Legal way of selling gun collection?

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UllrRllr@reddit

Depends on where you live. In GA we have a great forum called Outdoors Trader. See if you have something like that in your state.

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RoutineCommercial@reddit

Have you had trouble getting on the site recently?

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UllrRllr@reddit

No. Still works but the search functionality doesn’t seem to be working.

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RoutineCommercial@reddit

I found my problem. Apparently running a VPN makes it just fail to reload.

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UllrRllr@reddit

Ahh I’ve got a pihole DNS, so that might be my problem.

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Eh.... do you mean your dad has dementia and he's GIFTED you his gun collection? Because you don't inherit anything until someone dies. In fact, selling property "gifted" to you by someone with dementia is also questionably legal and/or morally ambiguous.

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Special_EDy@reddit

Rock Island Auction Company. Ive bought dozens of firearms from them. A lot of their items are consignments from estates like your situation.

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Gr144@reddit

Murphy and RIA want higher end guns than what’s in your average gun collection. They charge higher than normal consignment fees which is worth it if you have transferable machine guns or vintage winchesters.

They are not interested in a random assortment or hunting rifles, milsurps, handguns and ARs which is what most gun collections are.

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Special_EDy@reddit

This is not true in my experience of buying from RIAC.

They have the "Premier" auctions with collector grade guns, yes. Rare and expensive. But, they also have "Arms and Accessories" auctions and "Sporting and Collector" auctions which are for lesser firearms.

I have bought stuff like cheap guns in pieces, normie glocks, and $300 BCA ARs from RIAC. They are not just for high end guns. Most of the 40 or 50 guns Ive bought from RIAC were cheap firearms, like I could have gone to a sporting goods store and bought one but I got it cheaper on RIAC because it had some wear on it. I think I even bought a broken Hi-point from RIAC once.

Additionally, they do not charge the seller a consignment fee. The seller gets 100% of the auction price. The buyer pays an 18.5% auction fee on top of the hammer price, this is how RIAC makes money. So if you sold a gun through RIAC, and it auctioned for $1000, you would get paid $1000, and the buyer would pay $1185 with $185 going to RIAC.

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knuckles904@reddit

Similarly their competitor-Morphys Auctions. Super professional

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bobroberts1954@reddit

Here in SC you buy a booth at a gun show and set out your guns for sale. Afaik anyone can do it you don't have to be a resident to sell, and probably not to buy, in fact if not in law.

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StoreDowntown6450@reddit

I'm sure someone has already said it, but the collection will only go up in value. I'd recommend not parting with it, unless you're dealing with certain circumstances that make it essential to sell.

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Hot-Shake-9246@reddit

Use a reputable auction service that will sell them online or at live auction.

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GrillinFool@reddit

You could call a local estate sale company. They will wait till they have enough guns from situations like this for a big, gun only auction. I’ve been to a couple of these. Rarely is there a deal so you will get good prices for the collection.

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NoSuddenMoves@reddit

All of my best gun purchases have come from estate auctions. Nib USFA Colt Bisley for $400, open bolt Mac 9mm with bulletproof apron/case <$600, zip22 $50, wwii 1918 1911 $1200, Ares defense 22/45(ruger) rifle $300. That's probably 1/3 the rest are kind of niche but very collectable like a magnaport custom 44mag revolver for <$500.

I've also seen Diamondback ar15s go for $900. Prices often go wild depending on the look of the gun.

I've also bought countless bayonets, magazines, smatchets, for pennies on the dollar. I made my wife promise that if anything happens to me she avoids estate sales and does her research.

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GrillinFool@reddit

Man, I need to go to the auctions you go to. The ones I’ve been to have been awful. I remember going to one right after the Gen 5 Glock released. A used Gen 4 went for more than a brand new Gen 5 sold for down the street. The only deal I saw was on a shiny chrome Taurus 9mm (the one that looks like a Beretta 92). Someone got that for a couple hundo. Closest thing to a deal I saw all day. I wasn’t willing to even put that much down for that thing, but it was one of the only deals I saw. Admittedly, there were a lot of older rifles that I wasn’t familiar with but the bidding was fierce so I assumed the auction got top dollar.

I didn’t go back to one for many years but finally did right after Covid restrictions started easing up. Same thing.

Maybe I need to go back one more time…

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NoSuddenMoves@reddit

Find out what businesses in your area move items from bank repossession. They often list hundreds of items at a time and offer a couple days a week to inspect the items. Lawyers often recommend these businesses to families dealing with loss. Rescue everything you can from Bubba.

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GrillinFool@reddit

Thanks.

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Baxterftw@reddit

I agree with you, I troll estate sales for guns/camera optics/etc because a lot of times the sellers dont do proper research.

I once acquired a mislabeled Night Vision Monocular for $3k off msrp lol

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hoosier_daddy574@reddit

Armslist and facebook groups

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hoosier_daddy574@reddit

And I’m being downvoted because?

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Go_Loud762@reddit

I didn't downvote you, but it sounds like OP knows nothing about guns, so suggesting s/he use a direct sales method is probably not the best advice.

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Oscar_callelle@reddit

Probably because of Facebook group haha

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Beebjank@reddit

I hope you keep at least one.

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WIFirearmsTransfers@reddit

Find a local shop that you trust. We’re located in Wisconsin and handle estates like this fairly frequently. Not all shops do, so make sure to ask them about their experience and do a little research. We’re happy to answer questions along the way.

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Few_Complex5974@reddit

Sorry to hear about your dad, that’s a tough spot to be in, and it’s smart you’re taking your time with it. Best route is usually through a local FFL or consignment with a reputable shop so everything stays legal and you get fair value, I’d be cautious with random sites unless you can verify reviews and licensing. I’ve been watching some of the live streams on GunStreamer and collections like that do well there too, gives you a sense of real market prices before you decide how to sell.

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hafetysazard@reddit

Popular options are consignment with an firearms auction house, or a gun store, if you want to get the most. Many gun shops will buy collections if they think they can sell them; might be quicker money if that matters.

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mcx112@reddit

Why would you sell them?

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Equivalent_Ad_3347@reddit

I'm sorry to hear about your father. Depending on how much time you are looking to spend selling, you could advertise them on sites like gunbroker.com or tacswap.com. Just try to do your research on the going rates for the guns so no one will try to take advantage of the situation (I would avoid advertising that you inherited the guns once they are listed--that may invite lowball offers). I'm gonna try to ensure my kids know the relative value of each gun I have so they don't accept pennies on the dollar (hopefully they will keep and shoot at least a couple of them). This all (of course) after you are able to establish ownership of the guns.

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Brokenblacksmith@reddit

Make sure the guns are 100% legally yours. Of you're getting them through the will, you'll have to wait until all claims against the estate are finished, including will disputes from family. If he still has the awareness to maintain his legal autonomy, have him male a bill of sale transferring ownership to you, amd complete all paperwork needed for this, dependent on your state (this can literally be anywhere between doing nothing, to doing individual paperwork and approvals for every gun)

Next steps are going to depend largely on the size of the collection and what it contains. A small collection of hunting rifles can simply be listed on online sites like gun broker and sold and shipped following state and federal laws. However for large collections or ones that contain extremely rare or valuable firearms it may be better to go through a "middleman" service that will facilitate finding a buyer and managing all paperwork needed, in exchange for a cut of the sale.

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stchman@reddit

What state do you live in?

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clientnotfound@reddit

This is largely based on where you live.

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Akconcentrates@reddit

If u must sell them then goto gunbroker and just look up what the gun is selling for on there and then undercut everyone and they should sell very quickly! If you’re in Florida or Texas there is floridaguntrader.com and texasguntrader.com, they r kinda like the Craigslist for guns in those two states. If u have someone do it for u then u will get raped! A good gunshop should charge 10% to sell them for u. My uncle used a local gunshop in Indiana and they put them on gunbroker and in their shop and sold everything pretty quick. Good luck! U should think about keeping them or at least one or two of the nice ones!

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fuppedduck2@reddit

What do you have? It’s not illegal for private sales.

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KingCong206@reddit

Durysguns.com can help

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GetGoatedYourself@reddit

I'll vouch for them a legitimate business, picked up quite a few firearms through them. Can't vouch for what you might get for what you got, I no sell only buy.

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Inevitable-Sleep-907@reddit

There's a lot of variables here. State and local jurisdiction both where the collection currently is and where you reside. Are you eligible to legally possess them until they can be transferred. The size and quality of the collection. Anything really rare/ sought after or NFA items

There are brokers that specialize in this kind of thing but they're going to take a commission and depending on what you're dealing with may not be willing to take it on at all. My advice before contacting anyone is gather all the info you can. Make, model and serial number will be stamped somewhere on the firearm and anything missing some or all of that info take notes describing it to the best of your ability

Most importantly don't sign anything unless they've answered any questions regarding the details of the deal you may have

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TPK_MastaTOHO@reddit

Depends on the state. I've bought and sold guns between my friend group like it was me selling them a tv. But I live in iowa. Private gun sales in Iowa are legal between residents, with no background check, permit, or registration required for private transfers since July 1, 2021. Sellers must not know, or reasonably know, that the buyer is legally prohibited from possessing firearms, as this constitutes a Class D felony. There is no minimum age to purchase from a private party

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Gr144@reddit

I have not heard of that website.

Talk to some local gun shops or an estate auction house about putting them on consignment. If it’s a large collection they will be willing to come out to wherever the guns are and evaluate them.

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Alita-Gunnm@reddit

You can always bring them to a gun shop and see if they want to buy them.

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Inevitable-Sleep-907@reddit

Of course they'll buy them at 25% value

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DigitalLorenz@reddit

Guns have some legal headaches that can make selling them a minefield for the uneducated. If you don't want to do the heavy work to figure out what is safe and what is not here are a few suggestions:

Sell it to a gun store or dealer directly. This is the quickest method but will also get you the least amount of money.

Consign it with a gun store or dealer. They will take a percentage of the sale, so you will probably end up with a decent return, but you can also end up waiting a while until it sells. It is also possible that they will return any unsold guns to you after a period.

Sell it at an auction house. This can get you the biggest return, or you could end up just getting your reserve price. It is also possible that they guns won't sell. This can also take some time, as you will need to wait until they have an auction that they will sell guns at.

What is the best option will depend on your circumstances. If you need the guns gone tomorrow sell them to the gun store. If you are willing to wait for the best deal, then you should consign them. If your father had more obscure things or a true ton of guns then an auction house is the way to go.

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Penguin_Life_Now@reddit

Legality of selling greatly depends on the state you or they are in.

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checkpoint404@reddit

I'll give you cash moneys for them all.