gun show etiquette
 

I'm going to be attending a gun show this weekend with the sole intention of selling an ar-15 & ammo I acquired on the cheap-cheap a few weeks ago.


I've only been to one gun show before, and there seemed to be a lack of ftf selling going on. I saw one guy sitting at the entrance holding his overpriced .45, and only a few other guys carrying long guns around. Only the guy at the front door was "blatently" trying to sell his weapon.


Is there some sort of etiquette for selling @ gun shows?

Would it be considered out of line to walk around with my guns & ammo and a small sign advertising what i had for sale and the asking price?

Has anyone noticed or have any theories on the best time to do a private transaction at a gun show? Be the first one there when it opens?

I'm in virginia if that changes anything.

thanks for the help,
Mike

Re: gun show etiquette
 

It is completely normal to carry around your weapon with a small sign advertising.

As long as you aren't stopping people or yelling that you have a weapon for sale you should be ok. I would also go to a back area to have someone check out the gun, dont do it at someone's table that they paid for and are also trying to make a buck.

What kind of AR and how much?

Re: gun show etiquette
 

In my experience with various shows, if you really want to sell your AR, you must realize you are in competition with everyone else selling ARs at the show. So, yours must be priced to sell and realistically...there are probably plenty of them available...:thumpdown

Also make sure you don't violate any of the guns laws in your area...

Re: gun show etiquette
 

ok guys thanks for the advice. The part about not obscuring traffic in front of dealer tables is an important one that I'll be sure to follow.

Here is a pic of the rifle. only a few 50/rd boxes have gone through it.




It is a RRA 18". I'm going to sell with 3/30 mags and 2/20's, aprx. 200ish rounds of '02 LC and a box of ultramax. Sling, soft case, and ammo bag included.

I only have $300 tied up in it, so my rock bottom is going to be double that, + gas/gun show admission (maybe 15 bucks?)
so $615 absolute bottom? and $750 ideally?
What do y'all think?

Re: gun show etiquette
 

I sold my RRA AR through Craigslist. I know it is against the rules, so you have to keep relisting. I think I got $1,100 for it w/500 rounds. Nothing special. Just detachable carry handle with sights, Hogue grip, tactical sling, 5 spare mags.

You might also try the forums. I sell a lot of guns through www.thehighroad.org. They have an AMAZING amount of traffic there. It is about 30x the size of GIM (active members).

Re: gun show etiquette
 

Rifle ~$850 retail
mags ~$15 ea for 30s
$20 ea for 20s
sling $10-15
case $20 ?
ammo ~$50

total: ~$1000 retail

I am not familiar with prices on the east coast, But out here in the west, your rig with all the accessories, priced to sell...$850 easy, maybe take $800.

Re: gun show etiquette
 

o.k. maybe i'll advertise at 850. I don't think i'll get that much interest at that level but we'll see. I can always go down.

I tried the craigslist thing but was flagged after only 5 minutes. I quickly got paranoid and decided that's probably not the best venue for selling.

I would advertise on a gun website but most of them require non-yahoo email accounts to register, and I don't have one unless I want to spend an hour on the phone with comcast sorting out my free isp email address issues(hint: I'd rather hold a blow torch to my pecker)

Re: gun show etiquette
 

try www.gunbroker.com

Re: gun show etiquette
 

You could always sell it on arfcom (ar15.com)

Most folks at shows will make a small sign and attach it to a wooden dowel and place it in the muzzle so that folks can see you have something for sale.

Something like

RRA AR-15
18" Barrel
+ x 30 rd Mags
$850

Re: gun show etiquette
 

I'll take it at $615. PM me ....

I'm in East Tennessee....