How to price a rifle?

[OneShot]

I’ve sold 5 guns in past 2 years locally on FB on private pages. No tax, no shipping and all
face to face. Got top dollar this way for 4 of the 5. The only one that didn’t hold its value was a Bergara wilderness in 6.5cm. I sat on that one for a while. I think with yours being a 300 mag, you might be sitting on it longer because it’s not one of the newer PRC cartridges.

 

[RockAndSage]

I’ve sold 5 guns in past 2 years locally on FB on private pages. No tax, no shipping and all
face to face. Got top dollar this way for 4 of the 5. The only one that didn’t hold its value was a Bergara wilderness in 6.5cm. I sat on that one for a while. I think with yours being a 300 mag, you might be sitting on it longer because it’s not one of the newer PRC cartridges.

What state allows F2F sales, with no taxes? Nevada used to be one, but that freedom's long gone.

 

[Pilsner]

A quick google search shows that 33 states allow some variation of Face-to-Face private sales of firearms without using an FFL.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

What state allows F2F sales, with no taxes? Nevada used to be one, but that freedom's long gone.

Virginia does, for the time being at least, based on a November 2025 court ruling. Our new AG, who got elected despite saying he wanted to put two bullets into his political opponents’ children, has promised to appeal that ruling.

 

[Halligan]

This is an insurance appraisal formula. Legit for that kind of pricing, for sure, but this is also how guys end up having their gun listed in the classifieds here for several pages spanning several months of bumps.

There's another rule of thumb for pricing, which is that the bigger the market, the higher you can price something and expect to have it on the market for a shorter period of time - there's just more eyeballs, opportunity, and overall demand. The smaller it is, you can either expect your item to sit on that market for a lot longer at a higher price until the right person sees it, or you can expect to price it a lot lower if you want to move it fast to get interest from people who were only marginally in the market before (or not at all "in the market" before seeing that good of a deal).

Also, OP, keep in mind, that the "market" isn't Gunbroker or our classifieds here - the market are the people who are actually interested in what you have for sale.

You’re absolutely correct, I kinda was trying to keep it simple by just referencing the broader market considerations one needs to make.

I like that you added the “right” customer aspect, which begs the question of pricing to move or max value, or somewhere in between.

I find myself there right now trying to offload a semi collectible Ak. Totally worth what I’m asking, but the market is niche these days for $2k+ examples, in a market with mostly century arms budgets. Thus I will probably wait… a while lol

Also @Q_Sertorius, you make a good distinction on alterations. I agree that depending on what they are and who did them. more than likely you are going to take a hit unless it’s a known smith, or like you referenced, a desired ready to go setup that would do well here, like getting a tikka threaded before the factory started doing it. In this situation, someone is willing to pay for the convenience of what they want immediately

 

[RockAndSage]

You’re absolutely correct, I kinda was trying to keep it simple by just referencing the broader market considerations one needs to make.

I like that you added the “right” customer aspect, which begs the question of pricing to move or max value, or somewhere in between.

I find myself there right now trying to offload a semi collectible Ak. Totally worth what I’m asking, but the market is niche these days for $2k+ examples, in a market with mostly century arms budgets. Thus I will probably wait… a while lol

Also @Q_Sertorius, you make a good distinction on alterations. I agree that depending on what they are and who did them. more than likely you are going to take a hit unless it’s a known smith, or like you referenced, a desired ready to go setup that would do well here, like getting a tikka threaded before the factory started doing it. In this situation, someone is willing to pay for the convenience of what they want immediately

If you don't mind sharing, what kind of niche AK can expect a $2k sale? It's a part of the gun world that I don't have much insight on. That said, I'd think Kalash Bash might be a great community/event to tap into for that, if you haven't already.