Your view on EE ads??

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I bought a pistol through the EE.

I posted on EE for WTB a used pistol. In the advert I used language to the effect of not being interested in paying 98% of retail for a used item, but would entertain any offer to sale at a more reasonable 50-70% range of the item (bought new).

Its actually quite humorous to me that I actually received some 'hate' mail in my box over it.
'Hate' is a strong term - but definitely some people felt it necessary to explain to me (as if I was 5 years old) that firearms hold their value exceptionally well, and that I was out of my mind to expect to find what I was looking for at the price I had in mind.

I suppose I should also mention I had two offers in hand (at the requested price) within 48 hours.

People will always try to sell high, I suppose.
 
While this thread is bordering on antique at 7 yrs old, it still holds relevance. There are some good deals on the EE and the tend to go quickly. However,for the most part they are nuts. I get a kick out of the adds that are bumped 10 plus times and no price drop to realistic levels. I get a kick out of the marlin lever phenomenon. Jack up the price of your old model 30as by a 3rd while using the "JM" stamping as justification. When buying firearms or optics (new or used) it pays to shop around. Use the internet to your advantage. It has been my experience that small local gun shops and reasonable pricing usually don't go hand in hand. The differences in pricing from shop to shop can be jaw dropping.
I would suspect that a lot of sellers on the EE got fleeced themselves on original purchase are just trying to recover some of the initial investment. Used BLR's are a good example. A used one is not worth $900-$1000 imo.As for the the addition of cheap crappy optics to boost the curb appeal, i agree with the op. It adds no value to the rifle. I would rather buy without.
 
Like any other commodity, a gun is worth exactly how much you want to pay for it. That applies more to used than new, but still holds true. Anyone that thinks I (for example) should decline buying what they feel is an overpriced gun so the asking price drops to where they feel it should be, is not only dreaming in Technicolour, but is dissing the whole free enterprise/market value concept. I stop short of mentioning "comrades" and "communist principles" out of respect for the more senior members here, but that road leads there if you follow it far enough.
Bottom line, someone else's $300 Tikka may indeed be worth $400 to me, so don't expect me to wait until the price drops and someone else buys it.
Put another way, if you're selling something and the asking price is a long shot, aim high and expect it to fall a little. If you're buying, learn to haggle.
I guess I'm dating myself with the Technicolour reference, but an old dog by any other name is still an old dog ;)
 
Buy Low Sell High is the Capitalist way and those complaining are just d:h:
Blue Noser , thought the Technicolour reference was apropos being an Old Dog myself and all.
BTW :weird:

These threads are usually reserved for Monday morning gun buying hangovers are they not?
Shoot 'em or Sell 'em its your call.
Rob
 
Price gouging fellow shooters is despicable... just not quite as despicable as the morons paying 50% more than a gun is worth...
 
I sift through a couple of the EE sections daily and I have bought a few things through it, and met a few great people while doing so. Honestly though I have found the best deals through associations at the range where a face to face meeting seems to remove the "you got to be kidding me" asking price.
 
hoytcanon said:
Price gouging fellow shooters is despicable... just not quite as despicable as the morons paying 50% more than a gun is worth...
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I agree, I wanted to buy a 12g. knew i wanted a rem 870 or mossburg combo gun. At the sportsman show the mossburg combo was $50 more then a local gun store sells at regular price, I made an offer and was declined. The seller didnt care that I could drive 5 more min and buy one cheaper. looked on the EE at a few 870's. Ended up buying a brand new one. Why spend $400+ shipping for "only 100rnds shot through it" when for $459 you can buy one in the box brand new?

My next purchase is going to be a 9mm most likely a S&W. PM9 Range kit new is $699 on canada ammo. they seem to be on here for 550-800 depending on extras, so they seem to be priced good for used although Im not an expert in used firearms.
 
johnl said:
Tell that to Winchester (antique) crowd.
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There are factors that legitimately affect value... specific discontinued weapons that are held in high regard by the shooting community might be more highly valued... the "Collector crowd" have their own value scale, which generally does not agree with the "Shooter crowd." Then there are personal and subjective reasons for inflating price over the generally accepted value range... I once sifnificantly overpaid for a 1954 Winchester 94 in .32 Special because the serial number was one off a gun that was purchased by my grandfather and passed down through my uncles, to my father ans then to me and finally my son... we now have consecutive serial numbered guns... it was the proverbial "needle in the haystack."

These scenarios are not what I was referring to...

I am talking about currently produced firearms that are purchased, used and then attempted to be resold at inflated prices... that is just gouging... and people paying those prices create an inflated used market, which in turn, makes it more difficult to initiate new and/or young shooters... and that hurts the shooting community as a whole...

But greed has been around for quite awhile... and probably for the forseeable future...

All of the above is JMO.
 
This has been an excellent thread...a couple of quick comments:

- per the post that I quoted below...firearms are commodities like anything else, so dealers need to make profit margin on them whether they are buying or taking on consignment. Dealers need to make fair profits to maintain their businesses, and I don't think any of us begrudge them that. Between that margin, sales taxes, and shipping costs, there are always dollars being sucked out of the "value chain" around a firearm, especially ones that remain in production. I always look for 30-50% below retail when buying used, and don't bother trying to educate a seller to this way of thinking if their asking prices don't already reflect this. I have done this just a few times on the EE and feel I have gotten some good deals.

- biggest pet peeve? EE ad posters who don't properly edit their ads for deletion by the mods. Can't count how many times I've looked at an ad, gotten that tingly feeling, only to scroll down and see an obscure SPF or "sold" at the bottom of the ad. Also not fair to expect the mods to read every ad to find those SPF or sold edits, especially when there is a published procedure to edit the subject.

Regards,
Peter


lone ranger said:
Well Ive read all 12 pages of the posts and heres what I take from it.............We are paying way to much from the dealers for our guns...OR they depreciate horribly !! I bought an SKS localy for $229 +tax + a tapco mag.= $280.00 ..I never fired a shot out of it...advertised it for $250 shipped and got offered $150 !!!Sooo, buy taking it home, and spending 3 hours cleaning it,..I loose $130 BUCKS !! Then I buy a CQ locally for $699 + taxes =$725....then another distributer sells the same rifle a week later for $529.....I now put myCQ on the EE and take a brutal beating !! I get offered $500 for a gun I just paid $725 for. Theres NO money in buying and selling fire arms, exept for the dealers,..and if your buying guns for any kind of investment...well you can see where this is going. My eyes were really opened when a friend of mine bought a 1911 fron the dealer for $369, then decided he wanted a nicer gun and wanted to upgrade, he was told this..."My cost on that gun is $280, so that's all I can give you on trade - 20% for restocking" The gun never left the store,,It went from 369 to $224.
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FirearmsEnthusiast said:
- biggest pet peeve? EE ad posters who don't properly edit their ads for deletion by the mods. Can't count how many times I've looked at an ad, gotten that tingly feeling, only to scroll down and see an obscure SPF or "sold" at the bottom of the ad. Also not fair to expect the mods to read every ad to find those SPF or sold edits, especially when there is a published procedure to edit the subject.

Regards,
Peter
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This! ^^^^:agree:
They are either ignorant or simply lazy.
 
Everyone would like to get the most they can for their firearm and since we dont get to see the usual selling prices for recent/relevant sales - its often a stab in the dark wrt to "fair" market value.

The original retail price in relation to selling prices is 'sometimes' not that relevant because if I could get Mannlicher Schoenauers at the suggested list prices from 1950 - I'm buying - not selling! Even a M700 350RM purchased new from a dealer a decade++ or so ago for $489 would probably get more than the original retail if sold today.

So -- the seller is free to ask whatever they like (its their firearm) On the other hand the buyer is free to offer/pay what ever they wish (its their money) ... if the price is too high -- DON'T BUY IT. Conversely if the offer is too low -- DON'T SELL IT.


I've purchased lots on EE and with only two exceptions I have been very pleased with sellers descriptions and very pleased with ALL the transactions (good coms fast, helpful.) Sometimes I got a very good deal (IMO) and sometimes I thought I paid a little bit of a premium for something that I particularly wanted.


BUT my personal bias and the ones I don't bother to consider are those that say "NO pic hunters" or "NO low ball offers" .. First because I wouldn't buy anything with out seeing a pic (although with some pics I have received I couldn't tell if the rifle was covered in cosmoline and NIB or had just been through a house fire!) and second cause I do know what I am prepared to pay but I don't know what a low ball offer is to owner and don't want to risk insulting them - so I just move on.



I was once approached by a lawyer representing the family of a deceased WWll vet - they had 5 prohibited pistols of --- 3 wartime; 2 postwar; several without magazines and all badly rusted, broken grips etc ... all very commonly available 12/6'ers - but looked like they had been buried in the garden for 45 years!

The lawyer confided in me that since the handguns were prohibited and the family was anxious to dispose of this treasure trove of militaria --- "if I played my cards right" I "might" be able to acquire the 5 of these "rare" items for a package price of $15,000.00! I declined the generous offer and thanked him and suggested that the family might be much happier to have the firearms "dewatted" and kept as a legacy from their dad. When pressed to make an offer - I refused. I don't like to make "low-ball" offers - and no matter what price was reasonable - it would be "low-ball" to the family!
 
Dmitri said:
^^^ that pretty much sums it up..

I usually skip the ads that don't have pics..
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This is why I get some good deals. The ads are skipped over, the competition is less, I ask for e-mailed pics and get deals others miss out on.
I figure, if I'm not computer literate enough to put pics on, why should I expect others to. And I win.
 
Shanks4300 said:
A 7 year old ee rant? Impressive. Ibtl
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Yes, holy 7 year old discussion thread resurrection Batman!

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NAA.
 
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