Low Ball Offers

[madoka]

M any times, the buyer is either delusional or just plain overpaid and thinks he/she should recoup his/her investment.

Did you mean to say seller here?

[hossb7]

Wow. I've never gotten those stories before. That's damn impressive.

Calguns never ceases to amaze with how cheap it's members are.

[jonzer77]

I agree with this for SSE's purchased. For the guys that are trying to buy used off roster guns with the intention of making a killing, I don't see it happening. Break even or minor return at best

I wasn't referring to making a killing. Just meant that it you spent $1000 plus $35 for the DROS on a off roster gun, you have a good chance of getting your $1035 back when you sell it unless you paid more then the current CA inflated off roster price.


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[jonzer77]

At least it is a gen 4 g34



I collect G19s. The guys that think they are getting 500 to 550 for a stock "new or barely used" g19 are.crazy..maybe you.will get 500 with mom stock sights. One guy was trying to sell his stock gen 3 G19 (never fired for 625)......he was offended when I asked for 425 (what a stock.gen 3 g19 is worth). He ended up.pulling the sale. Generally on used sale you do not get the tax and dros back. Also if you have a common commodity gun like a gen 3 g19, unless there is a panic 425 to.450 is around right

Unless it's a OD gen 3. People seem to pay a premium for those.


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[Che762x39]

OBO or FIRM ...

... it is what it is

[I Swan]

Calguns never ceases to amaze with how cheap it's members are.

Cgners aren't cheap. Many love getting bent over for 22lr and AR's during panics and overpaying for guns in impulse purchases at the shops the cool kids go to.

[I Swan]

One expects to be able to obtain a commonly available item that is used at a significant discount from the new cost of the item. That's just the way it is... after all, you don't know anything about the item, how it was cared for, what hidden flaws it may harbor, etc.

What you see sometimes in the marketplace here is people trying to sell a gun for what they have "into it" - so basically whatever they wrote the check for - which generally includes DROS, tax, etc. They may shoot it a few times, put it away in a sock drawer for two years and never think about the lint or the moisture buildup from the fabric. They still think it's worth "what they paid" because they "hardly ever shot it". Well, it may be worth a significant percentage of that original MSRP but 100% plus DROS and tax... on top of which the buyer has to pay their own DROS and tax? That's a tough sell but surprisingly some sellers refuse to listen to reason and think someone who offers to pay them 80% of MSRP (not including the original buyer's DROS & tax) is a "lowballer". Sorry, that sounds like a fairly reasonable offer from where I sit.

Now, if we are talking about an off roster handgun the situation changes a bit. It's no longer a "commonly available" item we are talking about. In this case, a buyer can expect to pay above average cost on the item because of it's scarcity.

On the other hand... there are people who cruise the boards looking to make "a steal" kind of deal. Often they even don't care about the gun itself. They're just going to re-sell it, and pocket the diff. They routinely offer 50% of asking price, just to see if the seller is desperate enough or ignorant enough to bite. Sometimes, they get lucky - it doesn't cost anything to ask, right? Except it is a bit of an insult to the seller, but these buyers don't care. Getting lucky happens enough that they keep up the practice.

I think 50% of asking price is "lowballing" unless the seller's asking price is outrageously inflated. 80% is an ok place to start. If you're not offering 80% of what the item (or very comparable item) can be obtained for elsewhere, then you are likely lowballing - pitching an unreasonably low offer. It's annoying and rarely works. But people keep it up. Well, sociopaths looking to turn a quick buck keep it up. Annoying!

There is a few member here I always see doing that. One is a FFL. Another is not but acts like one in his buying and selling and I can tell he has multiple accounts.

[madoka]

I collect G19s. The guys that think they are getting 500 to 550 for a stock "new or barely used" g19 are.crazy..maybe you.will get 500 with mom stock sights. One guy was trying to sell his stock gen 3 G19 (never fired for 625)......he was offended when I asked for 425 (what a stock.gen 3 g19 is worth).

Do you remember the guy trying to sell his black G19 gen3 for $1000? IIRC, members got banned for criticizing his price.

I collect G19s too. I think I'm 4-5 variants away from finishing; not including gen1 because those are impossible.

[wpage]

Its all in the game...

[GM4spd]

Calguns never ceases to amaze with how cheap it's members are.

This goes hand in hand with the lo ball offers. Pete

[hossb7]

Cgners aren't cheap. Many love getting bent over for 22lr and AR's during panics and overpaying for guns in impulse purchases at the shops the cool kids go to.

Those times were isolated events in recent history - statistically insignificant.

Look at the majority of threads in the rifle and handgun subforum. MOST of them are about how to purchase a ________ (insert flavor of the week here) for as little money as possible.

[I Swan]

I always try to purchase as cheaply as possible but within reason and without insulting people or being rediculous. I don't mind a few extra bucks to support a decent FFL but generally I'm going to do my best to save money.

[Bullitt01]

I always try to purchase as cheaply as possible but within reason and without insulting people or being rediculous. I don't mind a few extra bucks to support a decent FFL but generally I'm going to do my best to save money.

...well said.

[I Swan]

I am by no means wealthy but I have ammased a huge gun collection. One of the major reasons I have been able to do so besides not having a wife or children is not impulse or panic buying and doing my best to seek out good gun and ammo deals. I religiously chase down good deals. I don't have many other expensive hobbies.

Deals are out there, even on off roster guns. You just have to have the knowledge, patience, time and ability to find them. I commonly see people whining about not finding guns they want yet they limit their search to FFL's within 5 mile radius of them and the CGN marketplace.

[Par5In2]

My .02

A firearm's value is whatever the market will bear. Condition, accessories (original box, papers, etc.) and a host of other variables will play into the valuation to both a buyer and seller. Unfortunately, all too many sellers seem to believe their sentimental value or assessment adds true value.

What I find interesting is how some sellers approach value. Great examples are the polymers I see that have "upgrades" (taste, such as stippling, are always in the eye of the beholder and impossible to place a value on) and have "only been shot 100 rounds" (ummm, yeah, sure) and asking price is hundreds of dollars above retail. A used gun is a used gun and your "upgrades" don't necessarily add value and trying to recover your full investment (I've even seen sales that have documented for value purposes sales tax/shipping charges on the original purchase) for a common item is completely unrealistic.

There are always exceptions for something rare and or unique, but I see too many commodity firearms that the sellers over value and when you PM with a reasonable offer (again, that's subjective and case by case) the sellers freak out.

I love hearing how much GB sales for a gun are and the seller has one "almost as good", so by logic, it should sell for almost as much. Garbage. Sellers only quote exceptional GB sales versus the average (or even the low sales) as a means of justifying their price and anything below asking is now considered "low ball". Remember the $3,000 ARs after Sandy Hook (and bare LGS shelves)? Same ARs are now 1/3 that price or less. A $2,000 offer at that time would have probably been considered "low ball", whereas today that offer would be considered quite the premium. Market conditions along with perceived (from the buyer's point) value will be key purchase points IMO.

So, stating "low ball offers will be ignored" is as useful as saying "final price drop" or "if it doesn't sell today, it's going back in the safe" (um, so where is it now, outside the safe with a for sale sign in the window?). Means nothing and a waste of text space. Again, just my .02.

I literally lol'd. So true.