I don't want to be an alarmist, but....

[Austin J Hawthorne Jr.]

I think one way to slow down the declining prices would be for dealers/owners to establish a base line. What I mean is this, lets set a price on an average condition Trojan 12 gauge at 700-800 dollars...a VH at 1000-1200...a PH at 1400-1500...a GH at 1700-1800, etc. etc. So, lets say you are a dealer, and you see one of the above guns selling for less than the amounts shown. If you buy it, you remove it from the market and can set your own selling price. I understand that you may not sell it quickly, but if you remain firm a base price will be established. If a private seller needs a quick sale, and offers their guns for less, buy it and list it at the base price. If there are 471 Parker's on gunsinternational, and say 300 of them are in the lower grades, and we buy them, now there are only 171 left and they will probably be high grade, or high condition, guns that are for advanced collectors that may have the disposable for such guns. I think what I am trying to say here is that we, as collectors/shooters have to establish a guns value and not leave it to those folks that will only buy a gun if they think it's cheaper than it should be. I've never seen a 60,000 Range Rover sell for 30,000 just because there are alot of them out there.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Austin J Hawthorne Jr.

I think one way to slow down the declining prices would be for dealers/owners to establish a base line. What I mean is this, lets set a price on an average condition Trojan 12 gauge at 700-800 dollars...a VH at 1000-1200...a PH at 1400-1500...a GH at 1700-1800, etc. etc. So, lets say you are a dealer, and you see one of the above guns selling for less than the amounts shown. If you buy it, you remove it from the market and can set your own selling price. I understand that you may not sell it quickly, but if you remain firm a base price will be established. If a private seller needs a quick sale, and offers their guns for less, buy it and list it at the base price. If there are 471 Parker's on gunsinternational, and say 300 of them are in the lower grades, and we buy them, now there are only 171 left and they will probably be high grade, or high condition, guns that are for advanced collectors that may have the disposable for such guns. I think what I am trying to say here is that we, as collectors/shooters have to establish a guns value and not leave it to those folks that will only buy a gun if they think it's cheaper than it should be. I've never seen a 60,000 Range Rover sell for 30,000 just because there are alot of them out there.

The Blue Book of Gun Values pretty much "establishes" baseline prices on the doubles we collect and shoot, but it seems that that publication has a pretty hard time keeping in step with what is actually happening in the used gun market scene.
The other problem is that a seller (not necessarily a dealer) is too eager to lower his price for the sake of making the sale. There are 'predators' who watch these offerings and pounce when the price drops to something below wholesale. It's a vicious cycle - it's like a reverse auction and the seller is rarely totally pleased with the outcome.

Regarding the $60,000 Range Rover selling for half of its actual value... I hope we never see this happen with classic American doubles, though I am beginning to see evidence of it recently... or is it just a "market adjustment"...?






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