Would I have been ripped off?

[genxsis]

Someone in a local paper is advertising a S&W Sigma 9mm for $375. I've seen these in the store brand new for $300. I called him up and made an offer for $300 because that's what they sell for new. This guy of course said that I'd be saving because there would be no tax or background check fee. His gun is supposedly like new, and 6 years old.

Am I missing something here? Why do people try to sell something for more than what it costs new, even when confronted by the facts?

Now I plan to wait 6 weeks when his ad expires to see if he's realized the error of his ways, unless someone else has taken the bait and bought it for what he wants for it.

 

[News Shooter]

Not only is it a rip off but S & W is offering the free two mags again for buying a new Sigma. That alone is worth $75 and the gun new should not be over $325

 

[Werewolf]

This guy of course said that I'd be saving because there would be no tax or background check fee.

...Emphasis mine.

Sounds like he's asking for a price premium because he's willing to sell to someone that might not pass a background check.

Either that or he's just stupid or an optimist.

 

[trueblue1776]

Even if you were the biggest Sigma fan on earth, $375 for a used Sigma is hardcore crack-smoker territory. $300 for a new one is too high IMO.

 

[Gator]

Sounds like he's asking for a price premium because he's willing to sell to someone that might not pass a background check.

Yeah, sounds like a seller to avoid.

 

[Floppy_D]

He's looking for someone who knows nothing about guns.

 

[RH822]

Why do people try to sell something for more than what it costs new, even when confronted by the facts?

There are people out there that think everything they own is somehow more valuable and better than yours because they own it. I happen to have the misfortune of working with the King of those people...I haven't quite figured out their mentality.

RH

 

[CZ223]

He may

or may not be ill-intentioned. I see this kind of thing all the time in our local Classified guide here in Maine. People are always asking more for their used guns than you can buy them for new at your local Wal-mart or gunstore. If you confront them with this logic their answer is generally well I paid more than that for it when I bought it 10 years ago. True or not, they fail to see the reality of the situation which is that I will not pay more for a used gun then I will for a new one. Plus, you have to remember, there are always those out there who don't know the going prices for firearms. There is a sucker born every minute.

 

[K3]

Yeah, sounds like a seller to avoid.

Why?

If ftf sales with no records are legal in his state, then what's the problem?

Do YOU want there to be a 4473 or something for every firearm you buy?

Personally, I believe 4473s, background checks, and proctological exams need to be done away with.

There were no background checks 30 or 40 years ago. Was violent crime more of a problem then as opposed to now?

 

[JKimball]

Am I missing something here? Why do people try to sell something for more than what it costs new, even when confronted by the facts?

I've noticed this phenomenon as well in the local classifieds. Used AR's, glocks, XD's, are often listed for more than the NIB price off the internet or a good gun shop. It is strange, but tells me that
1. Guns hold their value surprisingly well.
2. There are people out there that don't care to shop around for the best deal and want it now, so they may pay more than they need to.
3. It's still a free market.

It can be frustrating, but just pass on it and keep your eye out for the other guy who also doesn't know the true value but asks for less than it is worth. I see those too, but they don't last nearly as long. Sometimes I see those sell and then pop up again a few days later with a higher price tag. Hmm.. wonder what happened there?

 

[Werewolf]

Hmm.. wonder what happened there?

Arbitrage...

 

[Ian]

Am I missing something here? Why do people try to sell something for more than what it costs new, even when confronted by the facts?

Because they believe there's someone out there who doesn't know better, and will pay an exorbitant price.

I see Romanian AKs offered for private sale for $400 or $450 all the time, despite the fact that places like J&G and Classic Arms (and even some local storefront shops) sell them for a hundred bucks less than that.

It worked for the ammo (I've seen people pay as much for South African surplus as they would pay to get new reloadable factory 308), so why not try it with guns?

 

[kd7nqb]

Spend 400 and get an M&P

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Would I have been ripped off?

Not at all!!!

And after you get done purchasing that, I've got some really nice Mosin M44's I'll sell ya for $500 a peice...Their real collector's items.

 

[jgorniak]

6 years old starts to put it near the era when Sigmas picked up their (now obsolete) reputations for poor reliabilty.

 

[skinnyguy]

Only you can make up your mind whether you would have been ripped off or not. If it's a good deal to YOU, nevermind what the rest of the world thinks. Could you get a new for cheaper? Yes. If you want HIS deal instead, then to you, it's a good deal.

I'd pass.

 

[karz10]

+1 to jgorniak

I probably wouldn't touch a 6 yo sigma unless I knew a lot about them, what to look for, based on their history

You can get a NIB for $269 + tax if you look around and those are the better models

Or you can get an M&P, much better gun NIB for less than $400 if you look

Karz

 

[GlowinPontiac]

my local gun store has them for 269 and you get the two free mags.

375 for a 6yr old used one is outrageous unless it has some serious aftermarket accessories attached to it.

 

[Erebus]

I got a buddy who thinks that if you buy something that is the exact make model and NIB as he bought and you paid less $$ than yours must have something wrong with it. Even if no one can find anything wrong with it.

He will insist to the very end that yours must be inferior because you paid less. He is the guy on the block that runs out and buys something the first day it's avaliable and doesn't waste 10 seconds to look for the best price. If you looked around and got a better price yours must be inferior even if it's the exact same model.

Some people are just like that.

 

[Richbaker]

"I see Romanian AKs offered for private sale for $400 or $450 all the time, despite the fact that places like J&G and Classic Arms (and even some local storefront shops) sell them for a hundred bucks less than that."
Remember, the prices listed in their ads are wholesale, actual price from a dealer will be higher...

 

[trueblue1776]

375 for a 6yr old used one is outrageous unless it has some serious aftermarket accessories attached to it.

Yeah, like an after-market $200 check.

 

[rdhood]

Sounds like he's asking for a price premium because he's willing to sell to someone that might not pass a background check.

No it doesn't. It sounds like he is trying to reason with a buyer that he will save $50 or $60 by not having to pay sales tax and a background check. I, too, consider these things (and shipping) when considering local FTF, vs local dealer vs. gunbroker/internet. Base price, sales tax, shipping, and background check all go into comparisons when gun shopping. Why would someone choose to see the worst possible motives for mentioning these things?

I've seen so many people pay more for something on ebay than they could buy it for at their local Target or WalMart. It happens all the time. I dont blame someone for trying to get too much, nor do I get insulted when someone low balls an offer for my stuff. It's called "bargaining". Someone is neither an idiot nor an optimist when they enter into a negotiation. It is called capitalism, where buyers and sellers try to reach a mutually agreeable price. If the seller sets the price too high, he will learn about it. That is no reason to cast aspersions on his motives or his intelligence. This is "The High Road", after all.

 

[highfive]

I knew a guy like that he want it to sell me a Rossi 357 2" for $400 and when I told him that the gun NIB with tax and everything will go for like 300 he was mad. Oh well, I don't know what he did with it though. I just hope he didn't sell it to some low ball or something.....

And 375 for that gun...nahhh

 

[rdhood]

Would I have been ripped off?

No. When buyers and sellers come to a mutually agreeable price on an item that is not essential for you to live (essential == food, water, medicine, etc.), how can one party be considered "ripped off"? Had you really wanted it, you would have paid the premium to get it. If he offered the same gun to you for $75, and you bought it, would you say that you ripped him off? What if he inherited the gun, doesn't shoot or want the responsibility of a gun, and knowingly sold it for $75 because he knew that it was a price that would get rid of it quickly. Would the purchaser be ripping him off?

That people ask such questions and make such comments in a capitalist society shows a deficit of understanding of economics.

 

[cfl1911]

I bought one like new not a mark on it with 3 mags. box and all paperwork for 200.00. 375.00 is a total rip off.