Excess inventory of used firearms?

[D V US]

I'm in a lot of gun shops and most know me on sight. I don't believe H&H's prices are out of line on most guns any more than anyone else's. Usually it's the ones with the small "consignment" under the price that make me take a step back. I was just in there this evening and found several things that I would have brought home with me if economic considerations were in a more favorable state.

 

[DavidMcmillan]

One of the biggest pluses for SSP is that they are such nice folks to deal with. They are always busy, and still always treat everyone well.

 

[Fr Mulcahy]

This was posted on the Taurusarmed forum today:

“drove to one of Oklahoma City's largest gun stores today for the express purpose of selling a couple of firearms. (Details about the types and why I chose to sell them at a gun store instead of private sales are not pertinent to the thread.) The store's assistant manager and one of his sales reps, both of whom helped me, said that they were swamped with used firearms. They added that their biggest competitor was facing the same problem.

People are selling quality (in other words, not cheap or junk) used guns - AR-15s, AR-10s, hunting and shooting rifles, shotguns, revolvers, semi auto pistols - like they've never seen before. For all of the used guns that were on display, they had far more in storage, waiting for shelf space before being displayed.

I replied that in the world and circumstances in which we live, this was surprising. They agreed. They surmised that inflation is hitting folks harder than what is being reported. Valuables of all kinds are being sold to put food on the table, pay the bills, and keep a roof over people's heads. I reckon that if there's a silver lining to this cloud, it's that there may be some nice gun bargains out there.

The prices they quoted for my guns were so low, I politely declined and took them back home with me, with their complete understanding.

Has anyone else seen anything similar in your area?

See less”

Back to the OP's question, yes, I have seen prices soften on used guns, and have seen larger inventories.

During the pandemic, a lot of free money was floating around, and a more limited supply of used gun inventory. Used gun prices went up as a result, and a lot of guns were sold. That free money is now gone (although we still have the adder to the national debt), and people are having a harder time paying their bills. At the same time, the used gun inventory is up by millions. So there's more supply and less demand. So either gun prices go down, or fewer guns are sold.

It's kind of like the baseball card market in the mid-1990's. At the start of the decade, cards sold for Beckett value. By the end of the decade, you couldn't give them away.

Of course, cards have no intrinsic value while guns do, but you get my point (I hope).

And that's all I know about that.

 

[dennishoddy]

I’ve only been to H&H once and I got what I think was a good deal on a consignment gun. Snagged a 1973 (I think) Belgian A5 with two barrels for $750. Every now and then even a blind squirrel finds a nut View attachment 518654View attachment 518655

You stole that shotgun!

 

[dennishoddy]

Of course not. A body in the door is a body in the door.

A body in the door that is happy with the transfer fee is a happy customer.

A happy customer is THE #1 driver of new business. Most restaurants understand this, at least at first. Few gunshops do.

I’ve never done business with SSP as I don’t live there but see hundreds of posts saying they get transfers there and on the way out, look into the selection of firearms available. They might not buy one at that time, but see a post on OSA saying I saw the gun your looking for at SSP.
A lot of our members patronize that business and if I remember correctly they are members of the forum, occasionally posting on here.

 

[bushmaster06]

I agree with that. I wish they would list what they have like Sooner State does but they probably want the foot traffic instead.

Call me crazy, but I bet most of their foot traffic is driven by their ranges.

 

[bushmaster06]

I’ve never done business with SSP as I don’t live there but see hundreds of posts saying they get transfers there and on the way out, look into the selection of firearms available. They might not buy one at that time, but see a post on OSA saying I saw the gun your looking for at SSP.
A lot of our members patronize that business and if I remember correctly they are members of the forum, occasionally posting on here.

They're good people. If I buy a gun from a brick and mortar shop it's almost exclusively bought from them and every transfer I've done is through them. You can order pretty much whatever is on their site and have it shipped to your LGS of choice.