Pre-owned: retail v private party, am I alone in this?

well , if you spend time regularly on the member classifieds , you get a good idea what items will sell for. if correct , it sells fast , if too expensive it sits. honesty is a big driver in this membership , and it is taken quite seriously. if a member "privately sells" hardly used gun. it most likely is. members can be researched in feedback section. whereas the retailer may have had to do repair work on said gun , which usually is done well , but will knock down price. there is also possibility retailer needs to move the gun to make room for a newer or better model. and that is your benefit of timing. you will find most guns have their own value that they hold at a certain level based on reputation and desire of buyers. i have bought several $1000-$1300 used guns from members that where several hundred cheaper than when new. when i got them , they performed like new , even looked barely used. 

you buy from whoever gives you confidence , but you will find the used airgun market is quite competative , but a deal can always be found. unfortunately , so can a scammer. but airgun nation and micheal keep a pretty good eye on them.

With one exception my pre-owned private party buys have been successful, the exception being a modded .25 Marauder with "great accuracy" that did 1" groups at 30 yards. I also bought a pre-owned gun from a retailer that turned out to have issues due to the previous owner over tightening stock screws. Use common sense, talk by phone with the seller, check references, etc. if it seems too good to be true, it's probably a scam. I spend way too much time watching the classifieds and have gotten to recognize frequent sellers who have good feedback.

Some folks will hold out for top dollar while others (myself included) will ask a relatively low but fair price and sell the item quickly. The very best used gun buys are face to face at an airgun show or Field target shoot, you meet the seller in person and can often try the gun before buying.

I bought all my pcp’s here and have had great transactions. I’ve seen guys go for top dollar and I can’t blame them if someone is willing to pay more. I have taken less than asking to move an item I was selling. Only thing I bought new was the scuba tank because of the 5 year rating. 

My First PCP came from a member on this forum selling in the classifieds, I paid 250 less than what the gun would have sold for new plus after some discussion the seller also sold me a used air tank and some other stuff to help me get going. 

I still talk with that member from time to time even though he has moved to other hobbies and very seldom drops in anymore. His help and guidance has been tremendous in my growth in the Air Gun world.

Lets face it, We can tell our life partners all kinds of excuses about how we need a good pest control gun that can be used anywhere ( That one worked for me until I got my second PCP)

Or I needed a bigger caliber to take care of hogs ( that worked until I got me second Big Bore Gun)

But it doesn't take long until the better half of your joint venture in this life says those dreaded words YOU HAVE TOO MANY Sell one before you can have another.

I would rather buy from some of the members on this site in the classifieds because I know that I am helping them just as much as they are helping me. I think of these guns as an investable hobby so I really do not want to see many of the guns I own selling for half of what I paid for them simply because when I list one of mine for money to go and get the next best thing I want to get

This is one of the reasons why many of the members of this forum will "jump and report" scammers and dishonest classified sellers because we want to keep the prices within reasonable limits but at premiums for premium quality.

Don't misunderstand me there are some great retailers, many have and are sponsoring this forum but for me I have always had a soft spot for the little guy and strongly encourage buyers to shop your local area pro-shop or airgun store. A none related airgun example is that I took my wife to a bigbox sports store looking for a compound bow, After the clerk gave her a bow to test that left a bruise from her elbow to wrist because it was the wrong size we went to a pro-shop 40 miles away. The owner spent over two hours helping my wife find a bow and tuning it to her. (This week we plan on driving that same 40 miles to get both our bows tuned for hunting) 

So a sum up, 

I will buy from a private seller (with a good rep) if they have what I am looking for even if the price is only a little less that for a new gun even more so if that person is like me who likes to buy one check it out for a while then want to check out another. 

That is a great point about buying from a seller who needs to ease domestic tensions, 

Click to expand...

It's very true though, I tend to have some expensive hobbies and it's got to that point...

My wife got me a nice big gunsafe that would fit all my Airgun and equipment, she has laid the law down no Airguns are allowed to be stored outside of the safe! If they don't fit I've got to many...... Yesterday after having some hogs pass through the yard I've started keeping my Texan in the living room last night my wife was checking to see if the safe was full she want let me slide an inch LOL

6 months after i purchased a .22 PCP from a major retailer, i called to see about trading it in for the exact model in .177.

they offered me 1/3 of the cost i had just paid. they claimed it was time consuming going over used guns before reselling them and took up too much retail space in their store to make any real profit. a couple months later i was on their site and a rifle just like the one i was going to trade in was selling for $50 less than i paid new. 

some retailers will try and make a huge profit on "pre-owned" guns, while others use their low prices to get you in and maybe after looking around, you'll decide on that new gun instead.

i'm always looking at new and used things. be it washing machines, tools, sailboats, or hobby paraphernalia. then, when the time comes to purchase an item, i have a good idea what i should pay.

OK,I have been doing this for decades,buying Used.....First off you Need to know the going pricing of the objects you are interested in,that takes some time .When you get that knowledge it does not matter who is selling what because you know the going pricing and what a good deal is.

Another thing is Usually you will pay more from a private party that advertises their item in a market that specializing in that item...why is because more people are looking for a specif item...that is a big OK because those people Usually take better care of the said item and also because and this is a Big because,the person selling the item has taken better care of item and because people in That market get to know each other...

I think it is better to pay a little more to a member of a"club"..after all it is a brotherhood or sisterhood we are in and better to treat people you know by log-on-names that say eBay or John Doo that know little.....

Best tip ,be patient and Know going rate of item you want.............now that can go out the window if.,Item is rare or rarely come up for sell and many people are waiting for it....believe me that happens quite a bit.....like it is not made anymore there were not many made,etc....think Colt Python.....yea I paid $600 for it ,sold it for $1000 later to find out it was worth many times more,Oh and my 1966 Shelby Mustang...like what the fool was I thinking ....So then the Most important thing is to know the going rate of item and knowing how much you Really want to pay for it......Take that to the bank.

It’s unreasonable to compare a retail operation to a private party transaction. If a retailer takes a trade he’s essentially competing against his new guns when he offers if for sale. He has to have the same profit potential on the used gun as he does his new gun or more. Sometimes probably considerable more depending on how long it may take him to move the gun. Business is business 

As for private sales most of us sell guns we own to buy guns we want to own. Unless you are selling the latest and or greatest you are going to take a big hit selling . For buyers this is a great way to get into the hobby and to experiment with guns prior to buying that ultimate new gun you are dreaming of. 

I’ve sold four or five of my guns on this forum and made enough to buy two. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE ADDICTION. 

I did buy a used gun from a dealer and I was extremely happy with the gun. I saved about $500 on a slightly used gun . I don’t know the history of that gun but I know if the dealer took it on trade the fellow trading it lost a bunch on that gun. Some times the retailers sell guns that they have used themselves or have used for testing.

Either way it can work out . If you can find a gun used go for it. Especially if you turn them over pretty often 

Unless someone really needs to sell fast, they generally start on the high side. A seller can always reduce the price if necessary, but you can't increase it. Then too most buyers will try to get a price reduction, so starting a little high gives the seller some wiggle room. 

While I know I'll never recover my money I prefer to sell airguns on here. I check with AoA on a used sale back to them towards another purchase and found that I'll be at best seeing about 50% of retail. If not buying another gun it's even less. By that measure if I were to be buying a used gun I would expect to pay more through a store than on the classifieds. I would also expect that retailer to provide a minimum warranty on the product being sold since they should have the skill to have repaired it to make it sellable and stand behind their product.

Of course it's hit or miss for used guns. You could wait a long time for what you want to come up. If you post a WTB you've already expressed interest so expect the price would be a little higher than a WTS thread. 

I guess what irritates me the most is when a retailer is selling a $1,000 + airgun and they expect someone is going to only $100 under retail. 

Wow. Very helpful. It does seem the nicer stuff holds closer percentage wise to NIB price especially in airguns. I am a noob but learning.

I, personally, prefer to purchase new...but under the right circumstances, would purchase a pre-owned from a reputable dealer.

... I seem to do much better buying used airguns ... there's not a lot of new releases i desire , but when one does appeal to me , i wait 6-12 mos before pulling the trigger ... retail price comes down , and people work the bugs out of the new design...(the new .22 sig sauer asp20 - case in point)... i found a .20 caliber r9 gold trigger with 4-12 banner and sportsmatch rings on gunbroker.com last month... probably less than a can of pellets used thru it had everything as new except box was gone. ($250 shipped as shown in these two fuzzy pix down below).... gunbroker has search options , and i only use the 'used' and the 'new old stock' search options.... weve found that if you can call the seller and talk a little bit on the phone (if and when in doubt or fear) about the airgun , it becomes immediately evident when they owned, shot, tuned, stored in a closet, or just dont want it anymore.... but sometimes guys are just too busy for phone calls (and they realize it could easily be a 1-2 hr phone fix for our addiction)... the first one i bought online , it was a dr who just didnt have time to field calls on the .22 steroid benji 392 with beeman short scope and rear scope rail housing over the bolt housing area... he calls back and explains he is jammed for time , but if i wanted it - it was mine... he asks for my address , i get nervous and explain i wont get my check for a few days... he says , "just pay me for it then. i'm sending it out to you today. you wanted the ss2 scope , also, rt ?" the gun was perfect. i was a velocity freak back then in 2009 as a brand new online airgunner , and when i saw 854, 856 fps , i called mac1 to bitch and whine.. he says, "what the serial number on it ?" told me when he had upgraded it , and explained that it was steroid sheridans that got up to 900 fps and that my new (used) steroid benjamin was shooting exactly what it was supposed to doing.. use paypal as a detailed purchase , and have the photos in the ad emailed to you for your records.. it's been rare that i have felt screwed buying used from individual... ... and also - the expectation , anticipation , doubts, fears, other emotions etc running wild in my psyche after paying for a used (expensive) fine adult airgun prove to be a whole new added dimesion of this addiction (and waiting for that damn truck to arrive, which may never become easier)... - paul. -ps: some of us have the online bluebook of airguns , which generally gives one an idea of worth or value depending on the condition and other manufacturing quirks that add value... pm me if you need data on the gun youre after , and i'll help out all i can. - cheers. .... ....

It is rare to find an airgun dealer with the exception of those primarily mail order dealers that advertise here. If you are lucky, you may live close to one of them so you can visit, fondle, and get good advice. Yes, you may find a used airgun in a local gun or pawn shop, but most of the time, those dealers don't know squat about airguns. You may find a bargain or a piece of junk, and likely, those folks won't stand behind it. Do your homework. 

It’s rare to find good deals at a retailer in my neck of the woods. If you have a trade they expect to make money on both ends of the deal. But that’s how they make their living. But I usually buy new.