"low ballers" when selling a handgun

[hipower]

Very Well said, Leroy. I've had pretty much the same experiences here, and I assume most of us oldtimers feel the same. Bought several guns from people here and always been treated fairly. Gotten some good prices, some I loved, and some I wasn't too happy with, but all in all, fair.

Only had one instance of dealing with an out and out jackass, but he didn't last here for long. But like you, I've met some really nice people and a few I really won't lose any sleep over not meeting again, but we each have our likes and dislikes. No one ever promised we'd all get along.

BTW, I got a really nice, rare Argentine Hipower clone with only a little rust on it. Only want 900... any takers?

[10-Ring]

I wheel and deal from time to time and I've definitely thrown some low ball offers out there. I will not lowball without looking at something in person first, I don't even talk money until I go look at the item. When I do lowball it's because (or maybe sometimes I just tell them) that it really isn't what I want. For instance, if I'm looking at a vehicle I may say

"We'll it's not in too bad a shape but it really isn't quite what I'm looking for. Plus that radiator is leaking and the tires are bald. I'm not sure how motivated you are to get this thing out of your yard but if you were interested I would be willing to give you "x" for it."

I've had people take me up on my offer and I've had people politely decline. I never recall anyone's feelings getting hurt or anything. It's just business.

On the mention of Craigslist, oh man I'm sick of it. I have a couple of vehicles for sale on there now, one being a motorcycle and the E-mails that I get are ridiculous. I think I've weeded out the real time wasters though by putting certain things in the ad. Motorcycles are so much worse to sell than cars because there are so many people out there that just want to take a joy ride. Therefore I put in all caps in any motorcycle add that I place "I WILL NOT MEET YOU ANYWHERE, IF YOU WANT TO SEE THIS BIKE YOU WILL HAVE TO COME TO ME." and "NO FREE TEST RIDES, NO ONE WILL RIDE THIS BIKE UNTIL I HAVE CASH IN HAND." Believe it or not this actually seems to work.

[daddyo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CG5HozkvAc

[JAB]

Honestly, all this is why I will never sell a handgun in a private sale. I simply do not want to deal with people in that capacity. Generally, as I'm not exactly rolling in cash, I don't buy a gun unless I am pretty sure I want it in the first place. In fact, I often agonize over the purchase for weeks, months or - at least in one case - more than a year so that cuts down on the desire to sell them later. I also don't own any firearms that are all that valuable to be worth selling. On the rare occasions (three, so far) that I do decide to get rid of a gun it has been with another gun specifically in mind and I have simply taken it to my LGS and traded it for the gun I wanted. I know folks say that the LGS won't give a good trade price as they have to make a profit but I feel that I have always been treated fairly when trading at the LGS where I do most of my buying (and all of my limited trading, to this point) and it keeps me from having to deal with trying to privately sell the darned things.

On the flip side, as has kind of been alluded to by other posters (sort of the mirror image of what the OP was discussing), it annoys me when a seller has a pie in the sky idea of an asking price. I mean people who not only think their used, non-collector single shot shotgun should fetch a 'like new' price but who also seem to believe that the barrel has been lined with gold at some point during the gun's existence. I'm talking about asking prices of $190 or so for used, nothing special, probably functionally operational but cosmetically worn, single shot shotguns that I thought might be interesting as light 'project' guns. This has mostly been at flea markets and was even before the Obama gun craze.

For that matter, all of the pawnshops at which I have priced firearms seem to be afflicted with the same delusions. Like the $280 price tag I saw on a very used Rohm .38 at one pawn shop or the $170 price tag on a 10/22 that looked like it had been dragged down a gravel road behind a pickup truck, scratching up the really bad attempt at a DIY camo paintjob, at another. If a person or a pawn shop has a 'starting price' that far out in the stratosphere, I don't even bother haggling because they would literally have to come down to 1/2 price before it would even be in the neighborhood of a price I would consider.

Edited August 1, 2012 by JAB

[Sam1]

I think the majority of sellers ask reasonable amounts, and almost everyone is always willing to negotiate a little bit... as the OP said, the lowballing stuff has just got out of hand recently. It's for one of two reasons... they theink the seller is desperate, or the lowballer has absolutely no idea what they're trying to buy.

Availability on the internet has encouraged people to get involved in stuff they would've never considered before. All the groups (gun owners, racers, hunters etc.) Are pretty tight knit groups, now that the internet has come along, everyone thinks target shooting at an indoor range makes them a hunter, playing military video games makes them a veteran and watching fast and furious makes them a race car driver.... so you suffer from a lot of intereference that never existed before.

Edited August 1, 2012 by Sam1

[Jonnin]

gun for a gun is not so bad at some places. The store lowballs you, so you counter with a lowball on the gun you want to buy. A half decent place will work with you, making a medium profit off both guns rather than gouge for both. But try to sell a gun to a shop for money, that will get you a low price nearly every time --- they have to. Say its just a $500 glock (sticker price). The store buys a new one from their supplier for like $300 or whatever. He can't pay you more for a used one than he pays for a new one, that is illogical. But his offer of $275 seems terrible to you.... Basically your used gun is worth more to some individual than a brand new gun is worth to a dealer.

[Guest Grout]

I honestly think the ecomomy has lot to do with the low balling,more people are selling things off to raise extra cash,more people looking to buy used instead of new and all looking to get the best deal.The popularity of all these pawn,junker type reality shows just adds fuel to the fire.

[Oh Shoot]

Real lesson here is perhaps that short of dire financial emergency, don't sell off a uber reliable legendary firearm like a G17. Just add to the arsenal when you can afford it.

- OS

[Guest twpayne75]

Things I know and lessons some people should learn.

1. If a person is selling an HK, Sig, or any other relatively higher priced gun, they probably don't want to take your Sigma or High Point in as a trade. So don't be offended when they tell you "no thank you" and ask them why they are not interested.

2. Used guns DO depreciate. (even Glocks) I see SO many used Glocks trying to be sold for $500 plus. The most I have ever given was $505 new. And that was for the two last Gen 4s I bought. All Gen 3s were well under $500 new. Night sights and extras add a little more, but you get what I mean.

3. When you sell a gun, you can't really expect to get back what you spent on sales tax from when you bought the gun.

4. If a seller turns down your ridiculous offer, don't ask why.

5. If all you have is $350, it's not the end of the world. But don't email the guy selling the Sig for $700 and ask him if he will take $350 because "thats all you got".

6. If you don't have the money in your pocket, don't make the offer. Nobody wants to wait two weeks till your money arrives to get theirs. "Cash in hand" should just be assumed when you make an offer.

7. Don't assume that everybody that is selling a gun is about to get foreclosed on and has to settle for 25% of what their gun is worth inorder to make a quick sale.

8. I understand that you spent $200 for a bunch of #### from Tapco. It doesn't make your AR worth a dime more. To me it makes it worth less because I have to throw that #### away and order decent replacements for all of it.

I could sit here all day and do this. The above is why I buy and sell VERY little locally. I buy and sell a lot on Arfcom, Sigforum, and HKpro. Never had a problem, stupid offer, or anything other than a perfectly smooth transaction on any of them with many transactions made.

I have made a few transactions with people here. I have met some great people. And generally what should have been a few minute FTF transaction turns into a few hour meet and greet. And some of those people I still talk to on occasion.

[Guest m14man]

any offer is better than no offers.

[NRA]

just say no, simple as that!

[gjohnsoniv]

Guess I might as well jump in for a bit. The one that annoys me the most is when they try to talk you down after you've agreed on a price.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

any offer is better than no offers.

Sums it up quite well. It's called the

marketplace.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JC57]

On the converse side, there was a guy on here a while back that sold quite a lot of guns regularly. He often asked higher than what I could buy a new gun of the same model for at several local gun shops, for what were always described at "LNIB" guns.

There was one he was posting at one point and wasn't getting nibbles on, and when he bumped it a few times he made comments in his posts griping about why his gun hadn't sold sooner.

I sent him a polite PM that explained that the reason he probably wasn't getting many offers was that his price was actually HIGHER than the full out-the-door with tax and TICS fee than I could buy the same gun through Gungenie, and I even sent him a link to their site.

I wasn't trying to tell the guy what to do, just trying to help him understand why he wasn't getting any bites. His reply was a rather curt rebuttal that he thought it was a good price and he thought he'd get it.

I think sometimes the reason person-to-person sales of used guns go for at or higher than retail is that the buyers either know they can't pass a background check, or they are willing to pay extra for an "unregistered" gun that can't be traced to them (i.e no bill of sale and no ID). So some of these are really delayed straw sales.

I'm a retired police officer and just because I don't wear the uniform any more doesn't change my attitude towards the law. Any firearms I have ever sold have been as trade-ins to legitimate dealers (actual gun stores) or direct sales to people well known to me, who were either business professionals in my community or fellow law enforcement officers. And I still did full bills of sale with price, make, model, serial # of the guns and signatures of both parties, with each person keeping their own copy with the original signatures.

Edited August 2, 2012 by JC57

[daddyo]

You see this all the time on shows like Pawn Stars. Some guy walks in and thinks his handkerchief is worth $5,000 because supposedly Elvis blew his nose in it, but when he isn't offered anything he storms out in a huff and tells the interviewer that he KNOWS Elvis blew snot in it and that somebody will pay his asking price, and how the shop owners are LOSERS because they don't know their butts from holes in the ground.

I love that kinda stuff....

[Guest twpayne75]

Guess I might as well jump in for a bit. The one that annoys me the most is when they try to talk you down after you've agreed on a price.

Had this happen once. Sent high resolution photos showing every angle and that there was not as much as a smudge on the gun. The buyer looked it over and agreed it was in the condition I stated. He then asked if I would take $50 less than we had agreed upon before I drove 45 minutes to meet him.

I put the weapon in the back seat of my car, told him to have a nice day, and left. At that point I decided I would not sell it to him at ANY price.

Had the gun been misrepresented or had he found something I had missed, I would have absolutely been willing to regotiate.

[Clod Stomper]

All the more reason that I (almost) never sell a gun. Last one I sold, I debated with myself for literally years and finally listed it on this site. Got a good deal on a partial trade. That's one of only two sells that I do not regret.

I may give guns away to family or friends, but as a general rule, I do not sell.

Will

[jtmaze]

I sell retail appliances for a major company with a strict pricing policy and I get ridiculous offers all the time. I usually explain our pricing policy and let them know I would rather give them $100 out of my pocket then lose my job negotiating. Most retail sales people in today's big box market have a strict set of rules to live by to keep there job. Do your homework and everyone will work with you on price if you have a legit better price. It does get old sometimes but I have had to let people walk over $15 because they thought I owed it to them.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone

[SonnyCrockett]

low ballers are everywhere no matter what your selling

but usually if I get a hit or an offer I can manage to meet somewhere in between

I always expect a low baller

[kwe45919]

....one more thing I'll add is this. Most everyone should have their ID or HCP ready for the "private transactions" of firearms.

I've done quite a few transactions with people on here FTF. All but 1 went well. I always ask to see the ID first and most don't have an issue with producing one. There was one gentleman that drove 2hrs from Nashville to Oak Ridge and when we met and I asked him for his ID to show proof of residency and age (he looked 90yrs old but COULD have been 19 for all I knew ). The guy got steamming mad and almost yelled he didn't have one on him and that he left it at home in Nashville. When I told him no sale without ID, he raised hell and said I was treating him the same way the cashiers at the grocery store do when he buys beer. I was like, "DUH BUNG HOLE"....it's the law. I told him I had no idea who he was or where he lived and I was not gona break the law just this once as I happen to like my HCP privliges. I hopped in the car and left. Never heard from the guy again.

Edited August 3, 2012 by kwe45919

[tercel89]

....one more thing I'll add is this. Most everyone should have their ID or HCP ready for the "private transactions" of firearms.

I've done quite a few transactions with people on here FTF. All but 1 went well. I always ask to see the ID first and most don't have an issue with producing one. There was one gentleman that drove 2hrs from Nashville to Oak Ridge and when we met and I asked him for his ID to show proof of residency and age (he looked 90yrs old but COULD have been 19 for all I knew ). The guy got steamming mad and almost yelled he didn't have one on him and that he left it at home in Nashville. When I told him no sale without ID, he raised hell and said I was treating him the same way the cashiers at the grocery store do when he buys beer. I was like, "DUH BUNG HOLE"....it's the law. I told him I had no idea who he was or where he lived and I was not gona break the law just this once as I happen to like my HCP privliges. I hopped in the car and left. Never heard from the guy again.

I dont blame you . No I.D. no gun !

[daddyo]

....one more thing I'll add is this. Most everyone should have their ID or HCP ready for the "private transactions" of firearms.

I've done quite a few transactions with people on here FTF. All but 1 went well. I always ask to see the ID first and most don't have an issue with producing one. There was one gentleman that drove 2hrs from Nashville to Oak Ridge and when we met and I asked him for his ID to show proof of residency and age (he looked 90yrs old but COULD have been 19 for all I knew ). The guy got steamming mad and almost yelled he didn't have one on him and that he left it at home in Nashville. When I told him no sale without ID, he raised hell and said I was treating him the same way the cashiers at the grocery store do when he buys beer. I was like, "DUH BUNG HOLE"....it's the law. I told him I had no idea who he was or where he lived and I was not gona break the law just this once as I happen to like my HCP privliges. I hopped in the car and left. Never heard from the guy again.

He drove 2 hours with no DL???

What an idiot.

[Links2k]

I always check to see if I can get a better price, but I also always provide more than what's expected whenever I sell or trade a gun.

[dats82]

Do you have to check an ID prior to a private sale?

One of my favorite ridiculous questions while selling something was a few years ago while selling a '72 CJ5 Jeep. It was a toy for me, and I advertised as such. It was in good shape for what it was, but it's a vehicle that is over 30 yrs old. Anyway, this dude called me and started asking what kind of regular maintance it had had, how old the tires were, etc. Then he asked how many miles it had on it. Obviously, I had no clue. Finally, he asked how far he could drive it everyday if he drove it to work and back. That is when I politely told him he should probably look for a different vehicle if that were his purposes

[DaveTN]

Do you have to check an ID prior to a private sale?

You are not required to check ID. However, you are required to sell handguns only to residents of this state that are of age. It is also a crime to sell to a person if you know them to be a convicted felon, if you don’t know; it is not a crime.

Prior to setting up a meeting I tell people I will need them to show me a Tennessee driver’s license or HCP to verify where they live and their age. I require a signed bill of sale. If they don’t want to do that we don’t meet.

I don’t travel very far anymore for meets. I had a clown meet me once and back out of the deal claming something about a gun he obviously knew nothing about. I figure unless I have it priced too high, I shouldn’t need to travel.