Is it worth trying to sell on these websites? I really see, big distributors selling new stuff.

I have a rifle posted here and 3 other hunting/shooting websites. would I have better luck on one of the big ones?

How do they charge you to post?

Gun broker does not charge until you sell. Exceptions are a fee for a view counter, thumbnail picture, etc. I have had very good results on GB but I don't sell too much, two rifles this year. Check out this link of fees.

http://www.gunbroker.com/c/user/fees/

I'm not wild about Guns America any more. I don't think they get the traffic that GB does.

I've sold a number of firearms on Gunbroker, never used GunsAmerica so can't comment there.

But I've had good results on Gunbroker, you get a huge audience and the listing doesn't cost you anything until you sell unless you add some of the special features, and even those are pretty cheap, maybe $3-4 total if you want a fancy listing and hit counter. Once it sells the final value fee isn't steep IMO, certainly a lot less than you'd pay for a consignment fee at a gunstore.

The other benefit is that you get a pretty good real market value for your goods. Lots of "it depends", but decent goods generally find a good price by auction and sometimes if you have a particularly nice or somewhat rare specimen you can get a lot more than you think. The other side of course is that your goods are listed alongside and competing with many others, but the very wide audience is the chief advantage.

Just take good pictures and describe it honestly without being too verbose and if someone wants it, they'll find it.

More than anything, bear in mind that the market is very soft right now. Shops are stuffed with inventory and sales are slow, which might change after the mid-term elections, but for now that's the deal. Auction sites don't make it better for sellers. They offer a huge selection of merchandise, which is great for buyers.

If you're focused on money, then your best bet is definitely a face-to-face private sale IF that's legal where you live.

My issue with online sales is the costs that you don't think about until you hit the checkout lane: shipping, transfer fees, taxes, credit-card fees, etc. Where I live, that can easily add another $100 to the cost of the transaction. When you factor in all of that plus the time and hassle of shipping to/through an FFL, doing business with a local shop is about the same cost and a lot faster.


Okie John

There are no local shops (especially smaller ones) that can compete with online prices. Many times online places have free shipping and no cc fees. A ffl transfer fee is usually less than state sales tax

You just have to read before you bid if using gunbroker.

Slickguns.com generally shows the lowest online prices for normally stocked guns from a huge national database. Many dealers also price match

Gunbroker is the way to go if you want exposure.

Thanks guys for the feedback

it is not the best time to sell for sure, especially a very "specific" item. These will never sell in a LGS , and reaching a huge audience, the odds of someone seeing exactly what they are looking for is much better.

I also agree, shipping will kill you especially if you ship extras like dies, ammo, bullets, accessories, etc.

I agree. I've had great experiences buying and selling on GB. However, it's pretty much a buyers market right now...

I’ve had good luck buying and selling here and on GunBroker

^^^me too^^^

I have had very good luck with Guns America in the past. Seems to be going downhill lately. Guns International is my current favorite

Add me to the list. It's a gutsy move, but buyers on Gunbroker love auctions starting with a penny. I am more than happy to pay the Gunbroker fee, plus an additional 5% to my LGS for a listing.

He takes the pictures, takes the calls and packs and ships the firearms. I pick up the remaining cash. It works for me.

donsm70

I have had a lot of problems lately with receiving FFl holders not wanting to send copies to private individuals. I think this is driving many private sellers out of the market

what prevents me to buy a gun/pistol online is cost of FFL which is about $150 is some shops. how much is it where you are?
P.

$20-$25 is common around here. Guy I used to deal with charged $15 for veterans or active duty military/LEO/firefighters but he must be having personal problems because he turned into a real butt so I don't use him anymore. Some shops charge ridiculous fees but I think they do so just to discourage people from using them. I have the name of a fellow around here who supposedly only charges $10 but he's on the other side of town so I haven't tried him yet.

When I sell to someone as a private individual they can email a copy of the FFL or not, as I understand it the ATF discourages that. So I just ask for the first three and last five digits of their FFL number and run that through the ATF EZ-Check website to verify it is valid and current, then ship to the address posted there.

I also state very clearly in my ads that their FFL must accept shipment from a private individual.

My local FFL charges $20. He used to be $10. He's also my gunsmith when I need one. Very reasonable, $150 is a rip-off.

If you have an odd item and want top dollar, you cannot beat Gunbroker. Ship the gun to the guys FFL, but send the dies, brass, bullets and accessories direct to the guys house via USPS Priority flat rate insured and with tracking. They do not need to go to an FFL and it’s relatively cheap to send it USPS.

Do you have to get a copy of their FFL? I thought the only requirement was that you shipped it to a Dealer?

I have always thought a copy was needed and I would keep that copy in a file with everything else for each transaction.

Jim in Idaho says you just need to verify it is going to an FFL, I may need to rethink this?

Question for you Jim,
how do you get around UPS or Fedex asking for a copy of the FFL before they will ship?

My local FFL charges $20 inbound. $30 to $50 outbound depending on amount of insurance desired. Frequently have him do the boxing and packing as well.

basspro in san jose , California requires a deposit (for sending it back ) before the actual shipment , just in case if the gun is illegal in California , something like threaded barrel on handgun or the entire line of glock gen4.

Yep, and they used to do it no problem before.. One of the things I've also noticed...

The seller does not need the actual copy, just verification it is valid as well as the address that is on the license. That all can be obtained without the entire license number

Thank you

FFL EZ check.

Have not sold anything online but have made several purchases using Gunbroker, all new firearms and most from reputable dealers with a lot of feedback.

The only complaint I have is that shortly after using a credit card to purchase a rifle from Roadrunner Guns in Phoenix, someone tried to use that same CC number to purchase $600 in tires in Phoenix. Fortunately for me the bank refused to authorize the purchase. I'm not saying someone at Roadrunner was responsible but I'm not much of a believer in such :coincidences", either. One of the reasons I pay with a CC for all online purchases instead of my debit card is for the fraud protections.

I'm sorry but I don't really have a good panacea for all locales since the place I ship from never asks. I try to always ship via FedEx since they have the cheapest rates and I create and pay for a shipping label online. The fully packed and labeled box is taken to my FedEx place, I walk in and cheerfully say "this is ready to go", hand it to the counter person and walk out. They don't ask and I surely don't tell. I also ship handguns via FedEx ground the same way - to them it's just another small box among millions they handle every day. That works for UPS as well, just bring in a fully labeled package ready to ship and drop it off with as little conversation as possible.

Maybe someone can quote the rules on requiring an FFL and tell the counter person to stuff it but since I haven't experienced that I haven't had to come up with a solution. In pre-internet days when I used to ship via UPS and would fill out the packing slip at the hub where the form does ask for the contents I'd write "Machined parts" or my favorite, "Varmint Drill". That never raised any questions.

Also, when possible I will buy a shorter box and break the long gun down into two shorter components so it doesn't look like a rifle or shotgun, and never, ever put anything related to guns in the address. If it's going to "Joe's Machine Guns, Handguns and Weapons of Mass Destruction Emporium and Bait Shop" then I label it "Joe's" or some such.

Law is you have to ship to an FFL holder if going out of your state. Thats it. Nothing more. Don't have to have a copy. Don't have to have the FFL #. Don't have to check anything online. It is up to you to determine how you know it is going to an actual FFL holder at their proper address.

What turns it into a cluster is when a private shipping company (UPS, FedEx) has their own rules they want followed and then their employees interpret those rules even differently than they're supposed to.

Then you get FFL holders that make their own rules (that they are free to do so, its their business) but state they are laws when they are not. That adds to the confusion.