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Airgun Nation

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Aug 24, 2020
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On occasion we receive emails like this "I've just inherited a large collection of airguns, and I'm looking for someone or somewhere to sell them".

Obviously, we can't allow them to sell the collection in the Classified forum as they have not met the minimum requirements.

The question at hand is...

Should we offer some type of "informational only" post for local viewing?
  • Location/zip code
  • Inheritance items (no prices/no sales)
  • If a buyer is willing to drive to the location only then will an Admin provide the contact information

Please chime in to share your thoughts and any other options you think might benefit this group.

Thanks
-AGN
 
The issue is that these people have no knowledge of the value and come here to inquire about value. In my opinion item sales like that are better on a bid type platform. It offers them an option that they don’t have to get too involved in a busy and challenging time. I’d honestly steer them towards gunbroker or something similar.
 
There are auction houses (do both traditional and online auctions) like Monterose Auctions in Georgia. All they have to do is haul the collection of airguns to the auction house. The auction house will catalog the guns, post and advertise them and deal with the bidders. You just wait for your check. However if using an auction site like Monterose, be best to post in all the airgun forums on the time, website and place of the auction to draw more bidders to the auction. No need to change the rules.
 
My dad left a small pile of old English motorcycles, basket-cases most of them, so I made a call to the local enthusiast group (British Iron Association, Mass chapter), and a few of the elder and more civilized ruffians came out with a van and bought the lot. Everyone was happy and I know that junk finally found loving homes.
The same could be with airguns. If someone left a really nice collection, who else would appreciate it?
 
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I would refer them to Kevin Hull or his son.
He advertises that he will drive anywhere to purchase collections, and he is an AGN member.

 
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I sympathize with anyone legitimately looking for a way to liquidate a large number of inherited air guns, although if they can find their way here I do not understand why they can't find where to sell the air guns.

That said, not everyone knows how to sell on an auction site and probably fewer people want to box air guns up and send them. Chances are in either case the guns will not be properly boxed and will arrive somewhere damaged.

If the demand warrants it, maybe create a place in the forum where people who buy estate guns can introduce themselves, provide a little history of their buying/selling and post their own contact information, by state, so heirs have a starting point. Make it so the estate buyers have to renew their post every 6 months or be dropped from the list to prevent the list from being encumbered with those no longer looking to purchase estates. Establish criteria for estate buyers to post their information such as being an AGN member in good standing, purchasing via a legitimate business which buys and sells, etc.

Include tips to heirs like precautions to take to help ensure a safe meeting and transaction, what information heirs should be prepared to provide to describe guns, what heirs might expect to get for the guns (50% of actual value for entire lot purchase maybe), don't allow cherry picking, etc. Allow heirs to post feedback on buyers afterwards so new heirs can make informed decisions on who they want to contact.

This could also help current owners of air gun collections prepare the information their heirs may need some day to sell their collection. Make, model, caliber, approx. year of manufacture, condition and even pictures.....information an heir can provide prospective buyers so buyers can decide if they are interested in the lot or not.

I am sure there are a number of pitfalls with my idea, but you did ask, lol.
 
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It sucks to be in that situation for sure. But rules are rules. If you bend it for an estate sale, then everyone will be using that excuse to side step the rules.

Why not make a separate part of the forum that is specifically for these threads. This way people can get information on price and where to sell or the legality of everything.

We need to help, but not bend to everyone
 
On occasion we receive emails like this "I've just inherited a large collection of airguns, and I'm looking for someone or somewhere to sell them".

Obviously, we can't allow them to sell the collection in the Classified forum as they have not met the minimum requirements.

The question at hand is...

Should we offer some type of "informational only" post for local viewing?
  • Location/zip code
  • Inheritance items (no prices/no sales)
  • If a buyer is willing to drive to the location only then will an Admin provide the contact information

Please chime in to share your thoughts and any other options you think might benefit this group.

Thanks
-AGN
i say "the wait" is important.... ebay is out there if they are desperate.
 
It's complicated...

On the one hand, do we want people to just show up here because they want to know what their new treasure is worth, or (on the other) are we interested in being joined by new enthusiasts?

I've assisted enough newbs in finding the relative value of their piece only to find that all they want is the cash that it's worth. I'm done doing that. Let them go to an auction house.

Cheers,

J~
 
On a slightly related note… Wonder why we don’t see people posting their location (city and state) in their classified ads? I know I’ve been guilty of buying things that I was interested in but not necessarily shopping for at the time just because they were close enough to me that I could drive over and pay cash money upon inspection. On one of the forums I used to frequent (not airgun related) it was an actual requirement that you post the location in the title and not always appreciated that. Hell, I’m handing over a significant stack of Benjamins to member squirrelmageddon tomorrow because he’s local (and because he offered a sweet deal presumably because I’M local) that might not have happened for either of us if I hadn’t profile stalked him in advance.
 
It's complicated...

On the one hand, do we want people to just show up here because they want to know what their new treasure is worth, or (on the other) are we interested in being joined by new enthusiasts?

I've assisted enough newbs in finding the relative value of their piece only to find that all they want is the cash that it's worth. I'm done doing that. Let them go to an auction house.

Cheers,

J~
I get that they might just be interested in the value of the item. Suppose I find out that my long lost cousin just died and that the family now has a collection of antique sewing machines to sell off. Sorry to all the vintage sewing machine fans out there, but to me they're just something I don't personally care about that has value and I need to find out what that value is and I'm sure that airguns are only marginally more interesting than sewing machines to most people.
 
It seems silly to force people with no interest in airguns to go through the process of meaningful post-making on a topic they know nothing about just to get to the point where they’re going to list and sell and then never return anyway. In fact, that sounds like a recipe to clog up the forum with a bunch of pointless nonsense.

Obviously we want to maintain the integrity of the classifieds to the highest possible standard. To that end, the idea of a space separate from the classifieds, where heirs to large collections can at least post some basic info for those of us interested in hearing more is, I think, not a bad one. There are a lot of active, contributing members of this community who are eager to check out inherited airgun collections, since often you can find rare—if not one of a kind—collectors items there. I know I would be. And who better to valuate and purchase old collections than the top-shelf of the airgun enthusiast world—AGN members—themselves;?

All to say I like the idea of an “inheritance listing” sub-forum for people with questions about value, etc. I’d check it out often.
 
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