Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Gun Show Tables

Yup I get a table about every 4-5 years, all stuff gets priced, Im doing it to get rid of stuff, I sell about 1/2 to other dealers, I use the $$$ to buy stuff I need brass bullets ect., also get to shop before the public gets to and most dealers will give you a better price when they see your a dealer also!

A friend of mine retired with an absurd (depending on your definition) amount of guns. His plan was to maybe open a shop, or yous the gun shows to liquidate. He doing the show option, but I'm not sure he's making any progress.

1 - He's charging too much. Not a lot, but I don't think he's pried to sell. If I want one, then I get a good deal, but outsiders - not so much.

2 - He always end up buying guns. Maybe not at the show, but he still attends auctions.

When we liquidated my father's small collection, I did most online, but had a few that I left on my friend's table. I priced them fairly, negotiated when necessary and all the guns were sold.

Next time, I'll get my own table and sell off odds/ends as well.

Selling online is fine, but it's a PITA to ship stuff. I wrap mine very well and that takes times.

My only drawback for shows is selling handguns. I don't think you can get a dealer to take time to handle a sale that isn't his and I don't blame them for that. So online might still be the best route for handgun sales. Local forums are the best, so you can meet the buyer at a shop and not have to ship

I've sold a few things on "The Campfire" and a few other forums and it worked out well. But this would be a long laundry list and on some stuff the shipping would be a big part of the price. I'm kind of looking forward to sitting at the table and chatting with the people. Maybe check out the scenery! Watch for bargains. I'm sure to see some people that I know.

I hate to say it but now days it is far easier and cheaper to buy and sell online

A good friend of mine is a dealer and I've picked up on a few things from observing him over the past 30+ years.
Doug is a great conversationalist and he treats everyone like an old friend. While a lot of dealers have a sign asking you not to handle the merchandise without permission, he has a sign that encourages you to pick up the merchandise, something like "Please DO handle without permission". He knows his stuff but he is always willing to learn. Look professional. There used to be 2 other gentlemen with him but sadly they have passed. The 3 of them always wore burgundy blazers with a monogram on the pocket and a gold cover on the tables. I'm not saying you should go crazy with all that but putting up a good front makes your products look better to a prospective buyer than the slob at the next table that looks and smells like he slept in his clothes.
I plan to retire in the next year or so and I've been thinking about doing the gun show thing for the same reasons as you and I like to think I've learned a thing or two from watching the old pros in action.
Good luck.

I've had tables many times, both here in Boise and in Los Angeles, when I lived there before the communistnazis put the kabash on private sales. Something I always did was take a note pad and pen and make note of everything I sold, when I sold it. I always knew exactly how much cash I took so I knew how much money I made at the show. This was not out of any desire to keep records of sales, merely curious as to how I did.

One thing you can do with paper and pen is to wander around before the opening and make a few notes as to what others who have tables are pricing their stuff which might be very similar to your stuff. Never know that you might be very over priced ... or underpriced.

I long ago learned to take a decent pillow on which to sit. Spending nine hours sitting on those hard metal chairs can make your rump feel like it is a hunk of dead meat.

Enjoy yourself and let us know how you did.

L.W.

The last few gun shows I've been to have me believing the human race is fugged. Watch out for the drool.

I'd just use the classifieds here.

What are you guys going to do as of this date.
Personal stuff in this state can be sold FF. But are you going to do this over and over, may make you a dealer then needing a FFL.
I have told this before, had a guy that just wondered around a show and made deals on personal stuff pistols/rifles, then just put a new price on it and sold it at a profit. He sold about 100 in a year, all personal but he now in federal prison.
He bought FF, sold FF but the old BTAF now seems to keep a table at our big gun shows and they do wonder and watch people.

This will be a 1 time deal. Maybe again in a few years, maybe not. I don't think we are even going to have any firearms.

Very good advice. Rocky, I'm guessing you've been down this road before. For a one time deal, it's just going to be a fun weekend. Don't expect to turn any big profit-you're going to run across something you just can't live without. It's surprising how many deals are done amongst the dealers before the doors even open. Guard your money closely. Never leave your booth unmanned. Know your neighbor, and definitely cover your tables. Smaller stuff that's easily pocketed should stay away from the front edge of the table if possible. Talk to people and make eye contact. If you just sit there looking at a paper and waiting for folks to throw money at you, it's going to be a long day. If you see yourself doing this on a regular basis, make acquaintances with the other dealers, and learn who the "regulars" are. Every show circuit's got 'em. I used to have a retired high school principal who always came throough first thing Saturday morning. He was always carrying a nice gun of some sort, and he always left with something different. I bought a BLR off him one time, and from then on we were friends, and he turned me on to some good deals from other "walkers."

did one this weekend and sold over 1200.00 . mostly small stuff that i didn't need.if you price your stuff right and talk to people as they come by you will do well.another plus is most dealers will give you better prices when you become one of them.just wearing a dealer pass usually gets you a discount.you also get in before the puplic does during setup time.this is a great time to look around and find the real bargains. i look for guys just like you that are just out moving stuff they don't need.we do lots of trades before the show opens.

Very good advice in this thread. I had a very successful run at local shows with my wife and a couple of fellow deputies helping me. About 10 years of 2-3 shows a year.

Be friendly, WATCH your table, keep the money in your pocket and enjoy yourself. The folks can tell who is there to deal and who is just "there".

we had 14 tables in one isle this weekend that were all close friends. lots of BS being thrown around.we ate each others food and had a great time. all the better if you happen to make a few bucks.

i'll be in roanoke va. next saturday at the show.

I do a table once or twice year, and just to clean out the brass, dies, spare magazines, the extra gun cases, odd ends and bits of ammo, and the "forgot I had this..." stuff. Some shows are better than others, and the reputation of the show you are thinking of selling at will set the consumer market coming in the door. Look at the vendor mix, and see where you think you can wedge in.

The "Lay it on the table, and they will come" doesn't work very well, IMHO, you need to be prepared to engage the folks walking by.

Appearance - some covered above, but I have agree that looking like Duck Dynasty won't help me out. It's all about your appearance AND the table. Organize your table, put down a table covering, that covers the front of the table close to the floor. Gun show tables are generally rented from other agencies with the tables, they are rode hard and put away wet, stained, broken, and...you get the idea.

Send some time packing and organizing your inventory, get some tubs, maybe a hand cart or such. There is nothing worse than walking up to a table that looks like it was dumped out of a closet on the floor. I have an acquaintance that regularly sells ammo, his table is a trainwreck, and the prices aren't clearly marked, most are handwritten and taped hap-hazard with packing tape. I watch many potential buyers pass him by with a shake of their heads, it's too hard to figure what he is selling, and for how much.

Price it with a bit of wiggle room, but don't ask new prices for used gear and fired brass. Pay attention to the aisle and who's walking by. A quick "hello" or a positive comment may open a opportunity, and a wallet. I've had more guys/gals come back after a 30 second conversation, than a 30 minute discussion that ignored everybody else.

Mark your prices, clearly-IMHO, it gets the buyer looking and thinking. Especially if you are pricing to sell, not haggle from the roof. My peeve is having to guess what the price is, and the seller is busy talking, or texting somebody else. I'll give them about a minute to acknowledge my interest, then I'll pass it by.

Be prepared for the "know-it-all", the "complainer" and the "low-baller". These are few, but they will make a day very long for you, and tie up your time with knowledge, haggling, and just plain wasting your time. You'll learn to spot them after a while, and 99% of the people you meet will genuine and honest. The 1% will give you a migraine.

Theft: yes, it happens. Watch who your talking to, who's with them and look out for the team trying to divide your attention. I have been fortunate, but I see other tables get hit at local shows. We don't see the theft, but we talk. Take a cheap set of sheets to cover your table with during before/after hours, if it's a multi-day show, or set-up early. The organization helps here as well, you know if something is out of place. I snap a couple of pictures of the table after set-up, and before going home if the show is more than one day. Pretty easy to see if something has been disturbed while you were gone.

Unless you have the iron bladder, you are going to have make a personal comfort call. Know the folks around you, they will cover your table while you are away. They will help watch for theft, and they expect you to do the same.

I pack lunch, snacks, and a thermos of coffee (leads to the comfort call later) for the day. I share with the vendors around me, never know when the guy next to you has the "who-z whats-in banger" you have on your bucket list, or knows the person that has one for sale. Practically, getting through snack line at the booth is about impossible without somebody covering your table.

A little trick I used to get folks in range was to get a bowl of those bite sized Hershey candy bars, any decent candy will do, and put it on the table with a sign that said, “Sweeten your disposition! Have a piece of candy.” Folks stop by to get a free treat and you get to say hello, ask them what they’re looking for, etc. etc. Other times I had a funny little framed picture on the table and folks would come over and laugh at it giving another opening to start a conversation.

In your pre-show walk around try to note who’s selling what. Not a complete inventory, but if Mr. Prospect says he’s looking for a certain brand of revolver you can point him out to where he might find it, if you don’t have one, that is. Maybe it gets you nothing, maybe he hears someone else asking about something and directs them back to your table. It rarely hurts to be helpful.

The complainer, low baller and so forth are sure familiar. One guy figured I was there for no other purpose than to listen to him relate every “I hadda” he ever had and every hunting story he knew or heard of. Seriously, he went on for 30 minutes solid and would not shut up. I finally had to tell the guy straight out that unless he was buying something my purpose was to sell stuff and not to cure his loneliness and he was blocking my table from people who might actually buy something. It hurt his feelers but enough is enough.

CHECK THE TABLE BEFORE YOU PUT ANYTHING ON IT.make sure the legs ARE LOCKED. i've seen some really nice guns hit the floor in a big pile because a bunch of kids were hired to set up the tables.anthing strange will attract people. a guy up from me this weekend had a giant set of deer antlers on his table on sunday that he claimed were whitetail and killed in va. in the 70's. the skull plate was twice as big as any whitetail i've ever seen. looked like a muley to me.it was drawing a crowd at times.

True Dat!

This has been my experience. The last gun show I attended about 3 years ago, one of the things I was looking for was a stainless Ruger Blackhawk convertable in 45 Colt/45 ACP. I found one, described as "like new". The dealer handed it to me and I looked it over....priced at $699. I thought about what I was willing to pay and figured I would have to offer him no more than $400 to start the negotiating to arrive at a fair price. Screw it. Handed the revolver back, thanked him and moved on.

Within a year I purchased one new in box from a campfire member for his asking price of $550 shipped.

I don't expect vendors to price items at the lowest price they are willing to accept, but when they price them so rediculously high that I become the dispised "lowballer" I don't bother.

Seven tables at Tanner in Denver with electricity costs me $700. Set up is Friday and the show runs Saturday and Sunday. I sold 38 this past weekend. Almost as good as the run up to O's relection.

Thanks again for the ideas everyone. I'm spending the week digging out stuff and researching prices. There will be 2 of us so restroom calls and walking around some should be easy. Thanks for the suggestion on watching for theft! I worked in a Mom and Pop gas station as a kid and we carried our money in our pockets, making change on the spot. Planning to do that here. Also plan to take a bag with a sharpie or two, an ink pen, paper clips, post-it-notes, rubber bands, ect. Planning to price the stuff to sell. This is one of the better area shows so heres to hoping! All in all we're looking forward to the weekend. Thanks again!