John: If a guy won't give you an offer he is often just kicking tires and not serious. Or, he may not be up on the market trends for that particular gun, and not want to commit until he does further research. If its a gun I need, I look for at least 20% off what I believe is the average retail price. If its a gun I like but don't really need, I look for 30-40% off retail. If its a gun I don't particularly want, but others might, I will buy it at 50% off retail just to flip it to somebody else at 20% off. As you can tell, I don't often buy from established dealers. There is always the exception. I bought a nice Parker C grade from Bass Pro Shops for about 50% of what I figured was average retail. The just hadn't done their homework, although I bet they bought it right from an owner who had no clue as to value. I admired it, shot it, and decided I really didn't need it. I flipped it on Gunbroker a year later for 30% more than I paid for it, rather than sitting on it looking for full value. Now I can say I owned a high condition, original CHE, and made a reasonable profit on the deal. The midwest dealer who bought it from me will no doubt hold it for several years waiting to get full price for it. They all reach full retail price eventually. Just not on my watch. FWIW.
