Current used firearm/handgun market??

1787 Views 44 Replies 20 Participants Last post by rustyaa55, 5 mo ago

Mcm308

Discussion Starter · 5 mo ago

Im getting back into firearms and am starting to acquire some pieces so Ive been looking pretty much daily at used guns to save money. What I see is lots of used firearms for pretty much the cost of new or only a little less where I might as well buy a new one. Just an example but would I pay 950 plus high shipping for something used when I can get a brand new one for 1000 shipped? I dont get it. Its one thing if it’s old school and not made anymore but even for not so rare stuff that can be found everyday, guys are looking for new gun money. Am I wrong or am I missing something? Lol

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blamo

· #2 · 5 mo ago

Just one fella's experience: there are deals out there but I see folks hesitant to come down from the Rona Tax prices we had, and between crypto crashing and the macroeconomic climate plus that agressive pricing, there's few buyers. I'm talking about stuff that is less common or not made anymore, mostly.

In my area (PNW) especially, I see silly high prices on used stuff, with new plastic guns flying out the door at pretty decent deals. Because of the last couple years of gun leglistation up here, my guess is it's lots of folks who voted these laws in and now realizing they want what they voted to get rid of.

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tas6691

· #3 · 5 mo ago

My question is ...where are you looking at used guns??

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Mcm308

Discussion Starter · #4 · 5 mo ago

tas6691 said:
My question is ...where are you looking at used guns??

A few forums and ofcourse GB.

Dwvalor

· #5 · 5 mo ago

I dont think your missing anything . I think the same thing all the time. Those that have been purchasing semi customs for some time have the places we go and get a discount so buying used is tough unless it has special options and a heavy discount . The other thing is lead times NH is out to 18-24 months and Wilson is 12-18 months get it now for msrp or just below or wait . I have got some amazing deals so they are out there but there are a lot of pistols being offered at MSRP or more than what I would be able to get one for new.
Good news people can ask what they want and adjust accordingly if it doesnt sell .
Welcome to the forum

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Bender

· #6 · 5 mo ago

We are coming out of sellers’ market.
Many sellers don’t realize that they no longer have the upper hand. We are seeing many VERY nice guns, some very frequently available, sitting available for days. Months ago, these guns would have sold within 24hrs

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Dwvalor

· #7 · 5 mo ago

My LGS now has a bunch of guns sitting and tons of used pistols … the market will continue to shrink
I for one am glad as prices were out of hand. However due to the backlog at the semi makers I dont see their prices going anywhere but up . It would appear Wilson had a price increase on most pistols in the last month most have gone up around $200 …

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Slapshot

· #8 · 5 mo ago

Every seller expects to get beat down in price and every buyer is going to offer less than asking. So he asks $950.00 on a $1000.00 gun, you offer him $750.00, and you agree on $850.00 shipped. Had he listed the gun at $850.00 which is the correct price he'd have to settle for $775.00 because everybody wants a deal. Make a fair offer and see what happens.

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DHCARMS

· #9 · 5 mo ago

Mcm308 said:
Im getting back into firearms and am starting to acquire some pieces so Ive been looking pretty much daily at used guns to save money. What I see is lots of used firearms for pretty much the cost of new or only a little less where I might as well buy a new one. Just an example but would I pay 950 plus high shipping for something used when I can get a brand new one for 1000 shipped? I dont get it. Its one thing if it’s old school and not made anymore but even for not so rare stuff that can be found everyday, guys are looking for new gun money. Am I wrong or am I missing something? Lol

Simple economics really. Businesses want to make money and people want to make money. It’s also related to supply and demand. Limited new production and wait times impact both new and used prices. If people are willing to pay X dollars, why would anyone not price it based on market demand. This is happening in every industry in the country the past 2 years. I see people paying crazy amounts on used guns that look like they were rolling around in a truck for 6 months. The gun market has been super hot the past year. You can understand this better by considering historically the mark up on guns was so small that many big box stores could charge much less than your small mom and pop shop could. It was hard to compete. Now you see big box stores charging several hundred dollars over MSRP on some brands, taking advantage of the market. I mainly focus on Colt and Wilson Combat. The best time to buy a new Colt is by watching production closely. When the market is flooded with a model, you can get screaming deals. It takes patience. As an example, when Colt came out with the 3 inch Python, they were selling for $300-$500 over MSRP. Then the market was flooded and now you can get them on Gunbroker for $100 below MSRP. It’s all about timing.

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Mcm308

Discussion Starter · #10 · 5 mo ago

Interesting…
Not every buyer is arbitrarily going to offer less. If I dont like the price, I keep looking. I will only throw an offer if it’s listed as xxx$ or best offer.

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Wedge259

· #11 · 5 mo ago

Gun roker really isn't the best tool to gauge the market anymore. They USED to be, but it seems there haven't been any deals on there in years.

On the flip side I've found some incredible deals here. I've easily spent over $10k on here in the past 12 months. I got two nighthawks relatively recently for 30-40% off MSRP. It's really turning into a buyers market on some things, so if you keep your eyes open you'll find something on here that you want for a good price. I picked up this T3 a couple months ago and thought it was extremely under priced and it's turned into one of my favorite carry guns.

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Dwvalor

· #12 · 5 mo ago

I

Wedge259 said:
Gun roker really isn't the best tool to gauge the market anymore. They USED to be, but it seems there haven't been any deals on there in years.

On the flip side I've found some incredible deals here. I've easily spent over $10k on here in the past 12 months. I got two nighthawks relatively recently for 30-40% off MSRP. It's really turning into a buyers market on some things, so if you keep your eyes open you'll find something on here that you want for a good price. I picked up this T3 a couple months ago and thought it was extremely under priced and it's turned into one of my favorite carry guns.

View attachment 1160678

that is beautiful 🤩

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Wedge259

· #13 · 5 mo ago

Dwvalor said:
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that is beautiful 🤩

It looks better in person!

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Genes 1911

· #14 · 5 mo ago

I think a glut of used guns as inflation continues... and winter energy supply and expense gets real. FJB!

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tas6691

· #15 · 5 mo ago

Mcm308 said:
A few forums and ofcourse GB.

GB is a horrible place for reference IMO. Everything is high. Its all ...scarce, rare, collector quality, or new old stock. Bull, its used. This forum, and a few others are pretty good. You'll always have some folks priced to the moon. They either drop back to reality and sell, or get mad and "back in the safe!". Be patient and look around. Unless you just cant live without it!! LOL

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Slapshot

· #16 · 5 mo ago

Mcm308 said:
Interesting…
Not every buyer is arbitrarily going to offer less. If I dont like the price, I keep looking. I will only throw an offer if it’s listed as xxx$ or best offer.

Agreed but you can always drop the price. I love the negotiating part as much as the thought of getting a new gun but if I really want something and I think it’ll go “I’ll take it” right away.

soverystout

· #17 · 5 mo ago

I see used, (albeit gently used) non 1911 firearms on this site for sale all the time that are higher priced then I can find them brand new.

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Tonysmjc

· #18 · 5 mo ago

I’ll be holding on to the majority of mine
I’ll see what the market looks like in 7 to 10 years

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Slapshot

· #19 · 5 mo ago

There are so many layers to this...

Mcm308

Discussion Starter · #20 · 5 mo ago

Im not going to multi quote but I’ll try to cover it all. Until the past few months, I haven’t used GB in more than a few years. There are deals still to be found if patient. I landed a like new Beretta M9A4 for 725 to my FFL.

Yes, if its a must have and I think it’ll go, i dont care about the price and will jump on it.

I agree you can do better in the forums and its easier to negotiate. I do like negotiating myself. I had a kind gentleman here on this forum today send me a PM and ask me what will it take for me to buy the item now? I wish I had some more play money to negotiate with but unfortunately I had to decline. I really want it too!!!! Lol

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