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Posted By: ShortMagFan Selling bow - 06/20/18
Any advice? Sold plenty of firearms thru the years but never a bow

Seems like shipping would be cost prohibitive. Can try local forums or craigslist but I kind of dread CL. Do bow shops ever buy used bows?

Any rules of thumb for value? FWIW it’s a PSE Bow madness I bought in 2011. Been shot very little and hunted even less. Too dang hot here in bow season to enjoy it
Posted By: sharp_things Re: Selling bow - 06/20/18
I sell a lot of bows online both for myself and the museum. Always use Ebay with good results, buyer pay shipping. Try to buy your bow on ebay to see what folks are charging for shipping. The market for 8 year old bows is pretty soft so you wont get much.
Posted By: dale06 Re: Selling bow - 06/21/18
I have bought and sold bows on line. Same as guns except no FFL involved.
As said above, an eight year old bow is not worth a lot. There have been so many technology improvements (some real and some “marketing”) that used bows don’t bring a lot.
Jump over to Archery Talk and you might get a sense of value in their classifieds.
And some archery shops do buy used bows.
Posted By: groundhunter Re: Selling bow - 06/21/18
dump it cheap, there is no value for resale on older compounds,,,,, I had some, and I donated them to youth leauges
Posted By: ShortMagFan Re: Selling bow - 06/21/18
Dang maybe I should just keep it. Also have one I bought for my son that he never took to. Both of them sit in the closet and don’t get used but are ready to hunt with releases, rests, etc. but if they aren’t worth much maybe it isn’t worth the hassle
Posted By: Hunterapp Re: Selling bow - 06/23/18
Most of my compound bows have been purchased used as they are so deeply discounted. Just picked up a Hoyt Carbon Element G3 for a price I can now justify (so pleased with this bow). At the price I paid I was very comfortable spending a hundred bucks to replace strings and cables.

Firearms and archery equipment vary in a large way in terms of holding value.

If you are not using the equipment, maybe you can take some satisfaction in knowing someone else will. Value of your bows will only go down further as the years pass unless I miss my guess.
Posted By: AH64guy Re: Selling bow - 06/23/18
Bows like yours are selling when priced under $200 starting bids - most appear bare, yours has a rest installed? sight?

The bows above $200 don't have bids - remember this a moment in time, you have watch the market and see what's moving.

You're in the summer lull of hunting as well, it's a few months until the archery season, folks aren't looking for hunting gear just yet.

You'll probably do better waiting a month or two and selling closer to the early season openers, there is a rush every year it seems.
Posted By: ShortMagFan Re: Selling bow - 06/24/18
Originally Posted by AH64guy
Bows like yours are selling when priced under $200 starting bids - most appear bare, yours has a rest installed? sight?

The bows above $200 don't have bids - remember this a moment in time, you have watch the market and see what's moving.

You're in the summer lull of hunting as well, it's a few months until the archery season, folks aren't looking for hunting gear just yet.

You'll probably do better waiting a month or two and selling closer to the early season openers, there is a rush every year it seems.


Mine is ready to hunt. New string, sight, stabilizer, quiver, bunch of vibration dampeners, half dozen carbon arrows, broadheads, primos bow sling.
Posted By: 280Ackleyrized Re: Selling bow - 06/24/18
Why not hunt with it later in year when the weather is cooler? We have early archery season too. And it's HOT. When the weather cools off, I'll be perched somewhere with my bow in hand. Yeah I have rifles. And yeah I hunt them on occasion. But I much rather kill something with my bow.
Posted By: RMerta Re: Selling bow - 06/28/18
A couple days ago I went to the local bow shop to pick up my bow. I had a new string and cable put on it for 100.00. My bow is a Pearson Diamondbacks VR that is probably 13 years old or older. The guy at the bow shop told me I need a new bow. He said he could give me my money back for the string but no more if I wanted to trade it in. NO THANKS! Bows have leveled off as far as new technology.
I gave him this example... I have a new never fired Sako Finnbear in 264 Win Mag that was made in 1961. It’s worth a couple thousand bucks. Fired it’s still worth a couple thousand bucks or close. It cost a couple hundred new. I could buy the top Matthews bow for a thousand bucks shoot it a couple times and it’s value is now half . In a year or two the bow is worth a couple hundred bucks just like my old Pearson is now.
My bow shoots quite and fast. It has brought home the meat.
I quit chasing the latest and greatest of the day a long time ago.
Use your old bow like your push mower. Keep mowing until it won’t mow any more. Tinker with it for another season and then chuck it for a new one.
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