At What Price Point For A Used Gun Do You Say No Thanks?

[Abraham]

On various gun forums, I see a lot of used guns for sale.

If say a stock gun cost $515.00 new, are you willing to pay $499.00 for a used model?

These are the kinds of deals I see regularly. Hey, if the seller can find a willing buyer, hallelujah, but it sure will never be me.

The seller insists it's was only lightly shot on Sunday afternoons and then only 200 total times and except for a few minor scratches it's practically brand new.

Or, the seller added an updated trigger, night sights sights, this and that and the other add on, (this is the same gun as above) but insists you pay the extra $500.00 for the updates. (new, retail cost he paid) So, the total cost is $999.00.

OK, these are hypothetical guns for sale.

My take: If it's a used gun for sale, it's just that, used... I don't know if it was well maintained, shoots without constant malfunctioning, is accurate or inaccurate. What I know for certain is: It's a "used" gun and the seller is asking essentially what it cost close to and even sometimes more than new.

If I'm going to buy a used gun, it'll have to be a bargain or I'll pass it up. Why should I risk the money on a gun I really have no certainly is a good one? It's a risk that's balanced out by being a good deal or no sir, I'll buy new, thank you very much.

What is it commonly said regarding depreciation when you drive off from the car dealership lot with your new car?

Right, a gun is not a car, but depreciation factors in for me.

What I don't get is if after I see these used gun for sale figures, how many buyers pay the original asking price for a used gun?

Seems, most often seems to me those asking costs are way out line, but maybe I'm not seeing something others see...?

What say you?

[Teamless]

If I can pay 20% more (or depending on the retail price , less than $100 more or so) I'll wait and buy new

[Lena]

Depending on what the used piece is, I have a Armand Swenson 1911 Colt, the worth would be considerably more than new Colt 1911, my Glock 32 2nd Gen I would not take a new Gen 4 for it. It all just depends on what it is and what a buyer wishes to pay.

[Abraham]

Teamless,

OK, I hear 20% as your rule of thumb, but (back when I was in management in corporate America) 50% was our rule of thumb percentage.

True, I'm not speaking of guns, but I won't pay even the percentage or figures you've quoted for a used gun. BTW, I'm not being critical of your approach, just stating how I do it for me...

The seller is in effect asking me to take a risk on his used gun. If the risk is worth it by being a much lower cost vs. new, I might just gamble, but if the seller asks for a price within 40/50% of new, I'll just buy new.

Why folks are willing to shell out close to new costs for used remains a puzzle to me. Yeah, if the gun is some sort of collectible or has some sentimental value, I guess I can see paying more than I think it's worth in dollars, but not being sentimental or a collector, it better be a darn good deal for me or see ya later alligator...

[The Annoyed Man]

On various gun forums, I see a lot of used guns for sale.

If say a stock gun cost $515.00 new, are you willing to pay $499.00 for a used model?

It pretty much depends on (A) the availability of the item, and (B) how badly you want/need it, doesn't it?

Example. I bought a G19 from member txbirddog of this forum, back in February 2016. I specifically wanted a Gen4 gun. There were plenty of Gen3 G19s available at the time, and I could have bought one for a very reasonable price. But for reasons having to do with the interchangeable back straps (Gen3 Glocks don't fit my hand very well), I specifically wanted a Gen4.

What I took delivery on from txbirddog was a used Gen4 gun, fairly low round count, good finish with just the tiniest bit of holster wear on high spots like the slide stop, with the sights having been swapped out for a nice set of XS Big Dot front with a "v-notch" rear, and FOUR magazines instead of the usual 2 or 3.

At the time, Gen4 G19s were very, VERY hard to find. The price I paid for his used Gen4 G19 was $650, which was right around the going rate advertised for a NIB gun from places like Academy, Bass Pro, etc., give or take $10 or so — when a NIB Gen3 could be had for $100 or more less. BUT....... none of those stores had any inventory of Gen4 G19s. Everywhere I called said they were like hen's teeth at the time. I don't know why there none to be had, but that was the case. I did find ONE for sale at the time, and as I told txbirddog in our PM exchanges: "I found one yesterday on gunbroker.com with 3 magazines for $539, but then there's MO sales tax which brings that up to $582.92, shipping, and my local FFL's transfer fee of $10, so delivered it will cost me $593 + shipping, which I reckon ought to run about $25..... ". So when I added in the price of a 4th magazine, zero sales tax, and zero transfer fee for a TFT deal with txbirddog, and the general unavailability of the gun at the time, $650 was an acceptable price to me - even for a lightly used gun.

I have EDC'd that gun almost every day since. The exceptions were when I went bigger with an openly carried G17 while in the great outdoors, or deeper concealment with a G43. But 99% of the time, it's been the G19 I've carried, either openly or concealed.

Was it worth the price to me? Yes, absolutely. I am VERY satisfied with owning it. To someone else? I can't speak to that because everyone has their own set of priorities regarding brand, caliber, and intangibles like aesthetic appeal. If the Gen3 Glock 19s were a better fit for me, I probably would have just bought a NIB Gen3 and been done with it. But I really wanted the adjustability of fit, plus I wanted the extended beavertail. I have somewhat fleshy hands, and on more than one occasion, my wife's Gen3 G19 has left "tracks" at the base of my thumb. So although I thought of the G19 as a good gun, it wasn't for me until the Gen4s came out.

Long-winded explanation, but I hope it answers your question.

[ScottDLS]

I've paid over "new" price for a "pre-ban" AR-15 in 2002 when you couldn't buy a new one due to the assault weapon ban. I would pay over new price for collectible, out of manufacture, and hard to find guns. But no way am I going to over new for a used commonly available gun...unless perhaps face to face for cash in the back of a liquor store parking lot with no ID exchanged.

[SIGFan43]

14 years ago, I purchased a new Taurus .38 All-titanium 850CIA hammerless with ported barrel for $369.95, and sold it to a DEALER for $325 last year; he sold it in two days. So, if it's no longer available new, it's worth more.

[bigtek]

Depending on what the used piece is, I have a Armand Swenson 1911 Colt, the worth would be considerably more than new Colt 1911, my Glock 32 2nd Gen I would not take a new Gen 4 for it. It all just depends on what it is and what a buyer wishes to pay.

It's the same for any other consumer product. If you have a classic car in good condition, you can probably sell it for more than the original sticker price. If you have a car or motorcycle modified by a name custom shop, that may be worth a premium.

However, I think Abraham is talking more about people selling the equivalent of a 2016 Honda Fit for 95% of sticker price when a savvy shopper can get a new one for less. For example, current Glocks for more than online price + FFL fee.

Then there are people who have $$$ "invested" in their DIY "custom gun" slapped together in their garage.

[Oldgringo]

14 years ago, I purchased a new Taurus .38 All-titanium 850CIA hammerless with ported barrel for $369.95, and sold it to a DEALER for $325 last year; he sold it in two days. So, if it's no longer available new, it's worth more.

Speaking of no longer available, I still have a pristine 12 ga. Winchester Model 12 with vent rib, Trap Stock and forearm I'd like to sell to a discerning shooter. This gun hasn't been fired in at least 20 years and deserves a good home.

[Abraham]

TAM,

I understand.

We each have our priorities about what we'll pay for...anything.

Part of my, no sir, nuh-uh, won't do it, regarding buying used guns at what I consider over-the-top pricing is in part based on principle or if you like, orneriness and past experience with "used".

Paying like-new prices (or more) for something used, anything used, just galls me. That attitude is of course a personal idiosyncrasy with no right or wrong with anyone else's approach to buying used. Even if I supremely wanted a "fill in the blank" item, I just couldn't bring myself to pay more for it if it's not a bargain, even if the item is scarce and I was doing the pee-pee dance to own it.

I'm sure my buying used attitude is shaped as it is by 'having' to buy used at one time in my life and such items would generally turn to be mediocre at best or fail me completely at worst. So, I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth regarding used...anything.

I vowed to buy new (anything) the day I could, and have ever since those days of having to buy used.

On an odd side note: When I bought my last truck, brand new of course, I stopped to fill the tank and a young guy filling up next to me, looked at my truck and declared "I would want to pay the gas to drive that thing", he was driving an econo-box car, and I replied I wouldn't want to drive his econo-box either. He was good natured about my response and just grinned. We parted smiling.

[The Annoyed Man]

TAM,

I understand.

We each have our priorities about what we'll pay for...anything.

Part of my, no sir, nuh-uh, won't do it, regarding buying used guns at what I consider over-the-top pricing is in part based on principle or if you like, orneriness and past experience with "used".

Paying like-new prices (or more) for something used, anything used, just galls me. That attitude is of course a personal idiosyncrasy with no right or wrong with anyone else's approach to buying used. Even if I supremely wanted a "fill in the blank" item, I just couldn't bring myself to pay more for it if it's not a bargain, even if the item is scarce and I was doing the pee-pee dance to own it.

I'm sure my buying used attitude is shaped as it is by 'having' to buy used at one time in my life and such items would generally turn to be mediocre at best or fail me completely at worst. So, I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth regarding used...anything.

I vowed to buy new (anything) the day I could, and have ever since those days of having to buy used.

On an odd side note: When I bought my last truck, brand new of course, I stopped to fill the tank and a young guy filling up next to me, looked at my truck and declared "I would want to pay the gas to drive that thing", he was driving an econo-box car, and I replied I wouldn't want to drive his econo-box either. He was good natured about my response and just grinned. We parted smiling.

Abraham, I didn't grow up poor, but I did grow up the son of a couple of cheapskates. I don't know if that counts or not. To this day, my mother, who is quite wealthy, often expresses money worries - in the sense that one gets the feeling that she can't have enough money to stop worrying about it. She has more than enough money just sitting in her checking account than she can possibly spend before she dies (she's well into her 90s, and quite frail now). She was raised in a fairly wealthy family, but then she survived the Axis occupation of her city, and ate cats and rats while the Axis troops were retreating, and the Allied troops were advancing on it, and both sides were shelling and aerial bombing it.

My dad was the son of a depression-era dentist, who died of radiation poisoning when my dad was just 13 years old, leaving a wife and 3 growing boys. When my grandad was alive, they did OK for a depression-era family. Not too many people could afford to pay money for his dental services, but he often bartered his work in exchange for chickens, or repairs around the house. They did well enough that my grandmother could occasionally hand out a sammich to a hobo knocking on the back door. But later in life, both my mom and dad had good-paying, tenured teaching positions at a well-known university, and we did not lack for much. The boys brought in money from odd jobs, and they raised chickens, and had a victory garden in the back yard. They didn't starve, but they weren't rich either.

After surviving the depression, and in my mom's case, wartime starvation, even after they both went on to have very good professional careers that paid well and gave them a measure of financial security, their buying habits never changed from being depression/war era survivors. Oddly, my dad became a bit of a spendthrift in some ways because he would buy things that he already had, simply because the deal was too good to pass up. After he died, when my brothers and I were divvying up his tools to put together a tool kit for my mom, and to share the rest among ourselves, we found THREE bench grinders.....two were still new in the box......when he had the third one still mounted to his work bend, functioning perfectly. Yeah, he occasionally used a bench grinder when he was puttering around in the garage, but he didn't use one THAT much. The one on his bench would have (in fact did) lasted him the rest of his life.

For myself, I like nice things, and I know that I will have to pay for them. I am not a wastrel, in the sense that I actually think long and hard about most of the more expensive items I buy - like guns - before I eventually pony up the price for them. I will try to find a bargain (part of why I posted my NVD thread the other day), but if there are no bargains to be found, I will pay the inflated rate - even if it is a "used" item. And guns are not like a lot of other products. A well-taken-care-of firearm will still shoot just fine at 100 years old, as long as you handle it properly. And that brings up the "antique" thing........antiques are most definitely used. Would you never buy an antique?

And, "used" is kind of a relative thing anyway, even within the specific class of "guns". I would be a lot more concerned about buying a used .44 magnum that someone had put 2,000 rounds of stout handloads through, than a used G19 that someone had put 2,000 rounds of 115 grain FMJ "practice" ammo. In my world, "lightly used" = "I broke it in for yah". If the G19 in my previous post had been all scuffed up and ugly (I don't mean "Glock ugly", I mean "beat to heck ugly"), only came with 3 magazines, and still had the standard sights on it, there's no way I would have paid $650 for it. As it was, it was in excellent "nearly new" condition, didn't have too high of a round count, had a $104 set of aftermarket sights on it, and came with 4 magazines. Take off the $104 sights, and we're down to $546 in value. Take off the 4th magazine, and we're down to maybe $525 in value.......and now we're entering the fair market value for a lightly used Gen4 G19 without the aftermarket items. I took all of those things into consideration.........at a time when a Gen4 G19 couldn't be found in any gunstore in the area. Today, my local Cabelas lists a Gen4 G19 with standard sights and 3 magazines for $630. Add the custom sights that are on my gun, and you're at $734. Add the 4th magazine ($25 at Brownells), and you're at $759. Add 8.25% sales tax, and you're at $821.62 ......and I didn't include the cost of Brownells shipping you the 4th Magazine.

SO.......

$821.62 for the whole package, new in the box (assuming you could find one that comes from the factory with the XS sights and the 4th magazine).....

versus

$650 for a lightly used example which includes the extra features. Who's getting hosed now? If we were talking about a notoriously fragile object, I'd insist on new. But a Glock? That will shoot thousands more rounds than I ever care to shoot, without ever breaking down?

I think I got my money's worth........particularly since I really like the gun.

If I did any kind of pee-pee dance before buying, I held it for a LONG time before giving in.

[JustSomeOldGuy]

I'd pay ballpark 50-70% of new, depending on a variety of factors.

[jmorris]

You really want to see guns go for ridiculous prices go to a police auction.

[Liberty]

I purchased a stainless P95 at Acadamy 10 years ago for $295.00. It's not a collectable, not even a classic, but they don't make em anymore. I see used ones for sale all the time for $300 or more. If something happened to mine I would pay that much to replace mine. It's just that it fills a niche and for some reason I love the only handgun ever made that is uglier than a glock.

[Deitz83]

For me the used price needs to be less than retail. I found one company that provides a 90 warranty and I tend to shop them often. If it's a gun that I may only shot twice a year; then I am looking at it in the way of can it be repaired, are the parts easy to get and what are the cost of the parts? I drive down cost for a living, so keeping track of ammo prices and gun prices is just like shooting too me. Everyone spends their money how they choose to spend it, there's is no right way or wrong way. Just buy more guns....