Are Gunbroker.com and Gunsamerica.com good indicators of value? I know that alot of times people will trump up a gun and try to sell it for alot more than it is worth, but today is the first time I have ever seen another W.C. Scott that is nearly identical to the one I have. Even though this one is 2 years newer than mine (1890 mfg. vs. 1892), has an extra 2 inches of barrel (mine has 28" IIRC), and a different forearm, my wood is substantially more figured and the engraving is identical...and this one on Gunsamerica.com, the seller is asking 5x more than i paid for mine...
http://www.gunsamerica.com/943082267/Gun...ER_GUN_12GA.htmso in short, apart from an actual licensed appraiser, are gun selling websites such as Auctionarms, Gunbroker, and GunsAmerica a fair assesment of value to a particular firearm?
Greg there is a big difference between what someone asks for a gun and what they get in the end. It does no good to searc for current auctions unless they have bids on them. Do a search for completed auctions and that will tell you what the going price is. I looked at it. I'm a dealer and I would put value on it of no more than $2000 - $2500 tops.
I agree 100% what Mike is saying about what they ask and when they sell it, or if they sell it.
On Auction Arms there were complaints about some sellers having their guns on there for a very long time and they were supposed to stop it. Well what some of the sellers do it lower the price a few dollars and do it all over again. There are a few that have been doing this for a very long time.
To stop this, all Auction Arms would have to do is charge them for relisting it for more than 2 months at a time.
Greg,
That is why the reports that Roy Eckrose was doing were so valuable. The dealer can blue sky all they want. It is what people will pay. I have purchased guns that had no bids on them after an auction ended for less than the auction starting price.
I thought about doing those reports now that Roy is unable. The massive amount of labor was more than I am willing to take on.
http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=6&page=1Pete
Prices on used guns are softening, and a lot of the on-line sellers refuse to recognize this fact. There have always been the "innocent" amateurs who think Grandpa's gun must be worth a bunch because it's old and it's a Parker, so it gets posted at an unreasonable price and then just sits there. There are always a few dealers whose asking prices are outrageous, just in case there is a sucker out there. All in all, asking prices and opening bid prices are pretty much irrelevant.
There's a guy under the name of SLY whose had guns listed for so long on auction arms that I swear they started out brand new and now they're antiques!
Jim
The thing is worth a lot less then he is asking. The BP proof, pitting, and Cyl-Cyl deal is pretty hard to gulp down. The fact that it requires very specialized ammo to be used in it doesn't help matters either.
Don't you just love it when they say "bright bores with light pitting". I'd say it more of a 12 to 15 hundred dollar gun at best.
That's way more than I'd give...from what I see, in these times, 650 would be a fair price.
binko
I would not even state that a licensed appraiser can give you the real value of a gun or anything else for that matter, only his personal guess at a single point in time.
Like with anything else, either brand new or old, an item is worth only what a willing buyer and seller will agree to at one moment in time. Not only will the current economy affect the general value of all used items including guns, but you are already seeing its effects on new item prices/values as well.
If you had to sell the gun you had purchased previously for $750, but had to do it within three days, and all the dealers and collectors you showed it to said it was a $2500 gun, but not one of them wanted it at the time, and I came up to you with $150 cash in my hand and I said i would take it, is your gun in reality worth $2500, $750 or $150?
Without a willing buyer (and who actually has the money) as part of the equation, not a single item has any true real value.
Dave