retirement and selling off collections

Willy Tincup said:
Gee lads; I think this discussion is all backwards. Retirement is the time to buy and add to your collection. Its time to enjoy your firearms.
Once a person is retired there should be much more time to shoot and play with them; go to gun shows and auction sales and BUY, don't sell. There is lots of time down the road to sell and there will always be buyers waiting for good clean quality guns.....and at higher prices. The kids are gone, education costs are gone, wedding expenses are gone........buy more guns. :)
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WT, you are correct to a point. Not all of us age gracefully and many retirees are not in the best of health. Many have joint issues as well as vision issues and of course many can no longer drive. There are a rack of other issues as well. Many people carefully put together collections with the idea that they would supplement their retirement with sales of the collection. Some folks purchased rifles with the hope of going on a dream hunt to Africa or a guided hunt in North America. Great idea but our genes often get in the way of such lofty ambitions.

Then of course there comes the big issues like Cancer or some other disease that really complicates things.

At one time I had a huge collection of very nice firearms. I still do have a moderate size collection of fair size and value. Some isn't as good as I first thought but some is better. Cancer concerns gave me three options. One sell them all in one go at public auction, two sell them online/gunshows or three hold out and hope the Chemo worked. I opted for three and was extremely fortunate that it did. The thing is, Chemo is poisonous and does a lot of irreparable damage to the body it is injected into. You just never know.

Downsizing raises its ugly head sooner or later depending on the individual. For new collectors this can be a windfall. Not just in price but in being able to acquire firearms that are seldom seen let alone available.

As far as how to move those firearms goes that has been discussed well in this thread. Lots of good advice from people here. Again, it all depends on how good your condition is physically and mentally. I have seen people in their early sixties that are older in condition than some people in their nineties. It's a toss up. Other than movies and in the law books none of us are created equal.

OP, if you can find the time to help your friend to sell those firearms, go to the shows. You will both have fun but price the firearms fairly and take off the blindfolds. The internet is fine but don't ship until you receive payment and proof of PAL or RPAL etc. Auctions/dealers are by far the least profitable.
 
I had a buddy inherit about 25 firearms. What we did was take some good pics and price them fairly, and sold them in the EE here. They sold quickly and everyone was happy. We didn't have to deal with middlemen and didn't have to schlep guns to shows.
 
Gatehouse said:
I had a buddy inherit about 25 firearms. What we did was take some good pics and price them fairly, and sold them in the EE here. They sold quickly and everyone was happy. We didn't have to deal with middlemen and didn't have to schlep guns to shows.
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...most of the guns that get schlepped to shows get schlepped home again....unless they're being given away.
 
A issue to consider is that older collectors have prohibited class firearms, from fa guns to small pistols. Their kids end up dealing with them. Older collectors should
come together to help people deal with these types of issues. I know there are licenced individuals and dealers who can purchase them. Exporting some of this stuff to Europe
is a better option than USA, There is a case for export in some cases to save the collector value.
 
can14 said:
that is a good one. Post office cost to ship stuff has really gone up parcel is 50 and tracking is 90.00$
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In canada, you should be able to ship any gun nationwide for about $50 including tracking. Insurance is what kills you.

I sent 3 rifles recently. All in hard plastic cases. two insured for $2k each from Ontario to Alberta, $65each
To Quebec $38 no insurance,
 
Exactly.
Owners of FA guns should at least help new buyers to preserve these guns. Not just I want to get rid of it and that's it. And you get the ones I don't want to get involved or i can get stuck with it types. That's how guns get deactivated in a hurry and turned in to a heap of useless metal.

can14 said:
A issue to consider is that older collectors have prohibited class firearms, from fa guns to small pistols. Their kids end up dealing with them. Older collectors should
come together to help people deal with these types of issues. I know there are licenced individuals and dealers who can purchase them. Exporting some of this stuff to Europe
is a better option than USA, There is a case for export in some cases to save the collector value.
Click to expand...
 
I can understand the need to shrink the collection. It has been in my mind for the last 4-5 years that once I turned 60, I would seriously consider cutbacks in my collection. I turned 60 last month and my wife and I are still high volume competitive shooters. During the winter we find ourselves competing in Arizona and we take a sizeable amount of firearms with us each year. These are the ones we use on a regular basis throughout the year. The remainder get packaged up and we get a temporary ATT to move to a friends home while we are down south. This way no firearms are left unattended.

Frankly after doing this for 3 years now, it is beginning to be a pain in the butt. I'm planning to start downsizing after this years shooting season finishes on my "safe queens", some that haven't seen a range in almost 10 years. As previously mentioned as we get older the "indiscretions" of our youth catch up with us as well as other health problems, so it is always prudent to have a solution in case your participation in your hobby takes a sudden stop.
 
A support group should be formed to preserve fa guns. Any ideas on who knows gunsmiths who are licenced to fix them? parts sources?
 
can14 said:
A support group should be formed to preserve fa guns. Any ideas on who knows gunsmiths who are licenced to fix them? parts sources?
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I think the issue is that there is no way to preserve them indefinitely...once the current FA owners are gone, they are all getting dewatt'd regardless.

At best, you can only hold off the inevitable a little bit longer.

How many FA owners are still willing to pay the same price as the gun is worth as a dewatt?
 
Willy Tincup said:
Gee lads; I think this discussion is all backwards. Retirement is the time to buy and add to your collection. Its time to enjoy your firearms.
Once a person is retired there should be much more time to shoot and play with them; go to gun shows and auction sales and BUY, don't sell. There is lots of time down the road to sell and there will always be buyers waiting for good clean quality guns.....and at higher prices. The kids are gone, education costs are gone, wedding expenses are gone........buy more guns. :)
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I am inclined to agree with Willy and having retired eight years ago believe that I can speak from experience.

There will inevitably be exceptions occasioned by ill-health and other unfortunate circumstances, but as the owner of a large collection of British Military Rifles which I started in the 1960s, I can report that I have been more active as a collector since retirement than ever before. One of the essentials for a happy retirement is to keep fully occupied and what better than to do so than a more active involvement in a field which has been a lifelong interest? Obviously, those who are not such serious collectors, may have other priorities and feel differently.

By retaining my firearms and interest I also have more time to encourage other collectors, both established and new, by working on exhibits and presenting lectures for which I did not previously have the time. Without keeping my collection this would not have been so effective or perhaps even possible.
 
The topic of selling ones firearms collection once retired is an emotional subject.

Unfortunately we all have a limited lifespan and won't live forever. It makes sense to sell your collection at your terms when you are able. If you die first, your family is faced with the task with no knowledge and my end up with far less than true value.

You must think of it (collecting) as a poker game. At some point in time you must get up from the table and cash your chips. If you stay at the table you may loose (die first and realize no value from your collection).

The emotional part is the attachment to the collection. It can be difficult to part with a collection that you have enjoyed for many years and was a lot of work to obtain.

But you must remember "you can't take it with you when you go". In many cases family members have no real interest in a collection and saving it for them is pointless. All your buddies will circle the family like vultures prepared to offer 50 cents on the dollar for your stuff.

As indicated by other CGN members there are may ways to sell a collection. All at once (auction) or one at a time (gun shows, EE, etc.). The choice is yours. If not done by you, it will be done by someone else (executor or family member) after your death.

Hiding your head in the sand will not make the problem go away.

My plan is that I will sell my collection one piece at a time to other aspiring collector who will appreciate them. It will be at my terms with no rush sales. It has taken me a long time to built my collection, It will take some time to dispose of it as well.

I expect that once the first pieces are gone, it will become easier to part with the remaining ones. The critical decision is when to begin the process to maximise sale value and allow enough time for the process.

A lot of us have our collections to augment our retirement (sort of an RRSP). So once you retire it is time to get your funds through selling of your collection. Then enjoy the benefits.

Cheers!

B
 
lot's of talk of retirement on here so i have a couple questions:
what do you do with handloads? i'm primarily a varmint shooter and as such have multiple thousands of handloads for specific rifles, there is a value to these loads for sure but the legality of selling them is an issue, ideas?
plus lets say you don't retire, but die? in my circle of friends/colleagues/clients I'm "the gun guy" and get asked to help with guns a lot. it's not uncommon for some one to hand me a duffel full of ammo they found while cleaning Uncle Mike from Canmores house.
it seems to me that the guns are the easy part of any disposal it's all the other "crap" we collect to enjoy the sport that is an issue
 
I have been on the receiving end of ammo,parts, accessories and guns to assist in selling. Many people make lists of ammo etc It was very helpful, but took time to
make sense of it all. Stuff without lnformation would take longer.
Lucky for us that there are books written and net sites that deal with accessories to make it easier. Some people have the books with their stuff.
It all has a value and can be sold. One just has to make certain that they are not part of gun in the collection.
It would be interesting in hearing from dealers and their experiences in dealing with this.
 
Bojangles said:
The topic of selling ones firearms collection once retired is an emotional subject.

Unfortunately we all have a limited lifespan and won't live forever. It makes sense to sell your collection at your terms when you are able. If you die first, your family is faced with the task with no knowledge and my end up with far less than true value.

You must think of it (collecting) as a poker game. At some point in time you must get up from the table and cash your chips. If you stay at the table you may loose (die first and realize no value from your collection).

The emotional part is the attachment to the collection. It can be difficult to part with a collection that you have enjoyed for many years and was a lot of work to obtain.

But you must remember "you can't take it with you when you go". In many cases family members have no real interest in a collection and saving it for them is pointless. All your buddies will circle the family like vultures prepared to offer 50 cents on the dollar for your stuff.

As indicated by other CGN members there are may ways to sell a collection. All at once (auction) or one at a time (gun shows, EE, etc.). The choice is yours. If not done by you, it will be done by someone else (executor or family member) after your death.

Hiding your head in the sand will not make the problem go away.

My plan is that I will sell my collection one piece at a time to other aspiring collector who will appreciate them. It will be at my terms with no rush sales. It has taken me a long time to built my collection, It will take some time to dispose of it as well.

I expect that once the first pieces are gone, it will become easier to part with the remaining ones. The critical decision is when to begin the process to maximise sale value and allow enough time for the process.

A lot of us have our collections to augment our retirement (sort of an RRSP). So once you retire it is time to get your funds through selling of your collection. Then enjoy the benefits.

Cheers!

B
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Great post. Needs to be said.
 
Not everyone is comfortable with digital photography.
In my opinion it is the greatest tool in marketing your collection.
You can send your photos anywhere. The quality of your photos is very important.
Sharp clear photos that show all of the aspects of the piece that you are trying to find a buyer for.

Having an accurate inventory of your collection is hugely important for your heirs if you die before you have dealt with your stuff.
Ideally in a digital format that is easily sent to potential buyers.

Leaving a list of collectors or dealers email coordinates (etc) will be helpful if you don’t make it to the finish line.

(Hopefully it is private collectors that you will end up dealing with.)

Try not to leave your family with the burden of dealing with what was your collecting passion for many years----which they may know nothing about.

Get rid of the 12.3s and 12.2s and possibly the 12.6s before you depart this world.
There is an exercise in selling 12.3s today-----you can get through it but it takes patience and the expense of having the 12.3s modified to comply with current standards.

I have started this process.
Take your time and get organized if you feel that you are in the (age) category of a collector that is thinking of exiting or downsizing.
 
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can14 said:
that is a good one. Post office cost to ship stuff has really gone up parcel is 50 and tracking is 90.00$
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It's been creeping up for sure but $90 for a tracking number? Where do you live?


Interesting topic.
The E.E. makes sense for ease and max profit.
Connecting with other collectors and finding the right heir is a whole different thing.
 
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