Criteria For Selling A Gun

[Drizzle]

If I bought it right, where it duplicates, or nearly so, something in my collection, and someone has something interesting to trade, you'll almost always get a better deal if you can trade for what you want than cash money.

I did buy an HK 9 compact, realize i wasn't enough of an operator to run it, and trade it for a used P228. (The Heckler didn't fit my hand very well). The guy I traded it to felt he was getting a good deal, trading an HK for a used SIG, and I knew I was getting a good deal, because of what I'd paid for the HK.

[sawgrass]

If I bought it right, where it duplicates, or nearly so, something in my collection, and someone has something interesting to trade, you'll almost always get a better deal if you can trade for what you want than cash money.

I did buy an HK 9 compact, realize i wasn't enough of an operator to run it, and trade it for a used P228. (The Heckler didn't fit my hand very well). The guy I traded it to felt he was getting a good deal, trading an HK for a used SIG, and I knew I was getting a good deal, because of what I'd paid for the HK.

Drizzle you may have hit the nail on the head. I don't at least in my mind have duplicates.
I haven't traded but it appears that there is certainly more 'value' in trading.

Is it emotional? How in the Sam heck do we become attached to these toys?

[sawgrass]

I well sell one, but it has to fall under two criteria:

1) It is typically unused
2) It is being sold to directly fund the purchase of another

That is good criteria! 50-50 chance of putting a little change in your pocket?

[Snowgun]

I well sell one, but it has to fall under two criteria:

1) It is typically unused
2) It is being sold to directly fund the purchase of another

Almost exactly my criteria.

1) Does this gun have a use?

I have guns that I use for particular things, such as a loaner shotgun, or a .22 that my kids will train on. But if it doesn't have a purpose and sits in the safe, it's money tied up in useless inventory.

2) When I need a new gun the first thing I do is take an extra hard look at the ones I have.

[45Badger]

I well sell one, but it has to fall under two criteria:

1) It is typically unused
2) It is being sold to directly fund the purchase of another

That is good criteria! 50-50 chance of putting a little change in your pocket?

Similar here. I love to buy guns. While Shippy has "ferret on crack" ADD, I am the Imelda Marcos of things that go bang. Like Drizzle said, buy it right so selling won't (usually) cause a loss. I look at my collection in three parts-

1) Core Items that are here to stay/pass on to kids (1911s, a couple shotguns, Couple rifles, all Battle Rifles and old tube fed .22s)
2) Non-Core items that are nice/keepers, but I'm willing to trade/sell up (other shotguns, other rifles, other handguns)
3) Trade/sales bait (all other)

The only ones I need to think about are the middle category. Examples of thinkers-

1) The Citori I have for sale- Beautiful gun, just beat the snot out of my semi-injured shoulder. At my old age, I don't need to get smacked around, and I really want a 20 gauge.
2) I had two M1As. Just swapped the nice pre-ban, that I owned for $900 for a beautiful Kimber 25th anniversary edition that was moderately customized by Novaks.
3) Just bought a mixmaster varmint AR15 from local shop. Figured I would part it out and keep a few things I wanted. Turned out to have a mix of high quality and valuable parts- pre-ban Colt lower, Jewel trigger, A.R.M.S rings, and shoots like a laser. I'm gonna put good glass on it to confirm its performance, and probably sell my 700 in .22-250.

They are/were all nice guns, but owned right with minor emotional attachment.

[2in2out]

I well sell one, but it has to fall under two criteria:

1) It is typically unused
2) It is being sold to directly fund the purchase of another

That's what I did. Unfortunately, I still sometimes regret that.

[Holland&Holland]

Never sell, never regret.

At least never regret selling, you may still regret the one that you saw at a gun show and did not jump on at the time...

[David]

Wait, you can SELL guns???

[Stradawhovious]

I want to be in the camp of "I don't sell gun" But two things are stopping me.

#1. I don't make a lot of money, and sometimes **** breaks around the house.

#2. I keep buying guns I don't really want or need as an impulse buy. Then decide to get rid of them because the novelty wears off.

I've been getting much much better at both though.

[TIP]

I have impulse bought on a few occasions. The once that I really didn't want I usually turned over for a profit to put towards something else.

[sawgrass]

When I started shooting pistols a few years ago, I bought a Ruger Mk III. Later I sold it on here.
I would go shooting and it seemed like everyone I saw was shooting that model gun. I bought another one, also on here.

Maybe I should just be happy that I have the option. I sometimes think about what to do if for some reason the laws changed.

[Spartan]

I've made it easy on myself. Standing rule is don't sell any guns

+1

the exception is guns I dont like, wont ever use, or I want a newer or fancier or better one.

[Rodentman]

I had a couple of Smiths that I bought new in the 70's that I regret selling. Took me awhile to find a 70's vintage P&R 28-2 to replace the old one. Too bad I had to pay 4x the price now.

I have a Ruger Service Six that I traded back in the 70's. I told The Rodentwoman that I had traded it. She told me to go back and get it. I traded it for $90 toward a nickel 29. Cost me $120 to get it back. I sold the 29, which I don't regret too much since I wasn't a fan of the nickel. Of course it would be worth a lot more today.

I recently traded a Taurus M94 toward a Smith 617. I don't regret that one.

[farmerj]

In God we trust....

All others pay cash.

[XDM45]

I personally don't see the need to sell any gun.

Here's how it works in my book....

1) Define the purpose for the weapon.
2) Define the amount of use said weapon (also a tool) will get used.
3) If Purpose + Usage = An acceptable answer, proceed to 4, otherwise STOP!!
4) Purchase, use and maintain said weapon/tool.

For my Ruger Mark III 2245, the purpose is two-fold,
a) To have the grip of a 45, similar to that on my Springfield XDm and
b) to allow cheaper target shooting for practice. It gets uses weekly.

For my Springfield XDm 45, the primary purpose is self-defense and the secondary purpose is target shooting/practice to support the primary purpose. It gets uses weekly for the secondary purpose, and I pray that it never gets uses for the primary purpose.

I don't hunt, so since it doesn't meet the criteria for 1 and 2, I wouldn't purchase one. I could see myself purchasing backup weapons, such as another 22 in case someone wants to go shooting with me, or a backup 45; and likewise I could see myself purchasing certain weapons for longer-range self-defense/target shooting such as military assault rifles. I'm not building a militia, I'm not a collector, nor do I want or need to tie up resources like time and money into a multitude of various weapons; only what I want and need to use. For me, I wouldn't really sell any weapons because everything I have, I want and need. It's defined by a strict criteria. We all have our own ways of doing things. Right now, I have just the two, which is plenty. I spend my cash on ammo more than on the actual weapons themselves.