Gun auction prices do not seem all that high. In most cases auction hammer prices seem to be right on the money, as accurate representations of current value. What is odd, is that so many people don't seem aware or else consciously ignore that auctions also charge buyer's fees (usually around 15 %, but some as high as 25%), an additional fee (often another 10%) for using a credit card, both federal and provincial taxes, shipping costs, and even sometimes charge additional packaging, gun lock and handling fees. These fees can easily add another 1/3 to the price, sometimes even more, as high as a 50% increase over the hammer price. Three or four decades ago, the owner of a large western Canadian gun auction told me that at auction one should expect to pay from 2/3 to 1/2 the actual value of a firearm. No longer. Now it is the opposite. At auction, you are often paying 1/3 to 1/2 more than the realistic value of a gun. It will be interesting to see if asking prices reflect this when gunshows finally return across Canada.
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