Home Forums Gear Free Classifieds What's the discount when an entire collection is bought/sold?

If you were selling your entire collection in one sale, how much would you expect to discount the value from retail?

As little as possible

Crap. I posted this in the wrong section.

Why do you expect a discount???

20-30%

Collection of........?

What about shipping,do I get a Senior Citizens discount,

25-50% depending on the quality and homogeneity of the collection. If all high end, high dollar, high demand pieces then on the lower end of the scale. The value of the collection would decrease from there. Alternatively, a very focused collection of highly valued rare pieces could be sold at a premium assuming there were several buyers interested in keeping it all together. Are you buying or selling?

Not selling yet. Thinking ahead for my wife/estate, way ahead I hope. I'm a hunter/shooter, so never bought for collectible value, but some have that status now, due to age, condition, etc.

If left to my estate, they'd probably be bought by a dealer and there's a bigger loss there. Was just curious.

I'd cull the primo stuff from the herd now and make specific plans for it. If you have a mixed bag of collectable and everyday pieces, you're going to take a pounding on the value of the lot. People will go after the desirable stuff and give the rest almost no value.

Yeah. I'm thinking a table at the gunshow for the long guns. Handguns is "messier". I've sold some GB over the years, but shipping can be a pain.

Sell them here easy peasy no commission and likely somebody that will appreciate it

You have already come to realize that after you're gone, the collection is more than likely not going to go for what it's worth.
Now here's a suggestion, start selling them, for what they are worth.
You and your wife, take that income and do the things you two have talked about doing, but have not done.
Whatever that may be, travel, home remodel etc.
Can't take them with you...enjoy the time you have. They are in the end, just guns.

Just my $.02 and, well you get what you've paid for.

The easiest way would be to send them to Rock Island Auction in Rock Island Illinois. They put them up on auction through out the year and get a fair price sometimes more than I expect. They charge about 20%
http://www.rockislandauction.com/

They'll probably go to the wife's new boyfriend, anyway.

Tell her to Auction it off

Ouch

Well guns are a horrible investment. Except for a very few exceptions guns made in the last 75yrs do not appreciate in time adjusted value. For instance a gun that cost a weeks pay in 1955 is still worth about a weeks pay today.

Unless your stuff is highly desirable pre 1900 winchester rifles, NIB Colt Pythons, documented celebrity owned etc etc etc I would start selling now and use the money. When you are gone it will be sold for less by people who simply don't care if a gun brings $1000 or $700.

I guess if you have a bunch of museum quality 1 of a kind firearms you can ignore my post.

Joseywales,

I will throw out a couple of possibilities:
If they are high-end collectibles, civil war era, militaria, or stuff like Pythons, James Julia Auctions specializes in guns and other collectibles. They are in Maine, but travel all over the country, too.
Their home page: http://jamesdjulia.com/division/gun/

You can get an idea of the quality of merchandise by looking at these lists for the next auction there.
Their current listing for an auction March 14 & 15 - part one - 759 items:
http://jamesdjulia.com/auction/391-spectacular-auction-of-quality-arms/?session=1

The listing for the second lot - 687 items so far:
http://jamesdjulia.com/auction/391-spectacular-auction-of-quality-arms/?session=2

Otherwise, for single guns, this forum, Ruger, etc. and the gun shows or Gunbroker (better than any of the others, IMO) in spite of their warts.

Other auction options include Rock Island as suggested by raamw, or one that I have followed somewhat to see the quality of their merchandise and the prices they get:

Gunrunnerauctions.com, in Burton, Ohio (south east of Cleveland)
They seem to auction about 200 every month, and they will take a collection and sell it as they get to it. They get some really nice collectible and high-end guns, and get some pretty good prices for them.

I would suggest watching the auctions on Gunrunner and maybe Rock Island to track the quality and pricing for a while.

Myron

Edit to add:
The LAST thing I would do is bundle them up and take them to your local friendly gun store. This is a sure way to get the least out of them.

This, if you have many, a local auction will almost assuredly get the most money for them. Some will bring more than they are worth and a couple may bring less. Almost certainly the aggregate will be higher.

If your collection is 10 guns, I wouldn't bother with it and just ask a friend to help her sell them.