Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire First time to be a gun show vendor...

Any tips/advice on what to bring (aside from guns/ammo) and set-up/display advice to attract interested buyers?? I haven't even attended a gun show since the 1990's

a gut, witty tshirt, surly attitude and unreasonably priced goods.

if you're bald, wear a bad rug under an NRA hat.

Jerky, spices and be sure you have a loud taser or two and spark it from time to time.
Bonus points if you have gawdy purses as well

You probably know waaaaaasy too much about firearms to be a real gun show vendor.

Some rusty Case knives would be nice. 120 dollars apiece sounds like a fair asking price. A broken blade or missing scale will not detract from their value.

Pretty girl

A lot of patience. Plenty of tire kicking. Hasbeen

I do plan to put out a piece of paper "Cash only. Exact change only." I'm not there to be a banker, I'll tell somebody to go buy a hot-dog if need be to get proper change.

Damn your a tough one gonhuntin’ ! 👍👍👍👍

Don’t forget the suspenders and big gut. And practice sitting on your azz all day and being out of breath.

Don't know if it's Market Hall, Big Town or Will Rogers but get there early on the day before to sign in and set up. I have worked shows at market Hall and Will Rogers in the past. Cover your table with a sheet. That will avoid the big crowd on Saturday morning. At show opening you'll be ready to sit down and take it easy. It would be nice to have someone to spell you while your there a couple of times so you can go look around or get food, etc. Just make your wares as presentable as possible. You're not going to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Be honest with people and price your stuff well.

I haven't been to a show in a few years but a fellow told me that things are crazy now and prices are high. He says people will fight over some stuff. AR's and shotguns. With the current administration I believe it.

I'll be at Big Town in Mesquite. The lady I booked a table with this afternoon said bring more ammo than I plan for, she said that's the biggest seller. She said a lot of vendors at Dallas Market Hall this weekend sold out of all their inventory and didn't have anything for next weekend in Mesquite, so that's how I got a table (I was on a waiting list for two weeks). I don't have a lot, so I'll just go super early Saturday morning and use one of their carts to run it all inside in just one trip. Too far for me to go setup on Friday and come back Saturday.

A counterfeit marker. I always check large sums of money from strangers.

Make a sign that says "Please ask permission before handling guns!"

Watch your table at all times.

If you need to go pee, have someone fill in for you.

2 wheel dolly or a pull wagon with pneumatic tires and tubs tote you ammunition to and from. If someone asks to borrow it get a deposit and then refund it when they bring it back. Cash is king but if I was in the gun and ammunition sales I would take credit cards also just price accordingly because your going to lose 3 to 5%.

Yes, thank you for the reminder!!

I've got a 2 wheel dolly and some tubs, thanks for the suggestion. I can't really justify taking credit cards and the setup for that, this is a one-time event for me.

Yes, thanks, I'll do that.

I've had tables several times over the years at various gun shows so have a bit of experience. I strongly suggest that as a first time vendor, you take a nice, soft pillow to sit on. Those chairs are hard and no fun to sit on all day.

Have some cover for the table on which to put your goods, and another cover to cover your stuff for the night.

Introduce yourself to the vendors on each side of your table. Being friendly with them means when you have to go to the restroom or snack bar, you can ask them to keep an eye on your table while you're away. They might in turn, ask you the same favor.

Be prepared for many "lookyloos," who either try to really low ball you on the price on some gun or ammo. Also know that you'll hear a lot of "Well, I'll walk the show and be back for that _______," or "I'll think about it." Ninety nine times of a hundred, that dude ain't comin' back. On the other hand, on rare occasions one will. Or, be careful that two thieves working together will try and distract you while the other thief puts something in his pack, pocket, etc., and walks away before you notice it is gone.

Know previously before the show what you'll take for each item on your table, as people "dicker" for a price.

Take plenty of cash. I never take checks or credit cards. I always take plenty of $20s, $10s, $5s, ten $1s, and maybe a couple of $50s, to make change. Usually, most venues have ATM machines.

Make sure the person who wants one of your firearms is a resident of your State before selling him/her a gun.

Ordinarily I bring a small ice chest with a soft drink, water bottle, and sandwich. This last show, however, my partner's wife brought us a 'burger for lunch. Mighty tasty after having sat there for five hours dealing with people.

After the show closes each day, watch your surroundings as you walk to your vehicle in the parking lot. It is not impossible for some thug(s) to seriously want what's in your pocket. They know that lots of cash is carried by the vendors.

Other than that, enjoy yourself ... and be sure to take a couple of Beanie Babies, some rancid jerky, and a bit of China made jewelry home for wife and daughter. They'll really appreciate it!

L.W.

EDIT: The suggestion to take a dolly or cart to carry your goods is an excellent one.

What i like to see when i go to a gun show

1) prices marked. I don’t wanna waste your time asking the price on something that you are way over on.
2) helpful but don’t hound.
3) be available. If i got a question, i don’t want to wait til you get done BS’ing with your kindergarten playmate you ain’t seen in 50 hrs.
4) wear gloves. No i don’t wanna sample your jerky that you are barehanding. 😂🤣

Get a copy of blue book of gun values from around 1979 or 1980, and when someone walks up to your table and wants to sell their gun, search the price value of said gun..........

Read what LeanWolf wrote, it's good stuff.

If you can, price everything in $5 increments so you don't have to mess with ones or coins. If you sell a gun, insist on taking a photo of their ID and log the gun, serial number, and ID. I had a steno pad with gun description and serial number pre-written down - each on on a separate page. I laid their ID on that and shot a picture. After they're gone, write in the price sold for. This is for your future protection.

Talk to everyone who shows any interest at all. Just break the ice with something neutral. "Nice jacket" or "Great mustache" gets them talking back without pressure from you. Never push for a sale.

If some azzhat offers a stupid low price, come back with something way HIGHER than the sticker. If they bitch, say, "You voided the sticker price, now we're bargaining." (It's a sellers' market now. No need to ever come down if your prices are fair to start with.)

Vigilance, a smile, and a sense of humor will get you through what will be a grueling day. Welcome to the Nice Guys side of the table.

Know where to check in.
Find out the loading and unloading zones.
Find out where vendor parking is located.
Bring your own chair.
Wear comfortable shoes.
Get a mat or cushion to put on the concrete floor.
Try to get someone you trust to watch your space so you can get to the bathroom.
Anticipate common questions and have your response ready.

Price fairly, but don't ever apologize about your product. Know in advance what you will or will not accept. Worst case scenario...you take stuff home.

Have fun...it's a learning experience.

All good advice above. Dont forget to show up with CLEAN BORES in your firearms. Cant believe the numbers of "dealers" who try to sell guns that you cant even see the rifling for the dust and crud.

That guy is on both sides of the table. Fortunately, there are not many of him.

This might be my all-time favorite post on The Campfire.

RS

Don't forget to sell junk aftermarket magazines for more than good ones are worth. Overpriced chinese pocket knives are a must. Honestly though as much fun as I poke about gun shows I do enjoy going to the smaller ones.

Having done shows for years now, I always bring a steno pad to record sales, wants and other notes, plastic sacks, couple of pens, calculator, price stickers and string tags, a seat cushion & carpet sample square to stand on. Rain gear/umbrella, fleece vest/sweater, cooler with drinks/water, snacks and lunch. I pack my items in plastic totes and transport them in/out of the show on a small folding two wheel cart. A one table set-up fits on the cart secured with bungee cords this includes the cooler with drinks, snacks and lunch. As well as table cloth(s) covers for overnight are needed. On the notes page of the steno pad mark down any items forgotten so you'll be sure to bring them to the next show. A handfull of tie wraps for shows that don't tie guns, nail clipper/small side cuts to remove tie wraps and last but not least a bore light.

What?! And miss out on the joy of counting back change and basking in the love given you by those you count back for?

Ideally you’ll get a table between the guy and his wife selling sentcy, and the guy selling tazers and swords.

I thought gunshow hotdogs were up to $20...not much good for change...
JK...

If you sell full cartridges under a dollar each you will probably do well on volume and reduce the browsers/not buyers..
I haven't seen much jerky at shows lately.

Good luck..

Think about making some kid’s day. There’ll be a few guys who bring their kid/kids. Hopefully, they’ll buy something from you. A “cool” coin, old knife, etc., that they get at the gun show, from the table they passed by, or the table Dad bought a gun at, might be something they remember/have for the rest of their life. Think about it...

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, I think I'll be prepared for the Black Friday-style rush at 0900 next Saturday morning.

Get some cheap azz knives, jerky, popcorn, and purses.

I always make a point, the week or two before, of buying all my incidentals (cokes, candy bars, McDonald’s filet-o-fish) with twenty’s & stacking up the small change for the show.

I also do this for shows I’m just buying at, ‘ cause of venders who don’t.

Also like to bring some long cable & padlocks for the valuables overnight.

Second on marking prices on everything! I like painters tape for this cause it doesn’t stick so aggressively to the poor guys new items.

If you can raise the height of the merchandise, it will make it appear more like a business display and less of a garage sale. Also, raising the height will prevent children from grabbing stuff. A few bricks, a board, and a bit of cloth will suffice.

Check to make sure you don't have to collect sales tax. That can make it a pain when you have a bunch of coins to suddenly deal with.

We use a service called Square. It works with your smart phone so you can take credit/debit cards. The money goes right to your account, but they do charge for each transaction. It can be handy...but at a price.

I hate the hard sell too. The hardest part is getting the first person to commit to looking. It's often the second person lurking nearby who hears your sales conversation and makes the purchase.

We have a game to pass time countig the Terminators. The people who say "I'll be back". They rarely do.

I got a table at a local show a few years ago after I retired. It was a first time for me and here are a few things that I either did or learned.

1. Get a good buddy to go with you. He can help you watch your table during busy times and guard it while you hit the restroom to go look around.
2. Research prices on your stuff and price it on the high side of average. This gives you room to dicker.
3. Mark the prices on your stuff.
4. Take something with you to help move your stuff in and out. A wagon, 2 wheel dolly, ect.
5. Take a couple of blankets. One for a table cloth and one to cover up with.
6. Take your own chairs, something comfortable.
7. Take a lot of small bills for change. Price your stuff at even dollars. No $4.95 type prices.
8. Consider bringing a small ice chest for food and drink.

I tried to engage anyone that walked by and slowed down to look. Nothing high pressure, just a simple good morning or good afternoon. If they stop to look, offer your help. Again, no/low pressure. Introduce yourself to the vendors on either side of you and behind you. Be cautious when leaving the show, you may have a pocket full of money. Be prepared to answer stupid questions, to be low balled and to engage in conservations with lots of like minded people.

All in all, I enjoyed it. And turned a lot of unwanted stuff into cash.

Tasers... and make them pop every minute or two...

Great advice LW !

Yep!!! You’d be amazed at how many dumbasses with little kids are not watching those kids at all, and they will walk up and try to pick up a gun. Always made me want to slap the schitt out of the Parent! Not the dumbass’s kid. 😡

Watch out for BATFE undercover entrapment agents. Don't offer any under the table deals or listen to offers for same. Just be careful. Used to be the most fun weekends of my young life, trading, swapping, selling, buying. No longer.

Was at the Astrohall show in Houston in 1980 when someone walk out with an original Henry rifle when vendor went to the can. Was about 3 or 4 tables down from our table.

If this needs to be said you don't have any business being at a gun show.

My biggest concern was always not hauling out more than I hauled in.

Have been setting up tables at gun shows for over 20 years. Just got back from the world's largest show in Tulsa OK. Really enjoy doing it and have made some awesome deals over the years.

Mason jar to piss in, (so you won’t have to leave site of your table)

Or just have a piss bag catheter like some of them 350lbers

Haha!!

Thanks everybody, you've suggested items that I wouldn't have thought of until I got there.

Enjoy yourself.

Watch for shoplifters. They are often a 250 pound girl with a hoddie on and large front pocket or a big purse.

Bb

#1‐Booth Babe.....
Word spreads like wildfire...

You go to sell when you rent a table. Sometimes you actually sell something you want cash for. If all you have is high dollar items on your table lots of potential buyers don't even pause to look, I allways have something that women might be interested in like a few videos or paperback books. When a woman sees this stuff she stops to look and so does her man. He is looking at the guns , ammo, reloading dies , etc and she is checking out your bait which you have on the back edge. Sometimes you get some pretty good views of her frontal assets while selling him something but be cool. You know your supposed to have fun also. Mb

Last show I did was 2 weeks ago, all I had was ammo, you would think it was wal mart on black friday, swamped for a good 3 hours, low stock by 12 noon

This is becoming apparent. I was taking two rifles and some ammo - now I'm taking a LOT of ammo. Debating whether or not to let go of my S&W 686, too.

Now THAT'S funny!

From my memory of gun shows in the late 1990's, sparking a taser attracts cops like hitting a slate in the woods for toms in the springtime - brings 'em running in!!

Good for you. Sounds like fun. My buds and I get a couple tables at a small gun show once or twice per year. As mentioned, take a couple clean blankets as table covers. Take zip ties to "lock" your guns. We price items with Sharpies or ink pens on little sticky dots or with index cards folded and set up on the table. Scotch tape, a note pad and a penlight are essentials for us. I find a magnifying glass and a small tape measure helpful. I take my screwdriver kit and a rag and oil to wipe down guns. I take about $50 in small bills ($1 & $5 bills) to make change. If you sell small items, take some shopping bags for buyers. As noted by others, I typically price things a bit high as most buyers will want to dicker. Remove the detachable magazines from your guns so they don't come up missing. I keep all the supplies in a plastic ammo box that gets restocked between shows. We only do one day shows, which lessens the time away from other activities. A clean shirt a little hygiene also go a long way. Best of luck.

Want people at your tables, take ammo, powder, and primers

I've got a dolly but much prefer a 4 wheel cart. They pull easier and your less likely to have something fall off if you are loaded down. I've been doing gun shows for years, and I don't take credit cards. There are usually ATM machines at most venues which helps a lot.

This is a good list. The blankets are important, because many gun shows won't let you put your stuff straight on a bear table. Plus use a big blanket that goes to the floor on both sides and use it to cover your stuff at night.

Been looking for a good Pakistani made dragon sword /skinning knife. Used to be able to find them at all of the top rated gun shows. Anyone have a lead?

After action report:

Could have been better. I was in Mesquite (east of Dallas), and it was the most 'urban/ghetto' crowd that I've ever seen at a gun show. The hot commodities were 9MM pistols/ammo, and black rifles/5.56 ammo, and the kool kids were buying 12-gauge semi-automatic 'streetsweepers'.

Nobody was really interested in my two Yugo M-48 Mausers aside from nice comments "Those are really nice!", but that was as far as that went. I sold some ammo:

1,000 Winchester M-22 (.22 LR) - $150
200 Winchester white box .40 S&W - $140
100 CCI Green Tag .22 LR - $20
50 UMC FMJ .380 ACP - $25
200 CCI .22 LR - $30
1 old leather rifle sling - $10
2 300 round boxes of CCI AR Tactical .22 LR and 4 50-ct boxes of Federal Champion .22 LR - $110

Not one nibble on any of my 30.06 hunting ammo (Sierra GameKing, Barnes Triple Shock, Nosler Ballistic Tip, etc.), not much demand at this location for .40 S&W ammo, nobody even looked at a new box of Winchester Long Beard XR 12-gauge. Lots of unsophisticated urban-types came by asking if I had 9MM ammo, a couple even asking if I had 5.7x28 ammo (!!).

Paid for table and gas and lunch and I had some left over, so I did make a (small) profit. Selling my .22 LR ammo at $0.15/ea was pretty good, the last sale of the day was the .22 for $0.1375/ea

Next time I'll pick a show with a different demographic that better suits what I have to sell.

Sounds alright.
Can’t put a price on experience.
It only takes one good deal, bought or sold, to make a show worthwhile.

Big fitted Texas girl of about 180 lbs with a ripped down from the collar grey t shirt showing about 12 inches of cleavage will draw them to your table

I priced my stuff (loading bench clean up), powder, primers, bullets this weekend under everyone else at the Klamath Falls show. In most cases, I doubled the original purchase price. Grossed 1,700 in 2 days. The gougers asking 3x and 4x on their stuff were grumbling behind my back, because I wouldn't sell during set-up hours. Surprisingly, I had to bring home a new sealed bottle of Rel 23 priced at 50 bucks?...go figure.

Yep. The man behind my table did ok, sold a few Ruger pistols and a NICE Marlin 1894S .41 Magnum, but he only comes out once a year. I meant to tell some Campfire locals to come out but my internet connection went out Friday night from a storm and didn't come back until Sunday afternoon. Here's what he started off with Sunday morning:

3 1961 Deerstalkers (!!!)
2 44 Carbines
1 Ladysmith
1 Colt Lightning
1 Redhawk .357
2 Redhawk .41's
1 Security Six 200th year
1 Single Six with two extra .22 Mag cylinders in their original boxes

I thought about bringing out some powder, but the only buyers at this venue would have been other vendors so they could flip it, I'm not helping their bottom line at the expense of mine.

Monitor the pricing. Having it marked”fairly” don’t matter if what you want to do is sell it and it ain’t selling. Don’t get your feelings hurt. Just give as good as you get and laugh. Move around before hand and find a few folks that might be mutually beneficial. They have something you don’t but somebody will probably want, make note and let them know you’ll send somebody their way. Ask for same. Follow thru and ask the customer to mention you. When you come in with the vendor flow be obvious in zip tying your carry gun barrel. With either empty mag or no mag. Here’s a personal choice. I’ll have a live mag hidden somewhere I can lay hands on and a sharp knife to cut the zip with. I’m not walking out of a show with a grand or more and nothing but a smile and kind word to defend myself with. Very doable. Plan ahead.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


This


Price your stuff reasonably. Accept no offers or trades.

It'll move.


When I worked at the LGS we would take all the slow movers to the gun show, set up a table and price them to sell. They always did.

Gunshows have been a source of enjoyment for me over the years.. The little people have a great urge to touch something.. On my table I would usually have a couple of old cap guns close to the front of the table for their benefit.

Wow, would you look at all the .44 Carbines! Guy has cornered the market!

Had some decent stuff at decent prices and got tired of the azzholes ( dealers and public ).

Grew up doing shows w pops.

Gonna extra suck making the rounds this weekend, first show with him being gone.

Just gonna walk through to touch base w a couple folks and look for a TC barrel.

Could take the 66 .44 sporter and fugg w em. Ya know, do two loops and leave w it. LMFAO

Some folks laugh at that. Don’t. Had the organizer of a show get on the horn one morning a good hour before opening. Obudderbud was in town and guy was giving a serious heads up warning THEY would be there looking for a nice photo opp. Didn’t surprise anybody but the salsa makers but there was a momentary rumble. Sure enough an hour into the show here comes Miss Priss admiring an admirable 3” 5 shot nickle Taurus .44 Special; slobbering, drooling, so nice etc. but since she didn’t have a concealed carry or purchase permit, she had to go get her uncle who did. HE would want it (straw?) only problem was he was out of state and they brought another witness back with them. Lying 🤥 m dying. Got crude enough they knew I knew and drifted away immediately.

Another guy wandered around several shows I was wandering with a Montgomery Ward small ring Mauser that was nice. Would have enjoyed it. But he wanted 3 prices. What he really wanted to do was sell a Sten his old Daddy brought back from the war. I looked trustworthy and the price was less than a grand. Did a little interview just for chuckles before SMH and walking. Son was with me and young. Made sure it was a learning experience. Saw the same guy at the next show and got close enough to hear pretty much the same pitch. Saw him a couple more times then never again. It happens.

They were VERY nice carbines, especially the Mannlicher-stocked version w/scope closest to the camera. The demographic of the show wasn't favorable to them.

A fellow could make a gun collection with Ruger .44's. 44 carbine, The fingergroove version was a favorite. (No barrel band).
96/44 lever action, & Ruger #3. Offered in the Ruger #1 also, but never appealed to me for some reason.

I like #1s but think the 44 mag looks a little short. Shoulda made the bbl 1" or 2" longer.

Not a fan of the 1022/ 44 standard stock.
Fingergroove ( sporter ) feels way better IMHO.

Have an old beater 3 screw SBH w brass frame and a pretty clean sporter. Those my only .44 mags now.

Ruger #3 feels and looks like crap. Hated the ones I shot on .22 hornet and .223.
Have one now wearing #1 wood. But its in an oddball cartridge ( rebarreled ). Actually like the looks of the #3 lever but it doesnt work well with #1 wood in anything that bumps. Really need to hybridize a #3 stock of sorts.

Ruger #3

$2000 for a Deerstalker? Sheeww buddy!!

😐

One year only and these were probably the nicest representatives of that year as you'll ever see - I kept looking at them all weekend. I should have bought one.