Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Scheels starting to go downhill ?

Up to about 2 years ago Scheels would give you a decent price on a trade in gun - at least the one here in Kansas City.
then they got a new manager and they changed their policies and they now offer less for a trade in than Cabelas…. CABELAS !!

The price they offer has little to nothing to do with the blue book value - so I’m done with them if I can avoid them…. WOW.

Once they got a new manager, they place reminds me a a shister gun store.. a complete 180 from where they were originally…

The Scheel's in Omaha is the same.

I don’t trade guns at Scheels, so no comment on that, but their store here is very nice, selection is excellent, and they seem to have as much reloading stuff as anyone. Bought shotgun powder there yesterday. I’ll keep shopping there.

The only guns our local Scheels will take in trade are std guns in 95%+ condition. You don't get anywhere near what there.market value is. A. They don't want the used gun liability issue. B. There in it for the money. Mb

Blue books are just rough guides. They don't take into account local conditions and needs. Why don't you just sell the guns yourself?

I guess a fella could try a pawnshop?

I have never had great luck trading guns there. They know how to buy low and sell high.

I went through a 2-3 year period where I bought quite a few guns. Very few were purchased at the local Scheels - almost all were on Gunbroker.

Scheels typically has great service and a nice selection, but they are never cheap.

Blue Book valve will make you real happy or real sad depending. Also, there are no names and address in the back of people that will pay you what the book says it is worth or sell you one at that price.

Do you think you come out great selling your car to a dealer???

Scheels has big glitzy stores with a lot of merchandise on the shelves. They can't do things successfully by trading a dollar for a dollar. They also get big discounts from their suppliers, being a giant retailer.

Rule of thumb for buying used guns is pay 50% of retail. It's the only way to make sufficient profit on used merchandise, and they have the used stuff competing with their new stuff.

They are out to make money. Just like any pawn shop in America.

kwg

I agree 100%. Best to sell your guns privately rather than trade, then take the cash and buy the gun you want. Just like cars. But you can buy the same gun cheaper somewhere else rather than Scheels.

I was 30 dang mile from Owensboro the other day and couldn't make it to Whittaker's. The World is an unfair place.

That's one store I'd like to visit for fun.

You're back now?

Scheels used carry a huge inventory of used guns, now just a handful of used guns on display.

A number of years ago, I was talking with one of the salesmen at Scheel's in Cedar Falls. I mentioned that I had a revolver that I was considering selling. He made me an offer that I thought was fair. I said that I would bring it in the next time I was in town. When I did this, he informed me that his manager said no to the offer. I was disappointed and have not forgotten.

That's too bad. It's a nice store. They have had ammo there all through the shortage whereas Cabela's and neither BPS in the city has, not to mention the two Academy's in your area.

I went to Cabela's back during Christmas break and was going to buy my kid a used Auto 5 shotgun. I took it up to the checkout and they directed me back to the Gun Library, for some reason. It was getting late and I think they just wanted to make somebody else deal with it. I stood there watching a semi-hostile Gun Library guy fingering from what I could tell from say seven feet away, a very decent pre-64 Winchester model 1894...30-30. Guy wanted like $500, which the Cabela's guy maybe should have just given him, the way gun prices are right now...and they weren't any better eight months back. So the Cabela's guy says the best he can do is $300! Guy asks for $350 and the pogue says he'll do him a favor and give him $325.

I was paying with my Cabela's card or was going to. I'm too used to gunshow/gun dealer etiquette where I won't get involved in somebody else's deal, but I nearly broke ranks. I actually turned around and looked in my wallet and only had like $300. I think there was enough to cover the other fifty out in the car. I came damn close to telling the old boy to step out in the parking lot and I'd give him $350.

About that time the rude assed employee told me it would be at least a half hour before he could get to me and I needed to take the gun up front. I just said I'd already been there and they'd directed me back there, as I turned around and put the gun back on the rack and we left.

I followed up the next day by calling and asking if they had the Winchester. Nope, already gone. I highly suspected it never even went on the books and the rude employee carted it right home. I expect I was right.

I've bought several guns there but this certainly left a bad taste in my mouth. Most stores like that are...like that. Big box stores saying they'll buy your guns. Sure they will.

These crying Karen threads are never not funny.
"I went to xxx today and they wouldn't give me full retail for my used xxx. They also wouldn't discount their xxx down to wholesale for me so I'm done shopping there and everyone on the innanets needs to know how I feel.

A couple years ago I was going to buy a Browning BL-22, Grade II FLD, if I recall the model correctly. The one with an engraved silver receiver, but without the octagonal barrel.

I like to support local retail so I asked for a quote on a custom order from Scheels. I wasn’t going to hold local sales tax against them either, and they didn’t have to match price, just get close. As I recall, they quoted me something like $650-$680. They weren’t going to have to carry this in inventory.

I bought one off Gunbroker for something like $550. I think the seller was Reed’s Sports in Walker, MN.

I still buy plenty at Scheels, and they have some really good people working there, but they charge premium prices.

Happy Camper will be along shortly to explain all of this and say a prayer.

I just go to ride the Ferris wheel.