Why do people think there used bits are gold?

[ZA_Survivalist]

Always sell a used item less than they can purchase it for new at a a store, otherwise whats the point.

Ive graciously stated time and time again if you can get EXACTLY what Im selling (odds and ends with a firearm) locally Ill happily match that price, otherwise go and buy what you're after where you found it.. if its that "great" of a deal!!

Most MF'ers hide their tail between their legs and shut up about it after I say that.

But you are very right.. I hate seeing used items for new prices. Or even "NIB" titles and finding out that it looks new but its used.. So they ask the full retail price.. I laugh and move on..

 

[Just Jim]

In the world of firearms though. Its buy low, get an FFL, then sell high. Flipping guns for profit, even if I dont agree with the ATF on this, needs a license.

Only if I make a living on those profits. I buy a gun as something new to me I might want to keep. I play with it for a while and decide I want something different. When I bought the gun I try to get the best deal so with time I may sell it for a little more. It doesn't always work that way but the effort is made. I am not living off the sale of guns, it's a hobby that should pay for itself. For this I should need no lic.

 

[FA9]

I never sold a gun for more than what I paid for it.

 

[NoFlinch]

I never sold a gun for more than what I paid for it.

I haven't either

YET.

But coming up fer' sale again soon are my ORIGINAL Gen 3 OD 26, 30, & 36 Glocks in factory sealed, never opened boxes..

(cheap plug)

 

[Joe13]

I figure if I sell a used item, I've already done the hard work of breaking it in and field testing the gun or accessories to verify they are tactical enough - just not tacticle enough for me, which is why I'm trying to sell them to you at a profit so that I can afford the upgrade I want.

Roflmao, gun people are worse then car people... My 20 year old car only has 80k miles on it and I've added rims so I want 25% over blue book for it. Oh, and I put a new stereo in it...

 

[NoFlinch]

. My 20 year old car only has 80k miles on it and I've added rims so I want 25% over blue book for it. Oh, and I put a new stereo in it...

If it's a Prius, I'll buy it.

 

[Stomper]

It's like a nice handgun holster, retail is $90+ but it's used so you mark it $45 at a show because it's worth $45. At every show or on any sale there is always the guy who only wants to pay $20. He takes it personal that you won't give him what you worked to get. Guys on this site call them low ballers.

Then there's the one's so cheap that unless they get their underwear for free they won't wear any at all... they're called free ballers.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I think it is acceptance of the barter mentality. The majority of sellers anticipate an offer lower than the advertised price. So, these sellers decide to inflate their advertised price pre-sale to ensure they receive the desired amount. An amount often derived from wishful thinking.

I never negotiate on prices because I want the seller to get the amount he or she wants for the item.

When I decide to sell something, it is because I no longer have a use for the item. When selling, I base the price on what it is worth to me. Most often the price is unusually low since I no longer have a use for it. If I am really tired of the item taking up space, I will give it away.

I am often surprised at how many people have trouble receiving items for free.

Wish we had a Pay it Forward site.... An excellent wat to get rid of stuff too good to throw away.

 

[Stomper]

I've got two ex-wives... Oh wait, you said stuff TOO GOOD to throw away.'

 

[Just Jim]

I have seen a lot of cheap people but the one that stands out most was recently at a gun show. Had five boxes of blue tip 5.7 ammo for $125 and a guy comes up and offers me $110. At the time the ammo was selling for much more so I said I was firm on my price. He had his young boy with him and near pleaded for me to accept $110 and said it was all the money he had on him.

So I gave in as I can't stand that kind of begging. He opens his wallet to give me his money and sure enough he had plenty left. What a liar and damn what did his kid learn from all that.

 

[Caveman Jim]

https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/pay-it-forward-thread.26780/page-33

DOOUUGGGHHHHH!!!! I had a very Homer moment!!!!!

 

[Just Jim]

Maybe that was all he had budgeted and the rest of his cash was his child support payment.
I really need to stop posting today...

What ever his finances were he said he didn't have any other cash on him. I would never beg like that to save $15 .

 

[nehalemguy]

I still blame the net for high prices. Guys don't know what their stuff is worth so they look up prices on the net. New gun prices yes but used guns and old ammo no. Most guys don't shop around in the real world to know honest value, the net makes them lazy.

I don't know Jim. At the last PDX gun show I saw stripped Bushmaster lower receivers for $100....at the same time that Brownell's was selling them for $49.99.

E

 

[Just Jim]

I don't know Jim. At the last PDX gun show I saw stripped Bushmaster lower receivers for $100....at the same time that Brownell's was selling them for $49.99.

E

Somebody was selling them on the net for $39 but sold out quickly. So add in ten for shipping and entering them into your books then figure the guy buying them is going to want a deal and then registration fees with more book work plus maybe an hour wait on the phone. $100 for the time and money invested to get them to the show plus the dealer pays taxes on that money he makes. How many would he have to sell to pay table rent and what it cost him to get there for two days?

 

[IronMonster]

Agreed, I have done the math enough to know that often the mail order deals are not really deals by the time its said and done.

I bought quite a number of $39 lowers I think with shipping and transfer fee's they where more like $65 lowers, which is pretty close to what I could walk in and buy one from the LGS with no transfer fee.

 

[nehalemguy]

Somebody was selling them on the net for $39 but sold out quickly. So add in ten for shipping and entering them into your books then figure the guy buying them is going to want a deal and then registration fees with more book work plus maybe an hour wait on the phone. $100 for the time and money invested to get them to the show plus the dealer pays taxes on that money he makes. How many would he have to sell to pay table rent and what it cost him to get there for two days?

Ok, if that is the reality of selling at a gun show, why would a smart consumer ever consider going to one?

Lets use the Bushmaster lowers again as an example. I purchased four of these for $50 bucks each in a single order. Total bill with shipping and transfer/background check at the LGS came to $234. Those same four receivers at the PDX show would have cost me $410, plus parking and entry fee.

If you go to Gunbroker, you can also find these same receivers listed for $100-110, which would seem to support your position that it is the Internet driving these prices at the show

My theory is slightly different. I believe that the same guys who would try selling a $50 receiver for $100 at a gun show are also the same guys trying to sell a $50 receiver for $100 on Gunbroker, essentially turning sites like Gunbroker into an electronic gun show.

E

 

[CoastRange57]

I am not living off the sale of guns, it's a hobby that should pay for itself.

No hobby pays for itself. If you want it to pay for itself, then it is called a business, and business principles apply. If you run a business, you need to make a profit. Trying to make a hobby self sustaining would be a model that could make you very rich if you managed to perfect it.

Hobby's are activites for enjoyment and pleasure. I put a lot of gas in muscle cars and airplanes, a lot of high performance parts on cars, and shot a lot of ammo, and lost a lot of tackle, and never expected to get my money back on any of it.

 

[Just Jim]

Ok, if that is the reality of selling at a gun show, why would a smart consumer ever consider going to one?

Lets use the Bushmaster lowers again as an example. I purchased four of these for $50 bucks each in a single order. Total bill with shipping and transfer/background check at the LGS came to $234. Those same four receivers at the PDX show would have cost me $410, plus parking and entry fee.

If you go to Gunbroker, you can also find these same receivers listed for $100-110, which would seem to support your position that it is the Internet driving these prices at the show

My theory is slightly different. I believe that the same guys who would try selling a $50 receiver for $100 at a gun show are also the same guys trying to sell a $50 receiver for $100 on Gunbroker, essentially turning sites like Gunbroker into an electronic gun show.

E

Gunshow vs LGS, local gun store sends his help out to bimart and buys up all the ammo then doubles the price to his patrons. He has no customer loyalty, it's all about the money. Nice used gun comes it he doesn't even put it out on the shelf for the patrons, it goes straight to gun broker. No price haggle just sell it on the net. The bread and butter stuff that's low end and not expensive is for the patron, those that are happy with the glock and the taurus guns.

LGS has their favorite guys that never haggle and buy high dollar stuff. If the dealer thinks he can save a buck he will offer a collectible to the local guy, might even give it to the guy without it going into the books and having to pay taxes on it. Though you rarely see that cause the ATF is running stings all the time, even on sales here.

Gunshow is about competition, lots of vendors all competing for the same dollar. It's a feast or famine business, sometimes you can really make money and most of the time you break even. Most of the big ammo guys buy ammo like Keiths buys gun, in bulk and sell it at the going price. Bimart beats them when Bimart has ammo but the dealers are the first to get ammo.

Guns are hit and miss, you will get your best deal walking through the door. Dealers sell for the going price unless they bought too high. Guys like Keiths have a million dollar credit line that allows him to buy guns in bulk and use someone else's money for 60 to 90 days. Bimart has cheaper rifles but Keiths has good new handgun deals. All the good used handguns are creamed off to buddies.

Best deal at the gun shows is accessories. All kinds of deals on holsters and slings and all the stuff you need to go with the guns. Magazines for a far better price and lots of reloading gear.

JMHO

 

[IronMonster]

Gun shows are a circus where you pay a premium for the chance to spend your money. There is the occasional value or thing of interest but as far as I am concerned Internet shopping has for the most part made them obsolete. That does not mean they arnt occasionally fun and dont occasionally get my money.

No matter where you shop you can find deals if you do your homework and have the experience to know what and when to buy

 

[Just Jim]

No hobby pays for itself. If you want it to pay for itself, then it is called a business, and business principles apply. If you run a business, you need to make a profit. Trying to make a hobby self sustaining would be a model that could make you very rich if you managed to perfect it.

Hobby's are activites for enjoyment and pleasure. I put a lot of gas in muscle cars and airplanes, a lot of high performance parts on cars, and shot a lot of ammo, and lost a lot of tackle, and never expected to get my money back on any of it.

I don't do drugs but a lot of dealers sell drugs to pay for their habit. All the hobbies you mentioned can pay for themselves if the guy wants to spend the time learning how to make it work.

lots of money made buying and selling car parts, guys I have worked with turned their love of fishing into guiding others or tying flies and selling them. They hit garage sales and look for fishing equipment to sell or the guy who just loves the outdoors may pick mushrooms or ferns to pay him for being out side.

I love to shoot so I am always looking for deals that makes it pay for itself. On here there are deals now and then that makes shooting cheaper. Bought 5,000 22lr for $200, yes I am spending $200 but how much does a round of golf cost or taking the hot rod to the track? I am not cheap just thrifty. Deal is I have to keep an eye out for that deal or deals to make that $200 back.