Seeking the wisdom of the elders...

[2A_Tom]

Me to. PM me the store name location please.
This is the very reason I have eliminated a few of the LGS's I used to frequent.

Myself, I would have told the guy to meet me outside and I would have bought it. What it the owner going to do......beat me up...........Ha.

This^^^

Some times I wish I had enough cash to sit outside Cabella's in Hammond and buy up all the nice stuff they give nothing for.
I see someone walking in with a gun or two almost every time I go there.

 

[medcoxo]

As long as the seller did not hear your offer, I think they over reacted.
Perhaps, post your 'review' in the THE GOOD BAD & UGLY thread

 

[stymie12000]

As long as the seller did not hear your offer, I think they over reacted.
Perhaps, post your 'review' in the THE GOOD BAD & UGLY thread

+1 totally agree

 

[Frosty]

IMHO, it's not your business to decide how much the shop should offer. If the old man didn't like it he was free to walk, if he sold it its on him. I think I would have asked you to leave to. The guy owns a business to make money, as much as possible, not give everyone having a hard time a break. Hell, as far as you know the old guy could have been rolling in cash and just didn't want the gun anymore.

 

[halfmileharry]

I watched as one of our own LGS offered an older gent $75.00 for a Rem nylon 66 & a 60 Glenfield. Both guns fairly nice. I walked immediately out of the store. I haven't been back.
Yes, he's an INGO member and advertiser.
That's taking advantage and I don't care for that kind of business practice m

 

[red_zr24x4]

Had a similar thing happen at a gunahow in South Bend.
A WWII Vet was at one of the vendors wanting to sell a bring back Lugar. He said it sat in his dresser drawer since he got home from the war.
The vendor told the guy it was worth $100. My buddy was standing there and told the Vet it was worth way more. The vendor got ****ty, my buddy got ****ty right back. Actually he made a scene, loudly he told him (the vendor) that the guy risked his life for his country and he should be ashamed trying to tke advantage of him. People looking at the vendors guns walked away, people standing near by thanked my buddy for what he did.

 

[Leo]

It is interesting how everyone is willing to jump in and crucify a shop owner and boycott his business on an opinion comment from one poster. There are plenty of lawyers and business owners on this site who know there are at least three sides to every story. Today's generation declares good businessmen of being rip offs if thy can find a product online for $1.00 cheaper. No one wants to wait their turn to negotiate their view in a decent manor. They have no skin in the game and they feel their opinions are more important than the people that have everything in the game. They feel like they deserve full prime retail price on their trade and the business owners deserve nothing.

As far as a business owner, a merchant needs to weigh his risk on every trade. In every business a trade-in is risk. People doctor up trades all the time. Good merchandise sets on the shelf for months and years because it is out of fashion. A businessman is not trying to build his collection, his business is reselling. If his experience shows that out of style stuff does not sell, why does he owe anyone to buy it, especially at top price?

It is just plan wrong to jump into the middle of a trade negotiation between two others. If you are watching and want to negotiate a deal with the shop keeper or the other party, wait your turn and do it orderly. If you do not get what you want, that is life. I am not willing to boycott the store for a single internet post.

If you are a legitimate business owner with the tax, insurance, payroll, government compliance and property overheads that come with a business license, please let me know if I am missing something.

PS. The last 11-48's that sold on Gunbroker .com were in the low 300's

 

[ScouT6a]

I can see both sides of this. Maybe the older gentleman didn't have the skills or access to a computer to do a little research on his gun's value but he did have a younger friend helping him sell his shotgun. Surely he knew someone who could help him get a ball park value with a computer, smart phone or blue book. He did state what he paid for it and that he thought it was worth more.

As far as the LGS owner, yes, he's in business to make money. Make as much as he can. It's his money that he is tying up in the gun until it sells. BUT, when he made his "fair" offer based on, "well it's a 16 gauge, not popular any more, not much call for these things" he had a price in mind as to what he was going to put on it. That price was $650. That's a very healthy profit margin. Sure he might drop $50-75 off to make a sale. Maybe even $100.
Just based off this one story, he sounds a little lacking in the morals department, to me.
Just my two cents and two sides to every story. No different than most trade in offers on car purchases, pawn shops or other businesses.

 

[bmbutch]

I can see valid points on both sides here, for me, & my opinion, store owner is a turd. Granted, it's his store & he's got every right to be a turd. Of course, the "turd" evaluation is pending accuracy of story.

 

[Winamac]

I hear what the OP is saying and understand.I do not like to see those less learned get taken advantage of either. However... I personally have never and would never insert myself into a LGS's deal.It is their shop, they pay the bills daily there. I do not. Just because I am offended, does not mean I am right. Just my

 

[Joniki]

Pawn shops do the same thing...

 

[halfmileharry]

Not much difference between the shop owner and low ballers taking advantage of those in need. Just my two cents.
Many see it as ok and good business.
I strive to live an honest and fair life.
I have enough to answer for at the Pearly gates when my name is called.

 

[Xander24]

I agree whole-heartedly halfmileharry.

I don't understand why people think fair market values are "overpriced". Seems like everyone wants the deal of the century

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I'm pretty forgiving for a shop-owner who offers low-ball on used guns. He's in business to make money, and he knows he'll make more on some, less on others. There's always a reason why we sell or trade a used gun in a shop, and it's almost always because we want the cash (or trade in value) today, instead of next week or next month after going through the trouble to advertise, maybe take pics to put on line, etc, etc. The difference in price is because we're in effect paying the LGS owner to do the work of selling for us.

Everyone knows those things, or should. I still regret selling a shotgun to get money for a deer hunting trip many years ago, and got less than I knew the gun was worth. I was even mad at the shop-owner for awhile, but I got over it.

The way I see it, it's not the responsibility of the LGS to price everything fairly, it's their responsibility to be honest about condition, function, and quality. It might even take some of the fun out of it if the LGS gave everyone the same prices (like Walmart), and I'd get no benefit from the knowledge I've gained about guns in my lifetime.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Used guns are a good money maker for them. But here is a $500-$600 gun and the joker is offering $100?

And so? You expect the gun shop does not have a nut to make? Rent, payroll, inventory, payroll taxes, lights, heat, A/C, inter alia is all just given to him by the money fairy?

Did the prospective seller forced to say yes? Or, could he say no and put it on the Internet or walk a gun show?

In fact, I'm quite ticked off that they would offer $100 for something like this.

Why? Have you never purchased a used firearm before? It's a opening bid. Why do you think the gun shop would have to place itself at disadvantage?

All day long on INGO, free market this, free market that, yet we express dismay at the market at work? I don't get it.

The owner advises me that I'm "interfering with a business transaction and a private sale and I need to leave immediately".

Yes. That's why the tort exists.

On one hand the old guy should have done his homework before selling but on the other, the action by the dealer only reinforces my suspicion of how the local LGS operates.

How do you think money is made? Bernie Sanders flies over and throws checks out the door?

One buys low and sells high. There's nothing wrong with this.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Before we continue piling on the OP, how is making the shop an offer on the gun encroaching on their deal? They do sell guns, don't they? He asked them to sell him the gun when they got done buying it. It would have been different had he tried opening a bidding war at the counter, no matter how much an ass the shopkeeper may or may not have been with his offer.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I agree whole-heartedly halfmileharry.

I don't understand why people think fair market values are "overpriced". Seems like everyone wants the deal of the century

Part of it is age catching up with us. For example I faced this issue with my 1911, thinking that prices now are scandalous when I paid $425 for a Colt that had been fired, but only two magazines run through it. The original buyer bought it from a dealer who was also one of my professors at the time, decided it recoiled too hard for him, and traded it back for a .38, so I bought this Colt which didn't even show any wear on the blue on the barrel where the collett bushing rubbed it. I had to stop and think about the fact that this has been over 20 years ago, even though it just doesn't seem that long. Consequently, when you do the math, if anything, it is surprising that prices are not higher than they are. Just for fun, scratch your head and remember what an AR cost before the 1994 ban had even been mentioned let alone passed into law compared with an AR today. We really aren't doing that bad. The only real problem here is the general deterioration of the economy hence a reduction in average disposable income in tandem with a devaluation of our currency.

 

[churchmouse]

Before we continue piling on the OP, how is making the shop an offer on the gun encroaching on their deal? They do sell guns, don't they? He asked them to sell him the gun when they got done buying it. It would have been different had he tried opening a bidding war at the counter, no matter how much an ass the shopkeeper may or may not have been with his offer.

^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[M67]

As far as the LGS owner, yes, he's in business to make money. Make as much as he can. It's his money that he is tying up in the gun until it sells. BUT, when he made his "fair" offer based on, "well it's a 16 gauge, not popular any more, not much call for these things" he had a price in mind as to what he was going to put on it. That price was $650. That's a very healthy profit margin. Sure he might drop $50-75 off to make a sale. Maybe even $100.

Have you seen the shotgun in person and saw the $650 price tag?

And it still may be true, they don't get much call for a 16 gauge and they put a price on it, doesn't mean it will sell, even if they stuck $250 on it, it doesn't mean it would sell.

The shop here is the one taking all the risk, they invested their money in a bet hoping they can resell the thing. When people buy stocks in the stock market they're not going to buy a $100 stock in hopes of making $5. Everyone wants a return on their investment, especially if you're the sole person taking the risk in buying something in the first place

 

[Snapdragon]

I think it depends on whether the shop exists to a) help people or b) make money. The shop owner has the right to do either or both or whatever combination he sees fit. Some would see making a lowball offer as taking advantage, and others would just see it as doing business. The bottom line is, unfortunately, that the man should have done some research before taking the gun in to sell so he would have had an idea of what he wanted to take for it.