anyone ever sell their guns to cabelas?

[shooting time]

I am going to give a heir to a estate a price on about 60 firearms she wants to sell and she told me she is also having Cabelas give her a price .I an trying to guess if they will lowball her or give her over their value because of the way they are priced in their stores .I have seen used guns priced more than new ones .

 

[frankenstein406]

If they are like gander they will give 60 % value of whatever they think they can sell it for. They usually have a book they go by to figure out pricing.

 

[Rusty59]

My guess is they will lowball her, never been to a Cabelas but if they are anything like Gander Mtn and Bass Pro it wouldn't surprise me. What Frankenstein said they gotta make a profit reselling them.

 

[Reloadron]

I am going to give a heir to a estate a price on about 60 firearms she wants to sell and she told me she is also having Cabelas give her a price .I an trying to guess if they will lowball her or give her over their value because of the way they are priced in their stores .I have seen used guns priced more than new ones .

I can say this much. Cabela's does a complete inspection of the gun and a written report on each gun noting any flaws like scratches and dents. Pretty professional write up. I also, based on what I saw one day in the gun library see Frankenstein's post of 60% as pretty close. They were giving a guy a quote on a Beretta O/U shotgun when I was in there buying a gun. Again, the printed report they give the seller is pretty nice, well laid out and professional.

Ron

 

[Willie Sutton]

Having bought some high end items from the Gun Library at my local one, what I can observe is this: Unlike Mom & Pop retailers, Cabelas can afford the cash flow to actually purchase collections, not just place them on consignment. 60% is pretty good, actually, and is what many consignment sellers pay. With their generally competent managers, and the cash to back up the deal, it's not a terrible place to dispose of a large collection if selling it personally is not an option.

When buying, bear in mind that you can almost calculate to the dollar what they have paid for an item. If you wait for something to sit for a year, you can generally get them to sell it at a fairly good discount. I grabbed a very nice Sauer prewar drilling that way a few months back. Got nearly a $ grand off the asking price. I watched it sit in the window outside the Gun Library for literally a year before I got the manager to open up the case for me. He was delighted to see it gone.


Willie

.

 

[rhinoh]

Wow I'm surprised Cabelas only pays 60%-
I figure they must be paying at least 110% of actual value since they seem to want 150% to sell you one.

 

[Davek1977]

There is absolutely NO WAY Cabelas is going to "overpay", regardless of the prices you may see in their stores. I do believe they will give an offer thats competitive with others, however.

 

[tark]

Are you near an auction co that specializes in firearms? Any old auction co. won't do, you need someone who really knows what they are doing. That might be a better way to go....or not . They will want a slice of the pie, too, but they do have certain advantages. It would depend a lot on what kind of guns are in the collection. Are there a lot of old or VERY old guns? Are there a lot of Military guns? These are just two examples which require a higher degree of expertise in appraising.

An auction company will take a percentage of each sale, but they will try to get as much as possible selling the gun, because that increases their profit.

There is always the chance that the collection might contain something enormously valuable, which a large sporting goods store might overlook. Years ago a friend in California discovered a type 2 gas trap Garand in a widow's possession that she was about to sell to a local sporting goods store. The gun is worth tens of thousands in today's money. The guy from the store just thought it was another M-1.

Guns are valuable, and a collection of sixty some firearms is going to be worth a lot of money, no matter what kinds of guns they are. Make sure you get top value for them.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

Cabela's will offer around 60% of what they think they can sell it for. Whether they estimate that correctly depends on who makes the offer and how well they know their stuff. A couple of extreme examples, but I once bought a gun there for $180 that would easily have gone for $800; I've also seen a gun worth no more than $100 priced at $500.

Selling to a place like Cabela's is quick and easy but you won't get top dollar. If you have the time and knowledge, selling on Gunbroker will yield a lot more money.

 

[rhinoh]

The only Cabelas I've ever been in is in Greenville, SC. I was shocked at the asking prices on some of the used guns, of course the new guns are pretty much list price.
I've seen handguns in there that are available across the street at Palmetto State Armory for $100+ less. Still there is always someone at their gun counter buying them....

 

[oneounceload]

Cabela's, like ANY gun store, needs to make a profit - those big stores, employees, stuffed heads all cost money. They will give her a reasonable low blue book value and sell for a high retail value. She would be better off going through someone like Rock Island Auctions of James Julia (especially if they have any collector value)

of course the new guns are pretty much list price.

You seem shocked that a retail store would sell things at retail pricing? Target, Sears, etc. all do the same thing, as does Lowes, Home Depot and on and on.

 

[Reloadron]

Looking back at the original post the collection in this case consist of about 60 guns. Without a doubt the estate executor (or widow or whatever) could sell the guns piece parted out gun by gun and get a higher return. While this method is time consuming and a lot of work the benefit is a higher return. The downside is it's time consuming going through 60 guns and selling them one or two at a time. While not stated in most cases an estate needs accurate records of what is sold also.

Here is what I would do when we had the shop and were active in this stuff. I would list ever gun and appraise every gun. The list included every ding and dent and was a time consuming process. The estate got my list and a best and final offer on a separate sheet of paper. Take it or leave it. One problem with estates is you can look at maybe 20 guns and find 5 cherries you know you can easily sell and maybe 10 guns that will eventually sell and 5 dogs you will likely have for a long time unless you about give them away. You may find some black powder guns and when you aren't into black powder you really don't much want those guns. If my best and final is $10,000 you get a check for that amount, if you want cash I want a few days notice and you walk out with 10 grand cash. If great uncle Joey feels I am low balling or screwing the estate let uncle Joey sell the things. When a business buys a gun or antique piece of furniture they buy it for one reason and that is to resell for a profit. I made that clear to sellers and executors of estates.

So it really comes down to what the executor wants to do. My job was merely to make an offer and explain things. They can accept or decline my offer. Buy the gun, sell the gun, keep the door open and the lights on. Be happy, life is good.

Ron

 

[RainDodger]

I can tell you precisely what they do: they give you 2/3 of the blue book value. 66%.

 

[oneounceload]

With 60 guns, as I said above, I would contact one of the gun auction houses. The BUYER pays the premium, not the seller

 

[jmace57]

oneounceload - actually the seller pays too (99% of the time). Unless they are selling an extremely valuable item, the auction house may charge between 2 and 25% to the SELLER as well. Really nice items at 10%, run of the mill at 20-25%

 

[oneounceload]

True b ut not always - it depends on the value, whereas the buyer ALWAYS pays. My point was that she seems to have a collection of 60 guns. The most money will be realized by taking the time to sell individually - that could take a while depending on the guns. If she is looking just to get rid of them regardless of value, then go to Cabela's or a pawn shop. There is always Gun Broker, but unlike a reputable auction house, you have to still do all the listing work and still a commission.

 

[rhinoh]

You seem shocked that a retail store would sell things at retail pricing? Target, Sears, etc. all do the same thing, as does Lowes, Home Depot and on and on.

Really? Where did I indicate ANY shock. In fact I said "OF COURSE the new guns are pretty much list price."

BTW Sears etc has NOTHING to do with gun sales- NO major retailer in my area, except Cabela's, tries to get full list price. Examples are Sportsman's Warehouse, Academy Sports, and Palmetto State Armory.

 

[armedwalleye]

Never sold guns to cabelas but I've bought a few from folks who tried to sell to cabelas first....usually willing to sell at that point after someone else already has beaten them to a pulp first. After that kicking, another $25 or $50 turns the trick. Just because they're the largest doesn't mean they pay the best.

 

[lxd55]

If, I was you and I am not. I would go to a pro on this. I am saying this because it only takes a proof mark or the lack of one to make a big deal. Wish you the best.

 

[slickracer]

I tried it once.........was offered $300 for a Remington 700 with a Leupold scope. Sold it privately within 2 weeks for $750.

 

[ol' scratch]

I took a Russian SKS in to see what they would give me. This was just a couple of years ago. They only offered me a third of what they were going for. There used and vintage firearms are typically way overpriced.

 

[silversport]

I can say this much. Cabela's does a complete inspection of the gun and a written report on each gun noting any flaws like scratches and dents. Pretty professional write up. I also, based on what I saw one day in the gun library see Frankenstein's post of 60% as pretty close. They were giving a guy a quote on a Beretta O/U shotgun when I was in there buying a gun. Again, the printed report they give the seller is pretty nice, well laid out and professional.

Ron

I found your response interesting since the SIG P220 I bought from Cabela's last Fall was filthy from being shot and I was told that Cabela's does not clean or do more than a quick check of their firearms...the man in the Gun Library gave me $25 more off because it was so filthy...

Bill