Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Save the Boxes!!!!

all of these local gun shops always tell ya to "save the box!" when
someone purchases a new rifle....

there claim is that when you sell it or trade it in...

that a rifle or shotgun with the box it came in from the factory
is worth $100 to $150 more?

Do you guys find this fact or fiction?

I've got gun boxes that are 30 plus years old now...

Looked at one in the attic, from a Model 70 SA, bought new in the late 80s...
and it is priced $349.00....

another one was for a Ruger 77/22 in 22 Mag... marked for $259.00 new...

kinda nuts on how cheap some great rifles use to be...

I burn em all...

I have saved all of mine. Along with whatever paperwork came with the firearm. Is it worth much? Check Ebay and Gunbroker, it sure seems to be for a lot of folks. I always think it adds to the price. Winchester's and Colt's even S&W now have recreation boxes and paperwork often well over $150 a pop. Kinda like maintenance records for a car or truck, it shows you appreciated what you bought.

I've never found that it helped any in resale.

Depends on the gun. On some that reach classic status it adds real value. On most working guns such as a Glock or utilitarian rifle of shotgun boxes and paperwork MIGHT add $10 to the value.

Having the original box does add value to the gun sale to most gun buyers but do believe the added $$ value of having the factory box depends on the gun itself being sold.

It may help sell the gun if you have the box but in my experience you won't get any more for it.

I always save the box, and if I sell a gun I send it to the new owner in the original box. I can't say as it helps one way or another, but I have had buyers ask if I had the box. I'd say it depends mostly on the collectors value of the gun.

collector type guns with the box that has the same serial number as the rifle or pistol can add $100.00 to the total price of gun and box. here`s an example : Ruger #1, 10 years old, brand new unfired,100 % condition ,odd cartridge,box new and same serial number as rifle. without the box $1100.00, with box $1200.00 and collectors will buy the rifle with its box easier too. but as said before just a rifle used for hunting or target practice probably nothing.

There are gun boxes on sale at Guns International for $200-$300

But is anyone buying?

Never bought a sporterized Mauser that came with a box.

I toss them into the attic. If I sell the gun later, I dig out the box for shipping, usually padded with bubble wrap and wrapped in more layers of cardboard. Big gun boxes can often hold smaller ones, adding extra layers, especially on the ends. I've gotten many compliments from buyers on my packing jobs.

Something like a pre-64 model 70, yes it will.

I used to save the boxes. One day my wife came upon them and "assumed" I had bought all those guns "recently", ha. It caused a "misunderstanding" as (a) I always traded/sold to buy any guns, no Household Funds and (b) I don't "accumulate" them. I like to have at least one "trade material" rifle, ha. Yes...the boxes were thrown away!

I have saved almost all of my boxes. I have a Hi Standard Supermatic Citation, 7 1/4" fluted barrel, Government grips. The dang box is worth almost as much as the pistol.

Unless someone is short of storage space it doesn't hurt anything to hang onto them. I used to store mine in the garage rafters up out of the way.

If you ever sell a firearm they are a perfect inner packaging to help secure it, and if you bought the rifle with a plain brown factory outer box that makes a perfect fit. Just shipped a rifle last week that has an unusually large factory box with the brand name on it, but I still had the outer shipping box as well. Otherwise I'd have had to go find a very unusual sized plain brown box.

Can't say it increases the price or causes the firearm to be sold over another - only individual buyers can answer that - but it doesn't lower the price or decrease desirability. "Hmm, I see two guns for sale in about the same shape and for the same price, but this one comes with the original box and manual. Too bad, that's a deal killer right there."

Decades ago I threw out several boxes that the Parker Reproductions came in. I was moving at the time and didn't want to move them. When I was selling the guns the boxes would have added to the value. I just recently sold a Ruger #1B in 6.5 Creedmore. It was an as new rifle. The buyer asked if I had the box. I had to reply no as I had recently tossed it. It doesn't hurt to keep them if you have the space for them.

Seafire: I buy/sell/trade a LOT of Rifles and pistols.
The original box for most Rifles and pistols will add to the firearms resale value!
In many cases it will add a LOT of value to that arms resale price.
Especially so in the instances of resale for Kimbers of Oregon, Colt revolvers and pistols, High Standard pistols, Smith & Wesson (pre-lock of course!) revolvers and pistols, Remington 40X's, Cooper Rifles and etc.
I now see a market in just resale of original boxes (especially revolvers and pistols) - in fact I spent $25.00 for a Smith & Wesson factory cardboard box and most of its paperwork to enhance the value of a mint/unfired condition Smith & Wesson Model 30-1 2".
I am sure that $25.00 investment was FAR surpassed by the value added to my nifty little pistol!
I save the boxes of ALL my high end and collector type firearm purchases!
It's well worth it in my extensive experiences.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

In the early 80's I bought five various Kimber of OR rifles, two of them came in old fashioned wooden crates with the cursive Kimber logo on them. And not just some decorative lightweight wood, those things were solid. Wish I still had them, they'd be worth some coin. Of course, as much as they weighed I'd have to charge $125 for regular ground shipping...