Gun Auctions?...

A couple more online auction sites:

https://www.gunauction.com/
https://www.gunsamerica.com/

Rock Island, James Julia, Amoskeog, and others have big gun auctions that you can find online.

Bud's Gun Shop sells used guns and I believe has added an auction function.

What's the question? There are lots of online auctions. There are lots of brick and mortar stores. There are lots of brick and mortar auction houses. To name all of them would be impossible and not very helpful.

I've used Gunbroker before with good results. Scored a fantastic Marlin 39A for a great price earlier this year.

People whine about the high prices on Gunbroker, but no one is forcing you to pay them. Avoid the listings and sellers with ridiculous buy-it-now prices, and don't be afraid to contact sellers for reserve prices. If they won't tell you the reserve, don't deal with them.

The key is to read the listings and check photos carefully, check and follow a lot of listings, be patient, and don't overpay.

Unless you're chasing the "Unicorn", where you won't be happy unless you find an unfired gun in the box, that's been sitting in someone's safe for 50 years, the thing is to remember, another one will come along. I've had many times where I missed out on one gun or another on GB and then ended up with an even better one a month or two later. Just sit back, check the listings every day, and watch for the bargains, and when you see a good price, jump on it.

Proxibid has links to gun auctions on continual basis.

https://www.proxibid.com/asp/firearm-auctions.asp

I dont know how difficult it would be to get something into LA, or if there would be anything on the site you would be interested in but here in Germany I use www.egun.de. If nothing else it will give you an idea of what you can actually purchase in Germany vs what people would have you believe.

There is some neat stuff there.

I live in the middle of nowhere, but using the auctionzip.com website I discovered an estate auction in another tiny community just across the county line. The auction house was an old block garage and it it was packed with guys when we got there. The guy's widow had commissioned the auction company to sell off all his guns, fishing and hunting stuff. There were about 50 guns, most in very nice condition. Almost all sold for higher than I expected, some for more than new.

I bought a tackle box full of lures but all four of the guns I bid on went for way more than reasonable. Still, it was fun and I'm glad I went.

Try http://www.auctionzip.com and narrow your search to just firearms. You might be surprised--I know I was.

boom boom said:

Bud's Gun Shop sells used guns and I believe has added an auction function.

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I believe the site is egunner.com, but if not you can find links on the Bud's site.

hemiram wrote:
...the thing is to remember, another one will come along.

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Elkins45 wrote:
Almost all sold for higher than I expected, some for more than new.

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Amen.

Several years ago, I equipped an entire data center with computers that I got off eBay. I knew what I was looking for and why they failed, so I was able to lurk on auctions of supposedly non-functional equipment that was easily resurrected and if the bidding got out of my range, I just went looking for a new listing.

The same thing would apply to a gun auction. Do your homework and set the maximum price you are willing to spend before logging on and once the bidding goes above it, go look for a new listing. If you don't, you risk getting caught up in the immediacy of the auction and paying more than you intended.

And how do you set your bid limit? You research the completed sales listings looking for the price where it actually sold, not failed and got relisted. There are quite a few sellers who post up inflated reserves and first bids, which are routinely ignored and left to expire. What actual buyers and sellers do is leave room to negotiate and come to a sale. You look at those listings which completed and see what the pricing is, then make your bid and stick to it.

You are looking at the price the market currently trades at - not a fantasy price or something you wish it will. If what you want is higher than you are willing to pay then it's a fact and deal with it. Stay in the game or get out. We have enough people listing guns at exorbitant pricing, who relist dozens of times taking up space. I would like to see a rule where there was a maximum number and then no more. It's like going to a flea market looking for imported knives and seeing dozens of tables at MSRP. The one guy selling at street retail will be moving goods briskly.

You are looking for that guy.

Once I decide on a gun, say a police trade in Sig P226. I start looking on several sites that frequently have them, and then the auction sites. I don't care if the guns I'm looking at have some "handling marks" on them, as long as they are in good+ mechanical shape. If I see one at a good price, I will put check it out and buy it or put a bid on one. I don't bid on more than one of the same gun at a time, as I won two of them within 5 minutes of each other once, and I had to come up with twice as much as I intended to spend. If I don't see anything I want, I just keep checking, and soon, what I want for the price I want will show up and I'll win or buy it. Patience. I can wait a month, it's no big deal to me anymore, to save a chunk of cash, and I rarely have to settle for anything that isn't exactly what I want as to barrel length, color, etc. It only took me 4 days to find a decent P226 DAO for $350+ shipping. For about $60, I converted it to DA/SA for a total of $410. Not bad.

Patience and looking at EVERY listing is the key. Check out the pics, and ask questions if you aren't sure. Put in your highest reasonable bid and wait until the end, and see if you hit.