Traders in the Classifieds

[Creedmoor]

The Trader was our "internet". I loved those gun ads in the late 90s that said "pre-band".

We have been going through "MY STUFF" while my Thing 2 is home and putting some of it in better organizational order. He opened a 50 BMG can that was full of new alum G3 mags along with this page from Shotgun News in 1999.
That was almost in the middle of the assault weapons ban, boy did I pay for those magazines.

 

[Cameramonkey]

20 years ago I was selling a bunch of tools I had built on eBay and a friend emailed me a picture of another vendor on eBay selling a flower vase. The picture was of the vase on a dinning room table and you could see the reflection of the poster in the vase. He also was a short chubby white guy with my color hair, and he was neggid. I heard about it for a couple of years.

It’s called reflectoporn I think. It’s often intentional.

 

[model1994]

I love bartering. Money is gross and I don’t value it like I do a tangible item. As a seller the cash sale is often hung-up by the cost of a dinner or tank of gas, just because they want to haggle. A straight-trade is always best. Both parties leave happy and no money involved. It’s kinda best when you have rare or uncommon items, too. Or when cash is rare, like most of my life

Cash value is often just what someone is willing to pay for it anyway. I know sometimes that can get complicated. I think many of the criticisms I’m reading on here is generic to folks thinking they’re Rick from Pawn Stars or Mike from Pickers. It’s not a problem with trading but some of the delusions people think trading is. I’ve done a few trades on here already but also had my share of goofy offers in the process. No different than cash sales.

 

[Creedmoor]

It’s called reflectoporn I think. It’s often intentional.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho its Off to, Urban Dictionary I go.

Edit, I'm almost speechless. LOL

 

[Creedmoor]

I love bartering. Money is gross and I don’t value it like I do a tangible item. As a seller the cash sale is often hung-up by the cost of a dinner or tank of gas, just because they want to haggle. A straight-trade is always best. Both parties leave happy and no money involved. It’s kinda best when you have rare or uncommon items, too. Or when cash is rare, like most of my life

Cash value is often just what someone is willing to pay for it anyway. I know sometimes that can get complicated. I think many of the criticisms I’m reading on here is generic to folks thinking they’re Rick from Pawn Stars or Mike from Pickers. It’s not a problem with trading but some of the delusions people think trading is. I’ve done a few trades on here already but also had my share of goofy offers in the process. No different than cash sales.

With cash deals, I've walked away with sellers that just refuse to drive 10 miles to meet to finish the deal.

 

[model1994]

With cash deals, I've walked away with sellers that just refuse to drive 10 miles to meet to finish the deal.

same here. and on the other end of spectrum, trading rare items (car parts mostly), I’ve driven a few hours and had other drive just as far to meet in the middle.

 

[MrSmitty]

As someone earlier stated, I like the trades so that I'm not getting cash that could possibly not be used for another gun.....like the Glock I just sold , and gave the cash to my wife for Christmas...I wanted a certain gun, but sacrificed, for the same gun later...

 

[Gingerbeardman]

Bought my first, a Marlin model 60, out of The Free Ad Paper. Went to the guy's house with my dad to get it. To this day I still think they should only cost $120!

Only once did I show up to a cash deal and barter for less. The gun was much rustier in person than it looked in photos, but we agreed to a price and I think we both left happy. Some time carefully spent with wd40 and steel wool and it was acceptable without ruining anything.

 

[jsharmon7]

i always like..."Just Seeing What Is Out There ".....

I’ve done this a few times over the years. Sometimes I’ll have a firearm that doesn’t get out of the safe much, for whatever reason, so I’ll post it up to see what offers I’ll get. It’s worked out several times and I’ve gotten something interesting.

I have gotten the vibe a few times that people post something only for trade to avoid having to put a price on it. I’ve found most INGOers are pretty accurate when it comes to valuing things, so there’s no point in trying to be tricky.

 

[223 Gunner]

We have been going through "MY STUFF" while my Thing 2 is home and putting some of it in better organizational order. He opened a 50 BMG can that was full of new alum G3 mags along with this page from Shotgun News in 1999.
That was almost in the middle of the assault weapons ban, boy did I pay for those magazines.

View attachment 321069

Nice find, I love seeing those old ads.

 

[bwframe]

Communication is the key to "trading" or selling or buying or whatever you want to call it.

We are blessed with tools to make this easy in the modern day. Everyone carries around a communication device in their pocket, along with sitting down to another or two, if they choose.

INGO requiring pictures in classified adds was a huge step in fixing the looky-lew newspaper/Trader paper classifieds issues of 20-30 years ago.

The INGO classifieds themselves is a wonderful marketplace. Especially if we remember that golden communication thing.

 

[BugI02]

I also agree that you should just sell for cash and be done with it so you can buy what you want. You can feasibly do that in under a week for the right asking price, but WTT requires somebody on the other side wanting to do the same. At best you are looking at MONTHS, at worst it never moves.

Perhaps a bit more detail, then. I don't happen to like striker fired guns - any striker fired guns. It's an idiosyncrasy, I just like hammer fired weapons esthetically and mechanically, but striker fired guns are certainly popular

A few years ago as part of a trade I accepted a first gen M&P in factory 357 sig. I have several weapons in that caliber so it wasn't totally crazy thing to do. Gun was unfired and I never did fire it but I was reasonably certain it would generate some interest and later on it did figure in a trade for something I actually wanted. I didn't sell it because I didn't really feel a need for the money and had room in the safe. I didn't offer it for trade on INGO because I still don't quite have 50 quality posts, but mostly because living in a different state transferring a handgun comes with more restrictions and more paper than anyone really wants. I don't quite ever really think of a firearm in the hand as money rather than as a device or piece of equipment

 

[indyblue]

On Armslist several years ago, I saw a rifle listed "Cums with scope" spelled exactly like that.

They misspelled “speculum”?

 

[bobzilla]

I’ve done trades. Nothing wrong with it if both sides are good. Definitely not worth turning your nose up at others because it’s beneath you.

 

[Trapper Jim]

Many peeps do not understand buying and selling prices. As a merchant there is what we want or what we may need in the moment.

Needing money in the moment to pay the rent or light bill makes a big difference in what you might sell something for and forego what you would like to get out of it.

On the other hand as a buyer if one is a real shooter one could not care less about the items history. He would be more interested in how it shoots.

I always have fun with the antique rifle and handguns that the merchant says they belonged to Cochise and Lewis and Clark. I usually say wow….. but how do they shoot? Then I notice President Lincoln’s Derringer be carried in and out of gun shows for 30 years, somewhere different every week.

When I am ready to move on from something by using Ingo Classies, I price it for real players. My hangtime to SOLD is usually minutes.

Life is too short to go without what you want or to get rid of excess baggage. The quicker I can move on, the more time I have at the range!

 

[BE Mike]

There's nothing wrong with wanting only to trade, but it does seem like a long shot. I too never understood the cash price vs. trade value difference. It bothers me some, when someone never makes an offer and leads a post with, "What's the least that you will take?" Every ad here has the asking price. I realize that there are some on here that frequent gun shows and try to get 50 cents on the dollar for every item that they try to purchase, but you're not sending your kid through college on your lowball offer to me! P.T. Barnum said that there is a sucker born every minute, but it wasn't me.

 

[223 Gunner]

There's nothing wrong with wanting only to trade, but it does seem like a long shot. I too never understood the cash price vs. trade value difference. It bothers me some, when someone never makes an offer and leads a post with, "What's the least that you will take?" Every ad here has the asking price. I realize that there are some on here that frequent gun shows and try to get 50 cents on the dollar for every item that they try to purchase, but you're not sending your kid through college on your lowball offer to me! P.T. Barnum said that there is a sucker born every minute, but it wasn't me.

Agreed. Not a fan of what's your bottom dollar right out of the gate.

 

[firecadet613]

Agreed. Not a fan of what's your bottom dollar right out of the gate.

You mean it's not unique to Facebook Marketplace?

 

[bwframe]

There's nothing wrong with wanting only to trade, but it does seem like a long shot. It bothers me some, when someone never makes an offer and leads a post with, "What's the least that you will take?" Every ad here has the asking price. I realize that there are some on here that frequent gun shows and try to get 50 cents on the dollar for every item that they try to purchase, but you're not sending your kid through college on your lowball offer to me! P.T. Barnum said that there is a sucker born every minute, but it wasn't me.

Hardly ever hear that anymore, but I've always replied to that question with "asking price, thanks anyway." That said, when I'm selling it's rare that I'm not ready to negotiate. Maybe not right off the bat though, especially if I have truly priced to sell.

I'll frequently pass along, "thanks for the offer, I'm happy to entertain it when the add has been up for a few days." The other side of that is folks making offers who you have traded with before. I have taken offers I really didn't want to, but for the fact they have given me deals in the past.

There are ways to talk to folks without giving them a subtle insult. I always try to be delicate when making an offer. If I'm not giving them a direct "I'll take it," I'll make an offer that recent classifieds sales have transacted at or something in that range.

If the add I'm responding to has been listed for a while, that obviously has an impact on the negotiations also. I know I'm not the only "watcher," looking for the add poster to learn they need to drop the price? Sometimes they never drop the price and sometimes if I really wanted it, I should have jumped quicker. You never know...

 

[Cameramonkey]

You mean it's not unique to Facebook Marketplace?

Fb marketplace users can DIAF. Ridiculous amount of idiots that commit then bail.

last item was priced to move and I got ghosted 6x in 10 days before I finally got somebody willing to close the deal And show up.