Posted: 3/22/2007 8:03:21 PM EDT
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I've read quite a few posts where folks talk about trading this or that weapon in for another. I've never done that before and (like a car, I guess) I'm wondering what sort of trade-in I can expect from my local gun dealer. Specifically, I'm thinking of trading in my Glock 22C (.40) towards an XD 45. I'm not real excited about selling it outright through gunbroker.com, etc.,. Is it worth it? Or, will I take such a huge loss on it that I'd better off to keep the Glock as a second weapon and just save more pennies for the XD? Thanks for any opinions and insight! |
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why do you want to do the trade in the first place? before you buy any guns, do some real thinking about what you want and why you want it before you drop the $$ on it. most of the time, i would jsut say, buy the XD and keep the G22 too, but since some people dont have the $$$ to do that then, its sell/trade or keep. TPTS has some guns to rent and if they have it you would better off trying one before you buy. BTW, they are range guns so dont expect them to be in really nice condition/function. The majority of the time, you will loose $$$ on the trade unless you have "whats hot". Im not sure how hot the G22Cs are at this time, but from my BB value of a NIB G22C and the XDs in 45 are about the same price according to the BB. i bougth my XD 45 Tactical for ~500. If you have alot of extra mags for the G22C, then you maybe able to get away w/o paying any extra for the XD. also, all the dealers will want to make some $$$ in the deal. either buy selling your extra mags or by offering you less for you G22C. |
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Depending on the dealer, you will almost never get fair market value for what you are trading in -- just like when you're trading in a car. Remember that the dealer has to SELL it, and make something on the deal. Your part of the country might differ, but where I am we're awash in police-trade-in G22s. |
| If you do trade in or sell outright, don't go to Keith's sporting goods. They were going to give me $75 for a Bersa thunder .380 matte black w/ extra mag and case. I ended up selling it outright at the expo gun show for $150. The guy told me he can buy them new for $171 which I'm guessing was true since they seem to go for about $220-250. |
| Most dealers I have traded with say up front they are not going to do a trade for a $50 profit. Most want to make at least a $75 profit on a handgun trade. Then there are those out there that want to only give you $200 for a 95% condition Sig P220, but want to sell used Sigs for $500-$600. When at all possible I prefer to sell a gun myself instead of trading. |
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Dealers will offer you wholesale for your gun & sell theirs for retail, much as a car dealer does. Yes, you're not going to get as much for your trade-in, but the up-side is you don't have to worry about your old gun ending up in the evidence room in a gangbanger shooting & the nice BATFE folks knocking on YOUR door & looking for your dog................. IMO, a smaller dealer will normally give a few more $$$ than the larger dealers do. Good luck! 
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Most gun stores, or at least the ones you want to sell or trade to will blue-book the gun you want to sell. They will look it up, consult each other on what percentage it is at, i.e. 80%-90% of brand new. At that point, they'll usually give you about 70-85% of its book value and then sell it at book value. These are the only people I would do this sort of business with as it is in a controlled manner and they're not just "guessing" what they should give you or more like they're not just thinking about how much they can rip you off. So do you just not like it? If you shoot it poorly or don't like it or whatever and don't plan on using it at all after you get the XD then I guess go for it. If you still like it, do not get rid of it or you will regret it. |
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Thanks everyone for all the great feedback and insight. I went to my local small shop today and alluded to the possibility of a trade. They were every honest (and kind of laughed), because they already have so many used Glocks... I don't think they were too eager, and they agreed that I'd be better off going the private sale route. russbunny: it's not that I dislike the pistol, it's just that I like the XD more, and I can't really justify paying another $500 for an addition pistol. |
Thanks! this is one of those very lucky shots where I just took a chance and squeezed the shutter (on my old Canon AE1). I was standing right behind and to the right of one of our 51 antennas. If you look real close right beneath the misssile, you can just barely make out another SM1 being launched a couple of miles in the distance. These were all war-shots... not telemetry rounds... kaboom! 
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My local dealer gives me excellent trade-ins, it just depends on the dealer. He doesn't expect to make a ton of money on them, he just puts a low mark-up on them and sells them fast. Two big benefits of trading in... 1. You save some money on sales tax, because the trade-in is treated as cash toward the new purchase. That helps offset the dealer's profit margin. 2. What becomes of the old firearm (or anything that is DONE with it) is not your problem because he had to buy it from a dealer and get his background check. To me, that piece of mind is worth something. |
And............. 3. A local dealer, repeat dealing, will deal better with you that anyone else will do in the retail established world. I had an SP1 on EE listed for $950 firm shipped & insured. I got so many lowball, moonbat, beat me, WTF up offers till I pulled the ad. "Will you take $800 shipped"? "Will you trade for a 10-22 and $200"?  I took it in to a local shop today and traded flat across for an $800 tag NIB handgun. Nothing out of pocket, got rid of what I needed rid of, got into something that I had always had my eye on. Happy as a clam. And 800+tax+shipping, minus headache and bullshit,put me right in the ballpark I wanted to be in and made my day just fine. And add one more good deal with the same guy I have been buying guns from since moving here. Repeat deals make deals like this happen. I really did hate to let it go, it was a space issue. I thought a good price would send it behind the lines easily. I watched others sell for 1050 plus shipping and was  . I rarely have any luck selling on EE. I think KA3B rubbed off on me in that regard.  |
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How well you can do trading guns in can depend on how you get along with the dealer and his past history with you. My local "mom and pop" dealer has resold many of my trade-ins over many years. He knows that when I bring him a gun and tell him that there's nothing wrong with it that he's not getting screwed. Hell, half the time the trade-in came from his shop anyway! I think that helps me to get good trade prices. I also buy from him knowing that he will not sell me crap, so it goes both ways. If you want good trade prices, establish a positive realtionship with a local dealer and he will always know that as long as he treat you right you'll be doing long term business with him! |
| I have never had a dealer do me right on a trade in. A buddy of mine is a dealer & told me it's not worth it to try a trade to a dealer because they are about the money & will low ball you hoping you take the deal. I can usually make $100-$200 more on a gun by doing a private sale than what a dealer offers. |
| I was a storefront FFL at one point in my life. Think about this: A dealer buys a new gun at DEALER COST. The buyer who bought it at retail usually is seeking to receive somewhere in the neighborhood of that dealer cost for his trade-in. As a dealer I would tell my clients that I could buy a new gun for the amount they want for their used gun. So if I really wanted a used gun I would have to pay much less than I do for a new one that I buy at DEALER COST. So if a Glock cost me $435 new, then a used trade in would only be attractive to me at a good discount off of the $435. And that's why the spread looks so huge to the guy bringing in his gun for trade. He may have paid $500+ for his Glock and I may be willing to give something in the $300's, as an example. |
If they did "everyone right", they would never make any money, sir........ 
Welcome to the real world of guns, cars & anything else involving a dealer of some sort. The up-side for trading in to a dealer is that I don't have to worry about the BATFE coming back to me on a trace.................
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There's more than that to it. How do you really know when you do a private sale that you're not selling to a felon? Do you even keep a record of who you sold to...do you even know? If we want to avoid giving the anti's any more ammo to come after our gun rights, we need to do our part to police ourselves. WE ALL HAVE TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE TO KEEP GUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF CRIMINALS/FELONS. Private sales are the easiest way for people with bad intent to get guns, and the things they do give the media the stories they need to push Washington to mess with the 2nd Amendment. Would you be able to live with yourself if you sold a gun to someone who did something really bad with it, even if you didn't know they were a felon or bought the gun specifically to hurt some innocent person? |
Yes, I write their DL info down. If I don't know them, or we don't know the same people, then I get that info. If they refuse, then adios to them........... |
Bob, You rock...that's the way it should be done! However, I don't think most private sale deals happen that way. Personally, I just trade'em all in anymore and let them get their background check...just like I did. My suggestion for most people is to... (a) Establish a good relationship with a good local dealer so that he will treat your right on your trades. A good dealer will give you good trade values. There have been times when my local dealer has given me the same trade amount that I couldn't get a call on when I advertised locally. Maybe my local guy is just THAT GOOD! IF YOU'RE TRADING A $500 GUN IN FOR A $1000 GUN, THAT MEANS YOU ONLY PAY TAX ON HALF THE SALES PRICE! THAT HELPS OFFSET THE DEALERS PROFIT MARGIN! (b) Trade it in and never worry about looking over your shoulder about what happens with it afterward. To me, that has some value. I BUY MOST OF MY GUNS FROM LOCAL, "MOM & POP" DEALERS, SO I DON'T MIND AS MUCH KEEPING A SHOP LIKE THAT IN BUSINESS...THEY'VE GOTTA MAKE A LIVING TOO!!! |
+1 It kills me to see guys buying guns off the internet just to save $30-40 total. Then they bitch about the quality of the gun, yadda yadda yadda. I always like holding the gun I'm buying before I pay for it. Doesn't ALWAYS happen, but usually............. |