Help -- Lowball ??

If you buy a SPS Varmint from a local store for $800, use it, and want to sell it, Dont list it for $700 as a great deal like new, when I can order the same gun from Ellwood Epps for $650 new.

Just because you paid more to start with, doesnt make the gun worth more.

You see alot of this on the EE.

Bang on the money! If you get ripped off, it is over and done with, you will never get your money out of it unless you rip someone else off. There is a point when someone should not even respond to offers, some offers are so ignorant that deserve to be ignored. Case in point I was PM'ed and offered a trade.

The long and the short of it was that other person wanted me as a dealer to pay the full retail (he was ripped off by 30% to begin with) on used gun buy trading it on 2 guns I would have to sell at our wholesale price. Somehow I became the scam artist because I was not interested in loosing money just because. Some people are bold, and do not mind asking for something for nothing.

When you get certian members who put in offers of half the fair market value on a hundred items in hopes of getting 1 or 2 for a steal, dont even waste your time responding. It like going to a Open house of a property worth $300 000 FMV, and saying, I will give you $175 000. Dont expect the agent to even write the offer.
 
Not only prices but howbout all those firearms with 100 rounds fired? Does no one shoot anymore? I can believe the odd one has such a low round count, but the majority of guns on EE are listed like this.
 
I shall continue to make low offers. I've been told GFYS so many times I am beginning to like it.

I had a farm dog that liked being pissed on. Gotta admit at first it was amusing to see him in the dairy barn trying to get golden showers everytime a cow pissed. Not a bad dog, but his smell preceeded him and he never got let in the house due to his questionable habits.
 
Not only prices but howbout all those firearms with 100 rounds fired? Does no one shoot anymore? I can believe the odd one has such a low round count, but the majority of guns on EE are listed like this.

We get alot of cases of that, some I imagine are made up. There are however alot of gun owners who buy, change their mind, need money and are forced to sell (without finishing a box of ammo). I have seen some people go the full circle and work there way back to the same gun they started with (only a new one). Just different peoples character.
 
just make an offer and say this is what Im willing to spend on it if your intrested let me know.. they say no thanks done they say ok done.. worse thing they can do is say no..
 
Thanks guys .. I guess one more thing going through my mind is Do guns depriciate in value after they are bought like lets say a car does ??

Guns do not depreciate like a car.

IMO, guns do depreciate for a short time after purchase, then as the cost of new, similiar equipment rises, the value of a well kept, used firearm will start to rise as well. Eventually, the value of the used gun will rise above what the original price was new.
For example: A Winchester '94, 30-30 could be purchased new in the 1970s for about $149. That same rifle in good condition will now bring about $300.
The Savage 99 you are looking for will probably be priced more than it's cost was new.
Availability has a bearing on price as well. If a certain model is no longer made and lots of people want one, the price will go up according to what the market will pay.
 
Not only prices but howbout all those firearms with 100 rounds fired? Does no one shoot anymore? I can believe the odd one has such a low round count, but the majority of guns on EE are listed like this.

All used cars are granny driven to church once a week. I bet they pack those "under 100 shots fired" pistols in thier purses!
 
It is funny to have someone try to tire kick you into submission( item is at around 65% of new/lowest price) and then you check out their EE ads to find them selling a rifle for more than the new, lowest price (around 115% of new). And stating new in box, when previous posts mention it's an accurate rifle. Oh well, such is life.
 
Most smoking hot deals are sold very fast in the EE so pay attention and be ready to buy.


If your a seller on the EE, and your crap's been sitting there for months, pay attention folks:


Deals worth a damn are sold within the day. If your 870 Express has been sitting on the EE for months, you need to start knocking some serious coin off your price if you truly need to move it!



On the 100-round-count thing:

My M14 was purchased new. I believe I've shot exactly one mag through it since purchasing it from John.
 
Perhaps the best way to judge the actual value of a used firearm without seeing the gun in question is to visit the websites of retail stores selling used models like the one you are planning to purchase. Take a look at the sites for Williams Arms, Frontier Firearms, Ellwood Epps, Shooters Choice . . . the list goes on and on. Figure out an average of what a used model generally sells for in relatively good condition as described on those sites, then set your maximum buying price around that level. If you find that Remington 870 Express basic models (we're not talking the Desert Recon tactical models here!) are selling for about $250.00 -- $325.00 in good condition, then the one listed on the EE at $500.00 for a similar model is simply overpriced.

With regard to the "100 rounds fired" claims, it has been our experience that the vast majority of gun owners do not keep a faithful log of how many rounds they have put through their guns on any given day. This claim is generally the same as reading "highway miles only" when buying a used car. Take it with a grain of salt. NO GUN IS EVER UNFIRED! They are all test fired at the factory, just like no car is ever delivered with 0.0000 km on the odometer.

The Blue Book of Gun Values lists 100% with the disclaimer that the gun has not been sold at retail. Obviously if the gun is in the hands of a private owner, the gun has been sold.

99-98% value, according to the Blue Book, says the gun MAY HAVE been fired, but it is the 95% value that is listed as Typical for most models.

If you are curious as to the depreciation value of any gun after purchase, we urge you to pick up a copy of the Blue Book so that you will understand how price levels are set.

Two words of advice to all sellers:

1) Just because you paid a few hundred dollars for a BladeTech holster, spare magazines, snap caps, fibre optic sights and so forth does not mean that you will recover 100% of that value on a used gun. A new Glock 17 sells for $675 in most places. A used model with a few hundred (or thousand) rounds through it, with two spare magazines and a holster that sold for $75.00 new does not translate into a viable selling price of $750.00.

2) When comparing retail values on used firearms at your local gun store versus the amount you wish to receive when you trade any of your own guns in, remember that the store needs to make a profit in order to keep their doors open, therefore if you expect the gun to sell for $500.00 over the counter, you will not RECEIVE $500.00 when you bring the gun in, but rather a set percentage of that value as the store must also make a profit to keep the transaction viable.
 
I had a farm dog that liked being pissed on. Gotta admit at first it was amusing to see him in the dairy barn trying to get golden showers everytime a cow pissed. Not a bad dog, but his smell preceeded him and he never got let in the house due to his questionable habits.

The best thing about your replies are the "cannons". Keeps me from having to do a search to see those puppies. Golden shower......hmmmmmm
 
Not only prices but howbout all those firearms with 100 rounds fired? Does no one shoot anymore? I can believe the odd one has such a low round count, but the majority of guns on EE are listed like this.

I've had my AR since last summer & I've only put 10 rounds into it. Oh and by the way that was on 2 trips to the range with over 1 hour drive time each way. I spend more time on rimfire then anything else these days.
 
Go to a pawn shop or gun shop and try to sell a gun on the spot and see what you are offerred.

Apples and oranges my friend. Pawn shops prey on those who need $$ right away. The EE forum is not a pawn shop, but a venue. After a while, you recognize the wheat from the chaff when it comes to the EE forum. I enjoy haggling on the EE even with ridiculous lowballers. I have never sent the GFYS. A non-response is enough for me.

Once you get a favorable rep on the EE, and some repeat business, the sellers well cut you some slack and place the item aside for you, defer payment until payday, or allow a payment plan.

My .02

Hakx
 
i have never listed a firearm on the EE and had it last longer than several hours.
I guess I should ask more.
LOL
 
I recall when I hired a new real estate agent and talked pricing strategy. He made a very insighful comment. He said to me: "Your pricing skills are really good. You have priced these properties, as have others, at the proper level. The level being that at which nothing is selling".

mikeelliot keep up the good work. You are doing it right.

Now lets see some guns and cannons jethunter!

the sellers well cut you some slack and place the item aside for you, defer payment until payday, or allow a payment plan.

Now that my friend, is a novel concept. Where do I sign up? lol Sounds similar to a pawnshop or a payday loan huckster. lol
 
Simple fact is if you don't like their price ..... keep moving. Too many sellers think they should get top dollar. If it's priced fairly it'll sell in short order. If it's a really good deal...... it'll sell FAST. With something as common as an 870 there's plenty to choose from so you can take your time to find the one you want. Maybe you really want above average wood, maybe a ventilated rib or screw in chokes, maybe all tacticool. Point is do your homework so you know what you want and what a fair price is & then when you see it, jump on it because if you don't, someone else will (if it's a good deal). As a case in point I watched the EE for months for my Wingmaster and finally found the one I had been looking for with very good condition, amazing wood and a ventilated rib. Price was extremely fair. I jumped on it & have been thrilled with it!!!
You see some EE ads that have multiple, even a dozen BBT's and the seller obviously just doesn't understand that they are overpriced. So be it ...... :jerkit: they can keep it for all I care. There are enough realistic sellers out there you don't need to aggrivate yourself with the guys that are out to lunch.
I've sold several firearms on EE and you can see how often the ad has been viewed so my general rule of thumb is that if I haven't gotten a firm offer in 7 days, when it comes time to bump it to the top, I start dropping the price. Has always worked so far & they don't usually last till then anyways. Mind you, I also give good details and always include plenty of good photo's!

And BTW ........... lowballers are simply ignored ...... not worth my time responding to them.:D
 
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