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How much to offer for a Collection


Thumpy

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So recently one of my grandfathers friend passed away he has about a 30-40 gun collection all the guns are in great condition he hardly ever shot stuff it’s mostly nice old colt handguns old expensive rolling block style rifles and what not. Not stuff that I can just take and sling at the gun show. If they were just the normal cheap stuff and hammy down stuff I’d allready know what to offer for the collection.... and this collection can’t be passed down like I recommend because well there entire family is old school Italians all his kids and other relatives are felons unfortunately and can not possess any firearms... so I’m having trouble figuring out what to offer on a collection like this would 60% of the value be an acceptable offer? I don’t want to cheat any one but Ik it will take time to sell the collection and trade it off.  it also will tie up a good amount of my money and well I’m not moving a collection for free. So pretty much how much do you guys offer when buying out some ones collection ??? I’m used to buying people out with like 10-20 guns mostly made up of model 94 lever guns pump shot guns over and unders couple ars handful of glocks... but not a collection Of colt pythons and so on kind of thing. Thanks for all your advice and knowledge in advance 

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You'll have to research each gun and come up with a figure of, "what can I sell it for"? Then, and only then, do you make an offer. Two ways to go about it. You can offer 50% of ""what can I sell it for", or, you can "cost average" the collection. 50% gives you "room" to negotiate when you sell, and still have a margin.

Edited by GUNBUGS
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50 percent would seem about right. Gun stores would probably offer 30-40percent.

also if you are not an ffl, you might want to be careful about advertising that you don’t want to sell a collection without making money. Keep in mind it is illegal to buy and sell firearms for profit without an ffl.

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If you need any help, I own Poinsett Armory, we are the leading firearm & military auction house here in South Carolina and I would be glad to help you move the collection.

I could offer you services from auctioning the entire collection and getting the most for each gun and/or items as well as helping to appraise.

-RJ

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Im just an average Joe and not a dealer but I own a "bunch" of firearms personally. 

The answer to your question is...what the time value/penalty for you to hold those guns for a couple/few years? If you are buying to flip quickly (which really needs an FFL !) I'd say buy at 40% current FMV (not 40% of "NIB"). If they are guns you like and wouldnt mind keeping long term for personal collection ( which should be your intent as a non FFL holder) then I'd say 60% is "fair" to give you cushion.

basically if you want that collection of guns to mostly keep yourself...bid for it just above those in the business/flippers would....so offer 60%... bc the shops and dealers prob wont offer that much. 

be careful! 

 

Oh...and I wouldnt count of crap appreciating ...not in the non-NFA/non-museum Title I guns. Nope. Dont count on appreciation at all!

For NFA...you can prob count on appreciation... varies of course but 5%/yr is roughly what I've found to be the case across a wide selection /average of NFA guns from 1999 until 2019. Your miles may vary. For reference my hk MP5k w sear bought in 1999 works out to compound annual appreciation of right at 8%/yr ....and thats the highest I'v had long term....and I'm not counting for folks in the hey day around 1986 etc...but rather once the market "matured". So plz dont start with the 1000%/yr stories on the 1985 hk sear you might have bought.  Vastly different times and market just as gold prices pre and post 1972 are (go look). 

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Are you willing to look the seller (executor?) in the eye and say that the amount offered or paid is 50% of the gun's value? (or 60% or whatever?) For higher end items that might leave a bad taste.

If my widowed aunt Betty needed to unload 30-40 rare guns I would have her stay clear of folks offering such low percentages. Instead I would direct her to a gun dealer who would list them nationwide and take a flat fee or cut. I wager the cut would NOT be 50%.

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23 hours ago, HHollow said:

 

Couple of things here. If the dealer sells on the open market, that does not mean he’ll get 100percent value himself. To move it in a reasonable time he might get 80percent for example. 

Also if he is listing on gunbroker, they take a nice cut as well. Gunjoker is a money making machine.

Lastly, receiving one lump sum payment of cash, and the convenience of no longer dealing with it has value. Settling an estate is hard work, with people navigating in territories they’ve never been before. Checking off an item off that list is a huge plus.

 

 

Are you willing to look the seller (executor?) in the eye and say that the amount offered or paid is 50% of the gun's value? (or 60% or whatever?) For higher end items that might leave a bad taste.

If my widowed aunt Betty needed to unload 30-40 rare guns I would have her stay clear of folks offering such low percentages. Instead I would direct her to a gun dealer who would list them nationwide and take a flat fee or cut. I wager the cut would NOT be 50%.

 

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