look at the the ads of for sale stuff, some have one thousand plus lookers and the gun hasn't sold in months.

 

[spectra]

One more thing I would like to bring up, some people price their stuff way to high look at the the ads of for sale stuff, some have one thousand plus lookers and the gun hasn't sold in months.

But at the same time I have seen and posted quality stuff that people just don't want to pay the price for....I do understand what you are saying though.

 

[IronMonster]

It goes both ways, I have seen stuff on here priced at what I think is a smokin deal and it take weeks or months for it to sell (those things never seem to be within gathering range of me)

 

[clearconscience]

You still see a lot of newbies and an occasional oldie posting a $600 AR for $1k. Just saw one on there, someone called him out on it.

I realize there's a sucker born every minute, but it's also nice to have a place where you can trust people and know there's some integrity left in the world.
Of course when you deal with the public you get a several leaches in there.

I've done some deals on armslist and I wouldn't go back there, had some good experiences on gunbroker.com and I'm happy to say all the stuff i've bought and sold on here has been great experiences, great people, and never had people waste my time.

 

[U201491]

You think selling guns bring out the flakes, try running a Craigslist apartment for rent ad.
Very desirable area of Portland, low monthly rent and easy commute to anywhere you need to go.
Here's some of my favorites.

"Is the apt still available?"
Yes it is.
"Ah, do you do criminal background checks?"
Thinking fast, my answer was yes, even though I don't.
"Ah, is it a local, or a federal background check"
Both, is my reply.
"Click, then a dial tone."

The ad clearly states, "No smokers, this is a smoke free property."
A guy makes an appointment to look at the unit, then drives up into the parking lot smoking a cigarette.
Tosses the butt out of his cars window right at my feet.
Steps out of his car and asks to see the apartment.
I tell him noway that I would rent to him, and didn't he read the ad about no smoking.
His reply was, "That's my last cigarette, I just quit forever, so how about taking a look at that studio".

Section 8 welfare momma with 5 kids, and the studio apt is only 350 sq ft.

The married guy who wants to put up his stripper girlfriend in a cheap place because he only wants her to get ahead in the world, her being just out of jail and all.

A guy that claims he's in the Federal Witness Protection Program, and that's why he doesn't have any rental background history that I can check up on.

Another guy (really twitchy) who only wants to rent for one month. I'm thinking meth lab operation.

Damnnn I think I would get way out of the rental business if that is the kind of people that come around.... Not worth it.

 

[IronMonster]

The AR deal is nuts. I think these kids see an AR that looks like the one they have and its a grand so obviously theirs must be worth a grand too.

I had one of my AR's out tonight and I was thinking about what you cant see. $260 BCG, $200 PWS buffer tube $125 hydraulic buffer $220 trigger $90 charging handle $40 worth of upgraded springs. So maybe $800-$900 worth of stuff that is basically invisible. I could strip it all out and put $100 worth of stuff back in its place and the rifle still function fine.

Honestly I think with firearms the cheaper it is the better chance you will get most of your money back if you sell. I have bought things that where $350 new that I sold for $325 used. Once you get up into the $1500+ range you typically have to take a big hit to move it.

 

[Just Jim]

Higher it cost the fewer buyers out there. Value is in the eye of the buyer. Trick is knowing what you buy is a good value years before you decide to sell it. What will a glock be worth in 20 years and what will an old Smith be worth? Who knows, by then you guys will have plasma rifles in the 40 watt range

 

[IronMonster]

I think "upgrades" have a big impact too. Its unlikely that I think everything you did is an improvement. You likely spent a bunch of money on things I would not have and I see adding little value while you see it as worthy of a higher price.

 

[jbett98]

On the flip side, I had a un-fired mint in box S&W model 41 pistol advertized on Armslist last year, and a guy back in the Mid West e-mailed me that he wanted to buy it and to please send him my mailing address so he could put a USPS money order in the mail the next day.
I had the price set a little high and I figured he would at least try and talk me down some to cover the high cost of shipping it next day air to his FFL, but sure enough I received the money order in record time and off it went to Ohio.
He never questioned me, or asked for a million high res pics like some guys do.
Never did talk to the guy, just one e-mail and next thing I know, there's a money order for over a $1,000.00 in my mailbox. That kind of deal really spoils you.

 

[happypuppy]

One thing that helps with some sales is to strip all the high priced goodies. Sell those separately a lot of people put together ARs and will pick up the super special BCG.

I always talk to the person on the phone. It's much easier to weed out the flakes.

 

[PDXSparky]

My experience selling anything really leads me to strongly discount the common belief that guns are an investment.

With the exception of NFA transferable FA guns, I agree with you. I had the chance to buy a FA Uzi for $6900 two years ago, but I didn't and now they are north of $10K.

I also have had only good dealings with people from NWFA although my experiences are not as extensive as some.

 

[U201491]

On the flip side, I had a un-fired mint in box S&W model 41 pistol advertized on Armslist last year, and a guy back in the Mid West e-mailed me that he wanted to buy it and to please send him my mailing address so he could put a USPS money order in the mail the next day.
I had the price set a little high and I figured he would at least try and talk me down some to cover the high cost of shipping it next day air to his FFL, but sure enough I received the money order in record time and off it went to Ohio.
He never questioned me, or asked for a million high res pics like some guys do.
Never did talk to the guy, just one e-mail and next thing I know, there's a money order for over a $1,000.00 in my mailbox. That kind of deal really spoils you.

That is a pretty rare firearm and one of the best target pistols made. I can see him not dickering with you. They are an easy sell at about any price .....

 

[MarkAd]

how does one take the ferry from Tacom-ish area to Bremerton?

 

[The Heretic]

With the exception of NFA transferable FA guns, I agree with you. I had the chance to buy a FA Uzi for $6900 two years ago, but I didn't and now they are north of $10K.

I also have had only good dealings with people from NWFA although my experiences are not as extensive as some.

Sure some things appreciate in value - theoretically.

But for most things like that, good luck finding a buyer with the means to purchase it.

 

[hondakilla98]

I'm happy I sold my motorcycle. I can't count how many trade offers of $600-1000 ar15s I was offered for a $2500 motorcycle. But that was craigslist and armslist. Nwfa people are usually more realistic.

 

[IronMonster]

I had a bunch of guns that I should have held on to that where cheap when I bought them but not so much now. Like a IWI Model B UZI I bought for $300 and a IWI UZI pistol I paid $450 brand new. I bought a brand new HK SP89 brand new in 94 for $1200 and I had several HK-91's that I paid $1000 for. Another one that has gone way up are the little Stinger pen guns. I bought several of those new and I think they where about $129, They are $500 now if you can find them. Of course I had my share of $79 SKS's and $399 AKM-47's as well

But yeah, for the most part guns are not an investment. I like to use the veritable Ruger 10/22 as an example. A new one in 1964 was $55. If you use the government CPI numbers that is $422 in 2014 dollars. By comparison if you would have invested $55 in say Ford in 1964 (the records I found only go back to 1972 so figure you held on to your $55 for a few years before you invested it) You would have about $2500 today. So yeah when you consider the rifle is cheaper in real terms today than it was 40 years ago its hard to argue that it was an investment.

 

[etrain16]

I had a bunch of guns that I should have held on to that where cheap when I bought them but not so much now. Like a IWI Model B UZI I bought for $300 and a IWI UZI pistol I paid $450 brand new. I bought a brand new HK SP89 brand new in 94 for $1200 and I had several HK-91's that I paid $1000 for. Another one that has gone way up are the little Stinger pen guns. I bought several of those new and I think they where about $129, They are $500 now if you can find them. Of course I had my share of $79 SKS's and $399 AKM-47's as well

But yeah, for the most part guns are not an investment. I like to use the veritable Ruger 10/22 as an example. A new one in 1964 was $55. If you use the government CPI numbers that is $422 in 2014 dollars. By comparison if you would have invested $55 in say Ford in 1964 (the records I found only go back to 1972 so figure you held on to your $55 for a few years before you invested it) You would have about $2500 today. So yeah when you consider the rifle is cheaper in real terms today than it was 40 years ago its hard to argue that it was an investment.

I agree with your point for the most part, but using your stock analogy, you would have to say that no stock is a guarantee. Many people have lost money, some considerable amounts, on stock purchases. It's all speculation - what will the demand for you item be in the future? And really, who can accurately predict that. Even the best investors make bad investments.

When it comes to guns, the market for what you have is largely based on the demand in the market. That same basic, stock 10/22 you can buy right now for around $200, was going for close to $500 day after day right after Sandy Hook. In that case, even the ubiquitous 10/22 can be a great investment. The problem usually comes when you buy too high, then can't wait for the next market swing to recover or better your investment. Patience is key there. No doubt the days of highly overpriced guns after Sandy Hook will be repeated in the future - and once again, anything that can shoot a bullet will likely increase in value.

Now for those folks that bought a stock 10/22 for $500 during the 'panic', they're probably going to have to wait a while if they ever hope to break even.