My father passed away about a year and a half ago and left behind a large-ish collection of firearms (150 or so). My brother and I have inventoried and secured the guns and I think we want to keep a few but certainly not all of them. I started to do some research on pricing them out and selling them off but it's overwhelming. I'm not familiar enough with many of them to even coming close to figuring out what the values should be and even if I was it's going to take forever to sell that many in WA with the way our person to person transfers work now. What do people do in this situation? Take to a FFL? Just power through it and hope for the best? Looking for suggestions. Thanks.
JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Options for selling a collection?
- Thread Starter Microbomb
- Start date
Take it to a Bass pro so they can offer you ten cents on the dollar. Not really. You could try posting a list of see if anything jumps out at anyone. The most money would come from one at a time sales but the fastest would be all at once on the cheap. Not much help, I know.
- Messages
- 14,015
- Reactions
- 57,153
Some larger stores will buy a collection. You're probably looking at taking home 30-40-% of their worth at best. But, you get it all taken care of at once.
What I would do is take maybe 10 at a time and focus on valuing those 10 the best you can and them see what the market is like. 10 here, 10 there, and it should slowly accomplish the goal.
What I would do is take maybe 10 at a time and focus on valuing those 10 the best you can and them see what the market is like. 10 here, 10 there, and it should slowly accomplish the goal.
- Messages
- 14,015
- Reactions
- 57,153
I wouldn't do the list thing unless you wish to not have much bargaining power. Knowledge of what you have is real important.
Sherwood Cabela's Gun Library would buy just about the whole collection from you but will have to call and make an appointment.
You would make more from selling them individually but if you wish to offload a ton of them at once I can not think of a faster way.
While I was there it was not uncommon to buy a collection of 100 guns at one time.
You would make more from selling them individually but if you wish to offload a ton of them at once I can not think of a faster way.
While I was there it was not uncommon to buy a collection of 100 guns at one time.
- Thread Starter
- #7
I guess I don't mind posting 5 or 10 at a time but I almost need someone to look at the list and say "sell these ones first", and then these ones. etc. There are a bunch of old Colt pistols and a large amount of revolvers that I simply know nothing about. Things like Mod 19-2 or 19-4 don't mean anything to me. This would have been easy if dad just collected Glocks and 1911s.
- Messages
- 1,660
- Reactions
- 1,977
See if you can post the list here. Im sure many people will give you offers or tell you what you have.
P.S. Any early import AK's or SP1's let me know
- Messages
- 18,744
- Reactions
- 45,457
It really depends on how much time and work you are willing put in. Handing everything over in a quick sale will be quick and easy but bending over in the cash department. Doing the research and selling yourself will be more profitable but more time consuming and difficult. Maybe a combination would be a good balance for you.
- Messages
- 18,744
- Reactions
- 45,457
- Messages
- 1,660
- Reactions
- 1,977
Are you not allowed to ask about what a gun is or its worth?
- Messages
- 1,660
- Reactions
- 1,977
We ask about history of firearms all the time on this forum
- Messages
- 14,030
- Reactions
- 42,923
Be patient.
Learn about the guns you have (you might find some are super rare and decide to keep it or at least know what you have to sell).
Sell one or three at a time and don't be in a hurry. Or maybe list one a week after doing the research on it.
Don't get in a hurry because you will either loose out on a cash cow or sell something you may find you want to keep in the family.
There is a lot of pride in my firearms and I hope my grandkids won't sell them. They RARELY loose value and depending on the gun and the climate they almost increase in value - they are literal gold and can be sold during panic buying times like now for 2-3 times what they are worth other years.
Learn about the guns you have (you might find some are super rare and decide to keep it or at least know what you have to sell).
Sell one or three at a time and don't be in a hurry. Or maybe list one a week after doing the research on it.
Don't get in a hurry because you will either loose out on a cash cow or sell something you may find you want to keep in the family.
There is a lot of pride in my firearms and I hope my grandkids won't sell them. They RARELY loose value and depending on the gun and the climate they almost increase in value - they are literal gold and can be sold during panic buying times like now for 2-3 times what they are worth other years.
- Messages
- 18,744
- Reactions
- 45,457
How does "give you offers" translate to "ask about what a gun is or its worth"?
- Messages
- 24,911
- Reactions
- 59,284
These days selling guns is a big fat hassle.
I'd probably just sell them here in small groups or one at a time over the course of a year or so.
I'd probably just sell them here in small groups or one at a time over the course of a year or so.
- Messages
- 18,744
- Reactions
- 45,457
And falls into my statement "Doing the research and selling yourself will be more profitable but more time consuming and difficult."
- Messages
- 1,660
- Reactions
- 1,977
I said "Im sure people will give you offers" This is holy different then an auction
- Messages
- 18,744
- Reactions
- 45,457
OP, have you considered an estate sale?
- Messages
- 1,660
- Reactions
- 1,977
How is that an different then if i post a picture of a rare gun and someone messaging me asking if I would be interested in selling?
Similar threads
