I have bought very few guns recently on auction, but I have sold hundreds. My starting point for price depends on how much demand their is for a model and the value of the gun. If I have a gun that has had a strong following in the past and I guess will sell for under $1500 I will often list it for a penny on a two week auction. Some guns have a much smaller following and then I will have to set a opening price at the bottom of what I would be happy with. Also some guns require a special buyer and may take several cycles thru the auctions before it is sold does not necessarly mean that the opening price was high just that the right buyer has not found it yet.
The time of year also plays into this, as soon as it gets cold and dark there seems to be much more activity on the auctions, so that a gun I might have listed for a penny in Jan gets listed for a opening bid of $750 in July.
For every dumb seller there is a equally dumb buyer....I should start keeping a list of the really dumb questions, but the one that has stuck with me the longest is the fellow that asked what choke a 22 rifle had. Also read the description, half the questions I get are already answered in the description. I also get a number of questions where I am at a loss as to what they are asking or even what gun they are asking about.
I would also recommend that if you are serious about a gun and it is not NIB I would call the seller with any questions. I would never buy a gun without first talking the the seller as it gives me a chance to hear if the fellow sounds on the up and up or if he sounds stupid or has any questionable ethics.
Last edited by ken/kebco; 08/30/09 10:15 AM.
