Selling guns to cabelas

[Rob P]

Has anyone here ever sold a gun to cabelas or knows what the process is? I have acquired a few guns over the years from family that I really have no need for and if I get something for them then great. The problem is I don't have any paperwork or really even know where some of them originally came from. What all do I need? I don't want to try to sell them to an individual because I don't want to go through the hassle of the process and putting them up for sale.

 

[Elkoholic307]

If you don't care about losing money and just want them gone, then go to Cabela's. They will give you a low ball offer but it's an easy process.

An even easier process is taking a picture and putting it up on Facebook. I sold 3 for more than they were worth within a couple hours of posting. One was spoken for in literally 2 minutes... and it was priced way too high.

 

[Rob P]

Problem with putting them up on social media is I live in Cali and I'd have to go through an FFL. I don't want to do anything outside the laws. Cabelas may be the easier route. I know they will low ball because they need to make their markup. But since I never even paid for them to begin with then it's not that big of a deal. I just have no use for them.

 

[sneakypete]

I shouldn't be a big deal either to go thru an FFL dealer, you may only have to pay one fee, since in calif. You can buy as many long guns on one transaction. Pistols are different one per 30 days I think. The other alternative is to sell them to a friend who doesn't care about the transfer. My thoughts. Any Winchester rifles if so pm me.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Check around and see if any of your local FFL's work with Gun Broker. Check out Gun Broker (gunbroker.com)and peruse thru their listings to get an idea of what the guns are worth. You can also PM me as I do a lot of buying, selling & trading and can tell you their value.

 

[coastalarms]

Cabelas usually offers about 60% of what the value is. When they were opening their new store up by Portland they had a buyer going around offering dealers such as myself 50-60% of what we had items marked for.

You will do significantly better by selling yourself on Gunbroker. Also, we are always interested in purchasing used firearms , just send me a pm. I would also be willing to help you set prices to sell them yourself.

RJ

 

[Dark Mavis]

If you are ok with giving them to cabelas for 1/2 of what they are worth, why not check with RMEF (or some other conservation organization) instead and make a charitable donation out of them. That way you can at least earn a little tax break out of the deal. Also, I think pretty much anyone on this site would buy 1/2 priced guns from you if you put a few pics up.

Once you sell a few, spend the money wisely. Maybe add a new 30-378 or a nosler 26 to your harem. Good luck!

 

[hoshour]

Colorado Cowboy gave you some good advice and I would take him up on that offer.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

I've also heard that they won't give you anything for the scope if it has one. They only pay for what they say the rifle is worth so take the scope off.

 

[Musket Man]

You could talk to some local gun shops about selling them for you on consignment.

 

[sra61]

I've sold a few on Gunbroker and it was really no big deal. From Montana you just have to make sure it ships to an FFL. I think it's all explained on their site. If you are nervous about it just have an FFL do it for you most of the guys around here will do it for $25. I have also sold a couple to Cabela's One was a weatherby rifle for which they gave me pretty much what I wanted, the other was a used ruger pistol that they pretty much low balled me. The rifle was new and unfired and the pistol was used and pretty common, so it was kind of expected. I would consider selling to them again if I didn't want to take the time and effort to sell it myself. You don't have to say yes when they give their offer!

 

[coastalarms]

I've also heard that they won't give you anything for the scope if it has one. They only pay for what they say the rifle is worth so take the scope off.

That's true for just about any used gun. Even at gun shows I pull the scopes off the rifles and sell them separately.

 

[Rob P]

Thanks to all for the advice and offers. one of the rifles is an old 7.62mm or perhaps 303 British I don't remember now. It's pretty old and missing the magazine. I don't figure it to be worth much. Another is 22 cal marlin. i am also considering getting rid of an 870 express 12 gauge and an 1187 12 gauge in 3 1/2 mag. Both are problematic. The 870 barrel won't stay tight and the 1187 jams to often. I know, I gotta clean it. I prefer a pump. Then I have a Ruger 44 mag Blackhawk that I'd love to keep but again I don't have any paperwork on it. I got from my uncle who died 5 years ago and who got it from a friend.

 

[Bughalli]

Rob, If you live in CA, then make sure you can sell them to Cabelas as a non-resident. Since we don't have any Cabelas in CA, I'm assuming you're talking about the Reno store. I have no idea if it's an issue or not, but you should check.

Selling in CA is really no big deal. Pretty hassle free. Post them on Calguns.org in the classifieds section if you want the largest audience. Other good sites to post are 24hr campfire and Jessie's Outdoors. Lots of CA people. Then just meet the buyers at a gun shop in your area. Paperwork takes 5 minutes. The FFL process is simple and you can have the buyer pay the fees. GunBroker as others have mentioned is good, for selling and researching price history. You could ship the guns, but you would need to get payment first and then ship it to an FFL (in state or out of state). Buyer pays shipping fees. That means you would need find good boxes for them, which is a pain. Doing it in person is a lot easier. If you're in the Bay Area there are plenty of shops that buy used guns, but like Cabelas they will only give you 60% of the value since they need to make money on the resale. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Kalifornia ain't Russia, even tho some might think so. LOL You really don't need any paperwork, no one is going to stop you and just check your guns ownership. If you can legally own a firearm, it's yours. Myself, I would prefer a bill of sale from the person who gave it to you (like for $1.00). Keep what you want and dispose of the rest as you see fit.

 

[sneakypete]

We'll said CC!

 

[Hilltop]

I have only sold one gun to Cabela's and I was actually really happy. I bought the gun cheap from a guy who really needed money. I took it to Cabela's with the thought of selling it or getting store credit. They offered me $475 cash. When I mentioned store credit they seemed happy and offered me $600 in store credit. This was a nice gun that normally retailed for $749.00 at the time. I don't know if they always do this but it seemed like a great deal to me. I didn't have to provide any paper work but I did have to fill out their firearm sales forms.

 

[shootbrownelk]

I have only sold one gun to Cabela's and I was actually really happy. I bought the gun cheap from a guy who really needed money. I took it to Cabela's with the thought of selling it or getting store credit. They offered me $475 cash. When I mentioned store credit they seemed happy and offered me $600 in store credit. This was a nice gun that normally retailed for $749.00 at the time. I don't know if they always do this but it seemed like a great deal to me. I didn't have to provide any paper work but I did have to fill out their firearm sales forms.

I believe that's how it works on long guns Hilltop. I agree. But from what I've seen, Cabela's really tries to bend you over when trying to buy a gun from you.

 

[brushcreek]

I'd love to keep but again I don't have any paperwork on it.

why is this a big deal / reason to get rid of guns?

 

[Elkoholic307]

Who cares about paperwork?