Selling to Cabelas

[Sks39]

Has anyone ever sold or traded a firearm to Cabelas? Were they fair on the price they gave you. I was thinking about maybe trading one in on another or maybe a store credit. If they do the store credit thing.

 

[Kookla]

I have done so several times. On some guns I brought they gave a good price, on others a little under. For the most part though I've been happy.

If you are doing it to get credit (gift card for the store) tell them that. I traded in some guns because I needed to get camping gear for my kids- they boosted the value of my trade because of it. That could have just been the salesperson being kind, but it was appreciated.

 

[edwardware]

In Greenville, SC: I've brought a gun in twice, just to see what they'd say. In both cases, I could have sold it the same day to a local pawn shop for more.

I've watched them buy some nice pieces for a song too. I believe their business model depends on the seller's ignorance and/or unwillingness to deal with a gun shop or pawn shop.

 

[Sav .250]

Has anyone ever sold or traded a firearm to Cabelas? Were they fair on the price they gave you. I was thinking about maybe trading one in on another or maybe a store credit. If they do the store credit thing.

Just so your up to speed............Cabela`s has been bought out by Bass Pro Shops.

 

[CDW4ME]

Try it and report back.

 

[HOWARD J]

I liked Cabelas but it was 45 miles from me so I purchased
on line

 

[Wisco]

You're probably looking at 50-70% of book value. Then they'll price it 5-10% more than book. Most places use the Blue Book of Gun Values.

A gun in 95% condition worth $1000 will get you $500-700. They'll then price it as a 98% gun for $1200+.

You are almost always better off selling it privately. If that's not an option, get a quote from a few places and take the highest offer.

 

[25-5]

I've sold to them a dew times, but I knew what the firearms were worth and understood they are entitled to a profit. I was happy with the transaction.
I agree that private is better, but it takes time and will include an FFL fee.
The past few years a number of new LGS has appeared. Usually with range attached. A couple I've been to seem stingy to buy, and greedy to sell.

 

[.308 Norma]

You're probably looking at 50-70% of book value. Then they'll price it 5-10% more than book. Most places use the Blue Book of Gun Values.

A gun in 95% condition worth $1000 will get you $500-700. They'll then price it as a 98% gun for $1200+.

You are almost always better off selling it privately. If that's not an option, get a quote from a few places and take the highest offer.

The above quote has been my experience the few times I've sold to Cabela's. I've always done better selling guns by putting them on consignment at our favorite LGS. However, our friend who owned that store retired and closed shop a few of weeks ago, so selling (or buying) guns through him is no longer an option. Darn it! We've known that guy for so long, and bought and sold guns so many guns through him, he often didn't even charge us a commission for selling one of our guns. And he never charged us a transfer fee. Luckily, I'm pretty satisfied with the guns I have (at least for now) and don't anticipate selling or buying any more for a while.

 

[Ks5shooter]

Post it on sale board at local shooting range,I always do well this way.

 

[jmr40]

I talked to them about buying one of my rifles. The rifle was somewhat uncommon and the manager spent about 30 minutes online researching the rifle to determine price. I had already done so and the price quoted was almost exactly what I had determined it was worth. They told me their policy was to offer 65% of what they thought they could sell it for.

All in all it was very professionally done and I felt I was treated fairly. But ultimately I decided it was worth the effort to sell it on my own for more money so I declined their offer. If they had gone 75% I'd have taken the deal to avoid the hassles of trying to sell.

It really depends on the gun, how fast you want to sell it and how much your time is worth. By the time you factor in costs of selling, shipping etc. taking 65% of the guns true value might not be a bad deal. Especially if you're talking about a $200-$300 gun. You can spend 35% of the guns value in shipping costs. Plus your time to pack it and deliver it to a shipper. The more expensive the gun the harder it is to justify taking the 35% reduction in value. It doesn't cost any more to ship a $2000 gun than a $200 gun. And finding a buyer can be a PITA.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

The more I read threads like this the more I think I'll wait till after I'm dead to worry about selling my guns...

 

[ontarget]

Shanghai, you hit the x ring right there!

 

[FL-NC]

You will almost always do better selling a used gun to a person who wants it instead of a business who wants to make a profit off of it.

 

[MidRoad]

Sounds like they are relatively fair. Each time ive gone to the one in CT ,there was a decent used selection, so that says tonme they buy a fair amount of them. Youll always do better selling outright to a person rather than a business. Business is business they need to make money.

I tried trading a kimber hunter in at field and stream, they had a new one there for 850. Mine was a month old, had two boxes of ammo through it and cleaned well. It looked new. The guy was kind of rude and acted like I was burdening him with a trade. Even though I was willing to purchase a gun. They offered me 400.... so I wont be buying a gun from them thats for sure. I understand a seller needs to make money. Time to prep,sell, pay their people, etc... If they didnt they wouldnt be in business. But an offer like that was down right offensive.

 

[igotta40]

I just sold an unfired still in the box Sig 2022 to my LGS. It didn't occur to me to try Cabela's. I paid $400, they gave me $300. 75%? I'm curious to see it in their display case to know what they'll price it at. I'm guessing $450 or so.

But the LGS are good guys, they handled my Ruger Single Ten warranty replacement no charge at all and gave me a shooting lane for the day to boot. BTW that's a sweet little revolver.

I want the $$ to put towards a new Winchester Alaskan, which I mentioned in my other post. I'll have the same LGS handle that transfer.

I do know that Cabela's will ship in a firearm from any store library to examine for $25. I had my eye on a Model 70 circa 1938, until I decided to go all in on a new 375 H&H.

 

[drk1]

Other folks have provided a pretty good picture of that "C" place offering pennies on the dollar. But I thought that you might be interested in a couple of accounts of how that "C" place actually treats both buyers and sellers.

I was visiting my local gun shop one day several months ago when a fellow came in with a bundle in his arms. He was shaking his head and frowning the entire time he walked towards the counter. The store owner said hello and asked him something about the offer he had made for a few weeks earlier. The fellow put the bundle on the counter and unwraped two takedown rifles -- a Winchester 1886 (if I remember correctly) and a Savage 99 -- both taken apart. The fellow explained that he wasn't there to sell them but to see about having them fixed. It turned out that this fellow had stopped by the shop several weeks earlier and inquired about selling these two rifles. The store owner offered him a price, but also offered to put them on consignment in the shop or list them with one of the on-line auction sites. The fellow declined and explained that he would "think about it," meaning he would take them somewhere else. Well, he took them to that "C" place. The people there said they were interested but it would take some time to "evaluate" them, so he needed to leave them. Beyond the risk of leaving them, that meant that he'd have to fill out the 4473 to get them back, but they didn't explain that. He agreed to leave them and after a few days, that "C" place called to say they had finished the "evaluation." He went to store where they told him they really weren't interested because they were both broken! In fact, they were so badly "broken" they couldn't get them back together again. This guy was well over sixy years old and had inherited them from his father. He had shot them many, many years ago and he was pretty sure no one had shot them since then, but he was even more certain that they were just fine when he left them at that "C" place. At least they were each in one piece! To say the guy was a little upset would be an understatement. He said that he had spoken to a lawyer who explained that any legal action would probably cost more than they were worth. In any event, the guy really didn't want to sell them any longer, he just wanted to get them fixed.

This is just one story of the disasters that surround that "C" place. There are countless others. For example, many years ago, before I knew better, I saw a firearm listed on a website that the "C" place uses, so I called and asked about it. Sure, they said, they still had it. I explained that it would be a four hour drive for me and they said they'd be glad to "hold it." So, I made the trip but, of course, when I got there four hours later, the gun couldn't be found. I talked with four or five people and could sense that a couple of them knew more than they were telling me. After another two hours, the guy in charge of the "gun library" admitted he still had the gun, but he wouldn't show it to me because one of the employees had taken it apart and they were too embarrassed to admit they couldn't get it back together. In another case, I stopped by a "C" place that had just opened. It was only my second or third time in one of their stores, so I was excited, but that soon passed when I discovered that several of the firearms in their "gun library" were either missing parts or broken. In another case, a fellow brought a Browning Broadway Trap Set into a local gun shop to see about having it "fixed." He explained that he had bought it at that "C" place but he couldn't get one of the barrels to fit and none of the barrels that he could get on frame would fire. It turned out the barrel that wouldn't fit wasn't even for a Browning and the others wouldn't fire was because the firing pins were broken. That "C" place refused to do anything about the problems. In yet another case, a guy bought a Weatherby Mark XXII from that "C" place, and, you guessed it, it wouldn't fire. It was missing several pieces of the action and the rear sight. It's understandable, because a few years ago I was at a large firearms auction where one guy bought tens of thousands of dollars of firearms. I was curious, so afterwards I managed to ask him about his purchases, especially the ones he overpaid by a factor or 2 or 3 times their value. He immediately began to brag about being with that "C" place and that it really didn't matter what he paid "cause they're all just bait. We put 'em on the rack and the folks just come and buy 'em regardless of the price."

The moral of all of these stories is that if you have an old broken piece of junk that no one else wants, you might be able to sell it to that "C" place. But if it's a decent firearm, you shouldn't have any trouble getting more money from almost anyone for it than you would get from that "C" place. Thanks for sharing and let us know what you decide to do.

 

[Sunray]

All dealers base the price they'll give on their whole sale price(dealers get a sheet with their 'dealer' cost and the MSRP on it from their distributors), how fast they think they can sell the used firearm plus a certain amount of 'the time of year'. If, for example, you went in most places today with a scoped deer rifle in decent condition, you'll likely get a more reasonable price(still based on the whole sale price) than if it was a heavy barreled, varmint rifle. Wrong time of year for varmint rifles. Deer season is upon us in most places.
65 or 75% isn't unusual. Wouldn't even consider 'store credit' from anywhere myself. Means you get nothing out of the deal. The store gets the rifle and your money coming and going.
"...they couldn't get them back together again..." That'd be a small claims court(assuming there is such a thing. Probably called something else) case. They damaged 'em.

 

[Sks39]

Thank you everyone for the feedback.

 

[jmorris]

They buy them to sell them and make money.

Try this, ask them what they will give you for it, then post it in the classified section here for that amount + actual shipping cost + the amount you think it's worth you to put it in a box and ship it.

If they are anything like a pawn shop it should sell in minutes.

 

[Kevin5098]

Other folks have provided a pretty good picture of that "C" place offering pennies on the dollar. But I thought that you might be interested in a couple of accounts of how that "C" place actually treats both buyers and sellers.

I was visiting my local gun shop one day several months ago when a fellow came in with a bundle in his arms. He was shaking his head and frowning the entire time he walked towards the counter. The store owner said hello and asked him something about the offer he had made for a few weeks earlier. The fellow put the bundle on the counter and unwraped two takedown rifles -- a Winchester 1886 (if I remember correctly) and a Savage 99 -- both taken apart. The fellow explained that he wasn't there to sell them but to see about having them fixed. It turned out that this fellow had stopped by the shop several weeks earlier and inquired about selling these two rifles. The store owner offered him a price, but also offered to put them on consignment in the shop or list them with one of the on-line auction sites. The fellow declined and explained that he would "think about it," meaning he would take them somewhere else. Well, he took them to that "C" place. The people there said they were interested but it would take some time to "evaluate" them, so he needed to leave them. Beyond the risk of leaving them, that meant that he'd have to fill out the 4473 to get them back, but they didn't explain that. He agreed to leave them and after a few days, that "C" place called to say they had finished the "evaluation." He went to store where they told him they really weren't interested because they were both broken! In fact, they were so badly "broken" they couldn't get them back together again. This guy was well over sixy years old and had inherited them from his father. He had shot them many, many years ago and he was pretty sure no one had shot them since then, but he was even more certain that they were just fine when he left them at that "C" place. At least they were each in one piece! To say the guy was a little upset would be an understatement. He said that he had spoken to a lawyer who explained that any legal action would probably cost more than they were worth. In any event, the guy really didn't want to sell them any longer, he just wanted to get them fixed.

This is just one story of the disasters that surround that "C" place. There are countless others. For example, many years ago, before I knew better, I saw a firearm listed on a website that the "C" place uses, so I called and asked about it. Sure, they said, they still had it. I explained that it would be a four hour drive for me and they said they'd be glad to "hold it." So, I made the trip but, of course, when I got there four hours later, the gun couldn't be found. I talked with four or five people and could sense that a couple of them knew more than they were telling me. After another two hours, the guy in charge of the "gun library" admitted he still had the gun, but he wouldn't show it to me because one of the employees had taken it apart and they were too embarrassed to admit they couldn't get it back together. In another case, I stopped by a "C" place that had just opened. It was only my second or third time in one of their stores, so I was excited, but that soon passed when I discovered that several of the firearms in their "gun library" were either missing parts or broken. In another case, a fellow brought a Browning Broadway Trap Set into a local gun shop to see about having it "fixed." He explained that he had bought it at that "C" place but he couldn't get one of the barrels to fit and none of the barrels that he could get on frame would fire. It turned out the barrel that wouldn't fit wasn't even for a Browning and the others wouldn't fire was because the firing pins were broken. That "C" place refused to do anything about the problems. In yet another case, a guy bought a Weatherby Mark XXII from that "C" place, and, you guessed it, it wouldn't fire. It was missing several pieces of the action and the rear sight. It's understandable, because a few years ago I was at a large firearms auction where one guy bought tens of thousands of dollars of firearms. I was curious, so afterwards I managed to ask him about his purchases, especially the ones he overpaid by a factor or 2 or 3 times their value. He immediately began to brag about being with that "C" place and that it really didn't matter what he paid "cause they're all just bait. We put 'em on the rack and the folks just come and buy 'em regardless of the price."

The moral of all of these stories is that if you have an old broken piece of junk that no one else wants, you might be able to sell it to that "C" place. But if it's a decent firearm, you shouldn't have any trouble getting more money from almost anyone for it than you would get from that "C" place. Thanks for sharing and let us know what you decide to do.

If you can't even spell out the name of the store, much less the location and names of employees who "mistreated" you then I gotta call BS. Too many holes in this post.

 

[NorthBorder]

Gotta agree with Kevin. I have had good luck selling to Cabela's Just one gun they offered way below what I thought it was worth, maybe by $200. Other guns they either paid me more (a Ruger Alaskan) or the same (a Uberti 45). Others have been very fair and I used the funds to buy another. Along with the veteran's 5% no ask discount I made out very well.

 

[drk1]

Well, you folks can have all the "wholes" and "BS" you want. Calling me a liar as you have done really doesn't change anything other than my estimation of the level of character of the participants in this site. As I overhead the manager of one of those "C" places tell one other customer as he was physically throwing him out of the door, "Have a nice day!"

 

[larryh1108]

Well, you folks can have all the "wholes" and "BS" you want. Calling me a liar as you have done really doesn't change anything other than my estimation of the level of character of the participants in this site. As I overhead the manager of one of those "C" places tell one other customer as he was physically throwing him out of the door, "Have a nice day!"

As is the case with most chain stores, the store (not the chain) can determine each person's experience.
You've had terrible experiences. You've shared that. Your broad brush painted the entire chain as bad apples.
The many others who shared their own experience differ from yours but I guess they are all wrong and you are right.
Individual store management and policy can make for different experiences. Painting the entire chain as bad news is as wrong as others telling you that you are wrong.