You cannot unsee what you have seen...

[mpperales]

I was a local gun shop yesterday...

I saw a guy come in with something in a rifle case...and it is a PRISTINE Ruger Mini 14 in Stainless..

He wants to sell or trade it. He looked about 21...

He decided it was a good deal to trade it for a Bersa Thunder and $100....


My question...does he derserve what he got OR should the gun shop have educated him a bit more?

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[Nickb]

The gun shop should have have given a value, cash or trade.

But that's just my opinion.

 

[RVTECH]

As in buyer beware its also 'seller beware' and 'trader' beware. You are responsible for having a clue as to a basic value of what you are selling/trading. Remember my trading a banjo worth maybe a $100 for a Taurus 605 nearly NIB? I gave the guy every opportunity to 'counter' but he shook my hand and said 'done deal'

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

I couldnt have stood by and let him do that.. I mean we all need to learn from our mistakes.. But there are some mistakes not worth learning..
Trading a good rifle for an alright pistol and $100 is a horrible idea.

 

[robertg]

What gun shop was that? Not sure I want to do business there.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

Trading a good rifle for an alright pistol and $100 is a horrible idea.

If it was a newer 580 series they are better than good!
However the young man, if made aware of it, will have learned a lesson that might save him some serious money in the future.
He also could have swiped or been given the mini from an elderly relative and didn't appreciate it's value having not earned/bought it himself and just wanted a handgun in a hurry for some reason.

 

[Bill Siegle]

Education is expensive! In today's world with access to the Internet and search engines, if you got screwed on a deal, it's by choice.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I saw a similar thing happen at The Gun Room. The seller was being offered maybe 50% of what his gun was worth. Another bystander/customer offered the seller a more reasonable price, and was immediately invited to leave and never come back. That was the last time I was in The Gun Room.

 

[mjbskwim]

Education is expensive! In today's world with access to the Internet and search engines, if you got screwed on a deal, it's by choice.

Yeeeeaaahhhhh,but,
why screw the kid? Now you have a one time buyer not a life long customer.
I most definitely would have called BS on the deal...... unless the kids was a know DB

 

[forefathersrback]

I wouldn't expect a gun shop, or most people to inform the young man, the value of his firearm. I personally would have told him it was a BAD deal. Seems to me, that some people tend to think it's ok to deal that way, to teach a lesson.... A true lesson would be to teach them the true value of what ever they are selling. Whether it be a firearm, or something else. I find it fascinating, that whenever some people teach a lesson it's alway in their benefit. A good buy is a good buy, I have no problem with that, but to buy WAY below value , to TEACH a lesson, is B.S. Lack of education, or otherwise does not make it OK with me. But hey, that's just my opinion.

 

[mjbskwim]

OK,so what is the value of the mini 14?
What is the wholesale price?
What does it book at? Are they selling on GB for the asking/BIN price or are they just asking?
Subtract 20% ...IF IT IS 100%,OK,see where I am going?
Now I said I would have said something because I wouldn't buy a Bersa on a bet,but if the wholesale value of the M14 is the same as the retail value of the Bersa then there really,is no problem.
I may have told the kid to take it to the next gun show and get what it's worth retail,but if he was determined to get a handgun,then the store did it's job by trading him for the bersa

Sometimes the book shows a very low price (check S&Ws in the blue book) and that's what the GS owner has to work with. The buyers are going to want to know the book value,so what ya gunna do?

And I have NOT looked up the value of either gun,just putting out a What If?

 

[Certaindeaf]

I got some magich beans one time.. but that's another story.
There's lots of stories, especially about folk converting guns for cash. coulda whipped out yer wallet

 

[dobeman]

what will be interesting is to see what said gun shop turns around and prices that mini 14 at.

 

[mpperales]

I'll let you know tomorrow....

 

[LyleLovett666]

An ethical business would not permit it's people to behave like this.

 

[RVTECH]

but if he was determined to get a handgun,then the store did it's job by trading him for the bersa

I agree. How much of a loss should one expect to take when trading? 20%?, 40%?, more? Heck pawn shops typically buy at 50% or less of retail so numerically speaking the kid did not do too badly, Considering the EXPECTED loss through a trade. And that's what everyone is getting so emotional about, the expected trade loss. I once stood next to a guy in a pawnshop who brought in a 'fair' early Commander in .38 Super - and stood there while they offered him $150 for it. And this shop has given me several pretty good deals over the years.

 

[Hook686]

I was a local gun shop yesterday...

I saw a guy come in with something in a rifle case...and it is a PRISTINE Ruger Mini 14 in Stainless..

He wants to sell or trade it. He looked about 21...

He decided it was a good deal to trade it for a Bersa Thunder and $100....


My question...does he derserve what he got OR should the gun shop have educated him a bit more?

How do you know it was not stolen ? I had a guy once offer me a Colt 1903 .38 for $300. He never showed up at the gun smith I deal with.

 

[RVTECH]

How do you know it was not stolen ?

Which brings up a good point - If it WERE stolen then the dealer was at fault for not checking into it before taking it in on trade, but I guess a stolen gun could technically be 'clean' if it had not YET been reported as stolen. Probably the exception rather than the rule but anything is possible.

 

[Hook686]

Was it bought from the dealer, or the kid? If the dealer took it in yes I would think he ran a check on it. however from my reading the story the rifle was bought from the kid before it got to the dealer's hands. I certainly might be wrong in that. What do others think ?

 

[RVTECH]

Another bystander/customer offered the seller a more reasonable price, and was immediately invited to leave and never come back.

As he should have been. That was a pretty 'low' of the guy to even open his mouth inside the store. It's not an auction house. Like my own experience in a pawnshop I 'bit my tongue' and waited until the guy declined the $150 offer for the Commander and was planning on meeting him outside to make a reasonable offer but I missed him leaving.