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View Full Version : Brother died, need to sell his guns, how much?


djharr
02-25-2010, 12:54 PM
My brother died suddenly over Christmas. He was only 46 years old, and he lived with my parents. My parents are on a fixed income, so the cost of the funeral and grave plot were a severe strain on their financial resources, even with money from my myself and my other brother. =

He was fond of guns and had several pistols. My folks would like me to sell his pistols off, but to be frank, I have absolutely no idea what they are worth or even the best way to find out. I was unsure even how to go about selling them in CA (thank you for banning private sales, Legislature), but I see that I can work something out here on the web site.

Most of these guns have only been fired once or twice, so are pretty much like new. Where would you suggest I go to get an idea of what a particular model of gun is worth on the open market? And, what kinds of limits should I be looking at in terms of selling off a number of guns at once?

David

hybridatsun350
02-25-2010, 12:56 PM
Tell us what guns you've got, and, if at all possible, post pictures so we can evaluate condition. Someone will be able to give a general value. Also, check gunbroker for similar guns and see what they're selling for.

BenjaminCA
02-25-2010, 1:00 PM
Pics are key in this situation, post up some pictures so everyone can give you a good idea of what they are worth then put them up in the for sale section here on calguns and watch them go. All handgun transfers are done through a licensed firearms dealer, usually a gun shop. When you end up selling one of the guns, meet with the buyer at a shop, if they like it the shop should be able to walk you through the transfer and sale of the gun.

10ga-killa
02-25-2010, 1:00 PM
Hi David, first sorry for your lost especially during x-mas. I sent you a PM. Take care.

wamphyri13
02-25-2010, 1:02 PM
First off, sorry for your loss. To answer your questions, private party sales are not banned, so you're good to go. Check places like GunBroker to get an idea of what they're selling for. California usually fetches a little more for price. Take pics, gather as much info as you can, and show them here. Most everybody here will offer you at least $1. :D Seriously, there are a lot of knowledgeable people here that can help, if you give us what info you can. Lots of pics, lots of detailed pics. Good luck.
Ryan

ocspeedracer
02-25-2010, 1:06 PM
I'm really sorry to hear about your brother.

There's a lot of buying and selling done through here so after you check gunbroker you could list them in the private firearms sales on this forum, really all you need to find is an FFL dealer that will do the transfers with your buyers, one that's close to you. If you're buy Brea I recomend OC Indoor.

gorenut
02-25-2010, 1:12 PM
Sorry to hear of your loss.

As others have said.. post pictures and give info on each gun on this forum. it'll be the most you'll get out of the gun, especially if you do the transfer face to face at a gun store. gunstores will gouge you.

KALIDAWG8996
02-25-2010, 1:20 PM
Sorry to hear about your brother...most people on here are pretty honest and will help you out especially if they are not interested in buying any of the guns. Check around first like on Gunbroker.com or check the manufacturer web site and get an idea from that. Guns tend to be more expensive here in California than Gunbroker.com. Hope this helps.

kduly
02-25-2010, 1:24 PM
Sorry to hear about your brother...most people on here are pretty honest and will help you out especially if they are not interested in buying any of the guns. Check around first like on Gunbroker.com or check the manufacturer web site and get an idea from that. Guns tend to be more expensive here in California than Gunbroker.com. Hope this helps.


Sorry to hear about your loss... as mentioned in above post, most people on here are pretty good people and won't try to take advantage of your situation. The suggestions above are good ones.

professionalcoyotehunter
02-25-2010, 1:27 PM
Sorry to hear of your loss.

jumbopanda
02-25-2010, 1:30 PM
Check Gunbroker and riverofguns.com. The latter does a search of all the sale forums on a bunch of gun sites. Good luck, and sorry about your brother.

RedFord150
02-25-2010, 1:36 PM
Hello David,
Please accept my condolences for your loss.
Private party sales are legal as long as buyer and seller visit a licensed dealer to do the transaction. The buyer usually pays the costs. If you are in a largely populated area, you may find local buyers who can visit the same dealer with you for a 'Face to Face' (FTF) transaction. You get the cash and hand the gun over to the dealer. You fill out a form and walk away. The dealer holds the gun for 10 days and processes the DROS paperwork. After the sale is cleared, buyer gets his gun from the dealer. No need for your presence.
If your buyer is far away, you can have a local dealer ship the gun to a dealer of the buyer's choice. You get paid before you ship anything. The buyer pays DROS fees and shipping. Good pics are really important for this type of sale. If the buyer cannot see the item clearly, he will not offer.
If you are in a big hurry for the money, you can sell the guns to a dealer at a lower price. Usually much lower than we see here on calguns.
If you are willing to wait and simply let a local dealer take a percentage, you can put the guns on consignment. You need to be careful what dealer you pick for this. Good dealer means quicker sale at a better price. Bad dealer means no sale or he fails to pay you.
Finally, a place in Glendora, CA has an auction every few months. The shop is Gunslingers. He uses a VFW hall in Covina. The auction usually gets decent prices and simply charges a percentage. You can 'Google' the name.
Any dealer you choose must have an FFL (federal firearms license). If you follow the rules, the dealer has the liability.
Good luck.

lawaia
02-25-2010, 1:46 PM
I would recommend that any advice you actually use from this site should come from a "senior member". Some people will inevitably try to low-ball you to get a steal. Keep an eye on their "post count" in the upper right corner of their posts.

Sorry to hear about your loss.

djharr
02-25-2010, 2:06 PM
Wow, I am just overwhelmed. I post something and have 10 or 15 people reply in just a few minutes. Thanks to all who replied, and in particular, thanks to those who expressed condolences. I have pretty well put it behind me, but my poor 80 year old mother is having a terrible time adjusting to the fact he is gone.

As to the guns I have, there is a Ruger P90 (.45 ACP), a S&W SW9VE (9mm), a S&W 22A 7" long barrel (.22 long rifle), plus a couple of others that I can't seem to find in my drawers at the moment.

These are some pretty crappy pictures, but it gives you an idea. While my brother liked guns, the reality is that he never shot them. As far as I can tell, none of these guns have actually been fired, except for the 22A, which I put a couple of hundred rounds through about a month ago.

Here is the S&W 22A:
47178


Here is the Ruger P90:
47179

Here is the S&W SW9VE:
47180

Thanks to everyone for their help.

David

rkt88edmo
02-25-2010, 2:07 PM
Just post the list here, you'll get various opinions on pricing but for most things there is a fairly standard market price, just go $50-$100 below market if you want to get rid of them faster.

orangeusa
02-25-2010, 4:15 PM
First of all, sorry for your loss.

For "new" prices - you can find some of these on GunGenie. The P90 is on there, as are others. These are prices places in your area will sell them for NEW. (Put zip code and 100 mile radius). This will give you an upper bound for brand new.

A brand new Stainless P90 can be found for $472 (scroll down) and this is OC, but should be reflective of most prices in CA.... Note - some as high as $630, but this is deceptive. The retail is $630 and most Rugers sell for $100 less than retail... hence most are at $530. HTH
http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/Results.aspx?pg=bids&id=97741009441535S

BTW - I disagree w/ the Senior Member comment, just a lapse in judgement I hope. Post count != integrity. But I doubt anybody here will get away with trying to lowball you or fool you. I've got thousands of posts on other handgun threads, but it doesn't make me smarter or have higher integrity... Just trying to help here..

Is your intent to :
1. Get a value for these
2. Try to sell these here
3. Try to sell elsewhere

Just curious, because a quote for insurance purposes is going to be different than street price you can sell these at...

I wish you luck.

.

ojisan
02-25-2010, 4:55 PM
P90 $350-400
SW9VE $250-280
22A $200
Depends on condition and accessories or magazines that come with them and how fast you want to sell.
No worries about selling multiple firearms if it is a once-in-a-while situation such as a death in the family (estate sale).
100% legal, just go through a dealer as mentioned above.
Hope all your sales go smooth, you've had a rough time lately for sure.
:)

lawaia
02-25-2010, 5:13 PM
BTW - I disagree w/ the Senior Member comment, just a lapse in judgement I hope. Post count != integrity. But I doubt anybody here will get away with trying to lowball you or fool you. I've got thousands of posts on other handgun threads, but it doesn't make me smarter or have higher integrity... Just trying to help here...

I did not by any means intend to degrade those with low post counts. I have dealt with plenty of "new" or "low-post" members here that were perfectly honest, and I truly believe that most are. Hell, my post count is not that high. Calguns is a GREAT community, and there are many many GREAT people here. However, you cannot deny the fact that there are those people out there that will try to take advantage of a bad situation to their own advantage. My statement was simply a warning to be careful. Sorry if I offended any new-ish members.:)

ETA: I just re-read my post, and it did sound pretty bad. Sorry to the community.:o I love this place!

ElToro
02-25-2010, 5:22 PM
First, I am sorry for your loss.

between you and your other bro your not interested in keeping a gun or 2 that belong to the deceased bro ? maybe you and your bro ( or just you) can kick in a few more bux to mom & dad and call it even, maybe keep for your own children saying this belonged to uncle xyz ? i would avoid selling if it was me. family pieces, even common and current production pieces have great sentimental value.

ojisan is close on value. hit GB or other shops to find current street price. we're talking less than 1k in total value for the guns described so far.

kozumasbullitt
02-25-2010, 6:23 PM
P90 $350-400
SW9VE $250-280
22A $200

sounds about right, if you have ammo that can bring in some $$$ as well.

pogo
02-25-2010, 11:02 PM
46 is still young, too young to be taken from the family, and I know how the loss stays with you. My brother died right before Christmas '08 and I still think about the years we might have had together. It must be all that much harder for your parents to bear, I can't quite imagine it.

I think members gave some reasonable estimates here, and their suggested Gunbroker research is always a good idea.

If you register (for free) at gunbroker.com you can log in and search the completed listings to see what the items actually sold for. I pay more attention to completed auctions when trying to nail down a value on something.

Z ME FLY
02-26-2010, 12:08 AM
P90 $350-400
SW9VE $250-280
22A $200
Depends on condition and accessories or magazines that come with them and how fast you want to sell.
No worries about selling multiple firearms if it is a once-in-a-while situation such as a death in the family (estate sale).
100% legal, just go through a dealer as mentioned above.
Hope all your sales go smooth, you've had a rough time lately for sure.
:)

Sounds pretty fair in the terms of pricing.

kduly
02-26-2010, 5:37 AM
P90 $350-400
SW9VE $250-280
22A $200
Depends on condition and accessories or magazines that come with them and how fast you want to sell.
No worries about selling multiple firearms if it is a once-in-a-while situation such as a death in the family (estate sale).
100% legal, just go through a dealer as mentioned above.
Hope all your sales go smooth, you've had a rough time lately for sure.
:)

+1 on the prices & info about selling multiple firearms.

First, I am sorry for your loss.

between you and your other bro your not interested in keeping a gun or 2 that belong to the deceased bro ? maybe you and your bro ( or just you) can kick in a few more bux to mom & dad and call it even, maybe keep for your own children saying this belonged to uncle xyz ? i would avoid selling if it was me. family pieces, even common and current production pieces have great sentimental value.

ojisan is close on value. hit GB or other shops to find current street price. we're talking less than 1k in total value for the guns described so far.

I also agree with ElToro about the possibility of keeping them in your family if it's something you can afford to do. The sentimental value is more important than money if the money is really not the issue. Good luck to you. :)

redhemi
02-26-2010, 9:07 AM
Hi david sorry to hear about your loss its not easy losing a brother and parents to lose a son. As for his guns there have been some good suggestions already made like Gun Broker and selling here would also be good. If your parents need the money yes do sell them but I would also say if you know which one might have been his favorite I would keep that one in the family. Good luck with whatever you decide, Redhemi

RedFord150
02-26-2010, 9:45 AM
...Finally, a place in Glendora, CA has an auction every few months. The shop is Gunslingers. ...The auction usually gets decent prices and simply charges a percentage. ...

http://www.gunslingerauctions.com is website for Gunslingers. 626-914-7010 is phone. Jeff Taverner is the owner.
The next auction is 5-22-10. The location is American Legion Hall in West Covina. Obviously, 3 months might be too long to wait.
The 3 you list are fairly common and should sell quickly if priced right. I think the values stated previously are pretty fair. If you find the other guns and list them, you should get some reasonable estimates.
If you decide to sell on Calguns, look at 'iTrader' rating for potential buyers. This tells a lot about previous experiences.
Again, please accept our condolences for you and your family.
Good luck.

DR-G
02-26-2010, 10:05 AM
David sorry for your loss and good luck with the sales.

orangeusa
02-26-2010, 10:09 AM
Along those lines of what RedFord150 said. If you are near Orange/Anaheim - similiar deal, respectable dealer. The difference is that they buy up front (wholesale ~= 75% of what they sell for here etc..) and have sales quarterly. But you'll get it done all at once. Selling here (Calguns) is pretty painless, but you have other things on your mind...

And I agree w/ the prices suggested here - those are ballpark for what they would sell here... Not $$$ guns, but all are very good guns that are popular...

Sent you a PM with details. BTW - This place has guns from Revolutionary, Civil War - up to recent guns.

Little Johns Antique Guns - The website is kinda intimidating, so call them if interested. They are very nice and will explain things if you are interested.
(I have no interest or direct dealings w/ them, but are up front).
http://www.littlejohnsauctionservice.com/

elsolo
02-26-2010, 3:04 PM
See if there are any related items that go with the guns, having them often increases resale price:

Additional mags
Original box
Holster
Accessories like: sights, grips, finish (different ones are available from the factory, and can improve resale.)

Sites like Gunbroker will give a good ballpark of what they will fetch used.

List them here on CalGuns in the classifieds, probably more used guns trade hands in CA through that listing than the others. I have bought and sold with other Calgunners with a 100% success rate, try it!

five.five-six
02-26-2010, 3:18 PM
Wow, I am just overwhelmed. I post something and have 10 or 15 people reply in just a few minutes. Thanks to all who replied, and in particular, thanks to those who expressed condolences. I have pretty well put it behind me, but my poor 80 year old mother is having a terrible time adjusting to the fact he is gone.



my greatest fear is outliving my kids, please give your mom an extra long hug for me... seriously

your brother was so young :sad:

it looks like your are getting good advice on prices depending on how fast you want to sell

accessories don't necessarily add that much to the price of the gun, but they do make them sell faster. if you are looking for maximum $$ sell those seperatly.... except for accessories that were initially included with the firearm when new, those should go with that firearm when sold


also, remember that the buyer has to go to the gun store twice, once with you and once in 10 days to get it, it is common courtesy to do the transfer at a location that geographically favors the buyer


~mark

gonefishin@
02-26-2010, 6:32 PM
sorry for your loss and goodluck with the sale ..