It's obvious the economy, the dollar and political considerations all have an impact on demand for guns (and prices). I was wondering if others think time of year can have also an effect on prices of used handguns. Does demand slow down mid summer?...right after Christmas? Is there a best time of year to buy?...or sell?
Handgun prices and timing?
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Hopefully, many of my restricteds went to other homes for pretty low prices even some unfired brand new ones, since i bought my farm in New Hampshire, i had no reasons to keep them in the safe, and since i have started a new collection in the South, it is very complicated to bring them so i sold them.
I think since C-71 we are in for very slow times fireams wise, a new govt of another color could fixe things a bit.
PS: I am buying for my new passion… Antiques, they are cool and i am discovering them everyday, all ready bought 4 and it's only a beginning, i could end up with twice more before the new year.
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High end/expensive firearms sure took a drop on the used market in the last few years. I recall RB Pythons selling in the $3.5k+ range in 2014, BSS were fetching $5K... Look at the realistic prices on the EE in the last couple years (not talking about the inflated prices due to bidding wars on iCollector...), prices dropped about 30%. “Cheap” stuff still sell for about the same tho.
Established shops in Canada will not in my experience be blowing things out the door .
In America things operate differently when it comes to clearing items off the shelf .
Look at how No Sale sports ran their clearance sale and even the final liquidation sales are examples to take not of.
Rob
In America things operate differently when it comes to clearing items off the shelf .
Look at how No Sale sports ran their clearance sale and even the final liquidation sales are examples to take not of.
Rob
I think things have remained fairly consistent, a little slower this summer for turnover but not horribly so. Prices are pretty stable when considering new releases, ie Gen 4 Glocks dropping with the release of Gen 5. For every example of decreased prices like the Python, there are others on the upswing like the P7, and some like the P210 have remained remarkably flat. If you start playing over $2-3k things will always be slower; the number of people willing to spend that on a pistol is more limited. That said Ive done four deals over that this year. Depends on the item.
Same with higher end 1911's, they lanquish on the EE even with pricing substantially less that new.
Indeed Bill. I don’t know if it’s the walking dead hype that inflated Python prices and it’s just back to what they are actually worth now but I feel bad for the folks that bought them during the hype.
Ie. I have listed a brand new Manurhin MR 73 a few days ago at a considerable discount thinking it would sell quickly considering that TEC had these a few months ago for $3895 and CSC @ $3399 plus tax and got two ridiculous offers. I’m already knocking off over $600 from CSC’s all in price and about $1200 from TEC’s depending on provinces tax bracket. It really is a bad time for firearms sale atm.
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It’s the same with the AR market. Don’t even bother selling any mid- high end AR now unless you price it the same as a S&W M&PII!
High-end 1911’s always take a beating but it’s understandable. Think about the variety available, costs, and that there is no limit to the number made. As much as they cost they are not special except to the owner. I run on the premise that used should be 70-80% of new if in excellent condition. So the $4000 1911 is now $3000; now you need to find the buyer with the cash on hand who wants that exact gun. If you can spend $3k you can spend $4k. I’d rather spend the extra and get exactly what I want or get a steal of a deal if it’s not quite perfect.
AR’s, same as 1911’s. Theyre a dime a dozen. Nothing special about them, no matter how well optioned.
Harry, I saw your Manurhin and was surprised. Thought it would sell for asking. I thought about that one.
AR’s, same as 1911’s. Theyre a dime a dozen. Nothing special about them, no matter how well optioned.
Harry, I saw your Manurhin and was surprised. Thought it would sell for asking. I thought about that one.
Yes, your MR73 not selling at once is part of what got me thinking. I've had my MR88 on for a couple of weeks at a saving of $500 off TEC's retail plus the tax saving and free shipping with no interest.
OTOH I sold a WW II era 1911 and an occupation Radom within hours from the same ad at what I thought was a decent price.
I bought a high end 1911 on EE last year and was very happy with the price! About 60% of retail, maybe close to 50%. High end boutique stuff in anything costs the first buyer a mint and then the rest of us not so much. Personally I don't understand the high end AR 15 market and wondered how they could hold their value and yes the S&W Sport certainly colours the platform's value from top to bottom. Regardless I think that it's a good time to buy used guns. Wait a minute, when isn't it a good time to buy used guns?! Duh!
A BSS just went up on the EE a few mintues ago for substantially less than that $5k figure. Still want one myself, but wary over pricing still.
Milsurps, rifles and handguns, seem to be a rare bright spot in growing value.
Very true, many many variations/options out there and I am keeping my eye open for something very specific - in which case, it'd be a substantial savings over new and still get what I want. May never happen, but hey the hunt is half the fun lol.
Milsurps and guns of quality tend to hold value while others drop like cars off the lot. . Still though so long as not damaged most arms hold between 60-90% of value.
I'm not in the know of trends but I'd imagine a cycle where there are post Xmas highs around April to May then lulls for the summer with surges around Sept/Oct and again and Xmas. Bill C71 being proposed likely boosted sales in the spring this year. Sale probably mirror other luxury items like golf clubs and sporting gear.
I'm not in the know of trends but I'd imagine a cycle where there are post Xmas highs around April to May then lulls for the summer with surges around Sept/Oct and again and Xmas. Bill C71 being proposed likely boosted sales in the spring this year. Sale probably mirror other luxury items like golf clubs and sporting gear.
I see it sold in record time!
Pythons are totally different than high end AR's and 1911's because they aren't being made anymore and haven't been made for quite some time, demand will fall slower due to the less numbers available. Alternatively, when demand increases (new firearms friendly government) the limited numbers of Pythons will exponentially increase when compared to Daniel Defense AR's and the like.
I was just noting that this price, and it did sell quickly, is far less as some previous offerings (as HC also pointed out they had been selling for not that long ago) so no longer being in production notwithstanding, Python prices have declined substantially from their previous highs ie the market is soft across a lot of lines right now. Will prices go up again? Probably, but the "when" is the question mark
.Yeah, I'm pretty sure it will eventually sell at that price but was expecting a quick sale with that 20-30% discount over one from the store. If I was in the market for a MR73 I would definitely jump on it.
Let's hope the market starts to move up a bit as I'm thinking about listing a few rarity in the near future but sure won't be giving them away either.
Saw that one Bill, $3500 was the asking, exactly 30% less than the $5k figure of about 4 years ago. It went fast too, guess it's all about timing as you only need one buyer.
It may have fetched $5K on iCollector. We don’t know. The last few Pythons to come up there have been close to that range once you factor in the hammer fees, tax and shipping.
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I would have been on that BSS myself for $3500! They don’t come up often and when they do there’s always someone 5 min away from seeing it to snatch it away from you. Just try to find one.
Seems the the blues ones are still a lot cheaper due to the higher numbers produced.
