posted on March 20, 2001 09:41:10 PM
First let me say that I'm not a gun person.
The fact of the matter is that my father-in-law was. (17 Rifles & 3 Pistols)
He recently passed away and my wife was willed his entire gun collection. As strange as this may seem, she nor I have any use for these. I have been told that they are quite valuable and want to be certain that we obtain a fair price for them.
Since eBay doesn't allow sales of weapons, I was wondering if there is an auction site that does. Also is there anything I should know before selling these.
I would prefer to have the guns sent through a gun dealer.
Also, I don't have a Firearms card. Do I need to get one? If anyone has any experience in this I would appreciate your help.
posted on March 20, 2001 10:58:32 PM
You need to either sell them to a local dealer or do a great deal of learning before you do anything else. There are several strict regulations concerning the sale of any firearm, particularly involving interstate transfer of them. I'm not going to give all of it to you at length because I don't have time and am flying out in the morning, but you should be aware that what you do can seriously impact your future in ways that you will not appreciate if you make errors under the law. I mean forfeiture of your property, heavy fines, and little rooms with no views and unpleasant roommates.
posted on March 21, 2001 03:48:59 AM
Whoever has these firearms should have them in their lawful possession--i.e. your wife. If your state requires a Firearms card, it makes sense that both she (and you, since they are stored in your house) have such a card. Do that FIRST even if you never use or sell any of the guns. In many jurisdictions, it is a felony to possess a firearm without the appropriate ID.
Where I live this is a simple matter to get the ID and the local gun shops can get you signed up and legal ID'd in a few weeks.
You can THEN sell either privately, on consignment through a local gun shop, or through Gunbroker.com. If you sell out of state via the auction, you need to ship the firearm to a FFL gun dealer in the buyer's area. They would send (NOT Faxed) you an inked FFL form. You can send a gun through UPS or Fed X--use next day service on either. Only a FFL gun dealer can send a gun through the Post Office with the required form.
posted on March 21, 2001 04:20:44 AM
It's a snake-pit of regulations! Federal, state and local ones!
And auctionarms.com is one site that specializes in gun auctions.
Get a couple of books from the library and figure out what you have, check the prices at the online auctions to see what's hot and what's not, THEN go a dealer (expect lower than retail offers) or start listing.
In the meantime, check them ALL to make sure they are unloaded.
posted on March 21, 2001 05:31:58 AM
Hi,I am not into guns but my husbsand is and there is a sight (I forgot the name) when he gets home I will be glad to give it to you. He is also a dealer besides a massive collector, if you would like to email me with a list or pictures He can check his books if he really doesn't already know. Normally I do not like to speak for him, but this is something he enjoys doing with his knowledge of this area. [email protected]
posted on March 21, 2001 06:43:00 AM
I don't know what state you're in, but if you're in Illinois you need to apply for a FOID (Firearms Owners ID) card. I'd call the nearest gun shop and ask someone there what your state's laws are. Most of them also have applications for whatever permit you need.
Until you have the proper ID or permit to own guns, my advice is to stop talking about them. Once you're all legal, a gun shop owner can give you advice on selling them. Many take guns on consignment. If you don't know much about guns and aren't interested in learning more, I'd suggest that route before you try to sell online.
posted on March 21, 2001 07:00:53 AM
In your opening you seemed to feel the need to inform the board that “you are not a gun person,” as if such were a portion of the population with which you certainly didn’t want to be associated. Sorry, you feel that way. Protecting our constitutional rights, just call me a proud female member of the NRA.
When eBay got so up tight about knives, we took that area of our sales to Yahoo, but then Yahoo lost it and we searched and searched, and although we post on a number of auctions, most of our auction sales of such come through a specialty auction for just that - knives, guns, and other weapons. They are a great site, we have done very well, and they are very nice to work with. Our customers have been serious knife buyers, and since it is a specialty site it doesn't seem to attract the kids and the dead beats.
They can walk you right through how to sell and transfer your father-in-law's guns.
IF as you say, you aren't a gun person, I hope you have a gun person help you in your descriptions and conditions, since serious buyers expect insightful information and specifics.
Best of wishes in your sales.
[ edited by jwpc on Mar 21, 2001 07:09 AM ]
posted on March 21, 2001 08:22:23 AM
Hi, we have done a lot of listing on auction arms.com and for the hunt.com, they have great tutorials and info on selling online. Its a LOT of regs and YOU HAVE to ship thru a local FFL licensed dealer but it can be done. Research the items before you sell. There are excellent sources online...sometimes we have gone to a gun shop and looked at their prices and we have looked at others listings to get an idea. The shipping/Handling is high as you have to have the buyer pay a transfer fee thru the dealer etc. It has to be an FFL dealer. Also, only certain carriers will ever ship guns..it gets to be a hassle and its a personal choice whether you wish to deal with it. But read the info on the two sites and see if its what you want to deal with.
I am assuming that the deceased and you live in the same state. If not, find a gun friendly lawyer through the state NRA affiliate because there are some legalities across state lines. Try and get all the original purchase receipts and keep them together with a copy of the will to establish ownership. And keep all sales receipts for at least a decade.
FWIW, consider holding on to some of these. Like everything else, firearms of various types go in and out of fashion and many appreciate in value according to their popularity or a collector's whim. Make sure you really want to let them go when you do.
Take your time with this process and do it right. You'll be glad you did.
posted on March 21, 2001 09:52:20 AM
Joe64 --- Before you sell off all those interesting firearms, why don't you try this---find a friend, neighbore, or coworker who is familier with a variety of firearms, and firearms safety, and ask him or her to take you (and your wife too) out to the range.
Many (most?) non-gun owners have no idea how much fun and how relaxing time spent at the range can really be.
You may surprise yourself, you may find that you and your wife really enjoy target shooting. After that you may be less anxious to dispose of your father-in-laws fine collection...
Once you're all legal, a gun shop owner can give you advice on selling them. Many take guns on consignment. If you don't know much about guns and aren't interested in learning more, I'd suggest that route before you try to sell online.
